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Lauren LaRosa
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.
Ben
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Charlamagne tha God
Time to do it.
Lauren LaRosa
I'm the homegirl that knows a little bit about everything and everybody exclusive.
Ben
You know if you don't lie about that, right? Lauren came in hot.
Lauren LaRosa
Hey y', all, what's up? It's Lauren LaRosa and this is the latest with Lauren LaRosa. This is your daily dig on all things pop culture, entertainment news and all of the conversations that shake the room, baby. Now to today, checking in behind the scenes of the grind. It's a pretty hectic, you know, ending of the week. I've been talking to you guys and giving you updates all week long on, you know, just this caretaker side of life.
ASAP Rocky
Back on the grind.
Lauren LaRosa
You guys will probably hear in my surroundings, the city of New York, because I'm currently sitting in a car. We are doing my mom's 3 months, 3 month check in scan. So my mom is a stage four lung and brain cancer survivor. So every three months she has to check in on herself. So she checks in with her doctors here in New York. They scan her full body just to make sure that nothing is growing since the last time they've seen her and that nothing new, no new masses of potential cancer pop up anywhere in her body. And we've been doing that successfully for over a year now and things have been good. But coming here today was a bit drastic because you guys remember I had this planned. Whenever she does her scans, whether it's a family member that brings her up, you know, like my brother or my cousins, any of my cousins or whoever I can get to help me. I always try and plan for it to be on a day where like, you know, work is not as, like work is not as heavy. So we did that last time I planned the scans on a day where I actually didn't have to work at all. And then we found out that so some of her insurances, like certain things with her insurances had been canceled and that's been a whole thing. But. And you guys know about this because we've talked about it. We had Mimi Brown from the Black Information Network who handles, you know, world news, politics, community things. Talk to us about what the Trump administration is doing when it comes to Medicaid, Medicare and lack thereof and how people are affected. And you know, the news got real for me because I was a person that was on the other end of it having to deal with that fast forward, we are here. She's able to get her scans, everything is looking good so far. But they forgot to do a brain scan and I wouldn't let her leave without them doing it. So we are waiting for that now. But I wanted to make sure we got this additional pieces of the podcast in for today. So here we go. So that's, you know, my check in behind the scenes of the grind. And I'm a little frantic today just because I've been doing so much before pressing record. But y' all know we gonna bring y' all the latest either way now getting on into the latest new music. So we got new music from A$AP Rocky. He finally dropped his long awaited project. Don't be dumb. This project has had several release time periods and dates which did not happen. So you know, fans is, fans are going off about it. They're excited to finally get it and he's had so much to talk about. You know, the last time we got an album from asap, Rocky, within that amount of time he's had kids. Uh, he is now a devoted, I would say husband even if they not married. Cause him and Rihanna at this point, they married. Uh, but that is not me confirming anything. Guys. I am jokingly saying that this man is so devoted to Rihanna that they might as well be married. I gotta clarify that now at this, this era in my life. Um, but yeah, so he's, you know, him and Rihanna are very much in love. They have their three babies. He is, you know, such a devoted father and we see it so much. He's also graced so many different magazine covers. He's become the face of brands. You know, his career, everything has just grown. We just saw him in highest to lowest, the Spike Lee movie with Denzel Washington, and, you know, being a lead man and that. He's had a lot going on the gun case, which he was able to walk away from, which we saw him hop over that bitch when they read that not guilty verdict into Rihanna's arms. There's a lot to talk about here. So the album is out now. He sat down with popcast, which is a podcast. It's like a cultural podcast that the New York Times does. And he was talking to the guys over there about the project, and he confirmed that, like, 85% of this project is new music because there were, like, little leaks and fake leaks. So people were leaking, like, real things from the project. But then there were, like. There was, like, music created that wasn't even really the music from the project, that people would leak and say that it was music from the project. According to ASAP Rocky. So this is all new music. And they asked him about some shots that he took at Drake. Let's take a listen.
Ben
The Internet's going to decide who you're talking about on that song.
ASAP Rocky
I think we all know they're going.
