The Breakfast Club Interview: Monaleo & Stunna 4 Vegas

Date: October 15, 2025
Podcast: The Breakfast Club (iHeartPodcasts)
Hosts: DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne Tha God, LL Cool Bay (Lauren LaRosa)
Guests: Monaleo (Mona Leo) & Stunna 4 Vegas

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode features rapper Monaleo and Stunna 4 Vegas as they discuss breaking generational curses, getting married, navigating personal and family trauma, parenthood, reconciling with absent relatives, sobriety, black culture, mental health, and unity within the diaspora. The conversation is deeply candid, touching on their individual and shared life journeys, their music careers, and the roots of their resilience and advocacy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Love, Family, and Marriage

• Monaleo & Stunna’s Relationship:
  • The couple reflects on keeping their relationship private, revealing how their union was founded in friendship and deep mutual support.
  • "We've been together like, four years for sure. My first year meeting her, though, was like, kind of when I was taking a break... She helped me get through whatever. You've been through everything like a homeboy would. I ain't never experienced that from no female." – Stunna 4 Vegas [04:40]
• The All-Pink Wedding:
  • Monaleo's love for pink influenced the wedding color scheme. "It's the only color I wear!" – Monaleo [04:10]
  • Stunna supported her vision without hesitation. "It's her day. I was with it." – Stunna 4 Vegas [04:19]

2. The Importance of Family & Emotional Healing

• Monaleo’s Father's Cancer Battle:
  • A tearful discussion of her father's secret struggle with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, how it impacted her, and how it motivated her to ‘expedite’ major life events.
  • "I saw him deteriorating...I pressured him and he showed me his scans. I saw Hodgkin's lymphoma...I just bust out crying because it was such an emo..." – Monaleo [08:07]
  • "Having my dad walk me down the aisle was a dream come true." – Monaleo [10:08]
• Why Parents Hide Illness:
  • Both agree it's driven by older generations’ desire to protect their children from worry, sometimes at the cost of support.
  • "Your focus is broken," – Charlamagne [11:23]

3. Breaking Generational Curses

• Connecting with Stunna 4 Vegas’ Estranged Father:
  • Stunna describes meeting his father for the first time through an ancestry DNA test, facilitated by Monaleo.
  • "I just met my dad on Father's Day. My wife got me to do a DNA ancestry kit...the results came back that very day we tried to talk with my family..." – Stunna 4 Vegas [14:32-15:56]
  • They trace relatives and meet his dad in Detroit, discovering unknown siblings.
  • "There were so many reasons for us to be happy crying that day." – Monaleo [17:51]
• Processing New Family Connections:
  • Stunna admits he’s still figuring out how to bond with his newfound father after nearly 30 years apart.
  • "Sometimes he call, and I might not even know what we should talk about, so I might not answer...I call her dad though, immediately." – Stunna [19:11]
  • Monaleo takes pride in facilitating family healing.
• Family as Generational Glue:
  • Monaleo credits her matriarchal family with giving her models of resilience and unity:
    • "Full of very strong matriarchs...I have a really good example of how to keep a family together." [22:19]
  • Their shared purpose is to raise "trauma-free kids." [23:36]

4. Mental Health Journeys

• Therapy and Mental Health in Black Families:
  • Monaleo has a long history of therapy (growing up hospitalized, in therapy, on medication).
    • "It was normal for me. My grandmother works at a mental health hospital." [24:50]
  • Stunna hasn't fully warmed to therapy but values Monaleo as his confidante, with a more pragmatic focus on survival.
    • "I'd be talking to her. I don't really need that type of stuff...she can get me to a point where I'm not mentally out of it." [24:23]
  • Both did premarital and some individual counseling.
• Monaleo’s Childhood Trauma & Healing:
  • She candidly discusses her experiences with abuse, neglect, suicide attempts, and how music became her outlet for pain.
    • "I attempted suicide in fourth grade...there's a lot I experienced as a kid I couldn't process." [32:58, 33:59]
    • "I want to free myself from those experiences...when I met him and didn't feel taken advantage of...I felt appreciated." [32:31]
  • Healing became her responsibility:
    • "Your trauma is never your fault, but your healing is your responsibility." – DJ Envy [35:30]
    • "I started journaling, making music, and really venting my frustrations...It started off as rap." [35:40-36:54]
• Breaking Cycles:
  • "Trauma runs in your family till it runs into you...I believe we're the first generation that has the luxury of healing." – DJ Envy [40:40]
  • Monaleo has founded her own organization, "Stay One More Day", to support mental health and survival. [41:02]

5. Artistry & Black Culture

• Black American Heritage and Unity:

  • Discussion about the inspiration and controversy around Monaleo’s use of the Black American Heritage flag and the messaging in her music.
    • "I wanted to create a space for black Americans to turn up and have a good time...to promote black unity, black community...under white supremacy, we are all black here." – Monaleo [51:06, 53:13]
  • Detailed the origins and meaning of the flag, encouraging listeners to support authentic sources. [52:03]
  • Addressed backlash from both white and black communities.
    • "I expected white people to be mad. I really don't give a damn what white people think about me." – Monaleo [58:01]
    • "There was a song about lynching...white people have done worse." [59:38]
  • "Sometimes you just gotta tell people it's a black thing. You wouldn't understand." – DJ Envy [60:24]

• Mortuary Science and Southern Roots:

  • Both Monaleo and Jess Hilarious have mortuary science backgrounds.
    • "I started rapping midway through mortuary school...wanted to highlight Southern Black American culture." – Monaleo [46:48, 48:42]
  • Explores death, grief, and church traditions as influences in recent projects.

