Podcast Summary: My Mama Told Me — "Underwater Freaknik in ATL Atlantis" (with Angel McCoughtry)

Air Date: April 14, 2026
Hosts: Langston Kerman & David Gborie
Guest: Angel McCoughtry (WNBA All-Star, producer, musician)

Main Theme

This lively episode dives deep (pun intended) into Black conspiracy theories, focusing on the urban legend that Atlanta is actually the lost city of Atlantis. Guest Angel McCoughtry brings Atlanta expertise and plenty of playful energy, exploring the cultural myths, origin stories, strip club lore, and Black aquatic history—with lots of tangents about sports, masculinity, mental health, and Black representation in pop culture.

Key Discussion Points

Celebrating Angel McCoughtry & Basketball Banter

• First Athlete Guest: The hosts and Angel celebrate her as the first athlete on the show, with competitive, playful energy.
  • [13:23] David: "You are a premier athlete. And what a phenomenal premier athlete to have—a WNBA all-star. You goddamn right. Still dunk on your ass."
• Siblings, Athletic Pride & Gender: Conversation about sibling age gaps, teaching each other to swim, and how athletic competition shapes identity.
• Practice Boy/Man Stories: David recalls being a women’s basketball practice player, detailing the ego-bruising and hilarious dynamics.
  • [60:46] Angel: "They were like, yo, Angel, don’t play. Don’t mess with her."
  • [62:15] Angel: "You know, y’all get a little intimidated with the girl. What’s wrong with y’all, man? This is…"

JFK Jr., Dynasties, and Black Families in the Spotlight

• Kennedy Obsession: The hosts (with Angel) reflect on the white American obsession with the Kennedys and political dynasties versus Black family icons (like the Wayans).
  • [08:21] Langston: "As a Black person, you’re not necessarily like, what are the Kennedys up on? Yeah, I know where the Harris kids are right now."
• Tragedy and Intrigue: Angel mentions the string of Kennedy family tragedies and relates it to the mythos of American dynasties.
  • [12:01] Angel: "Actually, people don’t know…the sister just had a daughter who was 35 who just passed away…It's just like one thing after the next."

The ATL = Atlantis Conspiracy

"Atlanta used to be Atlantis"

• Angel's Theory: Atlanta is the lost underwater city of Atlantis, and strip club culture is evidence of its aquatic, magical legacy.
  • [15:47] David: "You said, my mama told me Atlanta used to be Atlantis."
  • [16:09] Angel: "The strippers are mermaids."
• Strip Club Lore: The hosts and Angel riff on how the mesmerizing movements of Atlanta’s strippers resemble mermaids and the forces in water—an evolutionary history.
  • [16:59] Angel: "Where else do you see that? Anywhere else?"
  • [17:14] David: "How do you make cheeks both clap and move that slow? That is…something only water could do."
• Cultural Connections: Drawing links between African rhythms, aquatic heritage, and the energy of Atlanta nightlife.
  • [17:01] Langston: "In the same way you can trace the drums of hip hop back to Africa, we trace the moves of Magic City back underwater to the original Magic City—Atlantis."
• Underwater Freaknik: Joking that the legendary Freaknik party was an underwater event, reclaiming aquatic Black joy.
  • [26:00] Angel: "We had this underwater thing called Freaknik, and it was absolutely underwater."
• Black Swimming Myths: Challenging the trope that Black people don’t swim, referencing global Black aquatic cultures from Africa to Atlanta.
  • [26:44] Angel: "Black people swim. It’s just our ass…American Black people don’t swim. Don’t get it twisted."
  • [27:26] Langston: "My mom can’t swim and she put me in swimming lessons…My baby brother can’t swim. Just…they forgot about it."
  • Humor and self-examination about generational differences, lost skills, and stereotypes.

Strip Clubs, Food, and Adult PB&J

• Iconic Spots: Visions of Claremont Lounge and Cheetah, legendary Atlanta strip clubs, their diverse clientele, and the symbolic “old lady crushing beer cans with her ass.”
  • [22:19] Angel: "So the lady crushes a can with her ass…"
• The Food Connection: The trio bond over wings and strip club cuisine, likening the combo of “lemon pepper wings and ass” to peanut butter and jelly for grown-ups.
  • [24:55] Langston: "Lemon pepper wings and ass. It’s really…it’s peanut butter and jelly for adults."

Black Representation & Water: Pop Culture, Movies, and Boats

• Lack of Black "Water" Movies: Noting the scarcity of Black stories centered on beaches, lakes, swimming, or water adventure.
  • [48:34] Langston: "We need more black water-based shit in general. Because we already got Aquaman…Whack. I hated that movie."
  • [49:10] Langston: "How do we not have lake movies?"
• Blacklantis: Dreaming up "Blacklantis," a Ryan Coogler-style black underwater epic film and joking about IP and production.
  • [47:25] Langston: "Black Atlantis. Black Atlanta. Atlantis. Blacklantis."
  • [47:42] David: "I do think Ryan Coogler is sitting on a pretty cool opportunity right now."
• Black Boating & Surfing: Uplifting Black-owned marine businesses and surf operations, and the goal of seeing more Black folks in aquatic spaces, both for fun and as a point of pride.
  • [50:20] Angel: "We gotta own more boats…But I’m like, none of us own the boats."
  • [52:01] Langston: "R and B Surf…represents a significant milestone in promoting diversity and entrepreneurship in the water sports industry."

