The year was 1996. I was invited to a party in Hollywood and I don’t even remember who it was for. I do remember this was the party that I also met Angela Basset at and she was pissed off because People magazine had done a spread on the lack of roles for black actors and actresses and they used her as a poster girl. She was pissed because Hollywood will Blackball (for the lack of a better phrase) a black actress or actor the minute they become a problem. She didn’t want to be viewed as that person. At any rate, I went upstairs and low and behold, there was Da Brat and her Ace Jermaine Dupri (who I’d met before that). She was very laid back and she was smoking a cigarette out of one of those long stencil things, she immediately reminded me of Mae West. She was nice but she had that explosive “don’t fuck with me” edge to her personality. It’s like she was on guard and waiting for anyone who tried to attack her. She kept calling me “Big Baby” too. Another thing I noticed, her and Jermaine are very close friends, it was like she was his sister. She had on all white and her outfit was very unisex. Overall, she was cool. One thing about me, you will see me cheesing it up in ALL my pictures, even with rappers. I wasn’t aware of this until years later (laugh)
