Interview with Comedian Jay Pharaoh: Premature Miracle!

He impersonates everyone from Barack Obama to Jay-Z. He's been compared to such greats as Eddie Murphy. He has a number of hits on YouTube as well as his other sites, and yet you may not have seen him before.

The man in question is Jay Pharoah, a.k.a. "Premature Miracle." As to how the nickname came about, he says, "That happened [because] I was born premature; I wasn't supposed to make it! When I was born, I had gray eyes and no butt. Now I have brown eyes and I got a butt. I had a twin, and he didn't make it." Thus we are introduced to Pharoah's talent for mixing sedateness and silliness, and the source of some of his inspiration.

Much of our conversation, which almost turned into a comedy routine itself, involved Pharoah taking on a number of his different "personalities" over the phone, as well as the two of us trading impressions. Pharoah, however, is currently taking great strides toward a comedic career.

In a previous interview, Pharoah stated that his start in comedy, as far as he can remember, took place at the Virginia House of Comedy, in Virginia Beach. At the time, Pharoah says, he was competing in a contest, and still honing his impressions. "Back then I impersonated Bill Clinton...I was 16...it was Kat Williams; it was Bernie Mac; and Steve Irwin. And this roughneck dude named Buford, that Rickey Smiley [of The Rickey Smiley Morning Show] used to prank call as.

"I did impressions when I was little, [too]...I didn't have no friends, so I made them up!"

According to Pharoah, like the best impressionists out there, he's always working on new voices, in order to stay fresh. "There's Snoop Dogg, I'm workin' on him...I've done it, but nobody really knows about it. I've got 25 more impressions, including characters from King of the Hill, The Game, Dipset, Q-Tip [formerly of A Tribe Called Quest], and I've done a parody of [the Trey Songz featuring Drake song] "I Invented Sex."

Many of Pharoah's previous standup performances and refined impressions can be seen on YouTube, at YouTube: Jhullk. Pharoah's user name, "Jhullk," comes from his early days of freestyle battle rapping, at ages 16-18. "I got a whole bunch of stuff...they call me the world's greatest," he says, and launches into an improvised rap, of which the lyrics are unfortunately lost. "Now I'm Jay Pharoah. I overtook it with the new name, and this guy [referring to himself] is what they call the next Eddie. Just gimme some of Eddie Murphy money!"

This last line, in fact, is straight out of one of Pharoah's comedy routines, performed at The Funny Bone Comedy Club in Virginia Beach. During the show in question, he points out that some people have told him he looks like Eddie Murphy. After a brief pause (filled with laughter, no less), Pharoah goes on to say, "If you gon' say I look like Eddie Murphy, gimme some of Eddie Murphy money! Ooh, Hercules, Hercules!" While Murphy himself probably has yet to hear the impression, hopefully he would approve.

One of Pharoah's most popular (and funniest) impressions is definitely that of President Barack Obama. Regardless of whether you voted for him or not, after you listen to Pharoah's impression, you almost have to wonder if the two exchanged bodies for a moment. Pharoah's imitation centers on the idea that Obama likely "got so much booty in college, it didn't make no damn sense!" Did this come up during the political campaign?

Adding to his roster of characters, Pharoah imitates quite a few rappers. He admits that he likes many of the artists he mimics: "I like Jay-Z...50 Cent; I like Cas, Luda...everybody I impersonate, I like, except for The Game. He used to be a stripper...and he was crying over Michael Jackson, and he calls himself a gangsta? And he come at Jay-Z?" Taken out of context, comments like these might seem insulting, but knowing Pharoah, it's wise not to take many of his jabs seriously. As most celebrities learn sooner or later, you almost have to learn to make fun of yourself, or you won't be able to handle the fame business.

Pharoah also lists hip-hop artists like Common, Talib Kweli, and The Roots among his favorites.

So, you may wonder, if Jay Pharoah is in this business professionally, does he have a manager? As a matter of fact, the answer is yes; his sister, Shaina Farrow, holds that title. "It started with my father...back when I was 16, there's only so far that people can go [in entertainment]. My sister was a Mass Communications major, and she knew some people in the business, and she was telling people about me when I used to spit [rap].

"She knew how to make stuff happen...you're my sister, you're my blood. Ever since I was 19 years old, she been managin' me ever since." Farrow has her own company, called Suite1126 Concepts and Connectivity. For any aspiring rappers, comedians, or other street-smart performers out there, contact Farrow if you think your talent has potential on the big stage.

As is the case with many artists when they first get started, Pharoah has had to work other jobs in order to make ends meet. However, it was hard to get a straight answer out of him in regards to this question: "I'm a strippa," he says. "I make it rain, dollaz. Most of the time, it rain nickels and pennies. They call me Jingles, because of the change, cha-ching ching." Finally, turning serious, he says, "I do radio...I'm taking online classes for a business degree...my father does electrical work and I help him with that sometimes. And I get paid to do voiceover stuff...so my PayPal account be poppin' off!"

Though Pharoah may not be considered "famous" yet, one mark of fame for a comedian, these days, seems to be whether a famous person knows if you make a joke about them. So far, Pharoah says, no one's told him that they've liked his impressions of them: "Dang, brotha, I wish. [Comedian/rapper] Katt Williams discussed how much he didn't like me! I was in this online forum, and he says something like, 'How the hell you gon' impersonate me?' All I could do was talk back. Besides that, nobody's hit me up."

It seems situations like the one above aren't so unusual, as even recognized comedians like Frank Caliendo, well known for his repertoire of impressions, sometimes get backlash (in his case, from famed football color commentator John Madden). Hopefully, in Pharoah's case, positive feedback from some celebrities isn't too far off the radar.

This just in: on March 20, Pharaoh announced that he will be hosting BET's Spring Bling 2010! So, it seems all the talent, hard work, YouTube videos, and connections are paying off. If you're a fan, or plan on heading down to Daytona for some of the liquor, beer, barbecues, and bikinis, check out Facebook: Spring Bling 2010 or 106 and Park for more information.

To see more of Jay Pharoah's work, check out his MySpace, Facebook and YouTube pages. Chances are, you'll not only recognize the impressions; you might even think the celebs themselves are standing there.