93: Quddus Philippe on The Truth About Fame, His Cameo in Kanye's Jeen Yuhs, And Life After MTV

The Light Watkins Show

02-03-2022 • 1 hr 19 mins

Today’s guest, Quddus Philippe, burst into the international spotlight by replacing Carson Daly as a host on the iconic MTV show, Total Request Live (TRL), where he became the interviewer of choice for artists like Jay Z and Beyonce.

After five years on MTV, Quddus started his own production company, The Q Side, to help pioneer new media and develop new talent with partners like MySpace, AOL, Yahoo, and YouTube, but he kept feeling drawn to the personal development space. That's where everything came together in terms of his purpose and his calling, and Quddus started working with entertainment and wellness leaders to help them get camera ready, which really meant helping them find their most authentic voice.

After completing a philanthropic mission trip in his father’s homeland of Haiti and a spiritual journey in Costa Rica, Quddus devoted himself to launching The Creator Incubator, an eight-week program to help others launch their dream projects with clarity, confidence, and community.

In this episode, he shares some insight into his childhood, how hip hop became his gateway to spirituality, and the crippling imposter syndrome he grappled with in his early days at MTV. We also touch on the immense value of being forthcoming with your passions, speaking your truth, and owning your greatness in order to make the biggest impact, and Quddus shares what imposter syndrome looks like for him today, how his appearance in the Kanye West documentary, jeen-yuhs, has helped him own his voice, and what is lighting him up the most right now. Make sure not to miss this thought-provoking conversation about passion, process, and purpose with one of pop culture's foremost tastemakers, Quddus Phillipe!