← The Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club
Live Convo with Charlamagne Tha God: Who Is The HomeGirl That Knows Everything And Everybody
00:24:03
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Transcript83 lines
- [00:00]
A
You know, if you don't lie about that, right? Lauren came in hot.
- [00:03]
B
Ladies and gentlemen, please stand up, make some noise, and give a warm welcome to Lauren LaRosa.
- [00:11]
A
What up, LL Cool Bae? Make some noise for LL Cool Bay. Y'all.
- [00:15]
B
Don't act crazy up here.
- [00:17]
A
We're happy to have you here, though. You know, we're happy to have you as part of the I Heart Black Effect family. But tell the people a little bit about your journey to get here. The long version, too.
- [00:28]
B
Well, it's been a journey. I'm from Delaware. I'm from Wilmington, Delaware. I went to.
- [00:34]
A
Ain't that many people in Delaware.
- [00:36]
B
Don't be mad.
- [00:37]
A
Cut it out.
- [00:37]
B
Don't be. Y'all saw I looked at him first. Well, I'm from Wilmington, Delaware. I went to Delaware State University after I graduated from a high school called Howard High School Technology and all of the schools that I attended. It was, like, very important for you to get out and do something. I've always been doing a lot of this stuff, so, you know, getting on microphones, talking to people, just trying to, you know, tell stories. I went to la. In la. I found my way on this tour bus, the TMZ tour bus. I was doing that for some time. And then how'd you know you needed.
- [01:06]
A
To be in la? Like, what. What. What sparked in you in Delaware that said, you know, what? I need to get to la?
- [01:10]
B
Well, first, I wanted to be here in New York. My mom and, like, my. Like, we spent a lot of time up here. We have family up here. So my mom was really big on, like, she would bring us up here, drive us through Times Square. We would go see our family. So I always knew that there was, like, a big entertainment industry. I just didn't understand how to make it a job when I figured that New York wasn't going to work because I wanted to model. And they told me that I talked too much to be on the Runway and that my boobs were too big. I was like, I'm going to go to LA. I'll become a celebrity there. Because TV's in LA, so you just.
- [01:41]
A
That's very important. So you just wanted to be a celebrity. Like, what did you want to do? What was the intention?
- [01:46]
B
My intention was to become a couture Runway model. And the reason why I wanted to do that was because I always felt like if you had influence, you could make money doing whatever you wanted. I grew up in a household where my mom was an entrepreneur, so I always knew that I wanted to Be able to do whatever it was that I love to do. And I'm still figuring that out. But fashion was a part of my household for a long time. So I was like, okay, I'll do the fashion thing. I'll build the influence, and once I figure out what I really want to do, I'll be able to do that because now people will know who I am. So I thought modeling was going to do that for me. And I just honestly, like, I just really grew up liking to tell stories. A lot of the people in this room from Delaware, so Courtney, Jayvon, Arielle, we were producing fashion shows. We were like 14, 15 years old, so we've always just been storytelling.
- [02:31]
A
So you wanted to tell a story through the fashion?
- [02:33]
B
Oh, yeah.
- [02:33]
A
Okay.
- [02:34]
B
Like, I felt like designing, getting on the Runway, putting together the outfits. I was very like, like, you know, people are like hopeless romantics and relationships. I've always been like that about my career. So I was like, you know, I'll get on the Runway, I'll be able to influence people. And then I got in the castings and they're like, no, models don't talk. So I saw Rihanna on the COVID of W magazine with Iman, and I was like, wait, she's a singer, but she's on the COVID of this really influential magazine with one of the biggest models in the world. I have to become a celebrity, and then I can influence wherever I go and tell stories wherever I go.
- [03:05]
A
Okay, so when did you realize you can't just be a celebrity? You have to actually have a talent and a skill set? Like, when did you realize that?
