Keke Palmer
The “Crazy Sexy Cool: The TLC Story” Interview
with Kam Williams
Krazy about Keke!
Born in Harvey, Illinois on August 26, 1993, Lauren Keyana
Parker has been wowing audiences since the tender age of 9. Keke
first received great acclaim when she starred as the title character in
the sleeper hit Akeelah and the Bee, opposite actor Laurence Fishburne
and Angela Bassett.
Keke followed that powerful performance with lead roles in
The Longshots, Shrink and Joyful Noise. She’s also made memorable
appearances in such films as Barbershop 2: Back in Business, Cleaner
and Madea’s Family Reunion, as well as voiceover work in animated
features like Ice Age: Continental Drift, Winx Club: The Secret of the
Lost Kingdom and Unstable Fables: Tortoise vs. Hare.
Keke will next be starring in the horror thriller Animal, directed
by Brett Simmons, which is set to release in the spring of 2014. On TV,
Keke played the title character on the hit Nickelodeon series “True
Jackson VP,” and received four NAACP Awards for “Best Actress in
Children's Television.” Her other television credits include “90210,”
“Cold Case,” “Law & Order: SVU,” and “ER,” to name a few.
In 2012, she produced and starred in her first made for TV
movie entitled “Rags,” which aired on Nickelodeon. Earlier this year,
she handled another title role in the Lifetime made-for-TV movie,
“The Carlina White Story.”
Keke is currently starring in the DirectTV miniseries "Full Circle,"
written by Neil LaBute. And musically, she is in the studio recording her
second album with the award-winning producer Bangladesh.
When she isn’t acting or singing, Keke believes in giving back.
She is very involved with the Boys & Girls Club of America, Saving Our
Daughters, the YWCA, the Embrace Girls Foundation, and she is an
ambassador for Robi Reid's AIDS awareness and prevention organization,
the Reid for Hope Foundation.
Here she talks about her latest outing as Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas
in Crazy Sexy Cool: The TLC Story, a VH1 original movie.
Kam Williams: Hi Keke, thanks for another interview.
Keke Palmer: No problem, Kam. Glad to be here!
KW: What interested you in Crazy Sexy Cool? Were you a fan of TLC as a kid?
KP: Being a fan is exactly what made me want to do this film. I wanted to be a part of telling the story of a favorite group of mine.
KW: How did you prepare for the role? Is it hard to play a real-life person than a fictional character?
KP: I just watched a lot of old footage. I also spent a lot of time with Chilli and just observed her.
KW: Was Chilli present on the set making suggestions?
KP: Yes! She definitely let me do my thing, but she was always there for questions.
KW: How would you describe TLC’s legacy in one word?
KP: I don't think there's a word to describe it, really. They really inspired a generation of women to be confident go-getters.
KW: What message do you think people will take away from Crazy Sexy Cool?
KP: You can do anything as long as you don't stop believing. When it is meant to be, it will be. You just have to follow your heart.
KW: Tell me a little about your new TV series, “Full Circle.”
KP: It’s a mini-series written by Neil LaBute about a bunch of different people who connect in some way in the last episode.
KW: What’s your character Chan’Dra like?
KP: She's a strong, young high school student who will stop at nothing to get what she feels is deserved for her brother.
KW: You’ve been shooting a horror film set to be released next spring called Animal. The picture sounds great, but please don’t tell me you die first, like many a black character in scary movies?
KP: [LOL] If I told you that answer, wrong or right, it would spoil the movie! I will say that we break some stereotypes.
KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?
KP: No, actually. [Laughs]
KW: The Teri Emerson question: When was the last time you had a good laugh?
KP: Every day since I've been filming my new movie, one of my cast members always has me in stitches.
KW: What is your guiltiest pleasure?
KP: Probably reality-TV.
KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?
KP: Heaven is For Real. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0849946158/ref=nosim/thslfofire-20
KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?
KP: Pancakes! [LOL]
KW: The Sanaa Lathan question: What excites you?
KP: Passionate people.
KW: The Uduak Oduok question: Who is your favorite clothes designer?
KP: Don't have just one.
KW: The Mike Pittman question: What was your best career decision?
KP: To pick projects that affect me.
KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
KP: Me.
KW: If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?
KP: For everyone in the world to love each other.
KW: The Jamie Foxx question: If you only had 24 hours to live, how would you spend the time?
KP: With my family.
