4. Damon Wayans on In Living Color
As we’ve documented, In Living Color made good comedic use of the ’90s dancehall craze but the ultimate in black-acting school patois was the “Hey Mon” skit series. A few of the cast members (Kim Cole basically) had a passable lilt to their island accent (even if she came down a little on the Bajan side). But, as the patriarch of ILC‘s multi-tasking Hedley family, New York-based (no excuse!) Damon Wayans sounds like a constipated leprechaun, frequently breaking into the nasal whine from his Anton Jackson homeless-man character. Which in no way detracts from the humor, proof being that this “Hey Mon Airlines” installment inspired endless variations on the “A-tarrity? You look like Isaac from the Love Boat…” line around our lunchroom table.