Quddus (MTV)
Categories: American television personalities | MTV VJs | 1980 births | Torontonians | Black Canadians
Quddus (born Ben Phillippe, July 10, 1980 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) is a MTV VJ and sometimes host of MTV's unofficial flagship show, Total Request Live.
He first got into music while studying philosophy at the University of Ottawa, where he also co-hosted and programmed a campus radio show. He was also 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 which brought him back to Toronto and gave him his first break where he co-wrote and hosted TV Ontario's youth culture program VOX, as well as acting in commercials for McDonald's and Honda. Quddus' talents eventually won him a Gemini for his work on VOX.
In 2000, Quddus entered the MuchMusic VJ Search contest in the hopes of landing the job of the then-departing MuchMusic VJ Bill Welychka, eventually finishing third behind winner Bradford How. One year later, Quddus landed a job at MTV, where he currently is one of the hosts for Total Request Live.
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.