My Momma Told Me Podcast — "The Bigger the Hat the Bigger the Ego" (with Rico Nasty)

Release Date: December 16, 2025
Hosts: Langston Kerman & David Gborie
Guest: Rico Nasty

Episode Overview

This high-energy episode of "My Momma Told Me" features rapper and cultural lightning rod Rico Nasty joining comedians Langston Kerman and David Gborie. The trio delves into the world of Black conspiracy theories with their trademark irreverence, humor, and casual wisdom. The centerpiece is the “big hat theory”—the idea that the bigger the hat, the more power or ego a person holds—but listeners get much more: hilarious coming-of-age stories, life lessons, pop culture hot takes, and reflections on authenticity, self-image, and cultural exchange.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Kicking Things Off: Stretching, IDs & Pandemic Driving (01:59–08:44)

• Warm-up banter about morning routines: stretching, "slant boards", and keeping healthy habits.
• No shame in not having your affairs together: They joke about not having proper IDs and the government’s push for “real IDs,” with Rico confessing she recently got her license.
• Pandemic driver's licenses:
  • Rico: “The instructor couldn't even be in the car with me while I took my test. That is why there's so many bad drivers. Let's do a theory on that.” (07:51)
• Taurus bonding: Dramatic realization unfolds that all three are Taurus signs, leading to playful banter about birthdays and familial dynamics.
  • Rico: “Be us, Taurus. We real accidental. We don't have our IDs.” (09:26)

2. Growing Up Weird — Only Child Stories & Family Embarrassment (12:13–17:24)

• The joys and perils of being an only child: Rico and Langston exchange stories about childhood oddities, including the infamous “pissy Super Soaker” incident.
• Most embarrassing childhood memory:
  • Rico tells a vivid, hilarious story about getting a boil after swimming at Colonial Beach, having it popped by her mom and aunt—with the whole family watching.
    • “I’m in the goddamn bathroom. They’re popping the boil. My aunt is holding me down. My mom is popping it. My cousins is laughing. And that’s me. That’s where I come from.” (16:18)
  • Langston: “And they will always remember.” (16:33)
  • This memory is tied to her stage name—embracing the “nasty.”

3. Being Yourself: Childhood Antics, Vibe Checks & Parenting (18:03–22:41)

• Rico encourages the hosts to twerk, reflect on what brings them joy, and share how unusual habits make you who you are.
• Animals as personality extensions: They fantasize about having unconventional pets (tarantulas, sharks, pot-bellied pigs, orcas) and the statements pets make about their owners.
  • David: “I ride my bike to the dock, right? …As I jump off the edge, he comes and scoops me. And then we go on an adventure.” (22:35)

4. The Big Hat Theory — Conspiracy Segment (29:06–33:09)

The “Big Hat” Conspiracy Explained

• Rico introduces the big hat theory:
  • “Big hats make superior people. …It's about power. When you know things, those thoughts have to be protected. And you can't just be out and open with your cranium exposed.” (29:18–29:43)
• Iconic examples: Zendaya, Erykah Badu, Beyoncé, Pharrell, Abraham Lincoln.
  • Rico: “They’re channeling energies. Our hats clearly aren’t big enough.”
• The hat as conduit and shield:
  • “I’m thinking the big hat is an antenna…like walking around with your computer plugged into a router.” (31:02–31:07)
• Secret society energy & initiation:
  • Erykah Badu as the "cosmic haberdasher," bestowing hats; the hats as part of a broader, mystical tradition.
  • “It’s kind of like Freemasons. Oh, we don’t need to know. We just see what’s being done.” (32:03)

5. Culture & Identity: Gym Hierarchies, Body Image, and the Internet (48:44–55:05)

• Gym observations:
  • Rico hilariously describes the “ecosystem” at Equinox and how seeing conventionally attractive people in person can be both humbling and freeing.
    • “You go to the gym, you gonna be more depressed than when you went in that motherfucker.” (51:55)
• Body image and what it affords:
  • Rico: “If I had a butt, I wouldn’t be a rapper.”
  • Hosts riff on what life would be like with a "fat ass," the mythology around body types, and the grass-is-greener mentality.
• Parenting, sports, and genetics: Joking about the “best moms” being “big-armed” and sturdy, and the brutal reality of the slim odds of going pro in sports.

6. Big Butts, Body Mods, and Gender Roles (59:48–63:45)

• Rico flips the script on hip-hop video tropes:
  • “I’ve always had the idea of, like, having a boy and making him like the bitch…a bad jump that don’t nobody know where the jump from. The jump don’t ever talk. That’s what I like.”
• Male BBLs and DFTs:
  • Rico and the hosts riff about the future of plastic surgery and body enhancement for men, coining terms like "DBO" (Dick Butler Operation) and "DFT" (Dick Fat Transfer), and note how technological advances may soon make these mainstream.
    • “I could get murdered for speaking on this.” (61:59)
    • Langston: “You would pioneer that.” (60:55)

7. Acting, Career Moves, & Iconography (65:47–68:58)

• Rico’s acting career:
  • Excited to be working with “heavy hitters” like Nicole Kidman and Michelle Pfeiffer, referencing her childhood love of War of the Worlds and now acting alongside Elle Fanning.
• The group talks about cult movies (Scarface, Belly), celebrity accents, and their places in Black pop culture.

