The Braid of Wisdom

Summary

The Friend Zone – "The Braid of Wisdom" (March 4, 2026)

Episode Overview

In this witty, insightful, and culture-rich episode of The Friend Zone, hosts Dustin Ross, Francesca "Hey Fran Hey," and Asanté blend pop culture, black history, reality TV, gender roles, and wellness guidance under the theme: "The Braid of Wisdom." Honoring Women's History Month, they weave together stories from reality competition show The Traitors, pivotal moments in female hip-hop, and even the biblical story of Adam & Eve—exploring the throughline of women’s resilience, betrayal, and wisdom. The episode is as much about comedy and commentary as it is about community, accountability, and clarity.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Pop Culture Hot Takes: Cam Newton’s "Hostage" Marriage Comments

• [01:46–07:24] The hosts open with a hilarious roast of Cam Newton’s recent remarks comparing marriage to being "held hostage."
• Dustin: “Marriage without a commitment, but you can't have commitments with marriage and no commitment to marriage. ... Cam, what are you–what you talking about?...Shut up. And then throw a ball, catch a ball, run a ball.”
• The crew agrees that love and happiness do not require a traditional marriage, but criticize Newton’s immature framing.

2. Black Business of the Week: Boulevard Bistro, Harlem

• [07:24–11:03] Dustin recommends Boulevard Bistro, a black-owned Harlem restaurant perfect for Sunday brunch. The conversation humorously highlights the pressures of being asked for travel and food recommendations.
• Dustin: “Everybody knows I love Sunday Funday. ... Go to Boulevard Bistro in Harlem.”

3. Listener Feedback: Black History, Innovation, and Community

• [14:33–26:29] The team reviews passionate listener feedback from last week's Black History Month episode, sharing stories of black innovation, Uncle Nearest’s community contributions, and safe havens like Mount Bayou, Mississippi.
• Notable community stories about black inventors and the economic obstacles they faced; Uncle Nearest’s philanthropic work praised.
• News shared about legal threats facing Uncle Nearest Whiskey and its founders.

4. TV Deep Dive: "The Traitors," Social Strategy, and Betrayal

• [33:19–43:06] Dustin—alongside Asanté—recaps the explosive season of The Traitors, focusing on Rob Rouse’s manipulative gameplay and his betrayal of Maura, drawing parallels to broader themes of trust, devotion, and deception.
• Asanté: “Traders is like a social game on steroids because it's a bunch of different personalities, a bunch of different types of industry people.”

5. Hip-Hop Women's History: Quotes and Cultural Parallels

• [43:06–47:40] To honor Women’s History Month, Dustin presents a tongue-in-cheek analysis of lyrical wisdom from women in hip-hop (Khia, Lil Kim, Trina, Cash Doll), connecting their stories of heartbreak, betrayal, and resilience to Maura’s reality TV saga and deeper societal narratives.
• Dustin: “These [quotes] all have a recurring theme here, right? ... The shift that can take place when women trust men sometimes. That shift from innocence to knowledge.”

6. Mixing Myth and Modernity: The "Braid of Wisdom"—Eve, Lilith, and Lost Paradises

• [47:40–71:59] Dustin draws a provocative thread from the biblical tale of Adam and Eve to pop culture betrayals, discussing themes of gender roles, motherhood, and blame in ancient stories, while Fran and Asanté question traditional interpretations and the origins of female subservience.
• Dustin: “Eve is never credited as a mother…there is scriptural evidence…God did create man in his own image, then created male and female.”
• Fascinating detour into the figure of Lilith (Jewish folklore’s rebellious ‘first wife’ of Adam), symbolizing female autonomy and independence.
  • Francesca: “Recently [Lilith] has been reclaimed as a symbol of female autonomy and independence.”

7. Community Wellness: Meal Prep Myths & Smart Protein Choices

• [75:37–90:41] Fran leads a wellness segment debunking the viral “ground beef and sweet potato” fitness meal. With humor and medical insight, she urges listeners to limit saturated fat, diversify proteins, and watch out for mercury in tuna.
• Fran: “If your meal prep…means eating [ground beef] three, four times a week…that LDL will start elevating, and that's not good… Just make sure [meal prepping] isn't working against your blood work and your body.”

