Fonzworth Bentley: The originator of ‘swagger’

From writing the book Your Swagger: How to Use Manners, Confidence and Style to Get Ahead to producing a MTV reality show that is shown in 40 countries, Mr. Bentley continues to shine.

With a presence reminiscent of what you would find from the Harlem Renaissance or early Hollywood glamour period, Derek Watkins exudes exemplary class and style. Looking up to men such as Fred Astaire, Duke Ellington, Errol Flynn and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. to craft a swagger that is uniquely his own, Mr. Watkins aka Fonzworth Bentley aka Mr. Bentley says his sense of style originates from his great grandfather, Daddy Emmett. Fonzworth’s impeccable manners, self-confidence and desire to use all of the above to get ahead were the foundation for his book Advance Your Swagger: How to Use Manners, Confidence and Style to Get Ahead. The lessons and teachings of his book have become the basis for the MTV reality show From G’s to Gents.

Mr. Bentley has come a long way from the Outkast videos and being perceived as P. Diddy’s manservant. “Working for P. Diddy was like getting a PhD in marketing and a master’s degree in hustle,” states Mr. Bentley. Originally moving to New York City from Atlanta, GA to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology, he stayed to assimilate the many different styles and fashion attitudes that are found throughout the various sections of the city. With a desire to be a sponge and learn from a mogul, his manners, confidence and style made it happen. Since then, Mr. Bentley has forged a brand that will leave an indelible mark on the entertainment and fashion world for decades to come.

J’Adore sits down and talks with the man with the plan, Mr. Fonzworth Bentley, to truly see how things are done in the world fashion, etiquette and the show biz.

J’Adore: You attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. How influential was this school and New York in general?

Fonzworth Bentley: Fashion was the biggest lure to get me to go to New York; it’s the fashion capital of the world. The beauty of New York City that is different from other metropolises across the nation is that if you’re a kid from the Bronx, you can get on the train at 100 & whatever, come through Harlem or the upper East Side, and you’ll see the different folks that get on the train. You can see their styles, the different purses they wear and the suits they’re wearing. Take the train on through Midtown, which is where a lot of the fashion folks are, and you can see the styles they’re wearing. Go through Soho and you get to check out the trendy coolness of that area. You can check out the lower-east side all the way down to the financial district and you have a first-hand peek at all these different styles that you can literally see, feel, touch and ask questions about.

What made you decide to write your book Advance Your Swagger: How to Use Manners, Confidence and Style to Get Ahead?

Basically, how it came about is Random House was looking to do some more urban books. There was a gentleman pitching ideas to a Random House executive. He had pitched Kanye West and Lauryn Hill. Random House was like, ‘Yeah that’s cool, but can you get us Fonzworth Bentley?’ This was one of the first times I really began to realize my brand was really starting to resonate. This was a high-ranking executive; folks were starting to get it. They wanted me to do a book about taking yourself to the next level and making it a more personal book, but I wasn’t interested in doing a book about myself. What I felt was needed was a book on etiquette. I was quoted as saying, ‘I truly believe we are living in the Golden Age of Disrespect.’

The reasons I’ve been able to move forward at all in my career have a lot to do with these three standards: Manners, Confidence and Style. I wanted to redefine etiquette and make it different and redefine swagger. The term ‘swagger’ used to not be thrown around as it is today. I had turned in the title a while ago. This is a big, major publishing house and I was looking for a word that Random House won’t get, but the urban people would understand. I believe that the book has made an incredible impact. The types of emails that I get on the different social networks from people who have purchased it or gone to the library and read have been phenomenal. Basically, we used the teachings of the book as a building block to create From G’s to Gents.

So when From G’s to Gents was created, was that something that was a collaborative project between you and Jamie Foxx? How did that working relationship come about?

Jamie wanted to do something with me in regards to television since probably ’02. We’ve always remained friends and stayed in touch. This was something that was near and dear to his heart. I think that ultimately it’s no secret about the impact his grandmother had on his life. The way she stayed on him and kept him on the right path is the reason he ended up in the direction he’s going instead of being like some of his friends or heading in any other direction. He wanted to do something for young men to teach them these skills.

He connected with Chris Abrego who is just a guru of reality television. Reluctantly, even knowing Jamie and the track record of the producers, I went to the meeting reluctantly, because this is a point of view that I care about so much so that I wrote a book about it. I have become so disenchanted with the type of reality shows that we see today, but the demo reel I saw for the show really hit home. They really wanted to do this show for real and at that time, they were interviewing me to host. I told them that whether you use me as a host or not, I want to do some writing for the show because this is something I care a lot about. I wanted to make sure that the show happened in the right way. A little bit after that, they got my book and they were like, ‘Ok. We see that this is really you! We want you to be a part of this creative process.’ Then, of course, I became a part of the creative process. For Season 2, I served as a producer. That’s basically how that happened.