8. Black–Asian Cultural Appreciation (70:32–73:28)

• Discussing cultural exchange, appreciation vs. appropriation, and the genuine mutual fascination between Black and Asian communities.
  • “We fuck with the balance and we fuck with a lot of the things in their culture, and I feel like same vice versa. They fuck with our music…Our hair, our food. They literally love fried chicken. And I just think it’s cute.” (70:53)
• Rico preparing to surprise her son with a trip to Tokyo, tying back to themes of parenthood and following your passions.

9. Voicemail: Is Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” About Crack? (75:33–79:23)

• Listener posits “Thriller” is really an allegory for crack cocaine.
  • “The evil which was lurking in the dark were the crackheads…Even though crack was not out when Thriller came out in ‘83.” (75:33)
• Hilarious breakdown of lyrics as “crackhead theme song” fodder and play-acting Michael Jackson as a secret warning prophet.
• Discussion on pop culture as allegorical, Michael Jackson vs. Prince, and re-evaluating iconography with hindsight.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Rico Nasty on family embarrassment:
  "I'm in the goddamn bathroom. They're popping the boil. My aunt is holding me down. My mom is popping it. My cousins is laughing. And that's me. That's where I come from." (16:18)
• On “the big hat theory”:
  “When you know things, those thoughts have to be protected. And you can't just be out and open with your cranium exposed.” (29:43)
• Body image wisdom:
  “Dear diary, I’ve heard time and time again. Please bestow upon me the fattest wagon.” (52:28)
• On plastic surgery futures:
  “You would pioneer that [male BBLs].” (60:55)
  “DBOs are real though…I could get murdered for speaking on this.” (61:12)
• On cultural exchange:
  “I think the world likes to make things evil; it’s like they’re fetishizing us. Of course, people fetishize things in any demographic, but I feel like they really do think that we’re just…cool as shit. And they don't understand it, because when you go to those places, they don't have a lot of Black people.” (71:46)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Embarrassing Childhood Stories: 12:13–17:24
• Big Hat Theory - Conspiracy Section: 29:06–33:09
• Body Image & Gym Culture: 48:44–55:05
• Male BBLs and Cosmetic Surgery: 59:48–63:45
• Michael Jackson's "Thriller" Crack Conspiracy Voicemail: 75:33–79:23
• Cultural Exchange (Black & Asian): 70:32–73:28

Memorable & Quotable Moments

• Langston on ritual birthday guilt:
  “My wife and I are both Taurus…That’s what I’ve always feared that that was going to be people’s reaction, you know?” (09:42)
• Rico, on TikTok body myths exposed by the gym:
  “You go to the gym…You say, ‘Oh, so God has favorites.’” (51:54)
• David, on gym self-soothing:
  “When I see people that are really fine, I assume they can’t read. And that makes me feel better.” (51:05)
• Rico, on reversing the patriarchy:
  “Maybe that’s what I’ll do to reverse the patriarchy. I just pop out with enigma. Fat ass.” (58:47)
• David, on taking charges for others:
  “That’s really my big hangup is the charge if we don’t have the same blood…I’m not doing that.” (41:02)
• Rico’s approach to plugging herself:
  “If you look up Rico Nasty on literally anything, it’s only one Rico Nasty.” (82:25)

Tone, Vibe, & Style

The episode is loose, funny, and equal parts edgy and genuine—driven by Rico’s unfiltered storytelling, the hosts’ playful energy, and recurring riffs on conspiracy theories as Black folk wisdom. Language is direct, peppered with cussing and slang, and the group seamlessly moves from humor to moments of sincerity about identity, culture, and vulnerability. The recurring motif is embracing “being weird”, claiming your narrative (“booty boil” becomes legend), and the magic in community storytelling.

Summary

In this riotous, insightful installment, "My Momma Told Me" digs under the surface of pop culture, family lore, and the conspiracies we create to make sense of it all. The “big hat theory” is a launchpad for discussions of self-protection, status, and channeling energy. Rico Nasty’s presence powers the episode through frank, fast-paced exchanges touching on everything from childhood trauma to the gym as a microcosm of desire and envy, to the future of cosmetic enhancement. By episode’s end, listeners get a healthy dose of joy, relatability, and attuned social commentary—plus a sense that being “nasty” is less about shock and more about owning your story.

For newcomers: You’ll get myth-busting, realness, and a lot of laughs—plus a new appreciation for hats, body modifications, and why it’s ok if your childhood nickname was “Boyle Booty.”