KW: The Kerry Washington question: If you were an animal, what animal would you be?
KP: Cheetah.
KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?
KP: Running through the beads that used to hang from the doorway, separating the room.
KW: The Anthony Mackie question: Is there anything that you promised yourself you’d do if you became famous, that you still haven’t done yet?
KP: Nope!
KW: The Melissa Harris-Perry question: How did your first big heartbreak impact who you are as a person?
KP: I'm not sure I can articulate that.
KW: The Viola Davis question: What’s the biggest difference between who you are at home as opposed to the person we see on the red carpet?
KP: I may be slightly more patient on the carpet.
KW: The Anthony Anderson question: If you could have a superpower, which one would you choose?
KP: Teleportation.
KW: The Judyth Piazza question: What key quality do you believe all successful people share?
KP: No real fear of limitations.
KW: The Gabby Douglas question: If you had to choose another profession, what would that be?
KP: Hairstyling.
KW: The Michael Ealy question: If you could meet any historical figure, who would it be?
KP: Dr. Martin Luther King.
KW: The Harriet Pakula-Teweles question: With so many classic films being redone, is there a remake you'd like to star in?
KP: The Wiz!
KW: Attorney Bernadette Beekman asks: What is your favorite charity?
KP: Embrace Girls.
KW: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps?
KP: Follow your heart’s truth with no need for personal gain other than the feeling produced when doing what you truly love.
KW: Thanks again for the time, Keke, and best of luck with all your endeavors.
KP: Thank you, Kam.
To see a trailer for Crazy Sexy Cool: The TLC Story, visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1M2Jhlb3E2Q
Airdates for Crazy Sexy Cool: The TLC Story:
Tuesday, November 05
4:00 PM ET/PT on VH1
Sunday, October 27
8:00 PM ET/PT on VH1
Wednesday, October 30
9:00 PM ET/PT on VH1
When I Walk
Film Review by Kam Williams
Jason DaSilva was vacationing on the Caribbean island of St. Maarten in 2006 when he fell down on the beach and couldn’t get up. The 25 year-old filmmaker was diagnosed with primary progressive Multiple Sclerosis, an incurable inflammatory disease eventually leading to blindness, as well as a loss of balance and muscle control.
Nevertheless, his hopeful mother refused to let her son feel sorry for himself, encouraging him to seek help and to employ positive affirmations like, “It’s mind over matter,” and “You’ll find a way.” Unfortunately, by 2008, Jason’s health deteriorated to the point where he had become dependent on a walker to get around.
Feeling the frustration of his body slowing down while his mind raced, he decided to make a video record of his day-to-day life during the inexorable decline. The fruit of that effort is When I Walk, an alternately heartbreaking and uplifting tale highlighting the indomitability of the human spirit.
For, in spite of DaSilva’s desperate attempt to alleviate his affliction through prayer, yoga, ayurvedic medicine and trans-meditation, he continued to be betrayed by a deteriorating immune system. Thanks to his ever-present camera, he is able to afford the audience an intimate look at his brave battle against MS.
Shot mostly in the director’s adopted hometown of New York City, the movie is actually much more than a mere chronicle of the subject’s health concerns, as it also devotes considerable attention to his romantic relationship. Jason is suddenly in a rush to start a family, but the object of his affection, Alice, has reasonable reservations about marriage.
After all, bringing a baby into the world with a husband with such a dire prognosis might ultimately mean raising a child while simultaneously caring for a virtual invalid. So, she consults her dad, who just happens to be dating a woman with MS, for a little fatherly advice.
Will Alice and Jason tie the knot, when his legs fail entirely and his walker has to be replaced by a scooter? Rather than spoil this bittersweet biopic’s surprising resolution, just let me say Hollywood execs would probably dismiss this sentimental tearjerker as farfetched if pitched as a piece of romance fiction.
An unblinking look at a life and love irreversibly altered by the onset of MS.
Excellent (3.5 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 85 minutes
Distributor: Long Shot Factory
To see a trailer for When I Walk, visit
The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete
Film Review by Kam Williams
It’s the last day of school for 8th grader Mister Winfield (Skylan Brooks), who comes home to the projects where he lives with his single-mom (Jennifer Hudson), Gloria, a hooker with a heroin habit. His best friend, 9 year-old Pete (Ethan Dizon), isn’t any better off, since his mother (Martha Millan) works out on the corner for the same abusive pimp (Anthony Mackie).