- [03:13]
B
I think that bubble burst when I graduated from college and it was like, okay, now you're an adult and you gotta pay for stuff. And I was like, there's a big gap between college graduate and celebrity with money. So I was like, I gotta work, I gotta get a job. And in doing that, I had really good jobs. But I'd always told myself that I. I wanted to do something that meant something because I was spending so much time trying to do it. And I just felt like for everything that I had done, for everything I worked for, even getting through college, I'm a first generation college student, so even getting through college was such a. It wasn't a battle or a struggle, but it was. I had to strategize so much. And I'm like, yo, if I'm taking all this time to strategize and do these things, like, I want it to mean something. Like, I wanted to have some Substance to it. So that's kind of where that came into play. And then I started seeing things. I started being exposed to, like, production and, you know, news reporting and acting and, like, personalities and all these things. And I was.
- [04:10]
A
That was in college.
- [04:11]
B
That was in college. Toward the end of high school. In college, when you go to a hbcu, that's the beauty of it, that my first day on campus, the first person I met was the host for all of the events. And I was like, this is. God, this man is just walking around hosting things. He's able to, you know, have audiences of 100 or audience of. Of 2000. He's not doing what I want to do with the audiences, but they're there. So when I saw that, I was like, okay, I got to get on the microphone. I just got to figure out what I'm going to say when I get there.
- [04:37]
A
What'd you major in in college?
- [04:38]
B
I have a business administration degree with a concentration in marketing.
- [04:42]
A
Okay, so you go to LA and your intention is to just be a celebrity, just get on tv and you end up at tmz. Was that your first gig out there?
- [04:51]
B
That was not my first gig out there. I moved there for a PR job. And my mom, I remember, like, my second week, I got a tape roll thrown at me. And I called. My mom was like, if I don't leave, I'm gonna punch this lady in her face. So I gotta go. That was my first job. I was there for about tape roll. Yeah, like a roll of tape. Oh, yeah, Working in fashion. Yeah, working in fashion ain't no joke. So, you know, she got upset in the showroom. She threw some things, and I was like, oh, I gotta go. I gotta get outta here. That was my first job, though. I moved there for that, and then I became a flight attendant. And then I got to tmz.
- [05:25]
A
See, I like all of that. Yeah. I mean. Cause you. That's all part of a process, right?
- [05:31]
B
Yeah.
- [05:32]
A
But did you still know in the back of your mind what it is you wanted to do? I'm trying to find that moment when you realize, okay, media is what I want to do. Was it at tmz?
- [05:41]
B
No, it was at tmz. I didn't know that media was what I wanted to do. To be honest with you, the only media I really knew was, like, at that time, it was like the girls online. So, like, Karen Civil. Um, I had, of course, Wendy Williams. But for me, Wendy Williams was like. She was on a radio and she was on tv, but like radio first. I didn't really understand the first step to the other with her. With Karen Civil, it was like, oh, she's on the Internet, so she's like me. Before that, all I knew was like, the ASAP mobs and like, the people that got fly on Instagram. I didn't know that there was, like, a business behind it and that you could tell stories and report. So then I saw Karen Civil and then Baller alert came around on Instagram and I was like, oh, okay. And then when I got to TMZ and I was looking around, I was realizing what was happening, and I realized how everything that I had been doing up until that point, it, like, all clicked. And I was like, okay, media is important. This is where I'm supposed to be at. And if I do this correctly, all of these stories that I want to tell, it's going to start here. But I can do that in so many different facets because I'm watching TMZ crank out, like, specials, short films, breaking news, daily digital content, all with, like, a team of 150 people. News that six people big. And I'm like, oh, wow, okay. But I'm also seeing how we sit in one place, like, right here, we breaking stories right here in Africa, and all these places are being hit by the stories. And. And I was like, wow. Like, okay, so celebrity is a thing, but there is. There's, like, control and business behind this. That's when I realized that I was like, oh, this is a real. Like, this is serious.
- [07:19]
A
How'd you even end up at tmz?
- [07:21]
B
I just was looking for a job in entertainment, and TMZ tour bus was hiring. It was a Facebook group.
- [07:27]
A
Tmz.
- [07:27]
B
What? TMZ tour bus.
- [07:29]
A
Oh, I thought you said twerk offs. I was like, tmz twerk offs. What the hell was that?
- [07:33]
B
You want me to be a host so bad.
- [07:35]
A
Tour bus.
- [07:35]
B
Tour bus.
- [07:36]
A
So you used to be. Oh, so you was one of those people that was on the buses, like, pointing at people's houses?
