My real name is Joseph Herbert. My dad is white; my mom's Asian, Filipino. And when I started stand-up 22 years ago, I used to go up as Joseph Herbert, and I would just have to defend my name. Every time I went onstage, it was so annoying. People would heckle.
I had to put me foot down with the first record company. It was about 1975, when singers were being given names like Gary Glitter and Alvin Stardust, so they wanted to call me Benny Santini just because me dad's an Irish-Italian with an ice-cream business!
I never have really become accustomed to the 'John.' Nobody ever really calls me John... I've always been Duke or Marion or John Wayne. It's a name that goes well together, and it's like one word - John Wayne.
I began to fear that Mos Def was being treated as a product, not a person, so I've been going by Yasiin since '99. At first it was just for friends and family, but now I'm declaring it openly.
I wasn't an actor. They they take the externals. Here I was, a kid thrown into Hollywood with a brand-new name, starring in motion pictures.
When I went to WCW, I was never supposed to go in there as Terra Ryzing.
When I started out, everyone seemed to be adopting these names... Johnny Rotten, Sid Vicious. I wasn't really Rotten or Vicious or Nasty, so I wanted something a bit more funny - yet something that seemed real rock 'n' roll... something that acknowledged my ambition.
People think that I changed my name. I could've been an actress, a superhero, or a stripper.
When I got into rap I didn't exactly win any popularity contests. I called myself Dee Dee King, after B.B. King, to the total dismay of my fellow Ramones.
I changed it to Leslie Hill, only that seemed more like a cocktail pianist. Eventually, being an admirer of Jack Benny, I took his name.
I was a go-go dancer, too. I called myself 'Grace Mendoza' to fool my parents.
When I first joined SAG, there was another John Reilly. My dad was John Reilly, too, but growing up I was John John. Nobody in life calls me John C. It's more like, 'Hey you, Step Brother!'
Some guy was just like, 'You rap fast, man. Like a little machine gun,' and from that moment, I was Lil Uzi.
Well, I was making a record, and I had to choose a name, because they said, you know, you can't make a record under the name of Reg Dwight, because it's never going to - you know, it's not attractive enough.
My name sounds French but that's just a stage name.
It's easy to remember. That's part of the reason why it's never surprised me or bothered me that somebody doesn't know my real name. What's easier to remember: Danielle Fishel or Topanga? Topanga sticks with you.
I had it just Lil Nas at first because every rapper has a 'lil' in front of his name, and that's funny to me. But then I got stuck with it because I already built a fan base at that point.
I'd been to Memphis before, but we stayed out of Memphis early on in the late 70s for obvious reasons. People were very sensitive about Elvis Presley, and my stage name obviously would be provocative to some people in that area at that time.
I'm making a fresh start. That's another reason for the name change from Lord Steven Regal to William Regal here in the WWF.
I'm retiring the Mos Def name after 2011. I'm actually doing it.
'Shaggy' was a nickname before it was ever a stage name. I have no problem with it.
It is going to be changed to straight P. Diddy. You could call me P. or Diddy, or P. Diddy. I just want something fresh, man.
Before I got into stand-up, I used to be a hip-hop dancer in a crew, and my name was J. Smoove, and my partner was J. Groove.
I used the name Diplo at one show when I was really young, and it just stuck. I never meant to keep it. But it's kinda cool.
Lady Gaga is my name. If you know me, and you call me Stefani, you don't really know me at all.
