Fonzworth Bentley | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Derek Watkins |
Also known as | Farnsworth Bentley |
Born | [1] Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | February 13, 1974
Genres | Hip hop |
Occupation(s) |
|
Years active | 2002–present |
Labels |
|
Derek Watkins (born February 13, 1974), [2] known professionally as Fonzworth Bentley, is an American rapper, actor, television presenter, and author. He is perhaps best known for being Sean Combs' former personal valet and assistant, as first seen in Making the Band 2 , and was the host of MTV's From G's to Gents . He was born in Atlanta, Georgia. [3]
He first appeared rapping on Da Band's 2002 album Too Hot for TV , in the track "Cheers to Me, Mr. Bentley (Interlude)". In 2003, Bentley was featured on the "Good Day, Good Sir" skit on OutKast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below . In 2004, he made a cameo in the music video of Kanye West's "The New Workout Plan". [4] Bentley is credited as a songwriter on multiple Yeezus tracks including “On Sight,” “Black Skinhead,” “I Am a God,” and “Hold My Liquor.” [4] He is also credited as a producer on West's “Ultralight Beam.” [5]
His debut album, C.O.L.O.U.R.S., was released via iTunes on April 26, 2011. [6]
He was also featured, playing the violin in the "Yes We Can" music video in support of Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. [7]
Bentley was an executive producer for Borrow My Crew in 2005, in which he allowed one boy, Cory Cole, to borrow the entourage of P. Diddy for two days. In 2008, he hosted the MTV reality series From G's to Gents , which ran for two seasons.
In 2007, Bentley authored an etiquette book, Advance Your Swagger: How to Use Manners, Confidence and Style to Get Ahead. [2]
In May 2009, Bentley hosted one of the afterparties following the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington, D.C. [8]
In 2007, Bentley contributed to KnowHow2GO. Bentley's involvement in the campaign has included creation of a radio public service advertisement ("Wanna Go?") and participation in the 2007 YMCA Black and Hispanic Achievers Teen Leadership Summit in Orlando, Florida. [9] Bentley sang as a member of the chorus for "We Are The World", a remake of the original for Haiti, in February 2010. [10]
Bad Boy Entertainment, doing business as Bad Boy Records, is an American record label founded in 1993 by Sean "Puffy" Combs. During the mid 1990s, the label signed numerous artists including Craig Mack, The Notorious B.I.G., Faith Evans, Mase, 112, Total, The Lox, Shyne and Carl Thomas. At its 1997 peak, Bad Boy was worth an estimated US$100 million.
Young Gunz is an American hip hop duo from Philadelphia, composed of rappers Young Chris and Neef Buck. The group is part of Beanie Sigel's State Property collective and were signed to Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records. Young Gunz' 2003 debut single, "Can't Stop, Won't Stop", reached the top 15 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Late Registration is the second studio album by the American rapper Kanye West. It was released on August 30, 2005, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. West recorded the album over the course of a year during sessions held at studios in Hollywood and New York City, in collaboration with Jon Brion. The album features guest appearances from Adam Levine, Jamie Foxx, Common, Brandy, Jay-Z, and Nas, among others.
"Gold Digger" is a song by American rapper Kanye West, featuring singer Jamie Foxx, from West's second studio album, Late Registration (2005). The song includes additional vocals from Plain Pat and Don C. West created the beat in Atlanta. He and Jon Brion produced the song. It was originally set to be recorded for Shawnna's debut studio album, Worth Tha Weight (2004), but the song was later passed on to West. On July 5, 2005, it was released to American rhythmic contemporary radio stations by Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam as the second single from West's album. The song set a record for the most digital downloads in a week, selling over 80,000.
"The New Workout Plan" is a song from Kanye West's debut album, The College Dropout. Released as the album's fifth single on August 31, 2004, it peaked at number 59 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song was written and produced by West, with additional songwriting from John Legend, Miri Ben-Ari, Sumeke Rainey, and Bosko Cante. The music video was released the same year, with cameos from Legend, Ben-Ari, Anna Nicole Smith, Fonzworth Bentley, Tracee Ellis Ross, Vida Guerra and GLC.
Sa-Ra is an American musical group from Los Angeles, also known by its full name, The Sa-Ra Creative Partners. The group is composed of Om'Mas Keith, Taz Arnold, and Shafiq Husayn. The name translates roughly to "the children of God". The group's name, style and creativity are allusions to the similarly named jazz composer Sun Ra. Their music has been described as progressive soul, neo funk, and alternative hip hop.
