Rickey Smiley
Encyclopedia
Rickey Smiley is a standup comedian
, television host
, actor, and radio personality
best known for his prank phone calls
. The calls feature Smiley disguising his voice and carrying on a conversation with the recipient of the call.
fraternity and is known for informing audiences of his membership in his acts. Smiley is also a pianist
, often playing the piano in his shows, and an organist
and sometimes refers to himself playing it at his home church.
Smiley has two biological children, but has adopted eight others.
's "ComicView" program. He has also appeared on "Showtime at the Apollo", HBO's "Def Comedy Jam", HBO's "Snaps", "The Nashville Network", "Uptown Comedy Club", and "Comic Escape". He is known as one of the few "clean" African American comics, preferring to use humor rather than vulgarity to get laughs. His original comedy routines often feature the role-play of fictional characters such as "Bernice Jenkins" (AKA Granny Swims, Ms. Johnson or Mrs. Francis), "Lil' Daryl", "Rusty Dale" and "Beauford". Bernice Jenkins has a grandson named Rufus, who's a stereotype
of the modern day "Gangsta
". He is referenced in "Two Of My Toes Fell Off" and another prank phone call where Smiley calls a pharmacy.
Smiley became the morning show personality for KBFB Radio in Dallas, Texas
in April 2004. The show features the trademark prank calls, as well as news, information and the latest hip hop music
.
He has also released several humorous songs based on his bits, such as "Roll Tide" featuring his redneck character Buford, and "We Miss Robert", based on a routine of his in which a friend of a deceased drug dealer performs a rap song called "We Miss Robert" at the funeral, which is actually a song about a woman, performed in hopes of landing a record deal. He currently has a morning show on 92(92.3 FM)Q Jams in Baltimore, Maryland.
Smiley had a starring role in Ice Cube
's Friday After Next
.
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, television host
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
, actor, and radio personality
Radio personality
A radio personality is a person with an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality can be someone who introduces and discusses various genres of music, hosts a talk radio show that may take calls from listeners, or someone whose primary responsibility is to give news, weather,...
best known for his prank phone calls
Prank call
A prank call is a form of practical joke committed over the telephone. Prank phone calls began to gain an America-wide following over a period of many years, as they gradually became a staple of the obscure and amusing cassette tapes traded amongst musicians, sound engineers, and media traders...
. The calls feature Smiley disguising his voice and carrying on a conversation with the recipient of the call.
Biography
Smiley graduated from Woodlawn High School in Birmingham, AL and Alabama State University in Montgomery, AL. He is a member of Omega Psi PhiOmega Psi Phi
Omega Psi Phi is a fraternity and is the first African-American national fraternal organization to be founded at a historically black college. Omega Psi Phi was founded on November 17, 1911, at Howard University in Washington, D.C.. The founders were three Howard University juniors, Edgar Amos...
fraternity and is known for informing audiences of his membership in his acts. Smiley is also a pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, often playing the piano in his shows, and an organist
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
and sometimes refers to himself playing it at his home church.
Smiley has two biological children, but has adopted eight others.
Career
Smiley appeared as the host of the 2000 season of BETBet
Bet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...
's "ComicView" program. He has also appeared on "Showtime at the Apollo", HBO's "Def Comedy Jam", HBO's "Snaps", "The Nashville Network", "Uptown Comedy Club", and "Comic Escape". He is known as one of the few "clean" African American comics, preferring to use humor rather than vulgarity to get laughs. His original comedy routines often feature the role-play of fictional characters such as "Bernice Jenkins" (AKA Granny Swims, Ms. Johnson or Mrs. Francis), "Lil' Daryl", "Rusty Dale" and "Beauford". Bernice Jenkins has a grandson named Rufus, who's a stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
of the modern day "Gangsta
Gangsta
Gangsta may refer to:* Gangsta , a one time member of The Comrads and Hoo-Bangin' Records* Gangster, slang for a member of a gang*Gangsta rap*Hip hop fashion, a style of dress associated with the aforementioned musical genre...
". He is referenced in "Two Of My Toes Fell Off" and another prank phone call where Smiley calls a pharmacy.
Smiley became the morning show personality for KBFB Radio in Dallas, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in April 2004. The show features the trademark prank calls, as well as news, information and the latest hip hop music
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
.
He has also released several humorous songs based on his bits, such as "Roll Tide" featuring his redneck character Buford, and "We Miss Robert", based on a routine of his in which a friend of a deceased drug dealer performs a rap song called "We Miss Robert" at the funeral, which is actually a song about a woman, performed in hopes of landing a record deal. He currently has a morning show on 92(92.3 FM)Q Jams in Baltimore, Maryland.
Smiley had a starring role in Ice Cube
Ice Cube
O'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer,...
's Friday After Next
Friday After Next
Friday After Next is a 2002 comedy film directed by Marcus Raboy, starring Ice Cube and Mike Epps. It is the third installment in the Friday series, and the sequel to the 2000 film Next Friday.-Plot:...
.