Tech & Therapy: ChatGPT in Black Households

• Angel uses ChatGPT as a therapist: Candid debate about AI’s role in mental health, generational differences, skepticism, and the pre-programming of society through media and film.
  • [41:35] Angel: "You guys really did…but do you—"
  • [41:37] Langston: "I don’t want to do that. I can identify places I would lose myself pretty well."
  • [42:51] Angel: "Do you notice most of the movies prep us before something comes out? Oh yeah, like Contagion prepped us for Covid..."
• Films as Cultural Programming: Noting how science fiction has “prepped” society for real changes (AI, pandemics, etc.).

Listener Voicemail & The Yao Ming Conspiracy

• Yao Ming as Genetic Experiment: Hilarious reflections on the urban legend that Yao Ming was engineered by the Chinese government, and dangerous territory of such conspiracies.
  • [57:20] Listener: "How Yao Ming was an experiment by the Chinese government…"
  • [57:46] Langston: "Whenever we start getting into the math of science experiments making races better at basketball—that’s not good water to be in."
• Basketball Gender Wars: Angel and David joke about men's fragile egos when dunked on by women; Angel's history of dunking on men and how that affects her dating life.
  • [74:09] Angel: "I’ve been dunking on dudes my whole life."
  • [75:24] Angel: "You want an alpha? I need Alpha."

Notable Quotes & Moments

The Atlantis/Atlanta Theory

• [16:09] Angel: "The strippers are mermaids"
• [17:14] David: "How do you make cheeks both clap and move that slow? That is…that is something only water could do."
• [17:01] Langston: "In the same way you can taste the drums of hip hop back to Africa…I think we trace the moves of Magic City back underwater to the original Magic City. Atlantis."

Cultural Sharpness

• [08:21] Langston: "As a Black person, you’re not necessarily like, what are the Kennedys up on? Yeah, I know where the Harris kids are right now."
• [24:59] Langston: "It’s peanut butter and jelly for adults."
• [47:25] Langston: "Blacklantis. That sounds amazing."

Candid Competition & Gender

• [60:30] David: "There was never a doubt in my mind if I was better than those girls. I knew the entire time they were better at basketball than me."
• [74:09] Angel: "I’ve been dunking on dudes my whole life."
• [75:24] Angel: "You want an alpha? I need Alpha."

Therapy & AI

• [41:36] Angel: "Do you use it for therapy? Heck, yeah…"
• [42:16] Angel: "It’s actually kinda hard. It’s like, yo, you need to do this. You need to step back…"

Black Beach/Water Representation

• [48:34] Langston: "We need more Black water based shit in general..."
• [52:33] David: "R and B Surf represents a significant milestone in promoting diversity and entrepreneurship in the water sports industry."

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|----------------------------------------------| | 13:23 | Celebrating Angel’s WNBA career & athletic banter | | 15:47 | Introduction of "Atlanta used to be Atlantis" conspiracy | | 16:09 | "The strippers are mermaids" | | 24:55 | Lemon pepper wings + strip club cuisine | | 26:44 | “Black people swim. It’s just our ass…” | | 41:36 | Angel uses ChatGPT as therapist | | 47:25 | "Blacklantis" & Black water movies | | 57:20 | Listener voicemail: Yao Ming conspiracy | | 60:04 | Practice player stories, gender/ego | | 74:09 | Angel on dunking on men and dating |

Tone and Style

• Playful, irreverent, sharp: The conversation is comedic, brimming with pop culture references, personal anecdotes, and raunchy banter—but always with cultural critique and insight.
• Supportive but real: The hosts cheer for Angel's accomplishments, but also tease each other and openly call out insecurities and societal issues.
• Candid and open: Deeply personal stories about swimming, family dynamics, being bullied or underestimated, identity, and love are shared freely.

For Listeners Who Haven't Heard It

You’ll get an unfiltered mix of comedy, Black cultural analysis, and “barbershop” storytelling as the hosts and Angel McCoughtry debate whether Atlanta really is Atlantis (and if strippers are secretly mermaids). Along the way, they pull in themes of pride, trauma, representation, and possibility—from strip club brunches to AI therapy to imagining a Black underwater blockbuster.

If you want to know why "lemon pepper wings and ass" is the new PB&J, why the Black boating industry matters, and what happens when a WNBA all-star dunks on men for sport—this episode is essential listening.

Find Angel McCoughtry on Instagram (@mccoughtry).
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