• Hit Records and Viral Moments:

  • "Beating Down Yo Block" as a breakthrough record.
    • "I expected it to change my life...knew it was pivotal." – Monaleo [49:53]
  • The viral, controversial "Sexy Solon":
    • "It causes conversation, which was fine...I wanted to usher in the conversation." [50:51]

6. Parenthood, Pregnancy, and Healing Legacy

• Home Birth & Defying Medical Trauma:
  • Monaleo describes hidden pregnancies, miscarriages, medical distrust, and choosing a home birth to heal family trauma.
    • "We had a home birth in our kitchen...important for me to heal that trauma for the matriarchs in my family." [43:18, 44:15]
  • Intentionally rejecting negative generational scripts around childbirth and motherhood.

7. Sobriety & Growth

• Stunna on Sobriety:
  • Overcame dependence on hard drugs and leaned into fitness as self-medication.
    • "I don't take perks, don't sip syrup. I used to do that every day before I ate...when I met her, I found out that's all that was—self-medicating." – Stunna 4 Vegas [30:14, 30:30]

8. Industry Lessons & Mending Fences

• Music Industry Realities:
  • Stunna opens up about the whirlwind of success, loss of identity, and reconciling with DaBaby, his former mentor.
    • "It was just too much for everybody...I was really surviving my whole time over there...I see this for what it is." [70:17, 74:56]
• Reconnection with DaBaby:
  • Process of taking accountability and reconnecting after falling out.
    • "I was the reason why we separated...I moved around with animosity...when I hit him up, it was more so taking accountability." [68:32-69:35]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• "Having my dad walk me down the aisle was a dream come true." – Monaleo [10:08]
• "Trauma runs in your family till it runs into you." – DJ Envy [40:40]
• "I attempted suicide in fourth grade...there's a lot I experienced as a kid I couldn't process." – Monaleo [32:58, 33:59]
• "Your trauma is never your fault, but your healing is your responsibility." – DJ Envy [35:30]
• "Sometimes you just gotta tell people it's a black thing. You wouldn't understand, don't need an explanation." – DJ Envy [60:24]
• "I expected white people to be mad. I really don't give a damn what white people think about me." – Monaleo [58:01]
• "When a man find a good wife, you know, he gained a different favor from the Lord. I see something different in your spirit." – DJ Envy [12:56]
• "I want to free myself from those experiences...when I met him and didn't feel taken advantage of...I felt appreciated." – Monaleo [32:31]
• "All I want to do is raise trauma free kids." – DJ Envy [23:33]
• "I don't like that. She's 24 and so intelligent, brilliant, educating, you're informative." – Charlamagne [60:54]

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Topic/Segment | |:--------------:|:----------------------------------------------------| | 03:42 – 04:22 | Wedding details and their love story | | 06:19 – 10:08 | Monaleo discusses her dad’s cancer battle | | 14:32 – 17:51 | Stunna 4 Vegas’ journey to meet his father | | 23:36 – 24:08 | On raising trauma-free kids, breaking cycles | | 32:58 – 36:54 | Monaleo’s childhood trauma and pathway to healing | | 41:02 – 41:22 | “Stay One More Day” mental health advocacy | | 43:18 – 44:57 | Childbirth, home birth stories, healing for family | | 46:48 – 48:52 | Mortuary science and Southern Baptist influences | | 49:53 – 50:59 | Monaleo on breakthrough single and industry impact | | 51:06 – 53:55 | Controversy over diaspora unity & Black American flag| | 58:01 – 59:38 | Responding to backlash over “Sexy Solon” | | 68:32 – 70:04 | Stunna’s reconnection with DaBaby | | 74:56 – 77:25 | Industry ups/downs, lessons learned | | 77:43 – 78:56 | Closing affirmations, black love, legacy |

Overall Tone & Flow

• The conversation is deeply intimate, raw, and uplifting, shifting between humor, vulnerability, and empowerment.
• Both guests emphasize honesty, personal growth, and the generational impact of their choices.
• Hosts and guests share mutual respect, often affirming one another and amplifying messages of healing and black unity.

Closing Words

Charlamagne and DJ Envy wrap up the episode by affirming the couple's role as generational curse-breakers and models of black love.

“Generational curse breakers, man. That’s the best work that y’all can do—not being afraid to come out here and tell y’all stories and just being this amazing example of black love, man. Salute to y’all.” – DJ Envy [78:42]

[Episode ends on a note of mutual admiration and a sense of hope for the future, both for the couple and the wider community.]