When both their moms disappear, it looks like the Housing Cops will cart them away to Riverview, an institution with a horrible reputation in terms of foster care. So, the boys decide to hide in Mister’s apartment, occasionally venturing down to the tough streets where they must forage and fend for themselves over the course of a particularly, sweltering, New York City summer.
This is the opening salvo of The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete, a gritty, slice-of-life saga directed by George Tillman, Jr. (Notorious). The compelling coming- of-age drama plays out like an inner-city answer to The Kings of Summer, a similarly-themed story featuring a suburban setting.
Here, although Pete is Korean-American, Mister, who is black, refers to his BFF as “my nigga.” And as the two unsupervised adolescents negotiate their way around the ‘hood, no one seems to take much notice of their age or ethnic differences.
Meanwhile, despite being 3,000 miles away from California, aspiring actor Mister harbors a secret dream of auditioning at an upcoming casting call with the hopes of landing a role that will enable them to relocate to Hollywood. He prepares for his make-or-break moment by reenacting a scene from Fargo that he’s memorized verbatim.
However, before that opportunity arrives, a host of frightening ordeals lay in wait in an unforgiving ghetto littered with the scum of the Earth. Will he survive, let alone escape to L.A.? If so, it’ll make for one heck of a “How I Spent My Summer Vacation” essay come September.
A picture which proves it’s hard in the ’hood not only for pimps, but for kids, too.
Very Good (3 stars)
Rated R for profanity, ethnic slurs, drug use and sexuality
Running time: 108 minutes
Distributor: Lionsgate Films
To see a trailer for The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete, visit
Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
The “The African Americans” Interview
with Kam Williams
Gates Unlocked!
Born in Keyser, West Virginia on September 16, 1950, Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African and African-American Research at Harvard University. He is the author of 16 books, has made 12 documentaries, and is the editor-in-chief of The Root, a daily online magazine.
In 1981, he was a member of the first class awarded “genius grants” by the MacArthur Foundation, and in 1998, he became the first African-American scholar to be awarded the National Humanities Medal. He was named to Time’s 25 Most Influential Americans list in 1997, to Ebony’s Power 150 list in 2009, and to Ebony’s Power 100 list in 2010 and 2012.
Here he talks about his new PBS series, The African Americans, and its companion book of the same name. The show is set to premiere on Tuesday, October 22nd at 8 pm ET/PT. (Check local listings)
Kam Williams: Hi Dr. Gates, thanks for another interview. I really appreciate the opportunity.
Dr. Henry Louis Gates: Hey, Kam, I appreciate it. You’re doing me the favor, brother.
KW: The last time we spoke to you was before the Boston Marathon. Were you in town that day?
HLG: Yes I was. In fact, my girlfriend, who’s a history professor in Cuba, was over there because she had left her wallet in a restaurant right nearby. I couldn’t reach her after I heard the news about the bombing, because all of the cell phones in that area were immediately jammed. So, I freaked out, of course, until she called. But what a horrible tragedy.
KW: I’m glad she was okay. What was the biggest challenge in covering 500 years of African-American history in a six-hour PBS-TV series?
HLG: Precisely that, covering 500 years of African-American history in six hours. [Chuckles] Well, I’ve been working on this for seven years. The biggest challenge was deciding which stories to tell. In a one-hour documentary, you can tell maybe ten stories. That’s how the documentary is structured. I wrote to forty of the greatest historians of both African and African-American history, and hired them as consultants. I had them submit what they thought were the indispensable stories, the ones they felt this series absolutely had to include. And we got about a thousand different suggestions which we had to boil down to seventy. So, my producers and I worked with these consultants and came up with seventy which we think are exemplary of the larger arc of African-American history between 1513 and 2013. We covered half a millennium, and it’s amazing.
KW: What was your biggest surprise?
HLG: The biggest surprise for me, without a doubt, was that the first black people who came to the United States weren’t the 20 who arrived in Jamestown in 1619. All of us had been taught that. Well, guess what? The first African came to Florida in 1513. And the huge shock is we know his name, Juan Garrido, and that he wasn’t a slave. He was free! This brother was a conquistador who came with Ponce de Leon. He was looking for the Fountain of Youth just like the white people were. Then, the first slave came to Florida in 1526. The first one we know by name, Esteban, which means Stephen, came a couple of years later. So, we start with the stories of Juan Garrido and Esteban to show that African-American people have been here a century longer than anyone thought, and that the diversity we see in the African-American community today has existed since the beginning. You had one guy who was a slave, and another who wasn’t. And I actually know what happened to them. Garrido ended up getting good jobs and a pension in Mexico which was the center of New Spain, as it was called. Esteban ended up being killed by the Zuni Indians.
