Charlie Wilson’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony was a star-studded affair.
On Monday, the Grammy-nominated R&B singer, 70, received the honor in celebration of his multi-decade-spanning career as the lead singer of the Gap Band and his turn as a solo artist.
During his acceptance speech, the “Outstanding” singer and Tulsa, Oklahoma native recalled a fateful moment during his first time in L.A.
“I was here to mix the songs from the Gap Band’s first record, which only sold about 6,000 copies—or maybe it was 600, or 16,” he quipped with a laugh, per Variety.
“But I was walking in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, and I was trying to put my hands in the hands on the sidewalk. I was like, ‘Wow, what if I can get this one day?’ Some woman walking by said, ‘That’s not impossible.’ I said, ‘But I’m talking about me.’ She said, ‘Yeah, and I’m telling you it’s not impossible. It might be improbable, but not impossible.’ And now, here it is—so many years later, and I’m getting that star on Hollywood Boulevard.”
Wilson delivered his inspiring speech in front of a number of notable guests and collaborators including Kanye West (with whom he made "Bound 2," "No Mistakes," and more), Snoop Dogg ("Peaches N Cream," "Snoop's Upside Ya Head"), Tyler, the Creator ("Earfquake," "Fucking Young/Perfect"), and Ty Dolla Sign.
As reported by Variety, Wilson spent the earlier part of his career singing alongside his brothers Ronnie and Robert in the Gap Band. The group found plenty of success with their R&B hits in the '70s and '80s. However, Wilson spent a number of years in the early '90s experiencing homelessness and living with addiction. The singer was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2008 and was treated successfully. He now serves as a spokesman for the Prostate Cancer Foundation.
Despite the otherwise joyous occasion, the event did not go without incident. Outside of the ceremony, Kanye West got into a heated confrontation with a TMZ reporter after asking him if his wife Bianca Censori has “free will” amid allegations that he has been “controlling” her.
“Don’t come asking me that dumb ass shit, I’m a person,” said Kanye after grabbing the reporter's phone from her hand. “You think 'cause you a white woman that you can walk up on me like that and ask me some dumb ass shit like that? Ask me about my wife? Do you have free will or you work for the devil?”