Prank calls
Some of Smiley's most notable calls include:- "Buried Alive" - Smiley plays a narcoleptic who works at a funeral home and "fell asleep in one of these caskets" who calls a cemetery claiming that "they done buried me alive" and insists he is calling from inside a casket on his cell phone. He then requests that someone come and "dig all these graves open".
- "Come Over" - in a bit of a reverse prank (similar to the ones the Jerky BoysJerky BoysThe Jerky Boys are an American comedy duo from Queens, New York, whose routine consists of prank telephone calls and other related skits. Formed in 1989, The Jerky Boys were made up of childhood friends Johnny Brennan and Kamal Ahmed...
innovated), a hapless caller known as "K.D." calls a Smiley character named "Gina", a woman who initially entices him with statements like "I'm just 'bout to go crazy over here" and "I want you to come over and hurt me" before revealing she is a hermaphroditeHermaphroditeIn biology, a hermaphrodite is an organism that has reproductive organs normally associated with both male and female sexes.Many taxonomic groups of animals do not have separate sexes. In these groups, hermaphroditism is a normal condition, enabling a form of sexual reproduction in which both...
("that means I got both genitals"). K.D. assures Gina he is "still comin'", which prompts her to up the stakes by announcing that "my grandmama over here too...she a real freak." K.D. then speaks to the grandmother who demands "I want you to scrub my head to the white meat" and wants to know "what kind of draws you got on." - "Uncle Melvin" - Smiley prank calls his uncle, as a man who believes his girlfriend has left him, and who punctuates every remark with the word "dawg" ("Is my girl over there dawg...tell her I love her, dawg").
- "Churches" - Smiley plays two characters in this call, both of whom call Church's ChickenChurch's ChickenChurch's Chicken is a US-based chain of fast food restaurants specializing in fried chicken, also trading outside North America as Texas Chicken. The chain was founded as Church's Fried Chicken To Go by George W. Church, Sr., on April 17, 1952, in San Antonio, across the street from The Alamo...
. One is an elderly lady whom mistakes Church's for a "church" (i.e wants to know "what time do y'all start service" and asks "who is y'all's pastor", and "well when d y'all have Sunday school?"); when informed that she has called a restaurant, asks "Don't the chicken belong to the church?" The other caller is "Willie", who claims to be a heavyset man with a thyroidThyroidThe thyroid gland or simply, the thyroid , in vertebrate anatomy, is one of the largest endocrine glands. The thyroid gland is found in the neck, below the thyroid cartilage...
problem ("I can't get out the house no more"), and who asks for a rundown of the menu ("Is y'all okraOkraOkra is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It is valued for its edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with supporters of South Asian, Ethiopian and West African origins...
fried, or is it all slimy in the pot, like grandmama used to") and who constantly requests delivery of food to his house. - "Pray For Me" - Using his "Granny" voice again, Smiley calls "Miss Ola Mae Benton Carter Jackson Glenn", and asks her to pray for a member of her church, who had been:
- stabbed
- involved in an ambulanceAmbulanceAn ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
crash - hit by a train
- had a leg cut off by the Jaws of Life
- shot "in the right eye"
- Smiley then gets the woman to lead her in several verses of "Walk With Me, Lord", each verse increasing in silliness.
- "She P-E-E-D" - Smiley prank calls an elderly woman using his "Granny" voice; the aftermath of the call causes the woman to laugh so hard that she ends up urinating on herself.
- "Is My Daddy Over There" - Smiley plays Lil' Daryl and his brother Brandon as they call a lady claiming their father was supposed to return home with milk for their cereal.
Filmography
- The Late Late Show with Craig FergusonThe Late Late Show with Craig FergusonThe Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson is a Peabody Award-winning American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish American comedian Craig Ferguson. Ferguson, the third regular host of the Late Late Show franchise, follows Late Show with David Letterman in the CBS late-night lineup...
- BET Comedy Awards (2004)
- Super Secret Movie Rules: Sports Underdogs (2004)
- All about the Benjamins (2002) – uncredited
- Friday After NextFriday After NextFriday After Next is a 2002 comedy film directed by Marcus Raboy, starring Ice Cube and Mike Epps. It is the third installment in the Friday series, and the sequel to the 2000 film Next Friday.-Plot:...
(2002) – Santa ClausSanta ClausSanta Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus... - BET's Comic View (1992) TV Series – Host (2000–2001)
- Def Comedy JamDef Comedy JamDef Comedy Jam is a HBO television series produced by Russell Simmons. The series had its original run from July 1, 1992 to January 1, 1997. The show returned on HBO's fall lineup in 2006. Def Comedy Jam helped to launch the careers of several African-American stand-up comedians...
: All Stars Vol. 11 (1999) (TV) – (Show 2) - Airline
- First SundayFirst SundayFirst Sunday is a 2008 American comedy film from Screen Gems, written, produced and directed by David E. Talbert, and is his first feature film.-Synopsis:...
(2007) – Bernice Jenkins
Discography
To date, Smiley has released five albums of his prank calls:- The Best of Comedian Rickey Smiley Vol. I
- Rickey Smiley: Prank Calls Vol. II
- Rickey Smiley: Vol. III
- Rickey Smiley "Off The Hook Volume 4"
- Rickey Smiley: Vol. V (spring 2006)