"International Players Anthem (I Choose You)" is a song by American hip hop duo UGK, released on June 6, 2007, as the second single from their fifth studio album Underground Kingz (2007). The song, produced by DJ Paul and Juicy J of Three 6 Mafia, features verses from fellow Southern hip hop duo Outkast.
The 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, honoring the best music videos from the previous year between June 2006 to June 2007, took place on September 9, in Las Vegas at The Palms. The 2007 VMAs were the smallest VMAs to ever take place, eliminating 13 awards, and renaming many of the remaining awards. The 2008 awards restored most of the categories.
The 2005 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on August 28, 2005, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. The show was hosted by Diddy at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. The big winner of the night was Green Day, who took home seven VMA's, including Best Rock Video, Best Group Video, Viewer's Choice, and Video of the Year.
"Roc Boys ..." is the second single from Jay-Z's tenth studio album, American Gangster. The song is produced by Skyz Muzik, Diddy and two of his producers known as LV and Sean C from his production team, The Hitmen. It features additional vocals by Beyoncé, Kanye West and Cassie. The song samples "Make the Road by Walking" by The Menahan Street Band. On December 11, 2007, Rolling Stone named it the best song of 2007.
The first season of the MTV reality television series From G's to Gents featured 14 misdirected young men willing to change their lives and become gentlemen. The show is hosted by Fonzworth Bentley, and premiered on MTV on July 15, 2008. The objective of the show is to make the transformation from a roughneck to a sophisticated gentleman within the given time. In the end, Thaddeus aka Creepa was decided upon to be the most transformed and refined gentleman, winning the cash prize of $100,000 and membership in The Gentleman's Club.
Malik Yusef El Shabazz Jones is an American spoken word artist, poet, rapper, music producer, and director based in Chicago, Illinois, United States.
From G's to Gents is an American reality television series aired on MTV, which features misdirected young men willing to change their lives and become gentlemen. The show is hosted by Fonzworth Bentley, and premiered on MTV on July 15, 2008. The objective of the show is to make the transformation from a roughneck to a sophisticated gentleman within the given time. The second season premiered on February 10, 2009.
We Were Once a Fairytale is a 2009 drama short film directed by Spike Jonze and starring rapper Kanye West. It is the second collaboration between Jonze and West, who jointly co-directed the music video for West's single "Flashing Lights" in 2008.
"Bad Boy for Life" is a song by American rappers P. Diddy, Black Rob and Mark Curry, featured on Diddy's 2001 third album The Saga Continues.... Produced by Megahertz, it was released as the second single from the album in July 2001 and reached number 33 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
"Waves" is a song by the American rapper Kanye West from his seventh studio album, The Life of Pablo (2016). The song includes guest vocals from singer Chris Brown and fellow rapper Kid Cudi. It was the first beat conceived by West with Charlie Heat, which was set to be scrapped until a few weeks before release and Chance the Rapper persuaded West to keep the song on the album. An art pop number with gospel elements, the song samples Fantastic Freaks's "Fantastic Freaks at the Dixie" and features choral synths. It mostly features vocals from Brown, who sings about the symbolism of waves crashing at sea. The song received generally positive reviews from music critics, who mostly praised Brown's appearance. Some highlighted the musicality, while a few critics picked it as a highlight of the album.
"Ultralight Beam" is a song by American recording artist Kanye West from his seventh studio album The Life of Pablo (2016). The song features vocals by R&B singers The-Dream and Kelly Price, rapper Chance the Rapper, gospel singer Kirk Franklin and a ten-piece choir, with additional vocals by Natalie Green and Samoria Green. It was first performed live on Saturday Night Live in February 2016.
"Champions" is a song by American rappers Kanye West, Gucci Mane, Big Sean, 2 Chainz, Travis Scott, Yo Gotti, Quavo, and Desiigner. It was originally intended to be released as the lead single from the scrapped GOOD Music compilation album Cruel Winter. The song was produced by West alongside Low Pros and Mike Dean, with co-production from Derek Watkins and Charlie Heat, and additional production from Noah Goldstein. A freestyle video was released by Teyana Taylor in September 2016.
DJDS is an American production and DJ duo consisting of Jerome LOL and Samo Sound Boy, based in Los Angeles.
American rapper Kanye West has released four video albums and been featured in various music videos. He has also made cameo appearances in films and appeared in several television programs.