Ben
To say it's Drake. I mean, that's a man who was with you in those early days, too, brought you on tour. Where did things go wrong in that relationship?
ASAP Rocky
I mean, I don't know. I don't know. I started just seeing people who just started out as friends and just became foes. Seemed like they was unhappy for you and started sending shots. And I think that's what led to any of our misunderstandings or whatever the case is. It really ain't smoke.
Ben
Does it feel resolvable to you or you think it's.
ASAP Rocky
Nah, it don't even need to be. Like, for what.
Ben
But you're like, no secret. Like, that song's for him.
ASAP Rocky
Nah, I don't really.
Ben
Or it's for anyone who might be.
ASAP Rocky
It's whoever feel like it's about them.
Lauren LaRosa
Now. Let me just say, like. Or. Let me just say that Drake and ASAP Rocky have been beefing for some time now. Like, and it's like they throw all these shots at each other now. ASA Rocky didn't have an album out, but he had been featured on, you know, a few different projects or songs throughout the year where he did take some shots back at Drake. Drake has been throwing shots his way as well, too. I don't know if this is a beef that will ever actually like, we can reconcile at this point because, you know, ASAP Rocky and a lot of people have the conversation about Drake and Drake stealing this swag. And, you know, I know him and Travis Scott were also into it at one point because of style comparisons or whatever. But I think deeper than rap, Rihanna is at the core of this. We just heard ASAP Rocky say it in the song. Rihanna is at the core of this. Not that she's like, pulling the puppet strings, but obviously there's an issue about the fact that Drake was interested in Rihanna dating or whatever they were doing at one point, and that ASAP Rocky is the one who ended up with her. Now, ASAP Rocky, on the podcast with the New York Times, he also talked a lot about, you know, just taking accountability in this new era of his life with that gun trial he went through, taught him. He's in a whole different space and I'm so happy to see it. Let's take a listen.
Ben
Were you thinking, like, how did I get myself back in another of these situations?
ASAP Rocky
Absolutely, cuz every time you in a situation like that, like, never again. Never again. And when it happens again, you like, what the is this? Like, God, man. Like, here we are yet again. You know, I know you're going to get me out of it somehow, but there's a lesson to be learned in this, and sometimes some lessons are hard lessons, even if you're not in the wrong necessarily. God has a funny way, in my opinion, of like just, you know, humbling you or just showing you.
Lauren LaRosa
Let me tell you something, okay? This is. This is what I'm talking about, okay? I love to see the evolution of us, whether it's men, women love to see the evolution. But I really do like to see the evolution of rappers, especially the male rappers, because a lot of times, especially if you come from. And mind you, ASAP Rocky is not. He's not like a gangster rapper, but, like, you know, you're not gonna play with him. But a lot of what ASAP Rocky stands on, it stands for, it's about, you know, loyalty, morals, integrity. But it's the. It's the get fly of it all. It's the talk slick of it all. It's the. I'm going to expose you to a life that you ain't never seen before because you down with the A$AP mob of it all. And that's what A$AP Rocky, the A$AP mob, used to embody across Tumblr and then, you know, across Other social media sites, and of course, in their music. But a lot of times I feel like with our rap artists, and honestly, I'm not even just gonna say the male rap artists, but I feel like with our black talent, I don't know, I feel like we don't get the chance to. And a lot of that has changed, in my opinion, more recently. Because, you see, like I was gonna say, the female rap artists don't get the chance to evolve and be mothers and lean into career. They stay in one box. But that has completely changed. Beyonce, Cardi B, Ciara. On the music side, like, the girls are doing it all. And on the rap side, you know, unfortunately, we see a lot of our male rap artists lose their lives or, you know, drugs are in question. And that happens with the male and female rappers as well. Or we just don't support them and thin them the way that we should. So their careers die out, money dries up. You know, we just. We're just not seeing them. The longevity of their lives, their careers and their legacies are not what they should be, in my opinion. And that's why I love to hear and see artists in the space that A$AP Rocky is in, diversifying the hell out of his portfolio. But he started that way, and it's just getting even better. And I love to hear that he knows that having a good woman by his side only makes that better. The music is back now. Him being a father and showing the world, that is such a thing as well. I just love to see it. Let's take a listen to asap. Rocky just talking about what Rihanna has been in his life and just how all of that. I feel like that just glows you up in a way that you just don't understand until you do it. Let's take a listen.
