We have heartbreaking news to share I Love Old School Music family … comedian and actor, AJ Johnson, has passed away at the young age of 55. Most of us are familiar with A.J. from his infamous roles in cult classic films like, “I Got The Hook Up,” and “Friday. He brought so many laughs to us — both on the big screen and on stage in stand-up comedy.

Though the details of A.J.’s passing are sketchy, his nephew, as well as his rep’ spoke out to share what is known of A.J. Johnson’s death thus far:

Via TMZ – Johnson’s nephew tells us … A.J. was found lifeless in a store earlier this month in Los Angeles and rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. So far, no cause of death has been released. …

Johnson’s rep tells TMZ … “Our BH Talent family is saddened about the loss of an amazing iconic legend in comedy, our client and friend Anthony “AJ” Johnson.”

The rep adds … “We are praying for all those that were touched by his comedy, acting, but most of all his life. We are especially praying for his beloved Wife, Children, Siblings and Manager.”

A.J. Johnson was rumored to have been prepping to rekindle his role as “EZE” in the upcoming “Last Friday” sequel, but that has yet to be officially confirmed. “Friday” franchise creator, rap legend Ice Cube, took to Twitter to pay homage to A.J. Johnson after news begin spreading regarding his untimely passing:

Ice Cube- “Sad to wake up to the news about AJ Johnson passing away. Naturally funny dude who was straight outta Compton at the same time. Sorry I couldn’t bring your character Ezal back to the big screen in Last Friday…”

Sad to wake up to the news about AJ Johnson passing away. Naturally funny dude who was straight outta Compton at the same time. Sorry I couldn’t bring your character Ezal back to the big screen in Last Friday… https://t.co/gKbYZDZ4Br

— Ice Cube (@icecube) September 20, 2021

Throughout his career, A.J. Johnson has appeared in 50+ films and television shows, such as “The Player’s Club, “Moesha,” “Martin,” “Lethal Weapon 3,” “Menace II Society,” “House Party,” and more. And his portrayal of Eazy-E in Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s 1993 “Dre Day” music video was epic.

A.J.’s passing has rocked the entertainment industry just two weeks after “The Wire” actor, Michael K. Wright, passed away from a suspected drug overdose. May both of those kings rest in peace and power.

The post R.I.P.- “Friday” Actor And Comedian, A. J. Johnson, Passes Away At 55, Nephew Confirms appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

He was dominant in various roles, no matter how large, or small his parts were. In a prior interview with Vlad TV, A.J. revealed how one of his roles caused Death Row Records co-founder, Suge Knight, to threaten his life. As alarming as that may be – yet not shocking, given Suge’s history – it is A.J.’s appearance during his Vlad interview, that is catching fans by surprise even more . See why below…

AJ Johnson On Why Suge Reportedly Wanted To Shoot Him

First let’s get into his past beef with Suge Knight and how it all started over an Eazy E music video.

AJ Johnson: “Dr. Dre [Suge’s then Death Row Records partner] put me in his video as ‘Sleazy E’ (a mockery of Dre’s former NWA group member-turned rival, Eazy E).

AJ says that when Dre approached him about doing the “Dre Day” video, he (A.J.) was actually cool with Eazy:

“Me and Eazy were cool. It’s a funny story. [..] So I did the video and I guess Eazy [had] seen it. Eazy called me and he was like, ‘Man, you know everybody thought that was me in the video.'”

Embed from Getty Images

Then came the odd turn of events, Eazy wanted AJ to then play him in his clap-back diss to Dre and Death Row Records:

“He [Eazy E] was like, ‘Now you gotta do my video, to show people that wasn’t me!’ I was like, ‘No problem!’ So now I go do Eazy’s video.”

“Suge Knight gets word that I’m doing Eazy’s video. He called me into his office. [At that time] we’d just done half the video, so I had to go back tomorrow to finish it. But Suge called me into the office…[he was] like, ‘Man you can’t finish that video.’ I’m like, ‘I dont have nothing against Dre, I don’t have nothing against Eazy, I’m a comedian, I’m tryna pay my rent.'”

AJ says Suge still was telling him ‘You can’t do it,’ despite the fact that he’d just explained he needed the money to take care of his business.

“I’m like, ‘What you mean I can’t do it? He already paid me.'”

Then this happened:

“Suge pulled a gun out *AJ signals a hand motion, as if he’s slamming a gun on a desk*…’I said you can’t do it’ [said Suge].”

“Alright I won’t do it.”

I went and told Eazy, I said ‘Man I can’t finish the video.’ He was like, ‘Why?’ I [said] ‘Suge told me I can’t do it.'”

After AJ admitted, to Eazy, why he was backing out of the video, he said Eazy was like, “C’mon man, you gon’ let that ni&&a punk you like that?‘ However, AJ feared for his life at that point and felt like it just wasn’t worth the risk. Therefore they came up with a solution:

AJ told Eazy, “‘I know somebody that can finish the video.'” He continued, “[Comedian] Arnez J. finished the video…HE played Eazy, LOL. So in the first half it’s me and in the second half, it’s Arnez J, LOL. […] So the money that Eazy gave to me, I had to give to Arnez J.”

