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Lauren LaRosa
This is an I heart podcast.
Hoda Kotb
Guaranteed human joy is essential, and it's also elusive. But now there's a new and exciting way to start your journey toward a more joyful existence. Joy 101. It's a new podcast hosted by me, Hoda Kotb. If you're craving inspiration to maximize your joy, tune into these candid, uplifting and moving on air chats. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Joy101 and listen now. Joy 101 with Hoda Kotb is presented by CBS.
Akilah Hughes
Here's something that should not be as complicated as it getting a racist statue removed. And here's something that should be a whole lot easier than it getting a new one put up in its place. I'm Akilah Hughes, and Rebel Spirit Season 2 is about both of those things.
Theo Henderson
As I was watching these statues come down, I was thinking about what it meant that I grew up in a majority black city in which there were more homages to enslavers than there were to enslaved people.
Akilah Hughes
Listen to Rebel Spirit Season 2 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Deep Cover Family Man (Podcast Guest)
Every family has its secrets, but what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life?
Akilah Hughes
That is not the look of an innocent man. Is everyone lying to me about who they are?
Deep Cover Family Man (Podcast Guest)
I felt such desperation.
Lauren LaRosa
I felt it was what I had to do.
Deep Cover Family Man (Podcast Guest)
Listen to Deep Cover the Family man on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Drink Champs Host
June is Black Music Month, and on the Drink Champs podcast, we're speaking with the hottest names in the culture, like Swae Lee.
Fab Five Freddy
Do you realize how legendary you are?
Nas
I appreciate that I be seeing it, but I'm like, man, I still got like, so much more to do. Like Prince, he dropped like 30 albums. We dropped like five. Right now. That's the rate we gotta be going.
Lauren LaRosa
Yeah, that's a good attitude.
Drink Champs Host
No matter the era, Drink Champs brings you the biggest names and the most unfiltered conversations. Listen to Drink Champs from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
Lauren LaRosa
I'm the homegirl that knows a little bit about everything and everybody. You know, she don't lie about that, right?
Nas
Lauren came in hot.
Lauren LaRosa
Hey, y', all, what's up? It's Lauren LaRosa. And this is another episode of the Latest with Lauren LaRosa. This is your daily dig on all things pop culture, entertainment news, and all of the conversation that shakes the room, baby. Now we are back with another episode of the latest. And you guys know we start the episodes here with the behind the scenes of the grind. Check in. Let's get it back on the grinding. So checking in behind the scenes of the grind. I had the privilege and the honor over the weekend to. To attend the seventh annual HBCU week awards gala. So I've actually been a participant in the gala. I've worked the carpet. I've been honored. I was honored last year as one of the rising stars at the gala, but this year I just attended in support. You guys know I talk a lot about going to HBCU, graduating from HBCU. Shout out to HBCU. Shout out To Delaware State University. Our president, Dr. Tony Allen, and his lovely wife were in the building as well too. Hey, y'. All. But supporting organizations like hbcu, we are really, really, really, really, really, really, really important to me, number one, because these are the type of organizations that support me as an hbcu alumni, with or without platform, jobs, interviews, all the things that are happening now. HBCU week and Ashley Christopher have been the biggest supporters of me for as long as I can remember. They put me on some of my first big stages as a host and as a journalist on carpets. So I'm. I'm really loyal. And, you know, I support people not just because they support me, but especially when they support me. But secondly, I just know what talking about organizations like HBCU Week, everywhere you go, I know what that does for the support of the organization now HBCU Week, and you talk about their support. They have been so monumental in the community in their organization, from literally birthed out of where I'm from, Wilmington, Delaware. Actually, Christopher, who is the founder, is from Wilmington, Delaware. She started the organization with our former mayor, God rest his soul, who recently passed away from cancer. But I remember the organization at its like, inception just being, you know, a smaller organization that was paying attention to all of the kids from communities that wanted to go to these schools that people didn't really understand if they should support or not. Because HBCUs, like, it's really trendy and it's all good now for people to be like, hbcu, Historically black College, university, yay, go us. But it wasn't always like that. I remember literally being told if I went to a HBCU that my career in entertainment would stagger or potentially wouldn't even take off because no one knew of those schools and people didn't support those schools. So that's why I'm always screaming at