ASAP Rocky
Before I had my children, it was like being with my girl. Took a blindfold off and things that she couldn't make me, you know, visibly see or optical to God, like I said, had a funny way of showing me. It's like, how the hell did I end up in this situation? This is ironic. This is something. And that's why my temperament about it was always so, like, relax. Because I knew. You know what I'm saying? It's just like, all right, this circus. Y' all gonna let this play out? All right, I'll sit back. You done yet? You know what I mean? Like, it's just. That's what it was for me. I looked at it like, as soon as you get with a girl, she'll tell you, like, that's not your friend, that's your friend. But that one, nah, they can see.
Ben
It more clearly from a different angle. And to be clear, you didn't just get with any girl.
ASAP Rocky
Yeah, I know, I know. I got with a very special woman. You know what I mean? And I'm thankful that she was putting my life at that time because I think anytime prior to that, I don't think I was ready for something like that. I don't think she was either.
Briana
End of the year is when we finally stop, breathe and say, okay, what's the next big move? And with everything we juggle, families, businesses, filming, life in general, if it's not making things easier, we're not using it. That's exactly why we love Shopify. Shopify is like having your own chief of staff, personal assistant and business partner wrapped into one. I can personally say that Shopify made it possible for me to start my business of satin line baseball hats embellished, which to this day has multimillion dollars in sales. Thank you Shopify, for all things to keep my businesses in check. Shopify keeps everything organized. No juggling, 10 logins, no chaos. My whole storefront in one place. Website, social, selling, merchandise, analytics, boom, right there. And Shopify Sidekick, that AI assistant is real. Content, ideas, image, edits, reports, you name it. It's like someone whispering, hey sis, here's your next step right in your ear. So whether you're launching something new in 2026 or cleaning up the business you already have, starting now puts you ahead of the game and so does Shopify. So it's time to stop thinking and start doing. And there's no better way to start than with Shopify by your side. Use our link shopify.com ben to start getting serious about building your future.
Jenna Kim Jones
Breaking news, everybody. Not everything is terrible. I repeat, not everything is terrible. The Ripple Effect with Jenna Kim Jones is proof that the Internet, it hasn't ruined humanity entirely.
Ben
Clean the world. We have almost 10,000 hotels that operate our soap and plastic recycling program. And we have created and distributed 90 million free bars of soap to children, families, mothers in 127 countries across the globe.
Jenna Kim Jones
It's like magic, you guys. So put down your doom scroller and pick up your faith in humanity and join me, Jenna, for the Ripple Effect. It's a reminder that you can start a ripple that changes everything. You really can.
Ben
Best stat of all is that the death rate to children under the age of five dying to hygiene related illnesses has decreased by more than 60% since the day we started.
Jenna Kim Jones
Listen to the Ripple Effect with Jenna Kim Jones on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Ben
Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like EFTs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you try transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member finra SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors llc, SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures available at public.com disclosures Ready.
Jenna Kim Jones
To change your life for just $2 a day, Orangetheory Fitness delivers one hour workouts that combine strength and cardio to help you burn fat body, build muscle and feel unstoppable. Right now, get a full month of unlimited classes for just $62. Don't wait. This offer ends soon. Visit orangetheory.com or your local studio and start your transformation today. Offer ends January 31, 2026. New members only. Premier membership Performance Monitor and monthly billing required. Discount applies to first month only. Other terms apply. C Studio for details.
