Obama Impersonator An Internet Phenom
Over the last few months, Iman Crosson has exploded online as the nation's foremost Barack Obama impersonator. BlackAmericaWeb.com recently interviewed Crosson about the inspiration for his viral videos and what he plans to do next.
Here's an excerpt:
Take the most recent video “Blame It on the Economy,” which turns the Jamie Foxx hit, "Blame It on the Alcohol," into a policy-laced parody video about the woeful state of the economy. Crosson says his latest YouTube hit was a no-brainer.
"I was always the goofy kid that would change the lyrics right on the spot," Crosson says. "'Blame It' was an easy one. Everyone is blaming everyone right now. Blame the president, blame Wall Street, blame the Senate, blame Dick Cheney; I just took that one and ran with it."
A Cincinnati native, Crosson, the youngest of five in an intact family, was majoring in dance and acting at Wright State University when he was picked to join a prestigious dance company. After some time with them, he moved to NYC to fulfill his dream of becoming a hip-hop dancer. He did a few MTV gigs, but soon he got caught up in the "restaurant rut" trying to support himself as a waiter between jobs. Around that time, Crosson took note of the rise of a young black politician, and inspiration followed.
"I had been posting videos on YouTube for about three and a half years just to get my face out there," Crosson says. "I knew that YouTube was a free platform that people could use just to get their face out there, and I had seen people have some success with that. I didn’t really piece it together when I first saw Barack, but when I was at work one day, people started teasing me, like "Here comes Barack." I was the only black guy at work so I had an epiphany. I really thought he was going to win, and if I started impersonating him, this could put a lot of steam into my career—and it was also a way to support him through humor."
Read the entire article here.
Iman Crosson is booked exclusively through Premiere Speakers Bureau. For information on how to bring him to your next event, visit www.premierespeakers.com/iman_crosson.