- [07:40]
B
Not pointing. We weren't allowed to go to people's houses, but we would go to, like, Beverly Hills Rodeo Drive. We would take you past the Guitar Center, Hollywood, you know, Walk of Fame, all that stuff. But I would have to get off the bus and go talk to celebrities. And that was when I realized, like, I'm not just, like, cute. And on this bus, I really do this because all of the, like, you know, they had, like, cute tour guys that would get off. You go grab the clips. It Might hit the website, it might hit their social media, and they weren't. TMZ was never social media focused. They were always focused on their dot com so stuff wouldn't make it to the website. I got on the bus and just started doing what I naturally knew how to do. They're like, okay, when you see celebrities, go and talk to them. So I made it my business to always know what was going on. So when I talked to them, I knew what to talk to them about. And my story started like. Like, I would get on my phone and to be like, wait, is this me? This is my voice. You don't see me. And they're not saying my name, but I'm like, oh, these interviews are being used and circulated on the dot com to then the TV show, to then all these other outlets. And I'm making $15 an hour working two hours a day. I'm like, hold up. Like, then I started realizing, like, oh, okay, this is a thing. Like, it's not just you're in front of the camera. It's like the circulation of everything, the attributions, the, like, it was all slowly clicking.
- [08:54]
A
So you pivoted to the production side of things.
- [08:57]
B
I bullied my way into production side of things. I told them I was two years on the tour bus, and I was so good at it that they didn't want me to stop doing it. They wanted me to do the paparazzi, so they wanted me to run down on people. And I was like, I'll be outside with these people. I'm not doing that. They wouldn't let me into the newsroom. They told me I wasn't ready for it. So they. They gave me a from the PA position. They tried to keep me there, so I quit. When I quit, they called me back and was like, well, what do you want to do? And I was like, I want to be on the news desk. And they was like, well, the news desk is hard. I remember Van was like, you gonna try the news desk? I was like, yes, that's what I want to do. He was like, what you trying to not have a job? And I was like, I promise you I can do it. They gave me an associate producer role on the news desk, and I was there for like, a week. And I broke a store.
- [09:42]
A
One thing I like about Lauren is Lauren always knows when to pivot. When did you know it was time to pivot from tmz?
- [09:49]
B
Oh, I knew for, like a year. I just felt it. I felt like there was no more growth And I felt like even if I had tried something new, I would be doing something new, but I would be it. I would be going like this, which there's nothing wrong with going like this. But I felt like all of the skills that I had already learned and what I could obtain in addition to what I already had, I could do elsewhere, while also going like this. So I just knew. I don't know. I'm really in tune. Like, you know, I have a really good spirit of discernment. Like, I really just knew.
- [10:19]
A
Well, there's one thing to know when to pivot, but it's also another to know where you need to be. Like, that's where the discernment comes in. I just saw this video recently, a couple of weeks ago, like, you did a whole video basically saying you wanted to be on Breakfast Club.
- [10:36]
B
Oh, yeah. I had always said, if I'm not working at tmz, I'll be at the Breakfast Club, because who else is going to hire somebody who dresses like me, talks like me? And I didn't want to change that. I knew that going to la, like, they tried to get me to do local news. Like, everybody was like, oh, just do local news. You'll get your reps in. I'm like, I'm not a local news girly. Like, it's not happening. For me, that. That was like a. Because I was so on a breaking point of, if I don't quit this job right now, I'm going to literally be depressed. So when that happened, I was like, maybe this is, like, a sign of, like, things are transitioning elsewhere, so they should transition for you, too. Because I literally, the day before the announcement was like, that seat ain't never become open. They don't just hire people. And then, boom, the next day, y'all trending on Twitter, and I was like, oh, okay.
- [11:21]
A
But your life has changed significantly over the last few months since you've joined us here at the Breakfast Club and iheart. What has that pivot been like for you?
