Memorable & Outrageous Moments in Black Celebrity History

Black celebrities have provided countless hours of entertainment by way of their personality quirks and personal squabbles, and some black entertainers seem to stand out more than others.

There have also been memorable unforeseen tragedies to strike black celebrities that have impacted us all. Charlie Sheen's latest crazy outburst (Is this guy a real jerk, or is he really a publicity genius?) may be hogging the media attention right now, but none of us will ever forget these unforgettable moments in black entertainment history:

Al Green: The Hot Grits Incident

Al Green is the epitome of a bona fide soul singer. His hits like "Let's Stay Together," "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart," and my personal favorite of late, "I'm Still In Love With You" will forever stay relevant because of their universal truths.

However, in 1974, "I'm Still in Love with You" was probably not the thing on Al Green's mind, when his girlfriend, Mary White, threw a pot of boiling grits on his naked body whilst he was in the shower. White decided she was fed-up with his untrustworthy ways, the reason we know this is rather sad; her subsequent suicide note revealed the truth.

After the grits incident, Al Green turned his life to God - I am sure that level of excruciating pain could probably lead Satan to God; or rather, back to God as the ancient story goes.

Marvin Gaye Is Murdered By His Father

Marvin Gaye is one of the most celebrated musicians in history. His timeless hits, like "Mercy, Mercy Me," "What's Going On?" and "Let's Get It On" will continue to garner radio airplay until human civilization fades to dust, or until music becomes obsolete (same difference).

On April 1, 1984, Marvin Gaye Sr. shot his son to death when Marvin Gaye, Jr. intervened in a fight between Gaye Sr. and his mother, Alberta Gay. For his crime, Marvin Gaye, Sr. received a suspended sentence, and five-years probation.

Apparently, the judge realized, upon seeing the horribly stricken man before him, that no prison sentence could ever be as damning as the eternal suffering that Marvin Gaye, Sr. would have to endure - knowing that he took his son's life in a brief moment of anger.

Rick James and His Girlfriend Holds a Woman Hostage & Tortures Her

Picture it. It's August 2, 1991, you pick up a newspaper and find that Rick James, and his girlfriend, Tanya Hijazi, have held a woman hostage, and tortured her for 20 hours in a West Hollywood hotel room.

What did his actions cost the "King of Funk" in the court of public opinion? From then on, Rick James was bestowed the title of true "Super Freak," and no one in Hollywood, besides M.C. Hammer (later), retained any level of real interest in working with the man.

*note - Dave Chappelle's "I'm Rick James" skit has become even more popular than the real incident.

Rick James "I'm Rick James, _____! @ the BET Awards

Rick James is back at it again, but you have to give him some slack. You can imagine that any person who writes love songs about marijuana is bound to have a few mental mishaps every now and then - come now, you know "Mary-Jane" wasn't actually a girl.

During the 4^th Annual BET Awards Ceremony, one of the female stagehands must have mistaken Rick James for someone else backstage (you have to give her some slack as well, how relevant do you think Rick James was in 2004?).

When Rick appeared onstage, he brought the faux pas to public attention when he uttered into the microphone " And for that girl backstage, never mind who you thought I was. I'm Rick James _____ ! "

Some of the black celebrities in the audience covered their mouths, bowed their heads, and tried to keep from cracking up - others just busted out laughing. We love you Rick James, thanks for the memories.

Kanye West: Being Kanye West, The Arrogant Heel

Since Kanye West came onto the black Hollywood scene as a hip-hop musician in 2004, his name has become synonymous with the phrase "Did he really say that?" Indeed, Kanye West has become the black audience's version of Charlie Sheen.

His comments and actions are too numerous and equally mind boggling to point out just one, so here are a few of his famous incidents:

2005 Katrina Aftermath: "George Bush Doesn't Care About Black People"

2006 God-Like Arrogance: "I should be in the Bible"

2009 MTV VMA Ceremony - The Taylor Swift Diss & Beyonce Embarrassment

2011 Twitter War - The Jab at Britney Spears

Hordes of music fans cannot wait for the day when one of the victims of his acrid tongue decides to pop Kanye West square in the face. Until that day, I am certain he will continue to stun audiences with his usual brand of outrageous comments and childish antics.

- -- Sources --

- http://popwife.com/2009/02/the-curious-case-of-mary-woodson/

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,169483,00.html

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/celebrity/marvin_gaye/13.html

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0417393/