Darnell Watson

Darnell Watson
Full name	Darnell Watson
Born	January 15, 1982 Queens, New York, New York
Occupation	Promoter, showman
Relatives	Randy Watson, Danny Watson
Associated locations	Philadelphia, Pennslyvania
Status	Alive

Darnell Watson is a promoter, singer, organizer, and MC from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is known for his fanatical adherence to 1970s funk culture and fashion, organization of hastily planned impromptu community events, running legal and quasi-legal business ventures, and as the singer of The Darnell Watson Funk Experience house band. His father is Randy Watson, who is known for being the singer of the band Sexual Chocolate.

Watson has described himself as “always hustling”. His “experiences” are almost always for-profit endeavors but generally accomplish some good for the community, so his activities are usually tolerated by community members and law enforcement.

Early life

Darnell Watson was born Malik Sharif Muhammad in Philadelphia in the early 1970s. His biological father was active in the Nation of Islam, and Watson spent his early childhood in a household influenced by the movement. His mother later distanced herself from the Nation of Islam following the breakdown of the relationship.

As a child, Muhammad became known in his neighborhood by the nickname “School Bus.” The name originated in the mid-1980s, when, at approximately twelve years old, he regularly escorted younger children through the neighborhood to and from their school bus stops. The nickname became sufficiently widespread that he was commonly known as School Bus rather than Malik among friends and neighbors.

Watson’s mother subsequently remarried Randy Watson, a musician originally from Queens, New York, best known as the lead singer of Sexual Chocolate. Following the marriage, the family underwent the legal process of changing Malik’s name. He adopted his stepfather’s surname, while Darnell was the given name his mother had originally preferred for him before his birth. He thereafter became legally known as Darnell Watson, although older acquaintances continued to call him School Bus.

Through the Watson family, Darnell was exposed to Christianity and the Black church tradition, in part through Sexual Chocolate’s occasional performances at churches and church-sponsored functions. His earlier exposure to the Nation of Islam nevertheless remained influential, particularly its emphasis on community responsibility, self-reliance, and personal dignity. As an adult, Watson has generally declined to identify strongly with either Christianity or Islam, summarizing his religious outlook with the statement, “The Lord is the Lord.”

Appearance

Darnell has a signature Jheri-curl hairstyle and always wears gold Elvis-style sunglasses. He wears impeccably tailored orange suits and colorful paisley silk shirts. Occasionally he will appear in more casual attire if he’s working one of his “experiences” himself. He has appeared in a royal purple robe with gold rope accents as part of Darnell Watson’s Magic Show Experience, an orange karate gi while teaching martial arts, and a Chinese-styled tunic while working in his Darnell Watson's Chinese Soul Food Experience food truck.

Legacy

Darnell Watson is the third son of Randy Watson, lead singer of the funk and soul group Sexual Chocolate, as well as the brother of soul singer Danny Watson. Although Darnell has built a career largely independent of his father, the connection has remained an important part of his public identity and has contributed to his lifelong association with funk music, elaborate stage presentation, and live entertainment.

Watson has frequently incorporated the family connection into his own promotions, most notably through Darnell Watson’s Funk Experience Revue Featuring Sexual Chocolate’s Randy Watson and The Reverend Cleofus James. Unlike many second-generation entertainers, however, Watson has generally presented himself as a promoter and community organizer first and a musician second. His reputation in Philadelphia is therefore based less on his father's career than on the large number of events, businesses, and community programs operated under the Darnell Watson name.

Despite this, Watson has remained an enthusiastic promoter of Sexual Chocolate and has repeatedly credited his father with teaching him the importance of showmanship, audience participation, and "giving the people a whole experience instead of just a concert."

Community Outreach

Watson has organized and/or officiated the following recurring community events and services:

• Darnell Watson’s Court-Ordered Alcoholics Anonymous Experience
• Darnell Watson’s Inner City Summer Camp Experience
• Darnell Watson’s Little Kings and Queens Daycare Experience
• Darnell Watson’s Magic Show Experience
• Darnell Watson’s School Bus Experience (with $5/plate meals on the way to school)
• Darnell Watson’s Dog Adoption Experience

Watson possesses an almost supernatural ability to hastily assemble an event. According to rumors, he once produced twelve folding tables, a PA system, three grills, a whole hog, 30 cases of soda, 4 kegs of beer and a funk band within ninety minutes of somebody suggesting a block party.

