EDDIE GRIFFIN

It was just over seven years ago, after finishing a night's work as The halftime show choreographer for a soccer team in Kansas City, Missouri, that Eddie Griffin unexpectedly unleashed his unique brand of comedy on his hometown. While barhopping, Griffin wound up at a comedy club, where his cousin bet him $50 that he wouldn't go on stage. The cutup, who was thrice voted class clown at Lincoln High School, seized the moment - and won the bet. Having found stand-up a remarkably comfortable niche, Griffin boarded a Greyhound bus to Los Angeles where, one month later, he brought the house down at the famed Comedy Store on Sunset Boulevard. His unforgettable impression of Andrew Dice Clay got Griffin a gig as the opening act on the Diceman's national tour. His performances led to featured appearances on HBO's Russell Simmon's Def Comedy Jam and two HBO specials, one of which was nominated for a CableAce Award. Eventually he was named the "king of hip-hop stand-ups" on the comedy circuit.

His film credits include the title role in the hit 1999 film Foolish, as well as Armageddon, Picking up the Pieces, The Walking Dead, The Second Coming of Sammy, Meteor Man and the character Rat in Jason's Lyric, a role which gained him exceptional notoriety. In April of 1999, Griffin released his second comedy album, The Message, on Warner Bros. Records.