Thu, Jan 21, 2021
Crack had a dominant impact on America in the 80s and the many ways it changed America are on display in the new must watch Netflix doc Crack by Stanley Nelson. He explains how it changed the country and how there was a global conspiracy that allowed massive amounts of cocaine to come into the country that led to crack.
Tue, Jan 26, 2021
Dr. Carl Hart is a drug researcher and an occasional drug user because you can be a respectable, intellectual, high-functioning professional and a loving family man and occasionally do a little heroin. If that sounds crazy, why? Why would it be ok if instead of "do heroin" I said "drink whiskey" or "smoke a joint"? Because heroin is harder or more addictive? The doctor will explain why it's ok to do drugs in reasonable amounts, why he enjoys good heroin, and why our current thinking about drugs is what's crazy. Dr. Hart is the author of the new book Drug Use for Grown-Ups and he'll explain how grown ups can use drugs in a grown up way.
Tue, Feb 2, 2021
Small Axe is a brilliant series of five films by legendary director Steve McQueen streaming on Amazon right now. These are genius films about the Black experience-dancing to music, fighting the police, struggling to feel at home as white supremacy tries to push you out. I talk to director McQueen about Small Axe and about his iconic Oscar winning film 12 Years A Slave. The man is a genius and this conversation is epic.
Thu, Feb 4, 2021
Cheryl Boyce-Taylor is Phife Dawg's mom and an accomplished poet and the author of a new book of poems called Mama Phife Represents where she talks about her son and his music and his death. It's powerful. It was so great to talk to her about one of the great MCs of his era, Phife from A Tribe Called Quest.
Tue, Feb 9, 2021
Zina Garrison was a tennis superstar-world #4 in 1989, Wimbledon finalist in 1990, she defeated Chris Evert, Steffi Graf and many more. But during her career she also battled bulimia. It was an honor to talk to her about tennis from beating legends to proper technique and how she managed her bulimia as an elite athlete.
Thu, Feb 11, 2021
Elaine Brown was the Chair of the Black Panther Party. She helped the Party set up its Free Breakfast for Children program, Free Busing to Prisons Program and Free Legal Aid Program. Elaine talks about what it was really like to be a part of this incredible organization. Her story is amazing.
Tue, Feb 16, 2021
Judas and the Black Messiah is a hot new movie starring Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield about Chicago Black Panther leader Fred Hampton and the FBI infiltrator who snitched on him. It's a great story and a compelling film on HBO Max now. The story began with a treatment by the Lucas Bros who talk about the film from inception to screen. Great conversation for those who've seen the film-spoilers abound because we go deep into the story, the nuances, the making of it, and the ending. Should it have had a different ending? We discuss the alternate ending they considered, one I like even better.
Tue, Feb 23, 2021
Andy Roddick was a tennis legend-#1 in the world, US Open winner, 3x Wimbledon finalist, and he held serve over 90% of the time for his career. We talk about how to hit a great serve, what it's like to play against some of history's best, if he choked against Federer at Wimbledon, and what is mental toughness?
Thu, Feb 25, 2021
Heather McGhee has just published a brilliant book about racism and how it's functioned throughout generations called The Sum Of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together. If you love the work of Dr. Ibram Kendi and Isabel Wilkerson and Nikole Hannah-Jones, then this is for you. This book will make you smarter about the impact that racism has had on everyone. Not just on Black people, but on wypipo, too.
Tue, Mar 2, 2021
Bresha Webb is an hysterical actress and standup who's been on A Black Lady Sketch Show, Black AF, the Last OG, Marlon and many more. She kept me laughing as I tried to talk about her career, her talents, her ambition, her future. A great look at the world of a fearless, beloved working actress.
Thu, Mar 4, 2021
Julie Dash is one of the most brilliant filmmakers of our time. She made the landmark 1991 film Daughters of the Dust. It's one of the Blackest movies ever made. She's a filmmaking genius and we talk in depth about the craft, her feelings on film today, and the making of her legendary film. This is a Patreon exclusive.
Tue, Mar 9, 2021
Maxine Waters is one of the most powerful and charismatic people in Congress. But how do you get important things passed when Republicans want to obstruct everything? We dig into how she fights and the legislation she cares most about. And her experiences on 1/6 when domestic terrorists had her afraid that she would be killed.
Tue, Mar 16, 2021
Biggie was one of the greatest rappers ever and one of the most compelling people and just when you thought you knew everything about him here comes a new doc that'll blow your mind. I Got A Story To Tell, on Netflix now, looks at Big as a musician, a son, a crack dealer, and a rising MC. I talked to director Emmett Malloy and Big's friends D-Roc and Wayne Barrow about the film and the man.
Thu, Mar 18, 2021
Jon Batiste is an extraordinary Juilliard-trained musician who grew up in a musical family from one of America's greatest music towns, New Orleans. Yes he's the musical director of the Late Show with Stephen Colbert but he's a brilliant musician in his own right. He's got a new album called We Are so we talk about music and how to make it.
