Slink Johnson From ‘Lamar Roasts Franklin’ Chops It Up To Discuss His Role As Lamar Davis In ‘GTA5’ And What He Makes Of The ‘Yee Yee Ass Haircut’ Viral Phenomenon

hen Rockstar Games debuted Grand Theft Auto 5 back in 2013, little did they know that one of the game’s minor characters would become a fan favorite for his memorable quips and dialogue. Slink Johnson is the man behind Lamar Davis, who came up with the classic “Yee Yee Ass Haircut” line during his time voice acting with Rockstar. Although the quote briefly trended back in the day, Lamar Roasts Franklin became a viral sensation late last year when hundreds of memes began remixing the original scene with hilarious new takes, culminating in a live-action remake with Slink and Shawn Fonteno (who plays Franklin).

We sat down with Slink to recap how he got the role of Lamar and a bit of his other work in the entertainment industry, such as Adult Swim’s Black Jesus, to find out what he makes of the recent viral trend. Slink even dropped some interesting knowledge hinting that Lamar was originally intended to be a playable character in GTA 5. So, without further ado, hear from Lamar himself about what he thinks of the meme.

Q: What’s up, Slink. Thanks for sitting down with us to talk about your meme. Let’s begin by introducing yourself to those who aren’t familiar with who you are and what else you do.

A: Salutations pimps and kinfolk. This is your main man Slink Johnson, prime minister of pound down, master of the West African monkey spank technique, five-time wild cheetah submission holds champ, and founder and president of the Smoke Yours Crew. Some people know me as Black Jesus, and most of you know me as Lamar Davis from Grand Theft Auto 5. Today, I'm chilling with my man Zach and Know Your Meme. I’m like a champion shit-talker, that’s what I do.

(Slink on the set of Adult Swim's Black Jesus.)

Q: So before jumping into more recent events surrounding the meme, I’d like to learn more about how you got into acting. Can you tell us a bit about how you became an actor and voice actor early on? What did you do before your role in Grand Theft Auto?

A: I became a voice actor kind of by nature. I was naturally led into it because I've always been a jovial, gregarious type. It's always been my thing, the class clown, the guy in school that's making everybody laugh, it's always been me. As far as entertainment aspirations go, hip hop was what I wanted to carve my name in in entertainment, however, just my natural personality and the fact that I was around the right people got me there.

Q: In 2013, you then appeared in GTA V where you played the role of Lamar Davis through voice-over and motion capture. How did Rockstar approach you for this gig, what was it like working on a video game for the first time, and what were some of your favorite aspects of it?

A: I came across the Rockstar job with GTA 5 through a friend of mine, DJ Pooh, who was very deeply involved in the process over there at Rockstar Games. He reached out to me and offered me an opportunity to read a script and audition for the part of Lamar, which I accepted so graciously and humbly, and went up there and killed that shit. Next thing you know, I'm in New York and we shootin' GTA 5 and it was an amazing experience. I loved it. My first time really spending some time in New York, and being on something of such magnitude was definitely an amazing and humbling experience. I learned to adapt, and it was definitely fun and exciting to do.

Q: As you know, the scene where Lamar roasts Franklin has become quite a popular meme recently, but what can you tell us about the making of that interaction and the script back in the day? Did you think it would ever become such a noteworthy snippet from the game, or was it nothing really special back then?

A: I'm going to keep it funky with you, Zach. I didn't know, man. Like I was just popping shit. The script wasn't at all that. I ad-libbed the words of course, but I stuck with the script and the story. I couldn't change the people's story, but I was compelled to translate it in a way. Los Santos is a mirror image, or "bizarro world" per se, of Los Angeles, so we gotta keep the language and the lingo similar. I'm very thankful to Rockstar for allowing me to do that, to come in and just throw so much of myself and that Los Angeles, urban LA street and South Central lingo in there. A lot of that is myself and my own take of LA lingo. So they allowed me to go in there and do that.

I had the script and the script just said "say whatever Lamar says" written by A-list motherfucker. I go, "Bro, Lamar, is not going to say that." So I was just popping, man. The "yee yee haircut," that's a word I've been using for a while. Not necessarily a reference to a "haircut," but a "yee yee" in my definition is like some weak shit, like you're a square. So I'm just glad that the rest of the world took it like they did, and I appreciate it.

Q: Oh so you had a little bit of freedom to kinda come up with your own dialogue?

A: Oh yeah. "Letting the loc come up in yo crib?" I think the script said like, "Can I come in? Can I come inside?" Nah, I'm not going to ask no grown-ass man, "Zach, can I come inside?" "What's up. Let a nigga in, Zach. Can a loc come up in yo crib? What's up man can I slide up in there with you?" I'm not going to say, "Hey, may I come inside?"

