A brief oral history of the iconic 'Martin' episode guest starring Biggie Smalls

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Here's some unsolicited advice for whoever's working on the next great American time capsule: make sure you include Tichina Arnold's filmography. And because the actor's esteemed career comprises at least 56 characters and spans 36-years (and counting), consider limiting the content to — what I believe to be — Arnold's most celebrated performances: the strict, fiercely loving matriarch Rochelle on Everybody Hates Chris (2005-2009); the outspoken, new money matriarch Cassie Calloway on Survivor's Remorse (2014-2017); and OF COURSE the queen of clapbacks Pamela "Pam" Jones on Martin (1992-1997). Carefully pack these episodes into whatever space-proof container you ultimately decide on, so that whichever future people unearth it can cry-stomp-laugh at one of the best television actors of our time. What's that you say? There's only room for ONE episode? Ugh, fine. Go with "Blow, Baby, Blow," the iconic season four episode found on every "Best Martin Episodes" list.

In short, the real-life Biggie Smalls aka The Notorious B.I.G. comes to town to hold background singer auditions on Martin's talk show. Starstruck, Pam and Gina proceed to act a fool trying to impress Biggie while not so casually singing around the rapper, so much so that a humiliated Martin bans them from the auditions. The best friends-turned-temporary rivals get around this by signing up with fake names and that's how Pam, disguised under the pseudonym "Shontina Turner," ends up singing Stephanie Mill's "Home" in a very "You betta SANG!" but also "Dafuq?!" manner. An equally outta pocket Gina then crashes Pam's performance, and never before was the song "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" more relevant to a scene. With both of the women having literally snatched the other's stage wig, the scene ends in them hollering ad libs as they fight for the spotlight. And just when you thought the ending couldn't get any funnier, Biggie ends up picking the friends' arch-nemesis Sheneneh Jenkins for the dream gig.

Many brilliant elements came together to make this 1995 gem not only one of the best Martin episodes, but one of the best episodes of television ever, period: there's The Notorious B.I.G. playing himself at the height of his fame and celebrity, the unforgettable roasts ("Baby she called me Anita Faker!" "Well you called me Phoni Braxton!" "Well you can get one more girl and you'll be Phony, Phoni, Phoné!"), and the raw comedic talent displayed by two insanely talented black women actors who weren't afraid of looking a hot-ass hilarious mess. "When we were doing the humor we wouldn't think, Oh man, the world's gonna see this! That's not where our head was," Arnold told me in a recent interview. "We were like, 'Yo, this **** is funny!' We were really laughing at each other, so it came from a place where it was just organic." Translation: Arnold has a natural-born gift for entertaining audiences while also delivering multidimensional portrayals of strong, opinionated, flawed characters who are maddeningly absurd and instantly lovable.

Hence her booked and busy schedule that involves new jobs, like the role of Tina Butler on CBS' The Neighborhood, plenty of press events for said jobs, and car rides to and from said events. So it was during one of these rides that Arnold and I spoke about the classic Martin episode, the impact of having the late Notorious B.I.G. on set, the historic exclusion and growing inclusion of dark-skinned lead actresses in Hollywood, and the not-so-secret key to having a longstanding, successful career.