- [11:30]
B
Man, that pivot has been this pivot. Cause I'm still in. It has been crazy. Cause it's like, normally with the pivots is like, I kind of know when it's happening, and I know how to navigate it and have some time to sit in it and figure it out. With Breakfast Club and the way that y'all vehicle works, you don't really have a lot of time to sit in anything. It's like, you'll sit in something, you'll get used to it, and Then, boom, something will happen, and then that will happen, and you'll sit in it, and it's a new level, and it's new people, and everybody's calling you. And then, boom, something else will happen, and then, boom, here's a great interview moment. And then, boom, another story break. So it's been a whirlwind, but it's definitely been like, I needed the challenge. Like, I needed the elevation, I needed the arlong get sharper. The pivot is happening every single day.
- [12:13]
A
Like, it's funny, though, because, you know, you started off saying you wanted to be a celebrity, and that's what I always find interesting about this generation. They want to be the celebrity first. But, no, the work comes before that. That's why my first book, I have a chapter called Put the Weed in the Bag First. Anybody in here who's seen the movie Belly? You remember when DMX was sitting at the table with the two young boys, and he was like, yo, I want to go out there, and I want to get money with y'all. I want to get money with y'all. And dmx, like, man, shut up and put the weed in the bag first. That's what you got to do. You got to work first. Then that's where everything else falls into place.
- [12:43]
B
But I think when you grow up in an Internet era, because, like, I grew up watching people again, like, the London silos, the ASAP mobs, like, the people that were using digital numbers to get anything and everything they wanted, they weren't working real jobs, so it looked like all they're doing is showing up big, and then, like, things are just happening. So, you know, you try to emulate that. And, like, don't get me wrong, like, we've always had the following, and we always look good, but it wasn't getting me to where I needed to get me to. And when I got to tmz, one thing that that newsroom taught me. A newsroom in general. You can't play, you can't fake in there.
- [13:14]
A
Nope.
- [13:14]
B
I had to start from the beginning. Like, I had to be a PA because they wanted me to understand the brand. I came there with experience, with years of experience in doing different things, and they were like, no, you don't understand our brand. Relax yourself. So that process and all that work that I put in and having to, like, sacrifice, I stepped away. I couldn't do. I wasn't allowed to do panels. I wasn't allowed to do any of that. They didn't care about. None of you had to Be good at the job or you did not have a job. So going through that, that was almost like I tell people TMZ was like the boot camp that I needed. Because now everything I do, if I feel myself getting to, like, the brand. The brand. The brand is like, let's take a step back. What's behind the curtain? Are we really doing the work? Because the brand is cute, but it can't sustain, if you know what I mean. The engine is all messed up.
- [13:56]
A
Where did you learn to play your position? That's another thing I noticed about you. Like, you know, I'm the type of person, all I need to do is be in the room and I'll go get the coffee, whatever it is I need to do. I feel like you are that same type of person. You know how to play your position. You just need to be in the room.
- [14:12]
B
I think that was from, like, years of internship. Fashion. Fashion is really, like, friendly and, like, they pay you for internships and all that now. But when we were doing it, like, you know, internships and, like, working in fashion, I wish you would tell somebody what you're not doing. I wish you would not go take the trash out. Even though you supposed to be there dressing a celebrity. I wish you would, like, what? You don't have a job. You don't have enough. And if you don't have that, not only do you not have that internship, but that person who is head at wherever, wherever is going to pick up a phone and say, hey, she don't know how to do that. Don't hire her. So I kind of have been, like, hazed and worked into that because of my work background. But also, too, I think in my household is just, you know, you, oldest girl child, you gotta just. You play every position. You gotta figure it out for the family, you know what I mean? For everybody. So that's just something that I think is innate. And I was raised that way as well, too.
- [15:07]
A
Hustle like an intern. That's a life lesson. Never lose that. What's the preparation process to be able to pull off the latest with Lauren every day? Not just as a segment on Breakfast Club, but as a whole podcast, a daily podcast. Now.
- [15:21]
B
You gotta know what's happening. So even here, like, before I came in here, I was like, let me check what's trending on social. Let me look at you know what I mean? Just in case. I don't want nobody, like, just in case anybody, like, pass away or something. If it's something big, I gotta be like, y'all give me ten minutes. But you gotta know what's going on. You also have to understand outside of what's going on, what people are talking about, how they're talking about it. You also just, I think, really understanding you guys and the brand. So like I watch you guys outside of the show. So what are you doing outside of the show? What are you interested in? How I can bring things in the room that, you know, intrigue that and trigger that. But on the podcast side of it, one of the things that I recently learned within the last like week is just like being well rested and being in a very like focused and set state of mind is important because it's.