Tue, Mar 23, 2021
Charles Blow has a very interesting idea: Black Americans should move to the South to create political power. If half of the Black people who live outside the south were to move Blacks would become the dominant force in 8 or 9 Southern states with the ability to choose Senators, Governors, Mayors, and reshape our political future. He breaks this down in his new book the Devil You Know and in our conversation about his idea and his entire media mission.
Thu, Apr 8, 2021
Adepero Oduye is an amazing actor who's been in some of the most interesting projects of the past few years. We talk about her new Disney plus Marvel show The Falcon and the Winter Soldier as well as being in the epic 12 Years A Slave and more. What does it take to be a great actor and to make it in Hollywood and what's it like to tell your mom you're ditching pre-med and switching to acting.
Tue, Apr 13, 2021
Them is an extraordinary new show on Amazon Prime about a Black family in the 50s who integrate Compton and end up living in a virtual horror movie because of their white neighbors. Extremely engrossing show. Toure talks to the creator, Little Marvin about why he made it and how he went from working as a creative director to quitting, writing a show, and getting it made.
Tue, Apr 20, 2021
Don Lemon is a broadcaster who wears his heart on his sleeve. Every night on CNN he goes out and tells it how he sees it. He just wrote a powerful book "This Is the Fire: What I Say To My Friends About Racism." We talk about broadcasting, Trump, America and a sweet story about how his fiancee proposed to him.
Tue, Apr 27, 2021
Chris Redd is an SNL cast member and an hysterical stand up comic who's also a rapper on the low. Amazing to talk to him about hip hop and comedy and how to make people laugh and the structure and stress of being on SNL and being in the Blackest SNL cast ever and his personal struggle with depression.
Thu, May 6, 2021
Salim Akil is a major TV creator-he's created, executive produced and directed lots of shows-Black Lightning, Being Mary Jane, The Game, Girlfriends, and more. We talk about how to create a show, how to pitch a show, and how to keep a show going once you've gotten a green light. Anyone who wants to be in TV or to understand TV this is for you.
Tue, May 18, 2021
Ian Dunlap is the Master Investor, Mr. Stock Market, the man who understands the game and dispenses wisdom about how to build wealth on the podcast Market Mondays. I've been listening to what he says and building a strategy around his teachings and watching the money grow. But it takes years - Listen to this episode only if you want build wealth and work toward a comfortable financial future. Those things don't require you to make a lot of money. They require you to invest wisely and give your investments time to grow. Listen to learn from the man who's taught me a lot.
Thu, May 20, 2021
Isaiah Jackson has been deep in the Bitcoin world for years and he's done well and he's trying to get others involved because this is a world where you can build wealth. I went into this convo semi-skeptical about Bitcoin and came away convinced that I had to invest in it. This is not financial advice but I'd encourage you to listen to @bitcoinzay and find a way to get yourself involved.
Thu, May 27, 2021
Cool and Dre are two of the baddest producers in the game. We talk about musical philosophies, how they make music, why they become successful, and what it's like to work with Beyoncé, The Game, Fat Joe, and more. We discuss what it's like to be a producing duo and what it means to be brothers in music.
Thu, Jun 3, 2021
Rob Morgan is one of the greatest character actors working today. Known well for roles in Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Mudbound, and more; he truly becomes the role. He gave me a master class in how to act, how to slide into the character, how to love and embrace rejection, and how to be unforgettable.
Tue, Jun 8, 2021
Tamika Mallory is a warrior who's constantly fighting for Black people. Her new book State of Emergency lays out how we should fight to change America to be more just and equitable for Black people. She's inspiring and powerful and it's an honor to be her friend. We talk about Breonna Taylor and all the ways she's fighting for Black people.
Tue, Jun 15, 2021
Raven-Symone is a lifelong actress who doesn't really like acting. She dreams of leaving showbiz behind and living on a farm with her wife and a ton of kids. She is by far one of the most interesting people I've ever talked to on this show and this conversation goes way off the rails-Raven's a doomsday prepper-and it's so amazing. You gotta hear the whole crazy thing.
Thu, Jun 17, 2021
Hit-Boy is a major producer who worked on monster songs for Jay-Z, Beyonce, Kanye, Travis Scott, Lil Wayne, and many more. We talk about making music and the stories behind some of his hits. We're talking about the difference between a beat maker and producer, how the beats come together and how the magic happens.
Tue, Jun 22, 2021
Tarell McCraney is an extraordinary screenwriter who's exploring the Black male through amazing films like Moonlight and High-Flying Bird and the TV show David Makes Man which airs on OWN and HBO Max. We talk about writing and David Makes Man and Black men and Moonlight and the moment they won the Oscar which was not marked by joy but by fear. Amazing conversation.