the top of my lungs about organizations like HBCU Week. And let me tell you guys what they do. So HBCU Week comes into a student's life. They create community for them. They create resources as far as internships, mentors, guides throughout their college process. And even after college, we're helping them secure jobs to some extent, but they get them to and through college financially. So just in 2025 alone, right? They. They do a college fair every year. Their college Fair had over 2,000 on the spot acceptances to HBCUs. They had over 600 scholarships offered of that, 2,000 of those 2,000 students that were offered on the spot acceptance into HBCUs at their college fair this year. And they out over $12 million in scholarships just in 25, 25. Just in 2025 alone. That's amazing. Y' all like it is. If you have never tried to figure out scholarship money and getting people to give you free money so you go and pay for your education, you might not understand me, but trust me and believe me when I tell you it is not easy. And for this organization to be a smaller organization at one point, that is now a massive. The large number of success that it has. Like at the organization's gala this year that I attended, which we're going to talk a little bit about here, she announced, actually Christopher announced that they just signed on a new partner with Christian Care. Christiana Care is like the premier hospital organization or business in Delaware, right? So all of the major hospitals are under Christiana Care, under the. Under this umbrella. HBCU Week now has a partnership with them. $500,000 just this year alone. And scholarship money came from that partnership. They were able to send students, multiple students to school on a $50,000 scholarship and offered them a connection to Christianity Care to employers there and internships. And they had two students speak who actually have went through the program and whose lives have been changed. Like, stuff like this is always going to matter to me because it's like. Like this is like the real work. This is like the grassroots work that, like, is so giving a kid community, giving a kid belief in himself, giving a kid financial assistance in a situation where they can't figure it out, it changes their life. Literally. It is like the make or break for so many young black students. When I used to work for Barclay Card in Wilmington, Delaware, I was on the community relations team. Quick story. And we were working on a savings product that was geared toward inner city students, right? Like Kids that don't come from a lot of money, but trying to get them excited about saving money. And the reason why that was so important as an initiative for the bank was because in the research that they found, we found that majority of students who drop out of college four year institutions which are also, it's a process that even get accepted into and get there. Most of them drop out because they're lacking money under $1,000. It's small things like not being able to put gas in your car that stops the student from going to class, your car being broken, you're not being able, you're not being able to fix it. Trying to figure out how you're going to eat as you're traveling, traveling back and forth, book money, toll money. It's small things like that that stop a student from going to a college or four year university and building community that can change your life. So being able to make it where a student doesn't have to worry or has to worry way less about finances, that's the real work and I'm always going to support that. So this year's gala, I, I went home, we attended Shout out to Anthony Anderson. He hosted the gala alongside Ashley Christopher. And it's stuff like that too that I think is so fire. So Anthony Anderson was awarded an AW during my season of being awarded by HBCU Week and decided that he just believed in what Ashley Christopher was doing so much that he wanted to come back and host because he understood what his presence means in that room of her donors and, and in the press and just, you know, platforming the organization. Stephen A. Smith has been a brand ambassador or a face of this organization for years now and carries it on his back. Y' all can love the man, hate the man. I don't agree with everything does or says, but one thing that I always love to tell people is when it comes to HBCU week, I've seen it with my own eyes how much this man supports Ashley Christopher, a black woman, and what she's doing and in how much he leverages who he is so that she can be able to continue to do what she does, bring money in. I mean, he goes on national platforms and does media and press about the organization and talks about it very often. And that means a lot when you're building what she's building from scratch and getting people to believe in you having a name like that. Stephen A. Smith actually spoke at the gala. He was saying how he was headed to San Antonio for game five. Knicks fan, let's take a listen to Stephen A talk about just his Game 4 experience. When that, this is when the, you know, the Knicks made that huge comeback. They were down 29. Made that huge comeback. Let's take a listen to Stephen A.
