Fonzworth Bentley
Encyclopedia
Derrick Watkins, in Atlanta, Georgia and popularly known as Fonzworth Bentley or Farnsworth Bentley, is a musician 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 is currently the host of MTV's From G's to Gents
. His first single, "Everybody", features Kanye West
and Andre 3000
.
'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 had a part on the music video of Kanye West
's "The New Workout Plan
".
Bentley has appeared in several music videos, such as Usher
's "Yeah
", P. Diddy's "D.I.D.D.Y." and "I Need A Girl (Part Two)", Slum Village
's "Selfish", OutKast's "The Way You Move
" and "Roses
", as well as UGK and Outkast's "International Player's Anthem". He made a brief appearance in the music video for "Grammy Family", by West, DJ Khaled
, John Legend
and Consequence
.
In August 2006, Bentley was featured in Sprite's Sublymonal campaign.
Although his debut album, C.O.L.O.U.R.S., was originally scheduled to be released in 2007, it was released via iTunes on April 26, 2011.
He was also featured, playing the violin
in the "Yes We Can
" music video in support of Barack Obama
's 2008 presidential campaign.
for Borrow My Crew in 2005, in which he allowed one boy, Cory Cole, to borrow the entourage of P. Diddy for two days. Since 2008, he has been hosting the MTV series From G's to Gents
.
In 2007, Bentley authored an etiquette
book, Advance Your Swagger: How to Use Manners, Confidence and Style to Get Ahead.
In May 2009, Bentley hosted one of the after parties following the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington DC.
, a national public service advertising campaign designed to encourage low-income and first-generation students to take the steps necessary to go to college. 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. KnowHow2GO is a joint effort between The Ad Council, Lumina Foundation for Education
and the American Council on Education
. Recently, Bentley sang as a member of the chorus for "We Are The World
", a remake of the original
for Haiti, in February 2010; it aired during the start of the Olympic Games
in Vancouver, Canada.
Sean Combs
Sean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
' former personal valet and assistant, as first seen in Making the Band 2, and is currently the host of MTV's From G's to Gents
From G's to Gents
From G's to Gents is an MTV reality television series 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...
. His first single, "Everybody", features Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
and Andre 3000
André 3000
André Lauren Benjamin , better known by his stage name André 3000 is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and actor, best known for being part of American hip-hop duo OutKast alongside fellow rapper Big Boi...
.
Music
He first appeared rapping on Da BandDa Band
-Career:During the preliminary period 40,000 participants tried out for a spot in the group but Diddy narrowed it down to six artists. For several weeks the group was subjected to vigorous and sometime demeaning tasks, including walking from midtown Manhattan to Brooklyn to purchase a Junior's...
's 2002 album Too Hot for TV
Too Hot for TV
Too Hot for TV is the first and only album by rap group Da Band. Da Band was formed by Sean Combs on the show Making the Band. The album was the only one put out as a group as they disbanded sometime after its release. The album spawned two singles "Tonight" and "Bad Boy This, Bad Boy That", and...
, 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
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is the fifth studio album by American hip hop duo OutKast, released September 23, 2003 on LaFace Records in the United States. Issued as a double album, it clocks in at over two hours and consists of a solo album from both of the group's members...
. In 2004, he had a part on the music video of Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
's "The New Workout Plan
The New Workout Plan
"The New Workout Plan" is the final single from Kanye West's debut album, The College Dropout. Released in late 2004, the single peaked at number fifty-nine on the U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart...
".
Bentley has appeared in several music videos, such as Usher
Usher (entertainer)
Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
's "Yeah
Yeah! (Usher song)
"Yeah!" is a song by American singer Usher, released on 3 February 2004 as the lead single from his hit fourth studio album Confessions. The song was written by Lil Jon, Sean Garrett, Patrick J. Que Smith, Ludacris, Robert McDowell, and LRoc. It was produced by Lil Jon, who combined crunk and R&B...
", P. Diddy's "D.I.D.D.Y." and "I Need A Girl (Part Two)", Slum Village
Slum Village
Slum Village was a hip hop group from Conant Gardens, Detroit, Michigan.The group was formed by three members: rappers Baatin and T3, plus rapper and producer J Dilla . J Dilla left in 2002 to pursue a solo career with MCA Records...