When we shot that take, of course, it's quiet in the studio cause we're recording, they yelled cut and bro I just heard laughter in the whole building. It was kind of scary. For me, I'm just popping shit. I'm just doing the shit I’m poppin’. Sometimes I don’t even remember what I said, but I'm glad they recorded it, man.

Q: Before the scene from the game itself became a meme online, the “Yee Yee Ass Haircut” quote was somewhat well-known and added to Urban Dictionary as a slang term for “something that looks horrible” in 2013. Did you ever notice anyone using this back then, or did anyone ever mention something about it to you?

A: Post-game I heard people say it, but I'm not going to take credit for creating it. I can't tell you exactly where I heard that word, I can't quite remember. However, I’ll definitely take credit for bringing it to light. I want people to know, it's not just a haircut, it just happened to become famous attached to a haircut. “Yee yee” isn’t necessarily a fighting word, it just depends on who it’s coming from. Your friends can break your balls, just like Lamar was breaking Franklin's balls. So it depends on who it’s coming from.

(Two early examples of memes referencing the "Yee Yee Ass Haircut" line that Slink came up with.)

Q: So then towards the latter half of 2020, the scene from GTA saw a sharp spike in popularity when creators replaced the characters with others from pop culture or remixed it with various voices. When did you take notice of these memes, where did you see them initially, and what was your reaction to seeing your scene being used in this way?

A: I mean, I'm online. I'm probably not as deep an internet-head as I might like to think I am, but I kind of am. I don’t know the first one. I've kind of seen them though, just weird things. I wasn't really surprised because with the technology being what it is and GTA 5 being such a moddable game, it was bound to come, but I can't remember the first one in particular. However, one of the better ones was Lamar getting roasted by Franklin. They got some dope stuff out there and a couple of cats are doing some great work. Another funny guy I’ve been watching was Merfish on YouTube. Merfish is doing a lot of funny mods, and there's a lot of people doing it.

It's humbling. It's amazing. To be so ingrained in pop culture is definitely an awesome and humbling thing. Every time I see it, it just amazes me. I've seen, as of late, Kermit the frog, Darth Vader, SpongeBob. It's so amazing to see how universal the phrase and the scene has become. I'm just so thankful that people like it like they do.

Q: Were you particularly knowledgeable of memes and internet culture at that time, or was it more so after your work became the main feature of this one?

A: I was knowledgeable of memes. I'm aware of memes and I know how powerful they are. I know people make some great and funny memes, so I'm aware of them. I kinda make my own sometimes, so I very much like memes. I like catching them and checking them out. But I will say that I still have yet to grasp the entirety of meme culture and how big it is. Like, yo, it is BIG.

Q: Since Shawn Fonteno, who plays Franklin, is also part of the scene and meme, have you spoken to him about this phenomenon recently? What does he think about all of this?

A: Shawn and I, we talk from time to time and we’re always both amazed at what’s going on. Being the “elder statesman,” I don’t want to say “the old dude,” but I'm not quite as in touch with some of those things as I would like to be. But I’m still in it. I'm just amazed at how it takes off man. It's definitely an honor to see the youth rocking with me like they do. I appreciate it because this is a very youth-driven industry. Same with pop culture, it’s very youth-driven and to see them and to know that they embrace me and the things that I do, thank you.

(Slink Johnson, who plays Lamar Davis, and Shawn Fonteno, who plays Franklin Clinton.)

Q: Because the meme has become such a hit and been seen by millions of people all over the world now, can you tell us how some of your family and friends reacted to it? What did they think of your scene from GTA being used like that?

A: My family, they love it. I mean, the game’s seven years old now, but my son, he trips out sometimes when the scene is resurfacing and becoming a meme and it all became viral. He likes it, but for the most part, it's just like “I'm dad.”

Q: Over the last several months since it’s continued to evolve and morph with countless characters being swapped into the scene such as SpongeBob or Harry Potter, what are some of your favorite versions of the meme, and which ones do you think are the funniest?

A: Some of my favorite versions are Darth Vader, SpongeBob, Kermit the frog, the multiple Lamars — I saw one that was like a hundred Lamars roasting Franklin at the same time and that was nuts. Also a lot of the stuff Merfish does. I like his stuff on YouTube, his name just stuck out to me.

Q: Since it’s become such a viral sensation, has its prominence on the internet had any effects on you in your personal or professional life or has it not really been that impactful?