Fab Five Freddy
Two games in San Antonio. Damn it. It's gonna be tied 2 2. We've lost home court advantage. We've lost the leverage. And as a chop elite chop down. I just refuse to believe we were going to come back. I lost, baby. We chipped tripping 20 I didn't believe tripped it to 16 and 12. I didn't believe we tripped it to 6. And when we hit a jump shot and I said, damn it, it's gonna happen to us again. Then we took the lead, but it was 1.2 seconds left and I didn't see the play. I bowed my head and I prayed, Godzilla is true. I never saw the play. I relied on the noise of the crowd to tell me whether the Knicks won or lost because I literally was convinced that if I looked up, they would hit the game with a shot right in my heart. And that's the story. And I'm like this now I can get back to what I want into world.
Lauren LaRosa
And then, you know, him being able to correlate that into the importance of, you know, HBCUs and, and being on the campuses and being a graduate and, you know, just the, the mantra or the, the moniker that we have as people that come from HBCUs and why. What HBCU week is doing was also really amazing to hear in the room. Let's take a listen.
Fab Five Freddy
And I, I've gotten on some people's nerves. What I'm shocked about is a. That I actually did get on people's nerves because when you're from an hbcu, you would think that people would be used to that. That's something we do you understand? And we do it with the mission to create change and to do what we think is best and to face it. First, you dead in the face. And let you know, we not. We're not bending, we're not breaking, we're not carrying, we're not backing up. We're going to continue to march forward, moving forward into the future. No doubt it's going to be difficult, but it's also going to be very, very inspiring because when we talk about Mayor second, what he has done, what he has meant to all of us, we owe it to him to continue the mission because Ashley would be the first to tell you how supportive he was. That was a wonderful Wonderful man, and I miss him dearly. He was always incredibly good to me. He's always been incredibly good to HBCUs, but he always talked about perseverance. How obstacles standing in your way supposed to mean anything. It's the process that you have to go through towards excellence. If something is easy, it ain't worth having most of. Usually adverse circumstances get in the way. It serves as a roadblock, an impediment for what you're after. That's why when you achieve what you achieve it even. Even better because, you know, it didn't come easy. Always a pleasure. No matter how busy I am. Come down here because this is family enemy. You know, you talk about ambassador for HBC all you want to. We know where the real work comes from. We. We know. See that one right there? You see that right there? Marvelous movie right there.
Lauren LaRosa
And real quick, I want to shout out Adam Blackstone, who won the Trailblazer Award this year during the seventh annual HBCU Week Awards gala. Emmy award winning music director, Tony Award winning orchestra. Who is there? He's directed, like, major performances. Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Justin Timberlake. He was just on stage with Jay Z at the Roots picnic as, you know, part of the band with the Roots and, you know, orchestra orchestrating a lot of that. He's also worked with the super bowl for halftime shows and Oscars. Like, Adam Blackstone is dope everywhere, doing a ton of different things, but he very much cares about what our world looks like through empowering people. Another person that was also awarded is somebody that's near and dear to my heart, Felicia Font, who is the global director of Black music and culture over at Amazon Music. Now, I say she's very near dear to my heart because she's one of the people who didn't know me from a can of paint. But as a, like, black woman who's navigated so much in this industry, decided to pour into me, give opportunity, but more so like as like human, human woman. Woman, like, really just intimate in a way that, like, you know, you. You get like this idea of like, everybody that's come before you. Nobody wants to reach your hand back. You feel you get a little jaded sometimes, you're going throughout these things. But I've been so blessed to not have that be my full experience and have women like Felicia Font and her team over at Amazon Music shout out to Sierra Lever who was there, but it's no longer there. Really always reach back and make sure that I was good. Like, l like sometimes just calling and saying hey, we just checking on you, watching things move for you. Just checking on you. What do you need? What resour do you need? How can Amazon, how can we as black women in these roles, support you? So very well deserved. She received the leadership award. When I say very well deserved, I mean she is so impactful and she elevates everything black music and representation across the world. So yes, okay. Ashley Christopher gets it right when it comes to these awards and the people that she spotlights. Spotlights at the gala and also Don Poo, y' all know Brooklyn Chop House. He's also responsible for Nas, you know, a lot of Mary J's career. He was awarded a living Legacy award as well too. So it was an amazing night in my hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, just celebrating impact in all things impact. And while this was happening. So while I'm back home last weekend for the HBCU Week gala and spending time with family, New York is going crazy. Okay, let's get on into the latest. Because I'm like, yo, when did I become. I was gonna say Knicks fan. Not a Knicks fan, but a basketball enthusiast. Like I'm watching we y', all, let's get into the latest.
