Something is certainly amiss in hip-hop comedian Katt Williams' world. He's been charged on gun violations two times in the last three years, with the latest charge being terminated. A year ago, he was set to host the BET Hip-Hop Awards in Atlanta a 2nd time but apparently pulled out the night just before the show right after losing a break-dancing challenge to hip-hop singer T-Pain to host the show. Other sources declare that Williams and a BET staffer experienced a heated exchange, prompting the Ohio native to walk out.
All of these bizarre occurrences come as Williams is poised for megastardom. His highly-rated 2006 HBO special, Katt Williams: Pimp Chronicles Pt.1, took him to new heights and his newest DVD, Katt Williams: Pimpadelic, is now available on Amazon. But Williams, who cares for 8 kids, one biological, has fallen into the rhythm of other black comedians before him.
Is fame that much of a pressure cooker? Recent reports about comedian Mo'Nique, who currently helms a struggling night time show on BET, may back that up. Poised for mainstream stardom, Mo'Nique, who gives a riveting, Oscar-worthy performance in Precious, the newest from Lee Daniels, has long been accused of neglecting to make performances to promote the small budget film unless paid a large amount.
The truth that she's entered among the toughest genres in television is overlooked. Think about the pressure that must accompany a decision to enter an arena where failure is the norm. Yet the media has given little credence to those pressures, writing Mo'Nique off as a temperamental diva. Seemingly, rapper Notorious B.I.G.. hit it on the head when he rhymed, "mo' money, mo' problems."
A couple of years back during an interview in Atlanta, I asked Williams why so many black comedians lose their edge in Hollywood. He openly discussed the pressures of maintaining his brand of humor. Noting that, once fame placed in, it was difficult to frequent the environments that when nurtured his humor and that of other like comedians, Williams shared instances of going to the types of nightclubs he might have once visited following his routines and having to keep alert to avoid robbery attempts.
Are Katt Williams, Martin Lawrence, Dave Chappelle and others crazy or is this the price that black individuals, in particular, must pay for achievement? It might not manifest by itself on the scale of those more well known, but does this reality explain the distance so many profitable African-Americans have between where they are and where they come from?
All of these bizarre occurrences come as Williams is poised for megastardom. His highly-rated 2006 HBO special, Katt Williams: Pimp Chronicles Pt.1, took him to new heights and his newest DVD, Katt Williams: Pimpadelic, is now available on Amazon. But Williams, who cares for 8 kids, one biological, has fallen into the rhythm of other black comedians before him.
Is fame that much of a pressure cooker? Recent reports about comedian Mo'Nique, who currently helms a struggling night time show on BET, may back that up. Poised for mainstream stardom, Mo'Nique, who gives a riveting, Oscar-worthy performance in Precious, the newest from Lee Daniels, has long been accused of neglecting to make performances to promote the small budget film unless paid a large amount.
The truth that she's entered among the toughest genres in television is overlooked. Think about the pressure that must accompany a decision to enter an arena where failure is the norm. Yet the media has given little credence to those pressures, writing Mo'Nique off as a temperamental diva. Seemingly, rapper Notorious B.I.G.. hit it on the head when he rhymed, "mo' money, mo' problems."
A couple of years back during an interview in Atlanta, I asked Williams why so many black comedians lose their edge in Hollywood. He openly discussed the pressures of maintaining his brand of humor. Noting that, once fame placed in, it was difficult to frequent the environments that when nurtured his humor and that of other like comedians, Williams shared instances of going to the types of nightclubs he might have once visited following his routines and having to keep alert to avoid robbery attempts.
Are Katt Williams, Martin Lawrence, Dave Chappelle and others crazy or is this the price that black individuals, in particular, must pay for achievement? It might not manifest by itself on the scale of those more well known, but does this reality explain the distance so many profitable African-Americans have between where they are and where they come from?
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