KW: I haven’t seen any of the series yet, but I found the book very informative and surprising, and I majored in Black Studies.
HLG: Yeah, like the amazing story of Anthony Johnson. This man was a slave, then became free, accumulated 250 acres, and even had his own slave, a black man who took him to court in Virginia in 1654. That man argued that he should be freed like an indentured servant. But Johnson, who we believe was a pure African from Angola, said, “No way, you’re my slave.” And the court agreed, ruling that the man was a slave for life. So, we can see that the complexity we witness inside the African-American community today has always been there. Black people were just as noble and just as ignoble as anybody else.
KW: Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier says she considers your Africana Encyclopedia one of the most important literary contributions to the black world. She hopes it will be translated into other languages and that there will be a junior version because the youth definitely need to know our history and heritage. As an Afro-Canadian, she’d like to know whether the new PBS series will touch on the stories of escaped slaves who fled to Canada.
HLG: Thanks for the kind words, Patricia. As far as covering Canada, absolutely! We go to Ontario where we recount the feats of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. Many people don’t know that she left the United States to live in the Province of Ontario. We go to her church in the small town of St. Catherines. So, yes, Patricia, we do tell the story of the escaped slaves who moved to Canada.
KW: Harriet Pakula-Teweles says: Three researchers have just been on the news explaining what it was like when they heard they’d won the Nobel Prize. What’s it like to unearth, authenticate and publish a previously undocumented historic manuscript?
HLG: Harriet, that’s a wonderful question! It’s like finding a treasure chest hidden in a cave. It’s the ultimate rush! Finding and authenticating “The Bondwoman’s Narrative” by Hannah Crafts was one of the greatest thrills of my whole life. [Chuckles] http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446690295/ref=nosim/thslfofire-20
KW: Harriet also observes that in your memoir, “Colored People,” you evoke an extraordinary sense of community at the annual picnics. How can we look back and recapture that sense while at the same time moving forward to a more multi-ethnic, multi-cultural society?
HLG: Well, I think that is what we do by preserving and telling our stories. If you don’t tell your stories, other people will tell their story about you. It’s important that we nurture and protect these memories. Things change. Existence means change. So, the kind of precious memories about being black for my generation won’t exist for my kids’ and grandkids’ generations unless we preserve them through fiction, through film, through comic books, and every other form of media we can possibly utilize to perpetuate the story of the great African-American people.
KW: Bernadette Beekman asks: If you were giving advice to a high school senior with equal ability in the arts and sciences, which field of study would you encourage the student to pursue in college?
HLG: I’d say imagine that you wake up one morning when you’re going through a midlife crisis. You’re getting divorced. Your kids won’t speak to you. Their faces are covered with acne, and you have to decide why you should get out of bed. That’s the career you should pick. The one that keeps you going no matter what, even if your life is falling apart. That’s how I feel about my career. The truth is I would do my job for free! I love it every day. If you can possibly choose a vocation that’s an avocation, a job that’s really a hobby, then you’ll be way ahead of the game. You should not pick an occupation because your think your parents want you to do it, or because you think it’s the noble thing to do. You should only pick a job because it turns you on.
KW: Documentary director Kevin Williams says: While making our film, Fear Of a Black Republican, and also while screening it around the country, we have come across multiple divides, political affiliation, age, education, geographic, over the use of the term "black" versus "African-American." Have you encountered different preferences in your travels around the country?
HLG: No, I find that people today tend to use them interchangeably. I use African-American, because I teach African Studies as well as African-American Studies, so it’s easy, neat and convenient. But sometimes, when you’re in a barber shop, somebody’ll say, “Did you see what that Negro did?” A lot of people slip in and out of different terms effortlessly, and I don’t think the thought police should be on patrol.
KW: Dinesh Sharma says: In my forthcoming book, “The Global Obama,” Professor Ali Mazrui refers to the president as a "great man of history." Do you agree?
HLG: Yes, without doubt, President Obama is a great historical figure.
KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?
HLG: My favorite dish to cook?
KW: Yep.
