Nacho Fuentez. Cut Throat Courtney. Hamp Da High Stepper. Jack Wabbit. Uncle Poteet. The Mocadile Hunter. Any of those names ring a bell? What about Jack Spratt? We’re not talking about the nursery rhyme Jack Spratt either – we’re talking about New Orleans based entertainer extraordinaire, Jack Spratt.
And if you don’t know, you better ask somebody – or better yet, ask Lil Wayne. Jack Spratt’s alter ego, Nacho Fuentez, caused such a stir at the House of Blues a couple of weeks back, that Lil Wayne himself stopped what he was doing on stage, just to peep out Nacho’s antics.
But really, who is Jack Spratt? He is probably the funniest sketch comedian to hit the scene since Chappelle’s Show went off the air. He’s absolutely brilliant as he morphs into the character he is portraying, but he’s also a talented hip hop artist in his own right.
The Heat Magazine endorses and supports anything and everything Jack Spratt does, but we must say, his Cut Throat Courtney character has to be one of the most memorable. In a spoof of the popular New Orleans Exposed You Tube videos that became so popular, Cut Throat Courtney and his partner in crime, comedian CJ Black a/k/a Grenade Pin, put a brand new spin on New Orleans Exposed. Their video spoof is not only hilarious – it demonstrates the utter nonsense behind the real videos, so in the process of spoofing the series, a serious social statement is made. We hear that there was a lot of footage left on the cutting room floor, so we certainly hope to see more of Cut Throat Courtney and Grenade Pin as they jokingly terrorize the streets of New Orleans and beyond.
From Nacho Fuentez showing up at a French Quarter nightclub with his donkey in tow, to Hamp Da High Stepper entering the Duck Off with his drum and entourage, you never know where Jack Spratt – or any of his other personalities – is going to end up and you definitely don’t know what he’ll do when he gets there. One thing is certain – you’ll be thoroughly entertained. He’s been known to dance wildly at New Orleans Hornets games and then end up in Harrah’s Casino as the Mocodile Hunter.
Make sure to check out Jack Spratt and his multiple personalities on PPTV – Petite Playboy TV and watch the videos below. This is one entertainer who is sure to go far and you’ll want to be along for the ride.
Jack Spratt will be appearing with the Original Pinettes Brass Band at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on Friday, May 6, 2011 on the Jazz and Heritage Stage from12:35pm-1:30pm. Don’t miss the performance – go out and support Jack Spratt and the Original Pinettes.
It won’t be long before Jack Spratt is a household name. If you can’t make it to New Orleans for the Jazz Fest, check out all of his You Tube videos.
The Heat Magazine was fortunate enough to be able to catch Jack Spratt long enough to interview him. Here’s what he had to say:
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: Tell us about the different characters and what you do.
JACK SPRATT: First of all, I’m an entertainer. I do hip hop music as well as sketch comedy. I prefer to stay in my own lane as far as my brand of entertainment and comedy and not do stand up. I do a lot of characters in my comedy. There are a lot of different characters that I’ve created because that’s my strength. That’s why I really favor that part of it, and it just different from the comedy industry. You don’t see comedians doing characters as much as you used to see, like Flip Wilson or Martin Lawrence. You see people doing it, but not on a consistent basis, so I wanted to bring that back.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: What made you start doing this brand of entertainment?
JACK SPRATT: I got to the point where I knew it was a gift and a talent and I felt like I wasn’t using it, so I just really started having fun doing a lot of things in my life. I felt that was one of them that pays big dividends for me. For the past 5 or 6 years, I’ve been focusing on the music side. I felt like it’s very political type of profession where you have to meet a lot of different needs and images. I enjoyed doing it, but I just wasn’t as happy. Now I’m really having a lot of fun doing what I do.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: How do you keep a straight face? I’ve watched the videos and it must be a gift.