8. Music Segment: Celebrating Women, Resilience, and Vibes

• [90:41–123:58] Asanté and Francesca highlight new music—especially works by women and black artists. Shoutouts include Megan Thee Stallion’s Broadway debut, Girl Group Cat’s Eye (and the anti-Blackness controversy surrounding member Manon), and handpicked tracks from Baby Rose, Jill Scott, Know Me, V Bozeman, Naomi Sharon, Taffy, Don Toliver & Travis Scott.
• Dustin: “Shout out to Megan Thee Stallion…she’s the first woman to play Harold Zidler in Moulin Rouge on Broadway. The first female rapper to do Broadway.”

9. TV Segment: Reality, Representation & Family Content

• [123:58–132:47] Dustin recaps the “Real Housewives of Potomac” season conclusion and plugs The Burbs (Peacock). The hosts discuss authentic representation and Black family vlogs on YouTube, as well as recommended drama Industry (HBO).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Cam Newton’s Take
  “Cam Newton, marriage without a commitment. You don't even make no damn sense. And that's your problem.” — Dustin Ross [04:05]
• On Love & Betrayal in Reality TV
  “Maura was hopelessly and blindly devoted to Rob…that’s a universal thing, right?” — Dustin Ross [42:11]
• On Women’s History Through Hip-Hop
  “Put your trust in a stupid hoe. How you figure?” — Khia, as analyzed by Dustin Ross [43:14]
• On Eve and The First Mother
  “Why don't nobody mention her on Mother's Day?...There should be Eve cards.” — Dustin Ross [59:32]
• On Lilith
  “Recently [Lilith] has been reclaimed as a symbol of female autonomy and independence.” — Francesca [66:00]
• On Meal Prepping Myths
  “That ground beef and sweet potato plate…yeah, I get it, it is helpful. But don't forget about your bad cholesterol and the saturated fats.” — Francesca [90:00]
• On Global Girl Groups & Representation
  “Even in a global girl group, the black girl…damn. M-streeted. Ain’t that some…” — Francesca [103:10]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Description | Timestamp (MM:SS) | |------------------|--------------------------------------------|-------------------| | Cam Newton Roast & "Hostage" Marriage | Pop culture hot take & start of episode | 01:46–07:24 | | Black Business of the Week | Boulevard Bistro, Harlem recommendation | 07:24–11:03 | | Listener Feedback & Community Stories | Black history, Uncle Nearest, etc. | 14:33–26:29 | | TV: The Traitors Recap & Themes | Betrayal, social games, reality TV | 33:19–43:06 | | Hip-Hop Women's Wisdom | Quotes from Kaya, Lil Kim, Trina, etc. | 43:06–47:40 | | The Braid of Wisdom / Adam & Eve | Biblical analysis & gender roles | 47:40–71:59 | | Wellness: Meal Prepping Myths | Protein choices & ground beef debate | 75:37–90:41 | | Music Segment | Megan Thee Stallion, Manon in Cat’s Eye| 90:41–123:58| | TV Segment | Potomac, The Burbs, Family vlogs, Industry | 123:58–132:47 |

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Flow & Tone

Staying true to The Friend Zone’s voice, the episode seamlessly fuses irreverence and depth, comedy and critique. The hosts’ chemistry is palpable, their joking organic. Social commentary is balanced with loving accountability—especially surrounding gender, race, pop culture narratives, and community health. Listeners walk away both entertained and equipped with new wisdom—from meal prepping smarter to interrogating age-old myths about women.

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In Summary

This episode is a microcosm of what makes The Friend Zone beloved: layered cultural analysis, vulnerable listener connection, music & TV recommendations, and meaningful wellness education—all punctuated by quick wit and Black cultural references. “The Braid of Wisdom” celebrates the complexity and enduring power of women’s stories, threading together realities both ancient and modern.

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If you haven’t listened, this summary has everything you need to join the conversation and get the jokes—and the wisdom.

Transcript

[Asante]

Why are you looking at your phone like that? Bro? I just downloaded a whole movie at lightning Speed. Cricket Wireless 5G got me moving different, man. Stop playing.

[Dustin Ross]

You probably downloaded the trailer. Nah, for real. That's how fast this is.

[Asante]

I'm streaming, gaming, scrolling all the good stuff, man. How much you paying? It's Cricket, so you can count on great value.

[Dustin Ross]

Cricket wireless lightning fast 5G speeds at

[Asante]

prices that make sense. Switch today. Cricket 5G requires a compatible device and is not available everywhere.

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[Dustin Ross]

Welcome to the Friends.

[Asante]

My name is Dustin.