HLG: [Chuckles] That’s funny. Meat loaf and baked beans.
KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?
HLG: My earliest childhood memory is of my father going crazy when the Giants won the World Series in 1954. He started whoopin’ and hollerin’ and jumpin’ up and down all around the living room. I started crying because he scared me to death. [LOL]
KW: The Tavis Smiley question: How do you want to be remembered?
HLG: That’s a good question, Kam. I want to be remembered as someone who tried to bring the story of our ancestors to the broadest possible audience. I want to be remembered as a man who loved his race.
KW: Thanks again for the time, Dr. Gates, and best of luck with both the book and the TV series.
HLG: Okay Kam, I love talking about every project with you.
To see a preview of The African Americans, visit: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/video/
To order a copy of the TV series’ companion book, visit: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1401935141/ref%3dnosim/thslfofire-20
Ja Rule
The “I’m in Love with a Church Girl” Interview
with Kam Williams
Giving Ja a Holla!
Born in Hollis, Queens on February 29, 1976, Jeffrey “Ja Rule” Atkins began rapping professionally while still in his teens, although he really made a big splash in 1999 with the release of “Venni Vetti Vecci.” That solo album went platinum on the strength of the single “Holla Holla,” thereby kickstarting an enviable musical career which has produced a half-dozen more studio lps while netting the popular hip-hop artist four Grammy nominations and counting.
He also collaborated on hit songs with everybody from J-Lo (“I’m Real”) to Christina Milian (“Between Me and You”) to Ashanti (“Always on Time”) to R. Kelly (“Wonderful”). Meanwhile, he expanded his repertoire to include acting, appearing in such films as The Fast and the Furious, Scary Movie 3, Assault on Precinct 13 and Shall we Dance, to name a few.
No stranger to controversy, Ja also became embroiled in some famous feuds, most notably, with rival rapper 50 Cent. He was recently released from prison after spending a couple of years behind bars for tax evasion and gun possession.
Here, Ja talks about his new film, I’m in Love with a Church Girl, a faith-based tale of redemption chronicling the real-life reformation of drug dealer-turned-pastor Galley Molina.
Kam Williams: Hey Ja, thanks for the interview.
Ja Rule: What’s happening, killer?
KW: I appreciate the opportunity.
JR: Me too, Kam. Thanks for having me.
KW: I’m originally from your neck of the woods, St. Albans.
JR: [Laughs] No doubt, no doubt! Queens in the building!
KW: I told my readers I’d be interviewing you, and they sent in a lot of questions. Reverend Florine Thompson, who is also from Queens, asks: What interested you in I’m in Love with a Church Girl?
JR: First of all, I just enjoyed reading the script. Second, I also liked a lot of the parallels between me and the character Miles Montego. Those similarities convinced me that I would like to be a part of the project.
KW: Florine would also like to know whether making this film has influenced your spiritual relationship with your Higher Power?
JR: Absolutely! I’ve always been a spiritual person who believed in a Higher Power. So, I’ve always had my 1-on-1 with God, even if I wasn’t much of a religious person. But I would definitely have to say that this movie brought me even a little closer to God.
KW: Lester Chisholm asks: Has the experience of working with Pastor Molina on this production enhanced your life?
JR: Definitely! The movie is Galley’s life story. Galley Molina’s a great inspiration and role model for a lot of young kids out there.
KW: Documentary director Kevin Williams asks: How did you prepare for the role?
JR: One of the things I did was I went to church with Galley to study him, because I thought I’d be doing more preaching in the film.
KW: Was it weird playing him with him right there on the set?
JR: No, that’s part of the beauty of doing a true story, having the person that the picture’s about there. I felt fortunate to be able to get his advice about how to approach the character and his input about how this or that scene should play out. So, it was great to have Galley there.
KW: What was it like working with this cast, Adrienne Bailon, Stephen Baldwin, Vincent Pastore, etcetera?
JR: Adrienne and I have known each other for a long time. Me and Stephen, too! And Vincent and I worked on two films together prior to this one. So, it was great just being around everybody again and spending time together on the set!
KW: What message do you think people will take away from the film?
JR: This is really an inspirational film which is all about connecting with people who aren’t that much into church, although it’s for church people, too. That’s the beauty of the film.
KW: Harriet Pakula-Teweles asks: Do you think if gangsta rappers really fell in love with ‘Church Girls’ they might stop saying horrible and abusive things about females in their songs?