A: Well with this meme going viral like it did, it's definitely brought more fresh eyes to me and my profile. I'm very thankful for that. Definitely doing a lot more interviews lately, so just taking advantage of those opportunities because with those eyes come opportunities. So there’s definitely a lot of stuff happening with it. I'm taking that opportunity to kind of turn a light on to other things I'm doing, like my movies. I've got a couple of movies coming out soon, Kings of LA and Dirty Cops LA are both in post-production right now, so I’m looking forward to seeing those come to some screen. A couple of other movies are out: Baby Gangsta is out right now on Vimeo or you can check it out at prideandunity.com. Black Jesus is also streaming right now on Hulu, my YouTube channel is jumping and I’m doing sketches and a podcast.

I want people to come to my YouTube channel and check it out because I'm not doing just one thing. I'm doing sketches, lifestyle-type stuff, live entertainment, just everything. My channel is a channel, just like you watch any other channel and see a whole bunch of different types of shows — that's what y'all get from me. So make sure you check out my YouTube channel. Shit man, just trying to keep it popping, putting my hands in everything I can that don't burn.

(Slink and the Smoke Yours Crew posing for a photo.)

Q: I always like to ask people, “Do you like your meme or not?” But it always seems like it really depends on what the context of their meme is. It seems like you fully embrace it and appreciate it.

A: I love it, especially to be recognized for something so amazing, something so huge. GTA 5 is a huge game. It's a huge franchise. To be associated with that entity in itself is a blessing — and to be associated with it in such high regard. So many people, like you say “GTA 5” and they go to ask you about Lamar. It's definitely an honor, man.

Q: It’s funny too because I don’t know if Rockstar intended for Lamar to be like one of the breakout stars of the game since he’s not one of the three main characters. But his presence and persona in that game was just so great that people always remember him.

A: You know, I think Lamar was originally gonna be a playable character, but I jacked that up when I got caught up in some legal troubles early in my involvement of the production. That kind of held me up for a while, which in turn held them up … and you can't do that. So they went to their contingency plan I guess, and that's why the story is the way it is today.

Q: Damn, that’s interesting. I never knew or heard of that.

A: It is weird. I definitely regret getting into legal trouble and not being able to be a playable character sometimes. However, it's kind of better to me because when you're the playable character, you become the character, but you can never run Lamar. Lamar’s always going to be the homie that’s slidin’ in talking that shit.

(Slink next to his in-game character Lamar Davis during PlayStation Haven's reenactment.)

Q: That’s a good point, no doubt. So, although you’re not pictured in the meme like some people are in these types of situations, does anyone ever ask you about your role as Lamar or want to hear you say the line when out in public or in personal conversations?

A: I get it all the time. I think they modeled the character after me, but I don't think he looks like me all the time. People that recognize me, I think they’re more so big fans and they kind of researched and looked at my real face. I think none of them are just saying like, “Hey man, you look like Lamar,” but I have gotten “you sound like Lamar,” which I don't believe a lot of times. Whatever, I gotta give them the benefit of the doubt. “Hey, you sound like that dude.” Yeah. That's me, man.

Q: So you’re not sick of the line yet? After thousands of people asking you to do it?

A: No, I'm not sick of it at all. I just don't do it much. I don't want to cheapen it. I do it when I feel it, but I just don't want to cheapen it. A lot of times I go live on my YouTube and Instagram and I'm always getting some guys in there like, “Yo, say it, say it, say it!” And I'm like, “I'm not going to say it for.” I don't like when a motherfucker asks me to say it cause I feel like a circus monkey. I appreciate it, but I'm not going to say it because I'm not a monkey. But, what you can do is you can hit me on Cameo. Go to cameo.com and get you a Cameo. Throw your boy the smallest, smallest, smallest donation. Let me give you a Lamar-style meme.

(In addition to his voice acting work, Slink also performs as a comedian and musician.)

Q: More recently, you and Shawn Fonteno recreated the original scene from GTA in a live-action version with PlayStation Haven. How did this come about, and what was it like working on the reenactment with them after the meme had propelled it into the mainstream again?

A: When PlayStation Haven and I came together, it was just that time. He and I were already cool — that's my partner. We were doing some other things anyway and the meme was going viral, so we were talking about it and it was a no-brainer. I reached out to him because we actually planned on doing it a while ago, but thank God we didn't because it was important to me that it was done right.

So PlayStation Haven, it was actually his idea to shoot it in the same framing as it was shot in the game. It was just excellent and actually brilliant because me, coming from a television and film background, I was going to try to shoot it a little more “cinematic,” for lack of a better word. But PlayStation Haven knocked it out the park with that idea.