Why Fans Caught Off Guard By A.J.’s Appearance

Now, remember we mentioned that there was something even more alarming than the life-threatening revelation AJ exposed? Well, that would be the real-life struggle AJ appears to have been be dealing with at the time of his interview.

As fans watched A.J. tell his story, ironically he was very coherent, yet many wondered if he was battling an alcohol addiction, a substance addiction, or a combination of all of the above. Peep his interview clip up top to see what else he revealed, and see if y’all notice anything different.

Meanwhile, we wanna wish that brotha the best and send him positive energy. A.J. Johnson is an incredible comedic talent, so hopefully everything is okay with him and he’s still out here building his legacy.

The post AJ Johnson Revealed Suge ‘Threatened His Life,’ But Fans Were More Alarmed By His Appearance appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Unfortunately, we never got to see “Ezal” in the next Friday installments and for the first time ever, A.J. Johnson has revealed why. In an interview with Vlad TV, he detailed how Ice Cube reportedly did him wrong behind the scenes. *Scroll down for video*

A.J. Johnson’s Brutally Honest Revelation About His Residuals

A.J. Johnson kept it real when asked if the Friday actors are getting any residual royalties from the film today:

“Yeah we still get residuals…like 60 cents. …You gotta pay more to cash the check, than what you got get. The check is 60 cents and you gotta pay three dollars to cash it.”

Cube’s Alleged Regret

AJ then explained how the huge response he’d received at the premier of Friday, caught Ice Cube off guard, prompting Cube to somewhat regret not giving him a larger role…although AJ initially tried to convince Cube to do so, allegedly:

“At the premiere, it was crazy…everybody [was laughing]. And when [Ice Cube] came back there and said ‘Damn man, we shoulda had you through the whole movie,’ I wanted to sock him!”

AJ Reveals How Cube Reportedly Did Him Dirty

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Then came time for Next Friday and that’s where AJ says Cube dogged him. When Vlad asked AJ why he wasn’t ‘asked to be in Next Friday,’ AJ revealed this:

“I was asked. … Cube called me and we had a meeting…and we was talking about the money. And we came to a number (a payment agreement) that I was getting and we shook hands, and we was gonna do it (film the movie, Next Friday). … About 2, 3 weeks later…I was in the movie, I was gon’ shoot it…and I get a phone call [saying], ‘Man, you know they’re shooting Next Friday.’

Aj’s surprised response to the caller was:
“I’m like, ‘Uh…how they shooting?…I’m IN it…how they shooting?!!’

He says the caller then went on to explain that Cube and the rest of the cast were “on 105th street shooting” Next Friday as they spoke. Thinking there must have been some type of miscommunication about the filming, AJ revealed he got a rude awakening when he showed up to the Next Friday set:
“So I get in my car and I go down there. I tried to go on the set to talk with Cube, but he done already had me barred off the set, where I can’t even get on…to talk to him.”

Then came the next shocker for AJ:
“Come to find out, he done hired the dude from Onyx [rap group] play my part.”

Wow! We haven’t heard Ice Cube’s side of this story, so we’re not sure why things went down like that at the time. However, hopefully they’ve since been able to forgive and move past this.

The post Comic, AJ Johnson, Accused Ice Cube Of Doing Him Dirty For “Next Friday” Film appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

The year was 1995 when comedian/actor, A.J. Johnson, cracked us up in his role as “Ezal” the ‘crackhead’ in Ice Cube’s, Friday. With mostly then unknown stars, like A.J., Chris Tucker, Faizon Love, and Bernie Mac, as well as known stars, like Regina King and John Witherspoon, Cube proved he had the eye for talent. A.J.’s comedic delivery in the film, further proved that point. His classic one lines such as, “Owww! My neck…my back…my neck and my back,” as he purposely fell to the floor in that grocery store scene, was genius!

Unfortunately, we never got to see “Ezal” in the next Friday installments and for the first time ever, A.J. Johnson has revealed why. In an interview with Vlad TV, he detailed how Ice Cube reportedly did him wrong behind the scenes. *Scroll down for video*

A.J. Johnson’s Brutally Honest Revelation About His Residuals

First, A.J kept it real when asked if the Friday actors are getting any residual royalties from the film today:

“Yeah we still get residuals…like 60 cents. …You gotta pay more to cash the check, than what you got get. The check is 60 cents and you gotta pay three dollars to cash it.”

Cube’s Alleged Regret

AJ then explained how the huge response he’d received at the premier of Friday, caught Ice Cube off guard, prompting Cube to somewhat regret not giving him a larger role…although AJ initially tried to convince Cube to do so, allegedly:

“At the premiere, it was crazy…everybody [was laughing]. And when [Ice Cube] came back there and said ‘Damn man, we shoulda had you through the whole movie,’ I wanted to sock him!”

