Quddus (MTV)

Quddus
Born Benjamin Quddus Philippe
July 10, 1980 (1980-07-10) (age 31)
Toronto, Ontario
Occupation VJ, TV personality/Host
Years active 1999–present

Benjamin Quddus Philippe, popularly known as simply Quddus, (born July 10, 1980) is a Canadian MTV VJ and former host of the MTV show, Total Request Live. He was also the host of Dance on Sunset with Nick 6 which included: Johnny Erasme, Shane Harper, Aubree Storm, Ashley Galvan, Karen Chuang, and Hefa Tuita. Also on the show was Tony Testa, the choreographer. The show has been cancelled. Currently he is the lead host of Cambio Connect, the daily flagship web series on Cambio.com a new entertainment site by AOL and The Jonas Group.

Born in Toronto, Ontario of a Haitian father and Dutch mother, Quddus was named after a prominent early Baha'i figure (his name means "the most holy" in Arabic and Persian).[1] He began a career in music as co-host and programmer of a campus radio show on CHUO-FM while studying philosophy at the University of Ottawa. Quddus became known in the Ottawa hip-hop scene for his mixtapes and for his abilities behind the turntables. In 1999, he signed with Elite Model Management. Quddus returned to Toronto, where he co-wrote and hosted the TV Ontario youth culture program VOX, and acted in commercials for McDonald's and Honda. Quddus' work on VOX eventually earned him a Gemini.

In 2000, Quddus entered the MuchMusic VJ Search contest in the hopes of replacing the then-departing MuchMusic VJ Bill Welychka. He eventually finished third behind winner Bradford How. One year later, Quddus landed a job at MTV, where he remained as one of the hosts for Total Request Live until early 2006.

Off the camera, Quddus is involved in the community, being a volunteer at both the Boys & Girls Club and the YMCA. He also enjoys composing poetry and playing basketball in his spare time.

Quddus is featured in the book "About Face" shot by celebrity photographer John Russo, published by Pixie Press Worldwide.

References

  1. ^ Who's News, USA Weekend, March 10, 2002.

External links