Lauren LaRosa
Now other new music I know NBA Youngboy also dropped new music as well. Slime crowded. Y' all know the kids don't play about NBA Youngboy, but I also saw a few days ago that NBA Youngboy has a new production deal with a production company that he started which will be showcasing like a docu series of his full tour which I love to see artists do as well too because again, that's diversifying that portfolio that is making other streams of income off of one set talent. But I also just love storytelling if I'm being honest. I just love storytelling and I love to watch people's journeys. Um, but it's also gonna talk a lot about his influence on youth culture, culture and music in general. And I think a lot of people, because NBA youngboy has had some like, you know, issues with the law. And, you know, I feel like the conversation around him is always about the beefs he's in and the, the court cases and the charging and the things that he's going through. But this year or last year, actually in 2025, because he was in 2025 because he was on this tour which sold out crazy. Like sold out insane. I think a lot of people really got to experience the NBA youngboy effect now. It's a lot of poo shinsteins and, you know, all the things. But at the core essence of it, it's influence. It's being able to get people up out of their homes and into seats and fully dedicated to your music. Singing word for word, having energy, making the arena feel like it's shaking because of the energy in the room. A lot of artists aren't doing that whatsoever at all. NBA youngboy has such a hand on youth culture. And a lot of people talk about the fact that he's, you know, numbers wise, he's always been streaming crazy. Like his numbers go crazy. And a lot of it happens without radio play because a lot of his songs are just not the songs that you're gonna hear replayed all the time on the radio. So I'm looking forward to that as well too. And I know speaking of artists dropping new music, Chris Brown just hopped on Gunna's WGFT as well. So there's a lot of new things lately to listen to.
Briana
End of the year is when we finally stop, breathe and say, okay, what's the next big move? And with everything we juggle, families, businesses, filming, life in general, if it's not making things easier, we're not using it. That's exactly why we love Shopify. Shopify is like having your own chief of staff, personal assistant, and business partner wrapped into one. I can personally say that Shopify made it possible for me to start my business of satin line baseball hats embellished, which to this day has multimillion dollars in sales. Thank you, Shopify, for all things to keep my businesses in check. Shopify keeps everything organized. No juggling, 10 logins, no chaos. My whole storefront in one place. Website, social, selling, merchandise, analytics, Boom, right there. And Shopify Sidekick, that AI assistant, is real. Content, ideas, image edits, reports, you name it. It's like someone whispering, hey, sis, here's your next step right in your ear. So whether you're launching something new in 2026 or cleaning up the business you already have. Starting now puts you ahead of the game and so does Shopify. So it's time to stop thinking and start doing. And there's no better way to start than with Shopify by your side. Use our link shopify.com ben to start getting serious about building your future.
Jenna Kim Jones
Breaking news everybody. Not everything is terrible. I repeat, not everything is terrible. The Ripple Effect with Jenna Kim Jones is proof that the Internet it hasn't ruined humanity entirely.
Ben
Clean the world. We have almost 10,000 hotels that operate our soap and plastic recycling program and we have created and distributed 90 million free bars of soap to children, families, mothers in 127 countries across the globe.
Jenna Kim Jones
It's like magic you guys. So put down your doom scroller and pick up your faith in humanity and join me, Jenna for the Ripple Effect. It's a reminder that you can start a ripple that changes everything. You really can.
Ben
Best stat of all is that the death rate to children under the age of five dying to hygiene related illnesses has decreased by more than 60%. This is the day we started.
Jenna Kim Jones
Listen to the Ripple Effect with Jenna Kim Jones on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Ben
Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable inde with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like EFTs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member finra SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors LLC SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures available at public.com disclosures Ready.
Jenna Kim Jones
To change your life for just $2 a day, Orangetheory Fitness delivers one hour workouts that combine strength and cardio to help you burn fat, build muscle, and feel unstoppable. Right now, get a full month of unlimited classes for just $62. Don't wait. This offer ends soon. Visit orangetheory.com or your local studio and start your transformation today. Offer ends January 31, 2026. New members only. Premier membership, performance monitor and monthly billing required. Discount applies to first month only. Other terms apply. See studio for details.
Lauren LaRosa
So let's get the latest on this word. There's a word. Eclectic. Okay, that is not really a word, y'. All, but Cam Newton on the Funky Friday podcast told us that it was. So Cam Newton was seated with Lady London. Fire, lyricist, female rapper Lady London. She is not the one to play word games with at all, okay? Because Lady London's specialty is wordplay. She started, you know, early on after graduating from Howard University. Writing poetry was turned into music, and they were sitting down in conversation. And his conversations are always very wide ranging. Um, and they get to the point where they're talking about his personal style. And she asked him to describe his personal style, and here's what he had to say. How would you describe your style in one word? That's an adjective.