AJ Reveals How Cube Reportedly Did Him Dirty

Embed from Getty Images

Then came time for Next Friday and that’s where AJ says Cube dogged him. When Vlad asked AJ why he wasn’t ‘asked to be in Next Friday,’ AJ revealed this:

“I was asked. … Cube called me and we had a meeting…and we was talking about the money. And we came to a number (a payment agreement) that I was getting and we shook hands, and we was gonna do it (film the movie, Next Friday). … About 2, 3 weeks later…I was in the movie, I was gon’ shoot it…and I get a phone call [saying], ‘Man, you know they’re shooting Next Friday.’

Aj’s surprised response to the caller was:
“I’m like, ‘Uh…how they shooting?…I’m IN it…how they shooting?!!’

He says the caller then went on to explain that Cube and the rest of the cast were “on 105th street shooting” Next Friday as they spoke. Thinking there must have been some type of miscommunication about the filming, AJ revealed he got a rude awakening when he showed up to the Next Friday set:
“So I get in my car and I go down there. I tried to go on the set to talk with Cube, but he done already had me barred off the set, where I can’t even get on…to talk to him.”

Then came the next shocker for AJ:
“Come to find out, he done hired the dude from Onyx [rap group] play my part.”

Wow! We haven’t heard Ice Cube’s side of this story, so we’re not sure why things went down like that at the time. However, hopefully they’ve since been able to forgive and move past this.

The post Comic AJ Johnson Tells All, Accuses Ice Cube Of Doing Him Wrong For “Next Friday” Film appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Many of us, Old Schoolers, remember comedian/actor, AJ Johnson, from either his hilarious stand-up shows, or his scene stealing comical moments in movies such as Friday, I Got The Hookup, The Players Club and more.

He was dominant in various roles, no matter how large, or small his parts were. In a new interview with Vlad TV, A.J. revealed how one of his roles caused Death Row Records co-founder, Suge Knight, to threaten his life. As alarming as that may be – yet not shocking, given Suge’s history – it is A.J.’s appearance during his Vlad interview, that is catching fans by surprise even more . See why below…

AJ Johnson On Why Suge Reportedly Wanted To Shoot Him

Embed from Getty Images

First let’s get into his past beef with Suge Knight and how it all started over an Eazy E music video.

AJ Johnson: “Dr. Dre [Suge’s then Death Row Records partner] put me in his video as ‘Sleazy E’ (a mockery of Dre’s former NWA group member-turned rival, Eazy E).

AJ says that when Dre approached him about doing the “Dre Day” video, he (A.J.) was actually cool with Eazy:

“Me and Eazy were cool. It’s a funny story. [..] So I did the video and I guess Eazy [had] seen it. Eazy called me and he was like, ‘Man, you know everybody thought that was me in the video.'”

Then came the odd turn of events, Eazy wanted AJ to then play him in his clap-back diss to Dre and Death Row Records:

“He [Eazy E] was like, ‘Now you gotta do my video, to show people that wasn’t me!’ I was like, ‘No problem!’ So now I go do Eazy’s video.”

“Suge Knight gets word that I’m doing Eazy’s video. He called me into his office. [At that time] we’d just done half the video, so I had to go back tomorrow to finish it. But Suge called me into the office…[he was] like, ‘Man you can’t finish that video.’ I’m like, ‘I dont have nothing against Dre, I don’t have nothing against Eazy, I’m a comedian, I’m tryna pay my rent.'”

https://youtu.be/Jj4GuRqhNBo

AJ says Suge still was telling him ‘You can’t do it,’ despite the fact that he’d just explained he needed the money to take care of his business.

“I’m like, ‘What you mean I can’t do it? He already paid me.'”

Then this happened:

“Suge pulled a gun out *AJ signals a hand motion, as if he’s slamming a gun on a desk*…’I said you can’t do it’ [said Suge].”

“Alright I won’t do it.”

I went and told Eazy, I said ‘Man I can’t finish the video.’ He was like, ‘Why?’ I [said] ‘Suge told me I can’t do it.'”

After AJ admitted, to Eazy, why he was backing out of the video, he said Eazy was like, “C’mon man, you gon’ let that ni&&a punk you like that?‘ However, AJ feared for his life at that point and felt like it just wasn’t worth the risk. Therefore they came up with a solution:

AJ told Eazy, “‘I know somebody that can finish the video.'” He continued, “[Comedian] Arnez J. finished the video…HE played Eazy, LOL. So in the first half it’s me and in the second half, it’s Arnez J, LOL. […] So the money that Eazy gave to me, I had to give to Arnez J.”

Why Fans Caught Off Guard By A.J.’s Appearance

Now, remember we mentioned that there was something even more alarming than this life threatening revelation AJ exposed? Well, that would be the real life struggle AJ appears to currently be dealing with.

As fans watched A.J. tell his story, ironically he was very coherent, yet many wondered if he was battling an alcohol addiction, crack addiction, some other substance addiction, or a combination of all of the above. Peep his interview clip up top to see what else he revealed and see if y’all notice anything different.

Meanwhile, we wanna wish that brotha the best and send him positive energy. A.J. Johnson is an incredible comedic talent, so hopefully everything is okay with him and he’s still out here building his legacy.

The post AJ Johnson Reveals Suge Threatened His Life, But Fans More Alarmed By His Appearance appeared first on I Love Old School Music.