[Francesca]

I'm Francesca, also known as hey, friend. Hey.

[Asante]

My name is Asante. This is the friend zone.

[Dustin Ross]

Let's start the show.

[Asante]

What you talking about? What are you talking about?

[Dustin Ross]

What you talking?

[Francesca]

I didn't promote one time.

[Guest Singer]

What you talking about?

[Dustin Ross]

What you talking about? What you talking about?

[Asante]

What you talking about?

[Francesca]

You keep playing with me. Anybody keep playing with me. Up in here. Up in here. Why? Did she say something?

[Dustin Ross]

That's right. What you talking about? What you talking about? Because sometimes somebody can say something so ridiculous that you have no choice but to be like, what you talking about? What you talking about? What you talking about? What you talking about? You keep playing. Anybody playing with me up in. Up in here. That's how we feel, okay? And sometimes people just, like I said, they say shit that is so ridiculous and so utterly stupid that you just have to be like, what you talking about? That happened this week with none other than brother Cam Newton, okay? Or as I like to call him,

[Francesca]

surprise, surprise,

[Dustin Ross]

Brother Cam Shaft Newton, because that's what he leads with his shaft. Now, Cam Newton was being interviewed on a podcast. I don't know the lady, no disrespect to her, but he was being interviewed on a podcast, and he compared marriage. She was a miscellaneous woman. It was nothing against her. She just was general. You know what I mean? You know, Rhett, you know, just miscellaneous and apparent. But she. She. Cam Noon was on her show, and he literally compared marriage to being held hostage. And he said he likes volunteers. He don't like hostages. Let's take a listen to this clip.

[Francesca]

Wow. What if she wants you to be married to her?

[Commercial Voice 1]

That's a hostage.

[Guest Singer]

She's holding you hostage.

[Asante]

Damn. I just want you to be happy. And if I'm the person that's bringing

[Dustin Ross]

you happy, you can have.

[Asante]

You can have marriage with no commitment. And you don't have to have marriage to have a commitment

[Francesca]

there.

[Dustin Ross]

Now, in fact, we very rarely do this, but let's hit it one more time because of the craziness of the end of what he just said.

[Francesca]

I didn't promote.

[Guest Singer]

What you talking about?

[Dustin Ross]

What you talking about?

[Francesca]

You keep playing with me.

[Asante]

Anybody keep playing with me up here.

[Dustin Ross]

What you talking about? Cam Newton. Marriage without a commitment. But you can't have commitments with marriage and no commitment to marriage. Oh, God, what you talking about? You don't even make no damn sense. And that's your problem. Now, I will say this. I do agree. You don't have to be married to someone to be happy or to legitimize the love that you have with each other. Look at Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell. You know what I'm saying? I can give you multiple examples, you know what I'm saying? Like, it works for some people. But Cam Newton, I was not surprised by his comparison. His use of hostages and being held hostage, and compared to my childish. And also, I know he wants to be free. I can tell by his dress. You know what I'm saying? Cam Newton is free as a bird. That's why he dressed like LaBelle, you know what I'm saying? That's why he being Drag, you know what I'm saying? Cam Newton, he dressed whimsical, you know what I'm saying? Like, he went to that school on Wicked and sometimes Wicked for good, you know what I mean? Cam Newton has Yosemite Sam ass outfits, you know what I'm saying? Swashbuckling outfits with quill pen, feathers in hat, you know what I'm saying, and all those sorts of things. Pony Express. Yeah, Pony Express. Absolutely. He always looked like he rode a horse to set, you know what I'm saying? Like, he galloped into that parking space and the horse still standing there right now. So I. I just feel like the notion of him being free, please. You know what I'm saying? And unshackled is. Is not something that is foreign to me upon first sight. And so that part made sense, but, you know, and whatever that means. He was on the run when he said that. You know, just mouth just going eclectic. That lady was sitting.

[Francesca]

No, you still said it better.

[Asante]

Yeah, you. You made too much sense.

[Dustin Ross]

So what did he say? Knock the nautica. What the. Did he say? What do you call it? Nocturnal. I don't know. Something stupid like that. Okay. Something scrambled up.

[Asante]

He just found something different from what he said, and it just. It all up. It was like. All right, well, math didn't math for me, right?

