Bon Qui Qui

Rapper Bon Qui Qui serves as the stage persona for comedian Anjelah Johnson-Reyes, who channels the vibe of Iggy Azalea operating under tight financial constraints. Raised in San Jose, California, with Mexican and Native American roots, Johnson left college behind after securing a spot on the Oakland Raiders’ cheerleading squad, the Raiderettes, which prompted her relocation to Los Angeles. Performing regularly on the local standup scene and posting footage of her Tammy character, a nail-salon worker, on various video platforms eventually drew MADtv’s interest. She joined the sketch series cast in 2007, appearing in just four episodes, yet both the Bon Qui Qui and Tammy sketches proved popular enough to earn her an ALMA Award nomination in 2008 for American Latino Media Arts work. The following year brought a guest role on Ugly Betty alongside voice work for the animated feature Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. In 2010 her standup special That’s How We Do It! debuted on Comedy Central and appeared on the Warner Bros. label the same year. After marrying Manwell Reyes of the Christian hip-hop group Group 1 Crew in 2011, she adopted the surname Johnson-Reyes. At that point the fictional Bon Qui Qui, newly dismissed from King Burger, redirected her efforts toward rapping. Warner Bros. issued the debut album Gold Plated Dreams in 2015, igniting widespread BQQ enthusiasm.