Hip hop was invented in the Bronx 42 years after Regis Philbin was born there in 1931. Yet it took nearly 73 years in the life of Regis before his biggest hip hop moment: The Shout Out from Kanye in "Jesus Walks" (skip to 2:54).
The way Kathy Lee needed Regis/that’s the way I need Jesus/ So here goes my single dog!/radio needs this/They say you can rap about anything except for Jesus!”
Yes, the biggest line on the biggest track on Kanye’s first breakthrough album... was an ode to Regis. If you can't rap about Jesus, you can definitely rap about Regis.
Four years before "Jesus Walks," the author of the hip hop bible, Nas, rapped on "Oochie Wally (Remix)." Skip to the 50 second mark for the glory.
Oh you ain’t know how many O’s in the bankroll/ Sort of like the game show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?/ But my name ain’t Regis/Nas the one they call when they want their thing beat up.
Gross, but okay. Regis rhymes with fun things and sounds unique. Of course Regis got The Shout Out. Who cares? Is this the end of the brief history of Regis and hip hop?
No. Unfortunately, it is not.
Bootygate
The above tweet is Nicki Minaj's response to Regis Philbin slapping her butt on live TV just 10 days after the debut of her breakout album, Pink Friday. We wanted you to read her response first to prepare you for the video of the actual incident. This clip requires some sort of warning. Consider yourself warned. Skip to 1:40 for the shame:
For context, Nicki Minaj had stopped by the Regis as well as Kelly Show to promote the album that would make her the second-highest selling female hip hop act of all time. She was on top of the world, and all that meant to Regis was a good angle to slap her butt.
Don't avoid the reality here: Nicki Minaj was sexually harassed by Regis Philbin. The road to the top is paved with the pervy hands of the gentile Billy Crystal.
This should have tarnished Regis forever, and a wall between Regis and hip hop, women, and TV cameras should have been erected immediately. It was not.
Crowd Goes Wild
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Three years after slapping Nicki Minaj's butt, there was Regis again, on Fox Sports 1's ill-fated Crowd Goes Wild. He made headlines when two members of the Wu Tang Clan dubbed him “the new ODB,” which is not as much offensive to the memory of ODB as it is offensive to the legacy of hip hop.
"But the truth is, when I really want to let off some steam, I get in my car, I turn on the 8-track, I put on a little Wu Tang," says Regis/the new ODB, before introducing Raekwon as Kay-Won to audible groans from the studio.
Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to Kay-Won, and Ghostface Killa!
Clearly, Regis had been thrust into a world he didn't fully understand. "I can never get these names right," he says with dismay. But he’s a showman. An entertainer. A Regis. And Regis wants to be a millionaire. So he adapts.
In another Crowd Goes Wild clip, this time with Ice Cube, he dons a chain that an intern bought at Party City. He grabs the microphone. He. Does. This.
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As of press time, Fox has presciently blocked this clip from being embedded on our website, but even if we could, we would not post the video of Regis Philbin rapping. You've already watched Bootygate; you've suffered enough.
Just trust us, it's bad. Not as bad as replacing the "N" in NWA with "Regis" (the segment was called "R.W.A.: Regis With Attitude"), but bad.
If you have a gross taste in your mouth, here, have a screenshot of Regis having fun with the Fresh Prince.
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And here, have a clip of Regis hanging out with Snoop Dogg.
This could have been Regis's hip hop legacy: a fun, light intersection of pop culture. A tiny old man getting props from Kanye. But it seems that, in the course of the Shout Out, some of Kanye's hubris transferred into the tiny body of Regis. His enthusiasm got the best of him. In the words of Regis:
You know there are two things all hip hop fans know about. Number 1: Regis is down with the Wu. Number 2: Ice Cube and I always prefer to roll into the club TOGETHER.
Regis. Regis, no.
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