Hoda Kotb
Joy is essential, and it's also elusive. You can't order it, you can't borrow it or simply hope it into life. But now there's a new and exciting way to start your journey toward a more joyful existence. Joy 101. It's a new podcast hosted by me, Hoda Kotb. Together, guys, we'll have meaningful conversations with the world's most fascinating people. Entertainment legends, sports icons, wellness experts, and everyday people will share how they find, allow and experience joy. And I'll offer some of my own tips and takes on seeking a more balanced and harmonious life. If you're craving inspiration, support, and use tools to maximize your joy, tune into these candid, uplifting and moving on air chats. Joy after a breakup. Joy as an empty nester. Joy after a loss. Joy as a caretaker. This new podcast will speak to you. Listen to Joy 101 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Chris Fairbanks
Hi, I'm Chris Fairbanks.
Karen Kilgariff
And I'm Karen Kilgariff. We host do youo Need a Ride? The mobile comedy podcast that answers the question, what does it sound like when we drive our comedian friends around the wild streets of Los Angeles?
Chris Fairbanks
Yes, every week we pick up a hilarious guest, maybe run some errands, share some laughs and our dreams.
Karen Kilgariff
Like when Martha Kelly shared her Career pivot. I want to become a influencer of divorced moms whose kids have gone off to college, who have decided they're going to start living life for themselves.
Chris Fairbanks
Or the time Baron Vaughn got distracted by the majestic scenery.
Lauren LaRosa
Then there's a freaking deer right there on the side of the road. Holy shit. Eating freaking road grass.
Theo Henderson
Road.
Hoda Kotb
Glass.
Chris Fairbanks
I wish you said glass.
Karen Kilgariff
New episodes drop every Monday on the exactly right network.
Chris Fairbanks
Listen to do youo Need a ride? On the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Karen Kilgariff
Thank you.
Chris Fairbanks
You're welcome.
Theo Henderson
This Black Music Month, the Questlove show celebrates the artists, innovators and cultural voices who continue to redefine music. We're sitting down with a groundbreaking country artist, Mickey Guy.
Akilah Hughes
The way that the country music community
Lauren LaRosa
accepted post Malone versus Beyonce versus Shabuzzi,
Akilah Hughes
like, those are very eye opening things.
Theo Henderson
Hip hop visionary, Fat5 Freddy. Genre bending musical genius, Thundercat. And the always legendary revolutionary voice, Chuck D. Yeah, we changed tires, man. I had 18 jobs before this became my occupation, man. Okay.
Fab Five Freddy
I wrote.
Theo Henderson
I wrote Bum Russell show as a messenger. From unforgettable stories to deep conversations about creativity, culture and legacy, these are the voices shaping the soundtrack of black music past, present and future. Listen to the Questlove show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Drink Champs Host
June is Black Music Month and on the Drink Champs podcast, we're speaking with the hottest names in the culture like Swae Lee.
Fab Five Freddy
Realize how legendary you are.
Nas
I appreciate that I be seeing it, but I'm like, man, I still got like so much more to do. Like Prince, he dropped like 30 albums. We dropped like five right now. That's the rate we gotta be going.
Lauren LaRosa
Yeah, that's a good attitude.
Drink Champs Host
You also hear stories from industry legends and hip hop pioneers like Fab five Freddy.
Theo Henderson
I directed one of Nas's early videos.
Mayor Eric Adams
Which one?
Nas
One Love.
Fab Five Freddy
Wow.
Nas
Yes.
Fab Five Freddy
I literally filmed in his apartment in Queensbridge. His moms were still up in that apartment. Nas was just beginning to take off.
Lauren LaRosa
His pops used to live near me in Harlem.
Fab Five Freddy
His dad introduced him to a whole
Lauren LaRosa
lot of, you know, conscious stuff, and
Theo Henderson
he made a young prodigy.