JACK SPRATT: Yeah, I guess it is. When I’m in character, I’m really in character. If you see me as Cut Throat Courtney or Hamp Da High Stepper or Uncle Poteet, I’m really in that character- in that mode – and I vow not to let anything get me out of that. I just try to stay professional and I think that’s one of my gifts.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: If you had to pick one of the characters, which one is your favorite?
JACK SPRATT: I have so many. I think that my favorite may be Uncle Poteet because he was the first character that I did. I always thought it was funny when I saw Cajun chefs – just the Cajun accent, period, is very funny to me. To come up with the character and the concept and because that was the first one, I think that one has to be my favorite. There are some other favorites because people have their favorites, and that really makes me gravitate toward those other characters, too.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: Where did Cut Throat Courtney come from?
JACK SPRATT: Well, every time I see the real New Orleans Exposed videos, it’s just funny to me. I say, man these guys are really serious, you know? They’re out here brandishing these weapons, threatening people and it’s just funny to me. That’s not something that’s normal so I wanted to make light of it. I thought about using a whole bunch of crazy weapons to threaten people, but still make a spoof of it to show how really silly the whole notion of it is just being on television or on the internet just threatening people. That’s crazy to me. Shoutout to my cousin, CJ Black, another aspiring comedian in New Orleans. He did excellent work as Grenade Pin. I think he really stole the show. It was very hard for me not to laugh whenever we were doing that skit. We just freestyled the whole thing so the whole time he was doing things, I had to think of what I was going to say next, so I couldn’t laugh. We actually did the whole thing in about 10 minutes flat and then we left.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: We’ve seen the video with Lil Wayne at the House of Blues. How did he come to notice Nacho Fuentez in the balcony?
JACK SPRATT: I think it was just fate. I was in the House of Blues up there having a good time. I’d tried to get on stage, but wasn’t able to get on there, but strangely enough I was just up there having a good time and when the song “Look At Me Now” came on, this huge spotlight came on in the upper balcony and it was just shooting straight on me. All of sudden, Lil Wayne looked up and saw me and I could see him saying,”Man, look at this dude”. Of course, once he pointed up, the whole crowd turned so it was showtime from that point on. That was a nice moment. I had fun and I could see he was having fun also.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: Tell us where we’re going to see Jack Spratt in 5 years.
JACK SPRATT: Hopefully in 5 years, Jack Spratt will have a Grammy and an Oscar. People don’t realize that I really do music. I’m really serious about it and I’m a quality artist. I’m serious about acting and comedy, so hopefully in 5 years, PPTV will be a household name and I will have branched out to some other areas. The sky is the limit. I’m going to work hard to achieve that.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: Tell us about your music.
JACK SPRATT: I’m a hip hop artist. My music is very charismatic, energetic and personal. I deal with a lot of personal things – personal joys, personal victories, and personal challenges. I think that’s what is really missing today. So many people are just trying to fulfill an image. The listeners actually want to hear your stories and that’s what I’m trying to do. I’m unique and ‘m not trying to sound like anybody else. The music speaks for itself.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: Is there anything else you want our readers to know?
JACK SPRATT: I definitely want them to know that I appreciate all of the support whether it’s the music or the comedy. I plan to become an integral part of the entertainment scene in New Orleans now and in the future. One thing that really irks me is people who take from the harvest of New Orleans, but don’t really come back to replant for other people and other artists to really reap the benefits. I’m homegrown and no matter where my journey may take me, I’m not going to forsake that. I’m always going to remember those who held me up. I’ll definitely give back to the people who made me who I am.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: We hear that Jack Spratt will be making an appearance at the Jazz Fest. Tell us about that.
JACK SPRATT: Yes, I’ll be appearing with the Original Pinettes, the all female brass band. I’ll also be appearing at the Bayou Fest with them on May 21st and I’ll be doing a lot of event hosting at night clubs and parties throughout the New Orleans area. Shoutout to Erica Doucet of Phat Pheet. She’s one of my biggest fans. I appreciate her and all of my supporters.
You can follow Jack Spratt on Twitter and Facebook – @JackSprattNO and www.facebook.com/JackSprattNO