[Dustin Ross]

I have a love affair with consonants. I just like to put a bunch of consonants in a word sometimes and make it up. Cam, what are you. What you talking about? So that's what I have to say to him, okay, what the hell are you talking about? Cam Newton, shut up. And then throw a ball, catch a ball, run a ball. That's what you do. We don't need to hear you say nothing else about nothing else with all them goddamn clothes on, looking like the nigga that's standing on the balcony in Moulin Rouge every time we see you.

[Asante]

Oh, my God.

[Dustin Ross]

With that being. Welcome to the Friend Zone, you weekly, looking at all things mental health, mental wellness, and mental hygiene. Cause who in the hell wants to be swaddled? And you know what I'm saying, look like somebody shot his clothes on him out of cannon, you know what I'm saying? Like, they just put all the clothes in the can, and all the clothes just shot on his ass at the same time. That's what it looks like. Layering. That's the layering. This I ever seen in my life. Oh, my God. Oh, one more piece, you know what I'm saying? God damn, Cam. But anyway, welcome, you guys. Hey, friend hey, Sante. How y' all doing?

[Francesca]

Doing good. Doing great. Hanging in there. Let's jump into this week's black business. Justin Ross, you actually have the black business.

[Dustin Ross]

Russ, I do have the black business. And this one comes from a place of exhaustion for me. I am so tired of people coming in town and asking me, where should we go to eat today? Or where's

[Francesca]

me?

[Dustin Ross]

And it's not that I mind passing any information. I don't gatekeep at all. But that's a lot of pressure that I don't think people realize, you know what I'm saying? You gotta like the place I send you. And she. It's just pressure involved. I can't, I can't take it, so.

[Francesca]

And we might not have the same taste, right? That's such a personal thing.

[Dustin Ross]

Just because we had a good time out together don't mean you want to go or I'm going to go. You know what I'm saying? Like, it's, it's different.

[Asante]

And we might like different things when we go out to eat as well. Like as far as like the service or the ambiance, you know, the cuisine.

[Dustin Ross]

You got your palate, I got mine, you know what I'm saying? So I agree. Here's the thing, though. I know that there's a through line of enjoyment and having a good time that will always win. And so that being said, everybody knows I love Sunday Funday. Y' all know that I love going to a Sunday brunch more than anything in the world. And I like a certain type of environment. I like it loud. Okay. I want good music. I want good food that is, that's comfort food. I ain't, I don't want no matcha, you know what I'm saying? I want, I want. So I don't want no bowl, no acai. I don't want no none of that. I want some eggs. Okay. And some bacon with green. I want, you know. So that being said, what about avocado toast? They might have that there too. It's sophisticated looking. So with that being said, with a grass wall. Yeah, this one don't have it, but they have a lot of wood on the inside, so the same thing, slat wood, half walls, you know what I'm saying? I understand. So that being said, this is a black. All jokes aside, it's a black owned restaurant that's iconic here in New York City. And to me, it's guaranteed for a good time on Sunday brunch, fun day. Have you some cocktails? Go to Boulevard Bistro in Harlem. Boulevard shout out to Sid. Now you see the reaction. Okay. And then these are people that come outside for special occasions and they excited. You know what I'm saying? So you see what I mean? But yes, if you're in New York City on a Sunday and you're looking for somewhere to go, have a good time, have some good food, congregate, you will definitely see celebrities in that mother. Like, it's. It's just. But it's very comfortable, casual. It's not pretentious. It's just a good. So it's literally the abbreviation for Boulevard. Bistro in Harlem. And it's on Frederick Douglass and 116th Street. And the Instagram account for Boulevard Bistro is as follows. It is Blvd Bistro on Instagram. Just go to that. You can see their operating hours, the operating calendar. And if you're in New York on a Saturday or a Sunday, the weekend period, it's not just regulated to Sunday, but the weekend period. You want a good time, you want a good dj, good food, good music, good vibes. They don't always have a dj, but on Saturdays and Sundays during the day they do. So check them out. Boulevard Bistro Black. They black owned.

[Asante]

Yes.

[Dustin Ross]

So there's that. And that's our black business of the week.

[Francesca]

I love that.

[Asante]

That's great.

[Francesca]

Harlem shout out.

[Dustin Ross]

That makes me happy. Yeah. Don't ask me nothing. Don't ask me like the emotion said the Jones girls who sang Don't Ask my Neighbor Friend. Is that the emotions of the Jones girls? Let me see.

[Francesca]

You know, a lot of our listeners hit me up like, I'm headed to Portland this weekend. Can you send me all the. Huh. I love y' all and I'm. And I love the child are coming to Portland.