Drink Champs Host
No matter the era, Drink Champs brings you the biggest names and the most unfiltered conversations. Listen to Drink Champs from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
Fab Five Freddy
Yes.
Lauren LaRosa
So over the weekend, as I'm home in Delaware, the Knicks played Game five in San Antonio. And everywhere you were like, people were Talking about the Knicks. And because people know I live in New York working with the Breakfast Club, people were talking to me about the Knicks. Like, people were so excited. We were. I say we. It was. Me and my boyfriend were at a cookout with his family on Saturday, the day that the game was happening. You got people on their phones just. Just as long as you could just see the. See the court and see the score. Like, people were so tuned in and so tapped in to watch these boys make history. And, baby, they did it. The Knicks won their first championship in 53 years. This is only the third championship win in the franchise's history. Congratulations to the Knicks. You're talking about making impact and changing trajectory. Okay? And because we've been so tapped into, like, all these playoff games, it's, like, such a good payoff when you see a team go through as much as they went through, just as individuals in their personal lives. You know, people talk a lot about Carl Anthony Towns and everything that he's dealt with over the last few years was, like, you know, his career and the loss of his mom. And, you know, everybody on the team has their story. But to see them get to victory, I understand why you see people, like, crying. Literally. Monica McNutt, there's a video. She's a sports analyst. If you do not know, there's a video of her. She's on the sidelines calling the game, and this is literally the moment when she realizes that the Knicks are about to win. She's speechless to a certain extent. And you see the tears roll down her eyes. Let's take a listen. Go down in history. And a team that will live forever. Next stop, the canyon of hero. The New York Knicks are NBA champions. There is nothing like the love letter that an organization has an opportunity to write to its fans and to its cities quite like winning a championship. Enjoy it, Knicks fan. Enjoy it. Mix Nation signed, sealed, and delivered your 2026 New York Knits. Yeah, they took it here 94 to 90. Jalen Brunson was awarded the Finals MVP for he had 45 points in the game. You literally, like, on my timeline, because I'm always watching from, like, a pop culture standpoint, right? Like, I'm not gonna pretend. Like, I'm, like, this huge sports girly. Shout out to the Monica McNutt to the world, baby. And I tell her every time I get a chance to. I give it to y', all, because running down the numbers, running down the plays, running down the calls, but that's their thing. That's what they do. That is not my thing. However, what I love about watching franchises like the Knicks and other, you know, big sporting events is that the culture gonna show up. Okay? I mean, everybody. Spike Lee, Fat Joe, Tiana Taylor, like, so many celebrities in the house in San Antonio for this game. Literally everybody you can imagine at this game. Cardi B, you know, Knicks fan, New Yorker. We know. We. We know Cordy, we. Y' all know how she coming about the Knicks. Anything in New York. She was watching the game at home from New York, and there's a sound that's going viral now on Tik Tok. Her reaction to the Knicks winning. Let's take a listen. Get outside right now. Get my makeup done right now. Get my makeup done right now. The streets is calling me the streets is calling me, Baby. When I say New York was lit, I was not here. But you could just see it from your timeline. All of my friends that was here, literally everybody was out until like 4 or 5 o' clock in the morning, which is the New York way in general. If you're having a good New York summer, that's the New York way. But it was different. The celebration of Knicks was so different. Cardi actually ended up at an after party celebrating the Knicks. You know, I saw Travis Scott there, French Montana, Quavo. They was outside. Okay, son. Coming up, heading out the club. And there was a photo that caught Cardi as she was leaving and getting her Ferrari, headed back to Jersey. And they asked her, like, her message or, like, how she felt following the Knicks one. Like, how, when, how did New York feel? Let's take a listen to Cardi. How does it feel that the Knicks won the title? It feels like the potholes will be filled.
Fab Five Freddy
Thank you.