Season 2 of From G’s to Gents has wrapped. I had the pleasure of watching it and will admit that it was one of my favorite reality shows to follow. How has the show and the gentlemen on the show changed your life?

It has been one of the most humbling experiences. I mean, you think about it, I’m not much older than these guys. In those last interviews, to hear Blue and to hear Teddy say things like, ‘Mr. Bentley changed my life and I look up to him as a father figure,’ says a lot about the times, the importance of a father figure and the impact that the experience has had on them. So it’s been really humbling because I gotta tell you quite frankly, the first season was extremely stressful. People asked me all the time what was it like. It was really quite stressful because this is a point of view and an idea that I’ve been very consistent with and committed to. I knew that if none of these guys were successful and really had truthful information with this show, there would be so many guys at home that would say, ‘I don’t need to give it a shot.’ So I was in prayer. I think now we’ve definitely gotten into a stride. I think the show has been transformational for the gentlemen of From G’s to Gents.

Guys at home can see themselves in a lot of these gentlemen. To know all of these lessons, they’re like, ‘Instead of me judging these individuals, why don’t I speak something into his or her life? Why don’t I drop a gem into his or her life?’ There’s an opportunity there to have a teachable moment. We have to get back to the saying, ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ President Obama has been very vocal about just that, so it’s been transformational for me and it’s made me even step up my level of obedience to the next level. I’m representing a lifestyle that has a specific value system, a specific point of view, specific goals and a level of expectation. Because of that, I want to continue to push myself so that others will continue to step up to the plate as well.

Once a person goes from being an official member of the Gentlemen’s Club, what does this mean to them on a daily basis in everyday life?

First of all, it means that they have been labeled, branded and there are certain levels of expectation that have been put on their lives. They have to represent. The big thing this season was learning to teach, so making sure they’re passing the information that they learned to their respective communities is important. The only way for the movement to flourish is for folks to be out there living the lifestyle, teaching others to be a part of it and to make it a very real thing. Other than that, they have a ‘for real’ mentor for life. A lot of the other guys that left the show are continuing to work towards excellence and being a gentleman. Just like at the Gentlemen’s Club, respect amongst your peers is incredibly important. The amount of time I spend with each guy depends on the amount of work each one of them is doing in order to be a gentleman.

What changes can we expect to see in Season 3?

That is still kind of in the air. I just got off the phone with one of the producers just now. We’ve got a meeting this week. My pitch for this season is I want to go to the murder capital of the nation, Washington DC. There is a debate on skewing the show to a younger group of gentlemen. I think that going to the murder capital of the nation and moving the Gentlemen’s Club there would make a huge impact–especially being in the backyard of such a quintessential gentleman named President Barack Obama. I think it would be very cool.

What else can we expect to see from Mr. Bentley?

The album on Good Music entitled Cool Outrageous Lovers of Uniquely Raw Style with Mr. Kanye West. The first single, which is the soundtrack for The Movement, is entitled ‘Greener.’ The first single expands the idea of being green. I think it needed to be expanded on, so different people could find their way to the lifestyle.

Let’s keep it 100, the 1960’s was the first time folks like us got a chance to vote or get a regular job and ultimately, we wanted some of the regular stuff. We wanted the house, we wanted the car and I think because of that, the idea of recycling and taking care of the environment is just not something that is really a part of our DNA. I wanted to expand the idea of green into Greener. It’s about having a greener diet. It’s about having a better relationship than the last one; just being ‘greener.’ Like when you refresh your computer or just being fresh is greener.

If you were to ask me, ‘Bentley, what is your goal?’ My goal is to change ‘cool.’ I think that cool is one of the most powerful things that we really don’t talk about in the world today. Cool will ultimately have something to do with you wanting to be in journalism and working with a magazine, the purse you got, the lip-gloss you got on, the sneakers he got on, the school he or she attended. Cool had a lot to do with those decisions. I think that different things are cool. I think that having faith in God is cool. I think going to college is cool. Getting an education in general is cool. Just because you didn’t go to college doesn’t mean that you still can’t get educated. I think that being a lady and a gentleman is cool. I don’t think profanity is cool.

It’s like I said, being in the age that we’re in, you’ve got to get people on several touch points because people’s attention spans just aren’t that long. The show is in over 40 countries now and is being extremely effective in showing the importance of the teachings and displaying those real and true transformations.

Now that’s cool.