JR: [LOL] Maybe… maybe… She may be onto something. [Laughs some more]
KW: Larry Greenberg asks: Do you thing that reggae is at the root of what is happening today in EDM [Electronic Dance Music] and trip-hop?
JR: Trip-hop? I don’t know if I ever heard of trip-hop. [Asks his friends if they know what it is.] I’m in a room of hip-hop heads, and nobody ever heard of it. But EDM, absolutely!
KW: Marsha Evans says she’s a resident of Kew Gardens, and a friend of Reverend Run. She says congrats on your daughter’s starting at Hampton.
JR: Aw, thank you!
KW: She says she’s run into Alan Hevesi [former NYS Comptroller] a few times at the local foreign film theater and that he smiled when she mentioned your name. She’d like to know whether you’ve applied any of the financial advice you received from him while in prison?
JR: [Chuckles] Heavy D, that’s my boy. Alan Hevesi and I forged a great relationship while in prison. I’m glad he’s home now. He’s an older man, so he belongs home, not behind bars. But I definitely benefitted from his knowledge. I used to pick his brain a lot while we watched the New York Knicks on TV.
KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?
JR: No, I think I’ve been asked everything under the sun.
KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
JR: My reflection. [LOL] No, that’s a tough question. I see a man that’s in the process of growth, going from one end to another.
KW: The Teri Emerson question: When was the last time you had a good laugh?
JR: A minute ago. I have one everyday, Kam.
KW: What is your guiltiest pleasure?
JR: Chocolate lava cake.
KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?
JR: I’m a breakfast type of guy. Don’t get me wrong. I can cook, I’m kinda nice on the burner, but I enjoy making breakfast. I do it all… Scrambled eggs… French toast… Pancakes… Breakfast is my thing.
KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?
JR: Hellbound on His Trail by Hampton Sides.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0307387437/ref=nosim/thslfofire-20
KW: The music maven Heather Covington question: What was the last song you listened to?
JR: Oh man, we were just playing something in there, but I can’t recall what it was.
KW: What’s up for you next, musically?
JR: Actually, I just dropped two new records called “Fresh Out da Pen” and “Everything.” They’re available on iTunes.
KW: The Uduak Oduok question: Who is your favorite clothes designer?
JR: That’s a difficult question. It’s tough to say, because I like a lot of them.
KW: The Sanaa Lathan question: What excites you?
JR: I’m an adrenaline guy. I like to do stuff that gets my blood pumping, like roller coasters or jumping out of planes. I’m into all that crazy stuff.
KW: The Mike Pittman question: What was your best career decision?
JR: The best decision I ever made, period, was to get into the music business.
KW: If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?
JR: It’d be a toss-up between world peace and ending poverty.
KW: The Jamie Foxx question: If you only had 24 hours to live, how would you spend the time?
JR: With my family.
KW: The Kerry Washington question: If you were an animal, what animal would you be?
JR: A lion.
KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?
JR: Hmm… Playing with this very noisy popper toy when I was about 4. It looked like a lawnmower, was round at the bottom, and had little balls in it that would go “Pow! Pow! Pow!” We lived in a tiny apartment, so as you can imagine, there was no escaping the popper. [LOL] My mother had to hide it from me.
KW: The Anthony Anderson question: If you could have a superpower, which one would you choose?
JR: Invincibility.
KW: The Judyth Piazza question: What key quality do you believe all successful people share?
JR: Selfishness. To be the best at what you do in any field, and to accomplish the goals you set for yourself, you have to be somewhat selfish.
KW: The Gabby Douglas question: If you had to choose another profession, what would that be?
JR: I’d probably be an athlete, either basketball, football or boxing. I was good at those sports.
KW: Attorney Bernadette Beekman asks: What is your favorite charity?
JR: My own, the L.I.F.E. Foundation.
KW: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps?
JR: Walk carefully! Tread light!
KW: The Tavis Smiley question: How do you want to be remembered?
JR: As an artist who was really passionate about his work. And as an inspiration. I do what I do to inspire people.
KW: Can you give me a Ja Rule question, I can ask other people I interview?
JR: Yeah, here’s a good one: If you had to spend all of your money in a month, how would do it? [Chuckles]
KW: That’s a great one. Thanks, Ja, and best of luck with the film.
JR: Sure, Kam, thanks a lot.
To see a trailer for I’m in Love with a Church Girl, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEmqu0zNkT8