Lauren LaRosa
Look great in your outfit tonight. And y' all know what else I love to see coming from the pop culture fashion standpoint? Jordan woods in her bag. That whole storyline just about her and Carl Anthony Townsend, like, love story, you know, hearing him speak about her after, you know, the loss of his mom and just, you know, like, it feels like there was something reinstated in him by finding her, them two finding each other, and now they're engaged and to be married. And she posted this really, really sweet. Oh, my God, that caption on her Instagram. She said, trying to find the right words, because I'm still overwhelmed with emotion. The guys were so locked in that I woke up this morning still saying, oh and oh, waiting for game six. Watching this team all season has been unbelievable. Not just because of the undeniable talent, but because they're even better people than they are players to my soon to be husband and best friend. You did it. I couldn't be more proud of you. Watching the humility you carry through every high and low. The way you put your faith before anything else, the sacrifices you made and the joy you've brought to every moment has been so inspiring. No ego, just hard work, gratitude, and unwavering belief. What a journey this has been for us. You always said, when I get my ring, I'll get you yours. And somehow it happened that exact way. Two rings in one year. And then she starts talking about the Jordan woods bag. Because if you're not familiar, people say that the orange bag leather bag that she wears all the time to the games, it's lucky because when she wears it, she. They win. In the one time she didn't wear it, they didn't win. So she continues. Jordan woods continues. As much as I'd love to give all the credit to woods by Jordan Bag, which is her shoe brand, but now includes a bag for its undefeated playoff run and unanimous MVP performance, there's no denying how special the team truly is. Forever proud. But let me tell you something about Carl Anthony Towns, honey. He was running around all of the. The backstage or back arena area, right? Because they, after they finish the game, they go and take the portraits with the trophy. He walking around with this trophy, fiance in hand, telling everybody about the bag. Let's take a listen.
Akilah Hughes
It's so cute.
Lauren LaRosa
Let's take a listen. The bag's undefeated.
Fab Five Freddy
We got the bag. The bag made it.
Lauren LaRosa
You know what the best part about it?
Fab Five Freddy
Got to have the bag in it.
Lauren LaRosa
I want everyone in New York to know that bag won a championship. I damn sure know now with that bag, that bag held it down. It's one of the greatest clothing articles in the history of basketball. Shout out to them. I love to see it. Okay.
Hoda Kotb
Joy is essential, and it's also elusive. You can't order it, you can't borrow it or simply hope it into life. But now there's a new and exciting way to start your journey toward a more joyful existence. Joy 101. It's a new podcast hosted by me, Hoda Kotb. Together, guys, we'll have meaningful conversations with the world's most fascinating people. Entertainment legends, sports icons, wellness experts and everyday people will share how they find, allow and experience joy. And I'll offer some of my own tips and takes on seeking a more balanced and harmonious life. If you're craving inspiration, support and Useful tools to maximize your joy. Tune into these candid, uplifting and moving on air chats. Joy after a breakup. Joy as an empty nester. Joy after a loss. Joy as a caretaker. This new podcast will speak to you. Listen to Joy 101 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever. Wherever you get your podcasts.
Chris Fairbanks
Hi, I'm Chris Fairbanks.
Karen Kilgariff
And I'm Karen Kilgariff. We host do youo Need a Ride? The mobile comedy podcast that answers the question, what does it sound like when we drive our comedian friends around the wild streets of Los Angeles?
Chris Fairbanks
Yes, every week we pick up a hilarious guest, maybe run some errands, share some laughs and our dreams.
Karen Kilgariff
Like when Martha Kelly shared her career pivot. I want to become a influencer of divorced moms whose kids have gone off to college who have decided they're going to start living life for themselves.
Chris Fairbanks
Or the time Baron Vaughn got distracted by the majestic scenery.
Lauren LaRosa
Then there's a freaking deer right there on the side of the road. Holy shit eating freaking road.
Drink Champs Host
Grass.
Theo Henderson
Road.
Hoda Kotb
Glass.
Chris Fairbanks
I wish you said glass.
Karen Kilgariff
New episodes drop every Monday on the exactly Right network.
Chris Fairbanks
Listen to do youo Need a ride? On the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Karen Kilgariff
Thank you.
Lauren LaRosa
You're welcome.
Theo Henderson
This Black Music Month, the Questlove show celebrates the artists, innovators and cultural voices who continue to redefine music. We're sitting down with a groundbreaking country artist, Mickey Guyton.