- [16:07]
A
Just me like and you still in your outside stage. You still like to be outside.
- [16:11]
B
First of all, I've been outside at work, but I'm watching interviews all the time, I'm watching social media all the time. I'm reading the dot coms, I'm, you know, talking. On my way here, I got a phone call, I'm talking to my friends and you know, publicist and they're letting me know what's happening, what's about to happen. I'm making calendar alerts to follow back up on things. You know what I mean? I'm doing all that. So that's the preparation. But my outside is a little different right now. So, you know, give me my tens.
- [16:38]
A
In a space, you know, like what you do, that can be messy insulation. How do you keep like your integrity?
- [16:47]
B
I just treat people how I would want to be treated. Like I'm a tell the truth. And I've realized from being at TMZ that that is my job. I have to, if I sign up for it, I can't run away from it. But you know, I'll call you, I'll give you the heads up. There are some times where I choose not to report on things just because either I feel like, you know, the story is unfair or I don't have all the information or I don't have both sides and I never want things to come off one sided. I'm learning how much people now just rely on my voice alone and not a brand. I'm used to being behind a brand where it didn't really matter, but now it's me. But the biggest thing is treating people how I want to be treat. So like if I do something crazy, I'm a, you know, life, be life. And I'm a human. If I make a mistake, if I mess up, you gotta talk about it, you gotta talk about It. But be fair. And I think that, you know, even for the people who don't really care for me and what I do, they can't ever say I'm not fair about it. I'm gonna call you. We gonna talk. I'm gonna call the other side. I'm gonna. You know what I mean? I try to keep my opinion out of things face forward. So I always present fact, and then opinion will come in second. Because I want people to know the difference. And I think people appreciate that. That's why, you know, even when I'm talking about something that their client don't like or they don't like, they still call me afterward. Like, hey, all right, that, you know, got through that. Here's the next thing.
- [17:59]
A
I think that's what's missing from the game, period. Like, you know, people. We make jokes about you always reaching out to your sources. But it is good to get, you know, both sides. How do you do that without being influenced by the person you're talking to, though? Because sometimes the person will try to influence you just to, you know, push a certain narrative.
- [18:15]
B
Yeah, that happens a lot. Just because I've been doing it for a while. And I know that, you know, if I'm influenced to push a certain narrative and that results. The first thing I think about is, if I get fired, this person's not gonna pay my rent. I think about that all the time. I've had people offer me money not to report things a certain way or not to report things not here, but in my TMZ dates. Cause they got, you know, real deep into people's things. But I always think about that. But I think now it's just, you know, I have a confidence in myself of, like, I know I'm not. I know my intention. My intention is not to, like, ruin somebody's life, ruin someone's career. I know that I'm careful about how I do things, and that's why I'm so careful. That's why I call so many people five, six o'clock in the morning. Because I would want somebody to do that for me. And I've had conversations with celebrities who've been like, yo, that headline cost me $40,000. That's how I feed my kid. And when. And I'm like, but I didn't write the headline. Yeah, but you the only black face I know there.
- [19:12]
A
Oh, you talking about when you was working at tmz?
- [19:14]
B
Yeah.
- [19:14]
A
Oh, okay.
- [19:14]
B
Not now. Not now. I haven't had that happen now. I have had people get Upset about some things that we've talked about up here. But to be fair, I. One of the things I try not to do now that I have the option to with you guys, TMZ was different. I had to go looking for it with you guys. I don't necessarily have to go looking for things. And sometimes I'll come to you and be like, yo, what if I. And y'all be like, no, we don't got to do that here. But it's because I'm so trained to be like. Like, I'm like a trained, like, sniper almost sometimes. And I'll be having to realize that about myself. Like, oo, you don't gotta go that far. You don't gotta call the FBI about, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. But because I have that ability to kind of be more human now, I lean in on it, like, and I actually do it. So I know that I'm not doing anything that purposely. I'm not trying to take anybody down. I'm doing my job.
