Tales From The Hood Director Rusty Cundieff Is A Brother Of Alpha Phi Alpha

Did you know that filmmaker Rusty Cundieff is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha? Cundieff was initiated through the Alpha Delta Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. at the University of Southern California.

George Arthur “Rusty” Cundieff was born on December 13, 1960, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He studied journalism at Loyola University in New Orleans before transferring to USC to study the philosophy of religion, graduating in 1982. After college, he performed stand-up comedy in Los Angeles while chasing his acting dreams, landing a year-long run as Theo Carver on Days of Our Lives in 1985. He later appeared as Big Brother Chucky in Spike Lee’s School Daze, a film that also featured real members of Alpha Phi Alpha.

Working with Spike Lee inspired Cundieff to move into writing and directing. In 1993, he wrote, directed, and starred in Fear of a Black Hat, a sharp rap mockumentary in the spirit of This Is Spinal Tap. Two years later came the film he is best known for: Tales from the Hood, a horror anthology he co-wrote and directed that wrapped pointed social commentary on issues facing the Black community inside its scares.

Cundieff’s career stretched across film and television. He directed the 1997 comedy Sprung, directed 25 episodes of Chappelle’s Show from 2003 to 2006, and worked as a correspondent on Michael Moore’s TV Nation.

His Work on Chappelle’s Show

Cundieff directed many of the series’ most memorable and culturally defining segments, with credits spanning fan-favorite episodes and classic sketches, including:

• “Blind Supremacy”: A Frontline-style sketch and one of the show’s most iconic moments, following Clayton Bigsby, the blind Black author who becomes a celebrated white supremacist without ever realizing he is Black.
• “Mad Real World”: A satirical parody of MTV’s The Real World that flipped the reality-show formula with an all-Black house and a single white roommate.
• “Keeping It Real Goes Wrong”: A recurring sketch following the disastrous, comedic consequences of characters taking “keeping it real” to the extreme.

Cundieff returned to his signature franchise with Tales from the Hood 2 in 2018 and Tales from the Hood 3 in 2020, sequels he had tried to make for roughly two decades. He has credited the success of Jordan Peele’s Get Out with finally opening the door for them.

From the yard at USC to the director’s chair, Cundieff’s body of work remains a lasting chapter in the story of Black film and the men of Alpha Phi Alpha.

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Fear of a Black Hat – Theatrical Trailer

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