Akilah Hughes
The way that the country music community
Lauren LaRosa
accepted post Malone vs Beyonce vs Shabuzzi, like those are very eye opening things.
Theo Henderson
Hip hop visionary, Fat five Freddy, genre bending musical genius, Thundercat, and the always legendary revolutionary voice, Chuck D. Yeah, we changed tires, man. I had 18 jobs before this became my occupation, man. Okay, I wrote. I wrote Bum Rush the show as a messenger. From unforgettable stories to deep conversations about creativity, culture and legacy, these are the voices shaping the soundtrack of black music past, present and future. Listen to the Questlove show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Deep Cover Family Man (Podcast Guest)
Keith Giamanca seemed like a mild mannered suburban dad, but secretly he became someone else. A master of disguise who went on a crime spree. At the time, did it seem like a crazy idea? It seemed very crazy.
Lauren LaRosa
But I felt so desperate that I felt it was the quickest, easiest way out.
Deep Cover Family Man (Podcast Guest)
Did you allow yourself to think about how it could go wrong or what that might look like? No, I didn't want to manifest that.
Lauren LaRosa
I was trying to manifest success.
Deep Cover Family Man (Podcast Guest)
Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double
Akilah Hughes
life that is not the look of an innocent man. This is gonna change my life and my family dynamic forever. Because everything that had existed prior in my reality is now untrue.
Deep Cover Family Man (Podcast Guest)
Listen to Deep Cover the Family man on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Lauren LaRosa
I love to see. I'm happy that Jordyn woods is in, like, this place that she's in her life. I feel like there was, like, such a. I don't know, we don't gotta bring it all in here. But I'm happy for them. They. They. It feels and gives that they complete each other. And I know. I know how good life has to feel right now. You got your championship, you got your ring. You about to get married to the love of your life. You know what I mean? Like, it's just. I love happy endings. And then all the pictures that they're posting are so cute, too. And they're actually going to receive the key to the city. This will be Mary Mondani's first key to the city that he's ever given out. And how far. How fire is it that he's going to get the beat to the Knicks? Let's take a listen to Mom Donnie. Is Jalen Brunson going to be getting
Karen Kilgariff
a key to the city?
Mayor Eric Adams
The team is going to be presented keys to the city on Thursday. The first keys to the city that I've ever given out in our administration. And this team, they epitomize so much of what we love about this city. The relentlessness, the drive, the hustle. And you look at them and their individual journeys. So many of them were overlooked. So many of them were counted out, and they're here. And Mike Brown built a team where every single player had a role, not just in last night's game, but frankly, throughout the series, throughout the season. And it's just a. It's a beautiful thing to witness.
Lauren LaRosa
They also put out a. A announcement that the parade to celebrate the Knicks will happen at 10am at a place here in New York park called Battery Park. And it'll go north along Broadway through the canon of the Heroes before concluding that City Hall. And they'll get the key to their. To the city. And it'll be. It'll be a really amazing thing that's going to go down this Thursday, June 18th. So New York gonna be on fire for a while, y'.
Karen Kilgariff
All.
Lauren LaRosa
I feel like this is going to Set the tone for the summer. Okay? But Cardi said, get my makeup. We outside. Like, that's going to be the vibe for the summer because the people are just feeling good. Everybody's so happy. You got the FIFA World cup about to go down. So New York is already still crazy. Summertime in New York is already a vibe. Like, that was one of the. The best things I experienced moving here. Like, summertime in New York is like, especially as a grown adult, like, grown grown. Setting the wrong tone. You know what I'm like, it's a great time to be in the city of New York. So we'll be bringing you guys some sound. I'm thinking about potentially attending the parade to try and get some sound for y'. All. But y' all know it's this. The only thing, the only thing for me because y' all know I never mind going and getting to the things myself. They get so crazy. The mix, fans, like, all of the fighting and the, like. I don't want to be wrapped up in all that. But I. I would love to see the actual parade. I remember when the Phillies won and the parade happened.
Hoda Kotb
People really.
