By Vincent L. Hall
Well, it’s the last week of January and officially Black History Month. Now I know you don’t believe me. Some of us have a hard time believing anything White folks don’t validate often and overtly.
So what! We can’t wait for February. Now that Republican governors canceled Critical Race Theory classes, you need as many heritage lessons as we can get you.
Let’s begin this BHM (That’s Black History Month or Black History Matters, whichever you prefer) with the Martin show. You may have missed it, but Martin Lawrence and the crew officially started this institution three decades ago this year,
We were invited to a snowy and cold Detroit to meet a loudmouthed disc jockey. Martin Lawrence became Martin Payne. As the headliner for WZUP, old “Marty Mar” had us all asking the same question. Whatz Up!?
Martin commanded an audience that was about as raucous as he was.
Lawrence brought in special guests like Billy Dee Williams to talk about love and Martin’s girlfriend, Gina in the early shows. His daily radio rants made his life transparent. We were privy to his close relationships with Tommy, Cole, and Pam.
Martin Payne was never shy about revealing his place in life, love, or laughter.
What made Martin a powerhouse was his ability to keep the scripts fresh. Unlike anyone before or since in network television, Martin Lawrence effectively created and played several different characters. He was his neighbor, Shenehneh Jenkins, his mother Edna Payne, and another snotty-nosed kid who lived nearby named Roscoe.
Then there was the old security guard Otis; martial arts expert, Dragonfly Jones; and a White brother and co-worker of Gina’s named Bob.
Martin’s portrayal of the “playa from the Himalayas “Jerome is legendary. Martin became King Beef and the Black Elvis double, Elroy Preston.
Many of his younger viewers don’t know how much controversy the show stirred. Several leaders were critical of Lawrence and others who dressed up as females “to get laughs.”
Their position was that the American campaign to emasculate the Black male didn’t need any help. And, of course, something was brewing backstage on the set that finally killed the broadcast.
But what cannot be ignored is the tremendous talent, and engaging energy Martin brought to each episode.
Modern slapstick comics like Lucille Ball or Dick Van Dyke were never as agile and multi-faceted as Martin.
He stunts, karate fights, and physical gyrations Martin put into each of his pseudo personalities, and caustic characters stimulate audiences in 2022, just as they did in 1992.
Lots of comics have brought fellow craftspersons along. Redd Foxx is known for the fellow struggling comedians he introduced via Sanford and Son.
However, Martin introduced differing facets of culture into his productions. He expanded on what he had seen done.
OutKast, Notorious B.I.G., old stars from Blaxploitation movies like Pam Grier and Rudy Ray Moore resurfaced and gained new synergies and, even more significant, new opportunities. Martin used his spotlight to bring others into the light.
Martin also left some iconic episodes that we can never forget. How about his funny re-enactment of the monumental table scene in the film New Jack City when his disc player came up missing? Or the one where his best friend Tommy and aggravating nemesis Pam hooked up? Martin was the “Love Doctor,” which almost got Cole killed!
“Raw Dawg” challenged Thomas “The Get Hit Man” Hearns and did not fare well. Kid and the “Forever Shenehneh love ballad hold a place in our hearts…Forever!
Martin averaged 11 million viewers weekly during the production of his Afrocentric experiment. The Cosby Show started almost 10 years before, but some Black critics shunned it.
The Huxtable household, with its lawyer mom, doctor dad and a house full of kids in designer clothes was far-fetched.
We loved the Cosbys because they lifted our status.
We loved Martin because it lifted our spirits.
One set was our dream home; the other was more like home!
American history is much less appealing without Black folks. In every genre of music and every area of entertainment, our presence makes a difference.
Martin Lawrence proved that in the five years his show ran and the 25 years it has been dominant in syndication.
Martin was a work of genius, and if he were “White”… You fill in the blanks!
Here’s to a pioneer in Black history and 30 years! Wazzup!
Vincent L. Hall is an author, activist, and award-winning columnist.