Ben
Can I use a word that I've already used?
Lauren LaRosa
Sure, of course.
Ben
Eclectic.
Lauren LaRosa
Say it again in collectic. It's eclectic.
Ben
Well, the heavy on the N because.
Lauren LaRosa
There'S no N in it.
Briana
No, no, no.
Lauren LaRosa
It's my word.
Briana
Oh.
Lauren LaRosa
Let's unpack this. Okay, Got it.
Briana
Sure. Word.
Lauren LaRosa
Spell it for me.
Ben
N, C, L, E, C, T, A.
Lauren LaRosa
Okay. Eclectic. Eclectic. Do you want to know what the N stands for? Nigga Tree. Am I right? Okay. Respectful.
ASAP Rocky
You see where I was going?
Ben
Yeah.
Lauren LaRosa
Okay, now this made me start thinking because everywhere I was looking, people were jokingly using the word eclectic. Because this is another moment where, you know, Cam Newton, just for a moment, doesn't look fully in control of his conversation. And, you know, the gist of a lot of Cam Newton's conversations is that he is fully in control. Whenever it is your interview, you are supposed to be fully in control. So I think, you know, people. People are so crazy. People enjoy seeing the tables flipped where a person doesn't appear as smart as they think they are or doesn't appear as in control as they think they are or whatever, you know, people want to lean into. But this was a very funny moment. I saw the word being used everywhere jokingly, and I'm like, I wonder what this moment and what those numbers are doing on Google because it's being used so much. So, according to so I looked it up. So Google has a Google trend like area where you can look up trending everything, topics, words, phrases, searches, all of the above. Now I normally use this when I'm looking up stories to see what the world is talking about, how much they're talking about it, to be able to prioritize stories for Breakfast Club and for the podcast here, the latest with Lauren the Rosa. But I do know that you can use it for words as well. But I just didn't know how to read the data because the graphs are not like laid out in like a way where you can just like quote a percentage of increase or anything like that easily unless you know what you're looking at. So I reached out to the Google Trends team after looking at the public Trends site because I saw a spike not only in the words, I saw a spike in the word eclectic, which is the real word that Cam Newton meant. And let's look up Eclectic's definition. Now I'm adding to the Google searches. So eclectic, the real definition of the real word eclectic is deriving ideas, style or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources. So I'm looking at these charts, I'm looking at these graphs, and I'm like, I'm seeing a spike, but I don't understand, like numerically. Like, I don't if I'm going to quantify this, I don't know what I'm looking at. So I talked to the team over at Google Trends and they tell me so search interest in the word eclectic over the past week for Cam Newton, Eclectic and Eclectic are breakout searches. So breakout searches across Google Trends are basically searches that like, aren't commonly searched, that just break out and stand out and search trends because of something that happened. So the interview happened. Now people are searching Cam Newton, Eclectic and Eclectic. I'm told by the Google public trend site and confirmed by their team, with whom I spoke with, that there was over a 500,000% increase in searches for Cam Newton, Eclectic and Eclectic Insane. I hope y' all not out here trying to use this word. It is not a word y'.
ASAP Rocky
All.
Lauren LaRosa
Like, one thing we gonna do is cackle Kiki, and we ain't gonna let something go, but it is not a real word. Leave it alone. And please don't play with Lady London in her words. Now, in wrapping up peace to the.
