JOE CLAIR

Joe Clair, co-host of BET's Rap City, began his stage career while he was a junior attending Morgan State University in Baltimore, Md. The school was holding its annual talent show and hired a professional comedian to serve as emcee for the event. As the comedian peformed his routine, Joe found that he knew how each joke would end. Each time the comedian reached a punch line, Joe would blurt it out simultaneously. After four or five times, the emcee became annoyed and challenged him to take the stage and do a better job. This challenge led to his first ever "set" that lasted twenty minutes and ended with a standing ovation that included the now-impressed emcee.

After this "heckling incident," he was offered opening positions in Baltimore nightclubs and comedy theaters. In May of 1992, he graduated with a B.S. in psychology and moved back to his hometown, Landover, Md., a suburb of Washington, D.C. He took a six-month hiatus from stand-up and began working with homeless teenagers. He hit the D.C. comedy circuit in January of 1993, performing at many open-mic nights, talent shows and competitions. In the spring of 1993, as a result of winning several local comedy competitions, he performed at Harlem's Uptown Comedy Club and was sent to Los Angeles to appear in the Schlitz Comedy Jam Competition. He placed a close second in the Schlitz competition among the best amateur comedians form across the country. Although he placed second, he became the preferred opening act for Bernie Mac, D.L. Hughley and Arnaz J. on the Schlitz Comedy Jam Tour.

He has recently performed as headline in comedy clubs across the country including Birdland West in Long Beach, Calif., Comedy Spotlight Theater in both Charlotte, N.C. and Norfolk, Va. and the Peppermint Lounge in Newark, N.J. He also opened for Paul Mooney, Joe Torey, Adelle Givens, Bill Bellamy and Ted Carpenter. His first year as an entertainer culminated in several favorable events: November 1993, he opened for Howard University's Homecoming Concert which featured Ice Cube, De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest; December 1994, he opened for Toni Braxton and Maze at the Baltimore Arena; Dec. 4, 1993, he made his first television appearance on The Apollo Comedy Hour.

What does the future hold for Joe? If fortune continues to smile upon him, these appearances will lead to opportunities in television and film. He hopes that in the near future, he will land a starring role in a feature film or television situation comedy. He thinks of himself as someone who personifies the finesse and energy of the "hip-hop" generation, someone who wants to have a positive influence on comedy, entertainment and society at large.


LESLIE "BIG LEZ" SEGAR

Leslie M. Segar is the co-host of BET's Rap City, a show that features in-depth interviews, performances and various segments which highlight hip-hop music. Segar comes to BET with a wide range of experience in the music and entertainment industry. Her career began in 1989 upon graduation form Springfield College in Springfield, Mass. with a bachelor's degree in exercise physiology and a minor concentration in theater arts. Coined by a journalist in a recent interview as "The Legs of Urban America," Segar is in high demand as a professional dancer, choreographer and body trainer.

Known as the fluid, funky, silhouette dancer for the opening of Fox Television's hit sitcom Living Single, Segar's career took off after a solo cheerleading routine during half-time of a celebrity basketball game sponsored by recording artists Full Force. Following that, Segar says business cards were coming from everywhere!

Since 1990, Segar has made over 14 television appearances, three film appearances, danced in numerous music videos, toured with six concert tours and choreographed major music videos. She just finished a U.S. tour with Heavy D for which she choreographed all the dance moves.

LL Cool J's Around the Way Girl was Segar's first music video and since then she has been a principal dancer in videos for artists such as Whitney Houston (I'm Every Woman), Michael Jackson (Remember the Time), Bobby Brown (Humpin' Around) and Salt n' Pepa (Do You Want Me). She choreographed Keep on Walking for CeCe Penninston, You Remind Me for Mary J. Blige, When in Love for MC Lyte and Work it Out and Full Term Love for Monie Love. In 1993, Segar was nominated for an MTV Award for "best choreography in a music video" for Real Love by Mary J. Blige. "Shenequa" was the name of the character she played in House Party II. She was also cast as a feature character in Malcolm X and Who's the Man. She is currently reading scripts for shows including FOX's New York Undercover.

In addition to her hip-hop dancing and choreography talents, Segar also uses her expertise in exercise physiology as a professional body trainer. She has worked with Monie Love, SWV, Heavy D, Jacci McGhee and Andre Harrell, president/CEO Uptown Records. For Segar, physical fitness is a combination of mind, body and spirit, and most importantly, she stresses, "You can't wish away the fat!" With each of her clients she teaches body awareness, fat testing, diet and self-esteem.

Segar's other talents include gymnastics, stunts, swimming, trampoline, body building, ice and roller skating. She is a native of Queens, N.Y. where she presently resides.