's "Selfish", OutKast's "The Way You Move
The Way You Move
"The Way You Move" is a 2003 number-one single recorded by Big Boi of the hip-hop duo OutKast, released by LaFace Records. The song features OutKast mentor Sleepy Brown on guest vocals...
" and "Roses
Roses (Outkast song)
"Roses" is a track by OutKast from their 2003 double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. It appears on André 3000's The Love Below disc, and is the only track on his disc to feature Big Boi. The track was largely popular in the United Kingdom and United States where it peaked at #4 on the UK Singles...
", as well as UGK and Outkast's "International Player's Anthem". He made a brief appearance in the music video for "Grammy Family", by West, DJ Khaled
DJ Khaled
Khaled bin Abdul Khaled , better known by his stage name DJ Khaled, is an American record producer, radio personality, DJ, and record label executive. He is a radio host for the Miami-based urban music radio station WEDR and the DJ for the hip hop group Terror Squad. In 2006, Khaled released his...
, John Legend
John Legend
John Roger Stephens , better known by his stage name John Legend, is an American singer, musician, and actor. He is the recipient of nine Grammy Awards, and in 2007, he received the special Starlight award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.Prior to the release of his debut album, Stephens' career...
and Consequence
Consequence (rapper)
Dexter Mills , better known as Consequence, is an American rapper. He is the cousin of rapper Q-Tip of the hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest, and was formerly an affiliate of Kanye West's GOOD Music family. Consequence debuted in 1996 on A Tribe Called Quest's album Beats, Rhymes, and Life...
.
In August 2006, Bentley was featured in Sprite's Sublymonal campaign.
Although his debut album, C.O.L.O.U.R.S., was originally scheduled to be released in 2007, it was released via iTunes on April 26, 2011.
He was also featured, playing the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
in the "Yes We Can
Yes We Can
"Yes We Can" is the first single from Change Is Now: Renewing America's Promise, a compilation album organised and produced by Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.I.Am...
" music video in support of Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's 2008 presidential campaign.
Other media work
Bentley was an executive producerExecutive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
for Borrow My Crew in 2005, in which he allowed one boy, Cory Cole, to borrow the entourage of P. Diddy for two days. Since 2008, he has been hosting the MTV series From G's to Gents
From G's to Gents
From G's to Gents is an MTV reality television series 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...
.
In 2007, Bentley authored an etiquette
Etiquette
Etiquette is a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group...
book, Advance Your Swagger: How to Use Manners, Confidence and Style to Get Ahead.
In May 2009, Bentley hosted one of the after parties following the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington DC.
Public service
In 2007, Bentley contributed to KnowHow2GOKnowHow2GO
KnowHow2GO is a 2007 national public service announcement campaign focusing on access to universities and colleges, from The Advertising Council, the American Council on Education and Lumina Foundation for Education, and produced without charge by Publicis New York.The campaign was designed to...
, a national public service advertising campaign designed to encourage low-income and first-generation students to take the steps necessary to go to college. 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. KnowHow2GO is a joint effort between The Ad Council, Lumina Foundation for Education
Lumina Foundation for Education
Lumina Foundation for Education is a private, Indianapolis-based foundation with about $1.4 billion in assets. Its mission is to expand student access to and success in education beyond high school...
and the American Council on Education
American Council on Education
The American Council on Education is a United States organization, established in 1918, comprising over 1,800 accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities and higher education-related associations, organizations, and corporations....
. Recently, Bentley sang as a member of the chorus for "We Are The World
We Are the World 25 for Haiti
"We Are the World 25 for Haiti" is a charity single recorded by the supergroup Artists for Haiti in 2010. It is a remake of the 1985 hit song "We Are the World", which was written by American musicians Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and was recorded by USA for Africa to benefit famine relief in...
", a remake of the original
We Are the World
"We Are the World" is a song and charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album We Are the World...
for Haiti, in February 2010; it aired during the start of the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
in Vancouver, Canada.
Television
- From G's to GentsFrom G's to GentsFrom G's to Gents is an MTV reality television series 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...