Charlamagne tha God
Planet Charlamagne tha God here. Now, you know, the end of the year is when, like a lot of business owners, I really lock in, all right, this is the time to set the foundation for next year. You got new ideas, new product drops, new goals. And when I'm building anything meaningful, I need the right tools. That's why I always tell folks, especially black entrepreneurs and small black owned businesses, shopify is the move, okay? We use it at the Black Effect podcast network. And I've seen firsthand how it helps creators and business owners grow with confidence. Entrepreneurship is very important to me, okay? There's nothing wrong with working for people. There's nothing wrong with partnering people. But you should strive to own your own as well. And Shopify can help others grow into entrepreneurs. It's like having a whole team behind you. Your chief of staff, your personal assistant, your co founder, all in one platform. Whether you're running a side hustle or a full storefront. You selling locally or worldwide, Shopify takes all the guesswork out. Shopify brings everything into one place. You can sell on your website, on social media, and even in the real world. Like some of our partners at our Black Effect Festival coming up in April. Wherever your people are, Shopify makes sure your business can meet them where they're at. Plus, you got Shopify Sidekick and their AI tools. Total game changers. I love how it's like having an assistant giving you insights, content, ideas, edits. Shopify's got your next move covered. So let me ask you this. If you're ready to take the next step in your life, whether it's merch, products or anything in between, get on shopify.com BEN. That's shopify.com BEN and make it happen. It is time to stop putting off your future and start your new role as your own boss.
Jenna Kim Jones
Today, breaking news, everybody. Not everything is terrible. I repeat, not everything is terrible. The Ripple effect with Jenna Kim Jones is proof that the Internet, it hasn't ruined humanity entirely.
Ben
Let me start by saying it's a great day to be a gray shirt team Rubicon. You know, it truly is a team.
Lauren LaRosa
Those folks, myself included, all had one.
Ben
Desire, which is helping folks in disaster. Trying to be a little bit of.
Lauren LaRosa
Hope in a really, really bad situation.
Jenna Kim Jones
It's like magic, you guys. So put down your doom scroller and pick up your faith in humanity and join me, Jenna, for the ripple effect. It's a reminder that you can start a ripple that changes everything. You really can.
Lauren LaRosa
We give just that nugget of hope, helping other people. For some of our gray shirts, it's during a time when they need help and by helping others, it helps them.
Jenna Kim Jones
Listen to the Ripple Effect with Jenna Kim Jones on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Ben
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Jenna Kim Jones
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Lauren LaRosa
I don't know how many of our low riders have Verizon Wireless, but boy were y' all going through it this week. So Verizon Wireless, the phone carrier had a blackout of service across like the United States. Like it was insane. You could not, if, if you were trying to call someone with Verizon, you literally could not call through to their phone. They couldn't call out to you. And it was for some time. It was probably for about a good, like almost up to an hour I would say. I know my brother has Verizon and I was trying to get in contact with him about, you know, my, my grandmother and just couldn't like literally you just, they just couldn't call out. Um, and so Verizon, you know, they apologized. They, they were Keeping us updated via Twitter, telling us that they were going to be fixing the issues. And there'll be a credit to affected customers to, you know, to apply to their accounts. So people have an issue now because Verizon is only offering $20. Cell phone bills are about a good 150 to 175amonth. Okay, $20 out. Look, in this economy, I'll take it. But still, it's almost. It's a joke. So Verizon posted late last night to their Verizon News account yesterday we did not meet the standard of excellence you expect and that we expect of ourselves to help provide some relief to those affected. We will give you a $20 account credit that you can easily redeem by logging into myverizing app. You will receive a text message when the credit is available. On average, this covers multiple days of service. Business customers will be contacted directly about their credits. This credit isn't meant to make up for what happened. No credit really can, but it's a way of acknowledging your time and showing you that this matters to us. Now, I appreciate a company acknowledging your time, acknowledging the time they took from you, the time they wasted your money, all of that, but I do think that they could do a little bit more. I also think that it's kind of unfair that you have to log into the app and apply it. I think on average, like, you know, people are busy, so taking the time to do that, I think a lot of people are going to miss out on the credit. Also, I'm thinking about, like, older people who have Verizon who are not going to know how to do all of that.
Briana
Also.