- [19:59]
A
Because you know how things can be twisted and manipulated 100%. And you can be news real quick, especially in the space that you're in now. Okay, for those who haven't downloaded the latest with Lauren yet, why should they? What makes what you do different than other entertainment news?
- [20:17]
B
I think, first of all, no one else can be me. Like, people don't have my. My experience, my background, my personal experience that I'm putting into things. But also too, I think if you look around the market right now, like, there's no one that looks like me doing what I'm doing the way that I'm doing it. I might every now and then tell you a story and just throw my opinion on it. But if I'm telling you something for the first time, there's no time where I'm going to tell you. And it just is like, oh, shoot, she was off. And if that ever does happen, I'm going to come back and I'm going to talk to you about it so that you can trust what I'm saying. And I don't think that, like, you know, you're not going to get that nowhere else. Like, you're literally not going to get that anywhere else. And the minute I realized it, I was like, oh, girl, this is gold. So if you don't have the podcast downloaded already, I don't know why you went on with some gold in your back pocket.
- [21:03]
A
Who influenced you in the media space?
- [21:06]
B
Karen civil, Wendy Williams, Ms. Info.
- [21:10]
A
That's who you remind me of. Ms. Info.
- [21:12]
B
Yeah, Ms. Info. Harvey. Harvey Levin. Raquel. You. You were a big. I read your book. I read your first book twice.
- [21:22]
A
You don't have to say that just because I'm sitting here.
- [21:23]
B
Lauren, first of all, you know, I don't even like you enough to say that because you're sitting here. I really read your book twice. Angie Martinez, of course, she was her. Angie Martinez and Wendy Williams were like. Cause with them, those were like, probably like the two major people because they did it so big. But it was so like. Like they were just so, like, you know what I mean? Like, they were fly Mount Rushmore. Yeah. And it was just like. Even now, like, I remember the first day I saw Angie Martinez here. I was like, oh, shoot. And all the producers like, what's wrong? What's going on? I was like, angie Martinez just walked by and it was like, yeah, she works right over there. I was like, y'all don't understand because for me, it's like these people are like not real humans. Like, they're larger than life. I've watched old clips of hers, old interviews. I've heard all of the old hip hop stor. I've. You know what I mean? Read the book.
- [22:09]
A
Why they gotta be old classic hip hop stories.
- [22:12]
B
I'm sorry, classic. Vintage, throwback, blockbuster.
- [22:17]
A
There you go. All that.
- [22:19]
B
Yes, all that. Dvd, huh? Cause nobody do that no more.
- [22:26]
A
What do you see for the future of Lauren LaRosa and the Lauren LaRosa brand?
- [22:30]
B
Well, I see Brown Girl grinding as a production company becoming like the Nike of content and storytelling. So putting out great across the platforms, like, you know, series, other news platforms, whatever that develops into. Because I don't think news is going to be like how it is now. I think with the streamers and with what I'm doing, and once I master what I'm doing the right way, everything is about to change. But we're going to be at the kiln of being able to present that and other people's. And, you know, I own the company. But for Lauren LaRosa, I see, you know, me being like the biggest trusted voice voice in the space and not just like, like hip hop, like pop culture in general. Like anything that is moving, that is important that you should know that you should be educated on, that you live your life on. You're going to be like, whoa, what does Lauren have to say about this? And who are her constituents? Like, who is she talking to about it? Who is she bringing into it? And whatever the platform may be. Because I don't know if it's going to be YouTube. I don't know if it's going to be Twitch. But wherever we land, you know, I'll dominate that space in a way where you have to like, you can't get around me.
- [23:35]
A
Dominate them all.
- [23:36]
B
Yeah. I just don't. I'm just saying, like, I don't know if like two or three years from now it's. Whereas I don't feel like it's going to be what it is right now. I think things are changing so fast.
- [23:44]
A
And we will meet them where they are. You know, they used to be back in the day they said if you build it, they will come. Nowadays you got to build it and then meet people where they are 100%. Make sure you download the latest with Lauren. I want to thank all of y'all for coming out. Salute to Lauren LaRosa. Make some noise for LL Cool Bay, y'all.