(since 2008) - Top Ten Gentlemen's Club (2008)
- Late Night with Conan O'BrienLate Night with Conan O'BrienLate Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
(2008) - Confessions of a Celebrity Assistant (2006, the E! ChannelE!E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by NBCUniversal. It features entertainment-related programming, reality television, feature films and occasionally series and specials unrelated to the entertainment industry.E! has an audience reach of...
) - VH1 Fashion Rocks (2006)
- All Shades of Fine: 25 Hottest Women of the Past 25 Years (2005)
- P. Diddy Presents the Bad Boys of Comedy (2005, uncredited)
- 2005 Trumpet Awards (2005)
- Caleta Condor, Chile (2005)
- Before, During and After the SunsetAfter the SunsetAfter the Sunset is a 2004 action comedy film starring Pierce Brosnan as Max Burdett, a master thief caught in a cat-and-mouse game with FBI agent Stan Lloyd played by Woody Harrelson...
(2005) - 106 & Park Top 10 Live (2005)
- Kanye West: College Dropout - Video Anthology (2005)
- Borrow My Crew (2005)
- Jimmy Kimmel LiveJimmy Kimmel LiveJimmy Kimmel Live! is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and broadcast on ABC.The nightly hour-long show made its debut on January 26, 2003, following Super Bowl XXXVII. Jimmy Kimmel Live! is produced by Jackhole Productions in association with ABC Studios...
(2005) - Fade to Black (2004)
- 2004 MTV Movie Awards (2004)
- Late Show with David LettermanLate Show with David LettermanLate Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
(2004) - Uncredited - Nickelodeon Kids' Choice AwardsNickelodeon Kids' Choice AwardsThe Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, also known as the KCAs or Kids Choice Awards, is an annual awards show that airs on the Nickelodeon cable channel, which airs live and is usually held and telecast live on a...
'04 (2004) - The 18th Annual Soul Train Music AwardsSoul Train Music AwardsThe Soul Train Music Awards is an annual award show which previously aired in national television syndication, and honors the best in Black music and entertainment...
(2004) - MTV Video Music Awards 20032003 MTV Video Music AwardsThe 2003 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on August 28, 2003, honoring the best music videos from June 1, 2002, to June 9, 2003. The show was hosted by Chris Rock at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City...
(2003) - OutKast: The Videos (2003)
- Making the BandMaking the BandMaking the Band is an ABC/MTV reality television series that exists in separate iterations, each iteration focusing on a specific music act. It spawned musical acts O-Town, Da Band, Danity Kane, Day26, and Donnie Klang...
2 (2002–2003, series)
Films
- House PartyHouse Party (film)House Party is a 1990 American comedy film released by New Line Cinema. It stars Kid and Play of the popular hip hop duo Kid 'n Play, and also stars Paul Anthony, Bow-Legged Lou, and B-Fine from Full Force, and Robin Harris . The film also starred Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, A.J...
(1991) - Uncredited - HoneyHoney (2003 film)Honey is a 2003 motion picture released by Universal Pictures. Featuring music produced by Rodney Jerkins, the film stars Jessica Alba, Mekhi Phifer, Lil' Romeo, Joy Bryant, David Moscow and features performances by Tweet, Jadakiss and Ginuwine. It also features a cameo by Missy Elliott...
(2003) - Barber - Fat AlbertFat Albert (film)Fat Albert is a 2004 live-action/animated film based on the Filmation animated series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids. The movie was produced by Davis Entertainment for 20th Century Fox, and stars Kenan Thompson as the title character....
(2003) - Salesman - IdlewildIdlewild (film)Idlewild is an American musical film, released August 25, 2006, written and directed by Bryan Barber. The film stars André 3000 and Big Boi of the hip hop duo OutKast, and Idlewild features musical numbers written, produced, and chiefly performed by OutKast...
(2006) - Voice of Flask - We Were Once A FairytaleWe Were Once A FairytaleWe Were Once a Fairytale is a 2009 short film directed by Spike Jonze. It stars hip hop musician Kanye West. This is the second collaboration between Jonze and West, since they co-directed the music video for West's single "Flashing Lights" in 2008....
- cameo appearance