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Willie D is bringing the roast back to its barbershop roots this October, and it’s going to be legendary.
The Geto Boys icon will celebrate his 60th birthday with “The Roast of Willie D: Cooked by Legends” on October 28 at Smart Financial Centre in Sugar Land, Texas, and the whole thing’s being recorded for television.
This isn’t some manufactured cruelty fest either. Willie D’s got a vision for what a real roast should be.
“What people forget is that roasts started at the barbershop, street corners, family gatherings, and are rooted in community,” Willie 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.”
That’s the energy he’s bringing to his milestone birthday, and honestly, it’s refreshing to see someone actually think about what a roast means beyond just dunking on somebody for laughs.
D.L. Hughley’s running the show as roastmaster, with Cedric the Entertainer and Houston’s own Ali Siddiq ready to get their shots in.
Live music is also on the menu, so there’s a real chance Willie D himself takes the stage to perform. According to CultureMap Houston, tickets go on sale Friday, August 21 at 10 A.M., with an artist presale starting Wednesday, August 19.
Willie D’s been through a lot to get to 60.
He came up as a founding member of the Geto Boys, the group that changed Houston rap forever with the 1991 platinum album We Can’t Be Stopped.
He also had a solo career that started with Controversy in 1989, proving he could carry records on his own.
These days, he’s hosting the “Willie D Live” podcast, where he sits down with everybody from rappers to judges to talk real life and culture.
Willie D has been a consistent voice in Hip-Hop for decades, and this roast is his way of celebrating making it this far.
“All my life, people said I wouldn’t live to be 18 years old, and I pinched myself every birthday,” Willie D reflected. “Getting to 50 years old was great, but getting to 60 really, in my opinion, deserves a pat on the back.”