We were not so surprised [by the reception]. I mean, it's a huge entity. Not so “surprised” as much as pleased with being able to give the fans what they want. So many people wanted to see that and it was definitely satisfying for me to see it. To be able to do that together, it's dope. You know, the fans, they with it, they rocking with it. They liked it, man.

Q: Given your personal connection to meme culture now, do you follow them closely or ever make any yourself? What are some of your current favorites making the rounds these days?

A: I kinda make my memes personal in my circle. Some of my memes would be just words and some of them might be a funny picture of me or inside jokes and things of that nature. Some of my favorite memes by far? Right now it’s definitely Lamar roasting Franklin and the little white cat sitting at the table with the bitch arguing [Woman Yelling At a Cat]. I love that one. I love the Arthur memes with his fist and when he’s fixing his pants with the girl on the bed, I like that one too. It's always some type of sexual connotation, but I think that's Arthur’s sister in real life, but you know, some crazy shit going on in the memes. There’s too many to list, man, but these guys are geniuses. It makes for some very quirky stuff.

Q: Aside from your role in GTA as an actor, you’re also the star of Adult Swim’s Black Jesus series. Can you tell us more about what it’s like starring in an Adult Swim show, and how you became a part of that project? What else do you have going on with acting?

A: Aaron McGruder created Black Jesus and I was fortunate enough to be acquainted with him. He kind of took a liking to my personality or comedic style and saw something in me that he thought would do good for the character that he had in his head. He offered me the opportunity to shoot sketches, and I jumped on it. The sketches were a hit on the internet and from there we were on. It’s great though. I love Adult Swim, man. It fits my personality and they can push the envelope. So I really like being there.

There’s also Sugar and Toys on Fuse TV — great show I do some friends of mine. Brian Ash and Carl Jones invited me down to come audition for that, and again, I knocked it out of the park and had a lot of fun doing that. I play a few characters on there. It's a great show. I enjoyed it a lot, man. You know, just stirring the pot right now and seeing what we can cook up.

Q: Other than acting, you also work as a musician and comedian. What upcoming projects do you have in the works that we should keep on our radar?

A: Yeah, I do stand-up — talk about my family, my life, my kids, shit I see, and just the fact that I'm 6-foot-7 and I don't play basketball. Just these quirky little things about life that we all deal with, but just coming from my perspective and telling the truth about my feelings. You know what I mean?

Q: Yeah. Is that kind of what your podcast is about too?

A: Oh yeah, exactly. My podcast, Smoke Yours, is a place where I can be me and talk about things from my perspective and the things that matter to me. To be able to be a voice for a whole lot of people who probably, otherwise, wouldn't have that voice.

Q: Looking back on the premise of your meme, I’d like to end this on one final two-part question. So, what’s the most Yee Yee Ass Haircut you yourself have ever had? If not, tell us who now in the wide, wide world has the most Yee Yee Ass haircut in your opinion. Who do you think needs a good wake-up call in the form of Lamar roasting their hairstyle choice?

A: Yeah, I had a couple yee yee haircuts. But that’s when I was young and I wasn't in control of who cut my hair or how I wanted my hair cut. There’s a lot of yee yee haircuts out here, man. A lot in LA for sure but there’s too many everywhere [laughs]. Let’s just say this, I see some regional haircuts. I'm not going to mention a region in particular, but that's some yee yee shit. Cause I be traveling all over the country, but regionally, some of you guys got some real yee yee ass haircuts.

Q: Any closing words before we wrap it up here?

A: Zach, I appreciate you, man. Had a great time right here on Know Your Meme. Give a big shout out to my homie over at PlayStation Haven. We doing that shit, pimp. Keep up the good work. Give a shoutout to all the fans and supporters that fuck with Slink Johnson and GTA 5. Solo [Shawn] Fonteno, all of us, man, thank you so much. We appreciate you and give a huge shoutout to you guys. Find me on all your social networks at Slink Johnson. Most importantly, find me on Cash App at $SlinkJohnson. You can love me down anytime. You can wake up in the middle of the night just thinking about your boy and say, “You know what? I want to love this dude down.” And my YouTube at Slink Johnson. I just want to say, much love, man.

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Watch our interview with Slink below for the video version of our chat with Lamar Davis himself.

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Slink Johnson is an actor, comedian and musician known for his work in TV shows like Black Jesus and for portraying Lamar Davis in Grand Theft Auto V, which went on to become the Lamar Roasts Franklin meme. You can follow him on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to check out all of his content.