Derek Watkins (born February 13, 1974), known professionally as Fonzworth Bentley, is an American rapper, actor, television presenter, and author. He is perhaps best known for being

Sean Combs Sean John Combs (born November 4, 1969), better known by his stage name Diddy, and formerly Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, record producer, and record executive. Born in Harlem and raised in Mount Vernon, New York, Mount Ve ...

' 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.

Career

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 Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

's " The New Workout Plan". Bentley is credited as a songwriter on multiple '' Yeezus'' tracks including “ On Sight,” “ Black Skinhead,” “ I Am a God,” and “ Hold My Liquor.” He is also credited as a producer on West's “

Ultralight Beam "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 Contemporary R&B, R&B singers The-Dream and Kelly Price, rapper Chance the Rapper, Gospe ...

.” His debut album, ''C.O.L.O.U.R.S.'', 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 Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

's 2008 presidential campaign.

Other media work

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 Etiquette ( /ˈɛtikɛt, -kɪt/) can be defined as a set of norms of personal behavior in polite society, usually occurring in the form of an ethical code of the expected and accepted social behaviors that accord with the conventions and ...

book, ''Advance Your Swagger: How to Use Manners, Confidence and Style to Get Ahead''. In May 2009, Bentley hosted one of the afterparties following the

White House Correspondents' Dinner The White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) is an organization of journalists who cover the White House and the president of the United States. The WHCA was founded on February 25, 1914, by journalists in response to an unfounded rumor ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Public service

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. Bentley sang as a member of the chorus for "

We Are The World "We Are the World" is a charity single recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and produced by Quincy Jones for the album '' We Are the World''. With sales in excess of 20 milli ...

", a remake of the original for Haiti, in February 2010.

Works

Television

* '' From G's to Gents'' (2008–09) * ''Top Ten Gentlemen's Club'' (2008) * ''Confessions of a Celebrity Assistant'' (2006, the E! Channel) * ''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) * ''Caleta Condor, Chile'' (2005) * ''Before, During and After the Sunset'' (2005) * ''Borrow My Crew'' (2005) * ''Fade to Black'' (2004) * '' Making the Band 2'' (2002–2003, series)

Films

* ''

Honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several species of bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of pl ...

'' (2003) – Barber * '' Fat Albert'' (2004) – Salesman * '' Idlewild'' (2006) – Voice of Flask * '' We Were Once a Fairytale – cameo appearance * '' Think Like a Man Too'' (2014) - Limo Driver

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bentley, Fonzworth Living people Male actors from Atlanta American male television actors American male film actors American fashion designers African-American rappers Morehouse College alumni MTV Video Music Award winners Fashion Institute of Technology alumni 1974 births Rappers from Atlanta 21st-century American rappers Purple Ribbon All-Stars members 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American musicians