By Ryan Considine–
Weighing in at a whopping 155 pounds and standing tall at an amazing height of 5 feet and 5 inches tall, give it up for the one and only Katt Williams. Although Katt may be small in size, his stage presence is enormous. The comedian’s breakthrough performance came playing a mini pimp named “Money Mike” in Ice Cube’s “Friday after Next.” Despite his character only playing a small role in the film, his acting was so convincing that many people thought he was an actual pimp. Katt kept the ball rolling with his newly-formed pimp image and doesn’t mind rocking some ice. He is proud of his accomplishments and doesn’t mind showing off a little bit.
Life wasn’t always easy for a pimp though. Despite being raised in a wealthy family in Dayton, Ohio, at the age of 13, Katt was homeless for four years in Coconut Grove, Miami. He lived in a park selling magazines and books door-to-door and robbing car radios to survive.
Katt explains his approach to comedy as, “If you’re going to be the caliber of comic that I am, there’s got to be a lot of bullshit in your life. A lot of stuff, a lot of people watching, a lot of lies and truths, things that you saw that you weren’t supposed to see and stuff you documented in your head. Your head has to work a certain way to be a really good comic .” But what exactly does Katt mean when he says you have to live a life of lies or work a certain way to perform well? Maybe it is the alternate flamboyant persona that Katt creates on stage. You would be absolutely shocked to watch the documentary “9 Lives” to discover he is a very soft-spoken individual with a calm demeanor. Katt’s personal life includes a family of eight children as well. He adopted seven of his eight kids and holds a sacred place in his heart for his family.
Katt’s next big step towards becoming one of the most accomplished black comedians of all time was his HBO comedy special “The Pimp Chronicles.” The HBO two-part live performance premiered in 2006 and was an immediate success with over 8 million viewers, ranking number one in all HBO specials in 2005 and 2006. Katt described his success as the ultimate goal a comedian could reach, being one of only eleven black performers to have their own HBO comedy special. In 2008, Katt was at it again releasing the number one comedy show of the year, “It’s Pimpin’ Pimpin’.” Kat Williams’ comedic career can be placed among some of the greatest comics of all time such as Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor and Martine Lawrence. He has permanently changed the face of comedy over the last decade.
After announcing his retirement a few years earlier, Katt strutted back onto stage for another wild and out performance at the KFC Yum! Center last Saturday night. The 2011 tour was released in conjunction with “9 Lives,” a biographical film featuring never before seen stand-up footage. Katt never fails to impress his audiences with his audacious personality and wild antics. He is bound for success every time he performs and is surely on pace for another record-breaking tour.
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Photos courtesy Salient Media