Lauren LaRosa
I was in high school. I think it was like my senior year, people were leaving to go to that parade and I was like, I was. I would have experienced that. So now living in New York this year, literally, this is history. I would love to be able to say I went to the parade just to experience it. So I'll let you guys know. Y' all know if I do go, I'll bring it right back here. Cuz I'm always keeping y' all in the latest and the greatest. So this has been another episode of the Latest with Lauren LaRosa. I tell y' all every single episode. Y' all could be anywhere with any old body talking about all of the things. But y' all choose to be right here with me, my low riders. I appreciate you guys and I catch you in my next one.
Hoda Kotb
Joy is essential, and it's also elusive. But now there's a new and exciting way to start your journey toward a more joyful existence. Joy 101. It's a new podcast hosted by me. How to copy. If you're craving inspiration to maximize your joy, tune into these candid, uplifting and moving on air chats. Open your free iHeartRadio app search Joy 101 and listen now. Joy 101 with Hoda Kotb is presented by CBS.
Akilah Hughes
Here's something that should not be as complicated as it is getting a racist statue removed. And here's something that should be a whole lot easier than it getting a new one put up in its place. I'm Akilah Hughes and Rebel Spirit Season 2 is about both of those things.
Theo Henderson
It's all I was watching these statues come down. I was thinking about what it meant that I grew up in a majority black city in which there were more homages to enslavers than there were to enslaved people.
Akilah Hughes
Listen to Rebel Spirit Season 2 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Theo Henderson
For years, the Unhoused has been presented as a monolith in mainstream media. Wheaton Howes is a podcast that's changing the narrative. I'm Theo Henderson and I created the show while it was unhoused on the streets of Los Angeles. We've grown into a two time Webby award winning podcast, the only podcast that shares unhoused stories and news from the unhoused perspective. Listen to we the unhoused on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.
Drink Champs Host
June is Black Music Month and on the Drink Champs podcast we're speaking with the hottest names in the culture like Swae Lee.
Fab Five Freddy
Do you realize how legendary you are?
Nas
I appreciate that I be seeing it, but I'm like, man, I still got like so much more to do. Like Prince, he dropped like 30 albums, we dropped like five right now. That's the rate we gotta be going.
Lauren LaRosa
Yeah, that's a good attitude.
Drink Champs Host
No matter the era, Drink Champs brings you the biggest names and the most unfiltered conversations. Listen to Drink Champs from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.
Lauren LaRosa
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.
This episode of The Breakfast Club, hosted by Lauren LaRosa (with shoutouts to DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, and Charlamagne Tha God), celebrates two key moments: the immense impact and excellence of HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), highlighted by HBCU Week’s recent gala, and the seismic energy sweeping through New York following the Knicks’ historic NBA Championship. The episode intertwines stories of personal achievement, cultural pride, and the transformative power of communal celebration.
(02:18 - 16:29)
“Being able to make it where a student doesn’t have to worry or has to worry way less about finances, that’s the real work and I’m always going to support that.” – Lauren LaRosa (09:10)
On the Knicks comeback (10:13):
“I bowed my head and I prayed… I never saw the play. I relied on the noise of the crowd to tell me whether the Knicks won or lost because I literally was convinced that if I looked up, they would hit the game winning shot right in my heart.” (10:38)
On HBCU community spirit (11:40):
“When you’re from an HBCU… we do it with the mission to create change… We’re not bending, we’re not breaking… always a pleasure, no matter how busy I am, come down here because this is family…” (12:03)
Awardees spotlighted:
(20:24 - 34:28)
Announces the Knicks will receive the first “key to the city" of his administration, emphasizing the players’ perseverance:
“So many of them were overlooked. So many of them were counted out, and they're here. ... It's a beautiful thing to witness.” (32:31)
(33:30 - End)
Tone: Warm, celebratory, community-focused, and energetic.
Takeaway:
This episode beautifully fuses individual achievement, community support, and the explosive joy of history-making sports moments. Listeners are left reflecting on the impact of “real work” in supporting future generations via education (with HBCUs as a shining example) and the way sports can galvanize a city, set cultural tones, and inspire collective pride. Lauren LaRosa’s narrative keeps things personal and authentic, offering the audience both insight and inspiration for the summer ahead.