Lauren LaRosa
I just think that there's going to be a fall off in, you know, once this marketing maneuver pushes out to their audience, the amount of people that are actually able to get it across the finish line. I think it should have been something that was applied instantly to the account, in my opinion. But hey, we not Verizon over here. Even though it's Verizon. I do have Verizon's WI fi though. But yeah, not Verizon over here. So personally, I have nothing to complain about, but just looking at it from a viewer's perspective, I think they should have made that a bit easier for their customers 100% because of the inconvenience that it caused so many people. And you don't realize how much you rely on your cell phone with no landline until you can't rely on your cell phone. I was trying to get in contact with some of my aunts because my, you know, some things that were happening happening in emergency with my grandmother this week during the time of this outage and couldn't call my aunt. She had to call me from her house phone and I'm like, it made me think like, wow, should we keep house phones in the crib just for backup? Something to think about here, y'. All. Now at the end of the day, you guys could be anywhere with anybody talking about all of the things, all of these things, my low riders. But you guys choose to be right here with me. And for that, I appreciate you guys. I'll catch y' all in the next episode.
Ben
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Lauren LaRosa
That we're not just in your community, but that we're part of it. It matters that we're here for you when you need us, day or night. And we want everyone to feel welcomed and rewarded. It matters that CVS is here to fill your prescriptions and here to fill your craving for a tasty and, yeah, healthy snack. At cvs, we're proud to serve your community because we believe where you get your medicine matters. So Visit us@cvs.com or just come by our store. We can't wait to meet you. Store hours vary by location.
Ben
This is Julian Edelman from Dudes on Dudes with Gronk and Jewels.
Charlamagne tha God
Sunday mornings, I've got my game day.
Ben
Ritual, coffee, lucky socks, and now New Morning Uncrustable sandwiches. It's all about that 12 gram protein boost with the new Uncrustables Bright Eyed Berry or Up and apple flavors. Bright Eye Berries got a feisty receiver. Energy up an apple. Your classic do it all tight end, soft, pillowy, packed with protein and easy enough for Gronk to grab from the freezer. Whether you're on the couch, driving to the tailgate or heading to the locker room, New Morning Uncrustable Sandwiches are the MVP of snacks. Your new Sunday kickoff ritual starts here with new Morning Uncrustable sandwiches packed with 12 grams of protein.
Jenna Kim Jones
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Lauren LaRosa
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Jenna Kim Jones
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Lauren LaRosa
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Hosts: DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne Tha God
Featured Contributor: Lauren LaRosa
Special Focus: ASAP Rocky on Drake, relationship with Rihanna & new album; Cam Newton’s viral ‘nelectic’ moment; NBA Youngboy’s latest moves; Verizon outage drama
This lively episode centers on some of the most compelling and viral moments in music, sports, and culture of the week. Lauren LaRosa leads the charge with deep dives into ASAP Rocky’s perspective on his career, relationships, and rivalry with Drake, as well as Cam Newton’s internet-breaking ‘nelectic’ gaffe. The episode explores new music releases (especially ASAP Rocky and NBA Youngboy), viral trends, and even a tech snafu with Verizon. Expect sharp commentary, exclusive insights, and the signature blend of humor and authenticity that defines The Breakfast Club.
Discussion of the ongoing tension between Rocky and Drake, highlighting how their friendship turned adversarial.
The underlying role of Rihanna, as Rocky is now publicly devoted and shares three children with her, possibly fueling Drake’s ire.
Rocky’s quotes on the Popcast (New York Times podcast):
Lauren contextualizes: “Deeper than rap, Rihanna is at the core of this… Not that she’s pulling strings but obviously, there’s an issue about Drake being interested in Rihanna... and ASAP Rocky is the one who ended up with her.” (Lauren LaRosa, 09:24)
[24:58] On Lady London’s show, Cam Newton attempts to describe his personal style as “nelectic” (rather than “eclectic”).
The segment prompts jokes and memes across social media, as viewers and fans seize on Cam’s mistake.
Lauren investigates Google Trends:
The episode balances humor and gravity, offering a candid look at cultural icons’ real-life ups and downs while poking fun at viral slip-ups like Cam Newton’s word mix-up. Lauren LaRosa brings warmth and relatability through her personal stories and nuanced takes on hip-hop growth and evolution. Throughout, there’s a theme of resilience—whether in artists overcoming industry pitfalls, caretaking through family battles, or managing tech outages in a connected world.
If you missed the episode, this summary offers all the substance, flavor, and inside jokes for which The Breakfast Club is famous.