Kings of Comedy
Houston rap legend Willie D toasts 60th birthday with comedy roast
Willie D will celebrate his 60th birthday with a roast.
It appears that one of Houston’s rap legends saw Netflix’s Roast of Kevin Hart and decided to do one for himself — but funnier.
Willie D, from the pioneering Houston hip-hop group Geto Boys, is bringing the celebrity roast back to its roots with The Roast of Willie D: Cooked by Legends, going down at Sugar Land’s Smart Financial Centre on Wednesday, October 28.
The rapper/media personality/community advocate, who will turn 60 on Sunday, November 1, will be using his birthday celebration to remind everyone that roasts are meant to be familial, funny, and ultimately a good time for everybody.
“What people forget is that roasts started at the barbershop, street corners, family gatherings, and are rooted in community, ” D said in a statement. “What we’re seeing today sometimes comes off as manufactured cruelty, and I’m not with that. Roasting should leave your audience laughing, not ready to fight.”
Comedian/Original King of Comedy D.L. Hughley will serve as roastmaster, with Cedric the Entertainer (another fellow King), Houston’s own Ali Siddiq, and other as-yet-announced special guests appearing on the dais, ready to roast the man of the hour. Live music is also scheduled, which means we may get some performances from Willie D himself. (Let’s hope he performs “Clean Up Man” so we can see this guy again.)
Willie D adds that he can’t think of a better way to celebrate a milestone most doubted he would reach. “All my life, people said I wouldn't live to be 18 years old, and I pinched myself every birthday,” he said. “Getting to 50 years old was great, but getting to 60 really, in my opinion, deserves a pat on the back.”
The one-night-only event will be recorded live for television, with tickets going on sale this Friday, August 21, at 10 am. (The artist presale tickets are this Wednesday, August 19, at the same time.) For more info, visit the Smart Financial Centre website.
