BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Hip-hop artist and author Fonzworth Bentley will speak at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29 in the UAB Hill University Center Great Hall, 1400 University Blvd. The event is sponsored by the UAB Blazer Male Excellence Network and the UAB Black Student Awareness Committee.

Afterward, Bentley will sign copies of his new book, Advance Your Swagger: How to Use Manners, Confidence and Style to Get Ahead, published by Random House. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call the UAB Office of Student Involvement at 975-9509.

Bentley, whose real name is Derek Watkins, is known for bridging the worlds of high fashion and hip-hop with his sartorial class and dedication to urban grooves. He caught the world's attention several years ago as the flawlessly dressed personal assistant to Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and once was recognized by GQ magazine as the "First Gentleman of Hip-Hop."

Bentley's soon-to-be-released album is "CoolOutrageousLoversofUniquelyRawStyle (C.O.L.O.U.R.S.)." In addition, he is the host of his own MTV reality show, "From G's to Gents," in which he attempts to turn men who come from rough backgrounds into gentlemen.

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