Darnell Watson’s School Bus Experience

Darnell Watson’s School Bus Experience is a privately operated transportation program established by Watson to provide school transportation for children in Philadelphia neighborhoods where students live too close to their assigned schools to qualify for publicly funded bus service but may nevertheless face long, difficult or hazardous walks.

Watson operates the service at little or no direct profit, with operating expenses largely offset through tax credits and other available deductions. The program is regarded as one of Watson’s few primarily charitable endeavors and has remained popular among local parents because transportation is provided without charge to participating children.

Watson nevertheless maintains a commercial component to the service. During the morning route, he sells $5 breakfast plates to passengers, typically consisting of inexpensive hot breakfast food prepared before departure. Proceeds from food sales are retained by Watson personally and are not considered part of the transportation program’s operating budget.

Business Endeavors

An example Darnell Watson Product

Experiences and Services

• Darnell Watson’s Ghetto Tour Experience
• Darnell Watson’s Pig Roast Experience
• Darnell Watson’s Philly Inner City Community Center Annex Dojo Experience
• Darnell Watson’s Car Wash Experience
• Darnell Watson’s Chinese Soul Food Experience

Products

• Darnell Watson’s Jheri-curl Activator
• Darnell Watson’s Couch Protector
• Darnell Watson’s Low-End Fortified Wine

Darnell Watson’s Ghetto Tour Experience

For $25 cash "plus gas money" Watson drives customers in his 1977 Cadillac Coupe deVille convertible through the worst parts of Philly and entertains them with local lore.

Darnell Watson’s Pig Roast Experience

Watson sets up a mobile smoker on an abandoned lot or in an unused alley (pulled by his 1977 Cadillac Coupe deVille) and sells plate lunches for $5 apiece, which normally consist of a pork or brisket sandwich, coleslaw, and a roll.

Darnell Watson’s Philly Inner City Community Center Annex Dojo Experience

Watson offers martial arts classes sorted by age and skill level. Classes are $10 cash apiece regardless of level. The martial arts he teaches is claimed to be "a street smart mix of East and West", where the highest belt is a chain belt. Watson claims to have custom built the dojo he uses to teach out of, most observers agree that it's just a dusty unused room full of donated gym padding. He also claims to have visited the "far East" to "study with the masters", but this has not been independently verified.

Darnell Watson’s Chinese Soul Food Experience

A collaborative food truck effort between Watson and local Chinese chef Tai Wang, offering a fusion cuisine between soul food and Chinese food. Menu items include "Soy sauce braised chitlins", "General Tso's Chicken and Waffles" and "Kung Pao Catfish".

Darnell Watson's Low End Fortified Wine

An inexpensive 18.4% ABV fortified wine sold in down-market corner stores. Despite its presumed low quality, the wine actually received praise from a sommelier at the Chez Paul in Chicago, IL:

Usually wine of this caliber features notes of carburetor cleaner and gasoline. Darnell Watson has delivered a rare gem—a fortified wine closer to a port, seemingly made from a blend of real red wine and real brandy. A miracle at its price point. Consumption surprisingly didn't immediately lead to a headache.

Darnell Watson's Jheri-curl Activator

Watson got the idea to release his own activator spray after individuals in his immediate social circle lamented the choice and price of activators that were on the market at the time. Often, a small bottle of activator retailed for as much as $8 and would only last a few days. Using funds raised through Darnell Watson’s Funk Experience Revue Featuring Sexual Chocolate’s Randy Watson and The Reverend Cleofus James, Darnell partnered with a local cosmetics company to bring the product to retail outlets for $3.49 for a 12 oz. spray bottle.

One-time Special Events

• Darnell Watson’s Funk Experience Revue Featuring Sexual Chocolate’s Randy Watson and The Reverend Cleofus James
• Darnell Watson’s Late Fee Amnesty Night at Good Video