Jamie Foxx Impersonates Jay Z, Kanye West, Diddy, & Revamps "Wanda"

BY Erika Marie 4.5K Views
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Jamie Foxx
His hilarious award speech also detailed how he ended up working with Ye on a few classic hits.

It's been decades since we've seen Jamie Foxx take to the small screen on In Living Color. We watched his portrayal of his hilarious character "Wanda," and in his speech at the Urban One Honors, he portrayed her once again to a laugh-filled audience. Jamie's daughter, actress Corinne Foxx, presented him with the Entertainment Icon Award, and the first thing he did was sing her praises. "No matter what you do, it's how your kids turn out," he said before she trotted back over to her proud father to give him a hug. Then, he went into how he was just a country boy from Texas listening to and watching people from Los Angeles and New York thinking that "city people are so cool, maybe I'll get a chance to rub elbows with some of those incredible people."

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Jamie shared that back in the day he wanted to break into the music industry but because he was known as the funny guy, people weren't taking him seriously. While speaking about his days on In Living Color, the actor revisited Wanda and had the audience in stitches as he revised his character. "Word up, this is nice!" he said in her voice with his eyes crossed. "Oh, Urban Ones!"

He then talked about throwing a party for Diddy way back when (with the Diddy dance the music mogul used to pull off in music videos) and gave details about who was there. Missy Elliott, who was also in the audience because she was honored with the Music Innovation Award, was apparently at Jamie's party for Diddy along with Jay Z, who no one knew at the time.

The comedian gave his best Jay Z impression before saying a producer friend of his brought Kanye West to the shindig, as well. "He brought this guy in, his jaw was kinda messed up and he had a backpack on. Who was it? Kanye West," Jamie said. While giving his Kanye impersonation, Jamie said Ye told him he had a song he thought the actor would be great on. They immediately went to Jamie's studio and worked on the classic hit "Slow Jamz." He also shared how "Gold Digger" came about, so check out his speech in full and don't miss out on these hilarious Jamie Foxx memories.


About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.