Top Billin'

Stories of Laughter, Lessons, and Triumph

By: Bill Bellamy

Narrated by: Bill Bellamy

Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

From the MTV trailblazer, stand-up comedian, and actor, a hilariously candid memoir that is an intimate, entertaining, and heartfelt tour through the exclusive, elusive, and eternally iconic world of ’90s pop culture.

Imagine 50 Cent’s Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter written by a nerdy Black kid from Newark, New Jersey, who made it big despite the skepticism of his family. That’s Top Billin'.

Bill Bellamy is Carlton Banks’s slightly cooler and comedically inclined alter-ego—a guy who went against the grain and left a promising corporate career path to pursue comedy (much to the dismay of his family). Making the leap paid off—in ways Bill never expected. In Top Billin', he looks back at his time at MTV during the ’90s, when the cable music channel was at the epicenter of pop culture. He recounts his legendary interviews with the biggest pop stars—Tupac, Biggie, and Kurt Cobain—making friends with Janet Jackson, and even coining the infamous term “booty call” on HBO’s Def Comedy Jam. During his time at MTV, Bill broke color and class barriers, appearing four times a week on the network’s various programs, including MTV Jamz and MTV Beach House.

Top Billin' is an exclusive, all-access backstage pass to Bill’s career and life. It’s all in here—memories, music, and unforgettable moments, including conversations with some of the decade’s legendary artists, the best of the ’90s celebri-tea, nostalgia, and insights on what it meant to be a tastemaker during one of the most exciting and innovative periods in music and American pop culture history.

©2023 Bill Bellamy (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

How we grow

I purchased this book to get more information about this talented mature black man. I love listening to this books, I can reminisce about the carefree days of my youth and also thank God no internet back than. I know that the struggle is Real regardless of who you are famous or not. In each generation you must grow and look back over our lives and Bill did a great job showing how much he had an impact on the world today. Love watching you on stage and in movies getting the back story was fun and entertaining. The story on how you met your wife was funny to me just as crazy as meeting my husband. When God makes the path straight for you He will always equip you with what you need. Balancing home, family and work is a daily grind but with the right people around you anything is possible. This book made me talk back, laugh at, remember when, and touch my heart. Full circle on this book great job.

Thank You.

A young man like me needed this, Thank You! Take Chances! Face your fears, Thank God and Live Life like no tomorrow.

True Bellamy form!

Kept it funny and intriguing from beginning to the end! It was enlightening and of course entertaining!

Realism at Best

I loved the whole background story of his life, hearing about his parents and the strength of his grind. Great read!! Much respect…

booty call!

loved that he self-told his story. what a great life story about the grind to success!

Top Billin 🔥🔥

True insight into the formative years, early career, and family man. A must-read for anyone who remembers Bill from MTV, the big screen, or enjoys his podcast. Awesome performance and great storytelling from Bill.

Outstanding

Bill did a great job narrating his own story. I felt like I took the journey alone with him through his life. He was very animated which made the story that much more empowering. I listened to his podcast and had been waiting to get the opportunity to read this book. And i'm glad I did I took away a few nuggets as well. This was a very inspirational story.

Top Billin

Excellent book with great wisdom, compassion, and insight. He is one of my favorite people in the entertainment industry and having listened to his stories only makes you admire him even more. Great to see a family man who made even in that crazy world they call Hollywood !!

Beautiful, eloquent, funny & loving memoir

Bill has had a wild life! I grew up watching him as the unofficial face of MTV and watching his movies. I knew he was funny and expected his memoir to be witty and filled with hilarious anecdotes and I was right. What I wasn’t expecting though was how loving Bill is as a person and how that love would come through in the book. I found his endearing love for his family and friends, especially his parents, siblings, wife, and children to be moving The end of the book waa particularly poignant and touching as well. Bill, your Dad heard every word of this book, shining down on you from up above. As a lover of all things 90s, the stories from 90s artists were tantalizing. I immediately watched the clip of Bill meeting Janet Jackson after reading that chapter. Hilarious. Bill has a very solid grasp of his own place in history. He understood trends, stayed on top of them, built his brand, honed his craft, built a beautiful life with his family and did all this while staying above the fray, giving back, staying positive, and spreading love. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who grew up seeing Bill on TV, any 90s fan, or just someone who enjoys hearing an enlightened, and at times damn near poetic soul. Top Billin gets top billing from me. Enjoy!

Best book I’ve ever read

Great listen and even better story, truly one of the G.O.A.T.S. Great job and great laughs