[Dustin Ross]

But I feel attacked.

[Francesca]

I'm not a travel advisor. I literally don't know what you're into. I don't. You know, and then for you to think I'm going to do that for everyone, that hits me. So I have to, like, send you a survey of your lifestyle. That's. See, it's not realistic.

[Dustin Ross]

Say it here. Because this show reached a lot of people. That's why I was like, I'm just going to give it to the show. And that way, you know, mentioned.

[Francesca]

And I mentioned on here, like, I went to this restaurant. I always say the name. I always say new places I'm going to visit so that you can kind of jot down and get an idea of places.

[Dustin Ross]

But all it does is make Them want to ask you because they feel like now you know the places. You know what I'm saying? So you're the person to ask instead of archiving the suggestions, right.

[Francesca]

Instead of thank you, maybe we can start adding it to the description box.

[Dustin Ross]

That's a life mantra.

[Asante]

You know what need start to go,

[Dustin Ross]

okay, hashtag, we got a new kind. We got a new segment.

[Asante]

Y' all just please take that her places to go.

[Dustin Ross]

We got a new segment.

[Francesca]

I just don't know what y' all expect me to do. Like, that's.

[Asante]

You know what, that's a hard game to play, especially in Charlotte because I feel like every time I get on Tick Tock because it's location based, they always show me. They always show, like discourse on some venue or establishment. And people are always like, y' all said it was so good. It's not. Or somebody being like, now if I say it's good, that's because I like it. Now leave me alone.

[Dustin Ross]

Disclaimer. Disclaimer, Disclaimer.

[Asante]

Yeah, when it comes to food, y', all, y' all gotta. Y' all gotta just try it.

[Francesca]

Yeah. People have suggested places and been like, you gotta go to this one, it's crazy. And then I'll go and I'll quietly never ask them for a place to eat.

[Dustin Ross]

Thank you for being a filter. Silently remove them sacrificial lamb

[Asante]

the food.

[Dustin Ross]

And I ain't going that place. Boo.

[Asante]

No sacred cows.

[Dustin Ross]

No. I wish I had a trench coat to really drive it home.

[Asante]

God, no.

[Dustin Ross]

A detective jacket. That's what she had on. Looking like a goddamn private eye and. Smizing ass. Private smizing with that secret push up bra. Push. That bar was on its salt and pepper. It was pushing it, wasn't it, friend? That was so hard. I know she was looking down when she said it. Teddy said,

[Asante]

oh, my God.

[Francesca]

Last week, last week's episode titled the Lost Histories of Black Inventors.

[Dustin Ross]

Yes.

[Francesca]

We closed out the last week of Black History Month with a discussion around Mr. Walter Johnson, aka Mr. Tandenism, Uncle Nearest, and the ways the government, racism and violence have suppressed black innovation and economic progress. Those of you listening had a lot to say about it. Who stood out to you, Asante?

[Asante]

First of all, shout out to you, friend, for such an amazing episode last week.

[Francesca]

Thank you.

[Dustin Ross]

Let's clap for that. Yes, I appreciate that.

[Francesca]

Thank you. I did appreciate all the feedback too. Y' all were very, very kind. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[Dustin Ross]

You better have it.

[Asante]

I think it was dope that we ended Black History and Went into Women's month with you, friend. So thank you. Come on. You know, celebrating our sister. Shout out to everybody on Spotify. Lots of comments. First comment I want to share is from D7 Holland. D7 Holland writes. Great producing, friend. It was such an insightful conversation. Thank you. Thank you for spreading positive info about black history.

[Dustin Ross]

That is true.

[Asante]

Thank you for that.

[Francesca]

Appreciate that.

[Asante]

The other comment that I want to choose, the comment is from Fanya, maybe Fauna F A N I A. Excuse me if I'm messing up your name from Venice. Please stop dusting. There is no cheer here.

[Dustin Ross]

Listening though. Finally you still worth it, you know? I'm saying we appreciate you.

[Asante]

We do appreciate you, which is why I'm sharing your comment.

[Dustin Ross]

Okay, thank you.

[Asante]

The comment reads, I used to work for a non profit that used art for social change to address food insecurity. A representative from.

[Dustin Ross]

What were those pictures of?

[Francesca]

Wow.

[Dustin Ross]

I got a feeling like y' all can do it in your mind's eye.

[Asante]

A representative from Uncle Nearest in Miami reached out to provide resources for the unveiling of our community fridge in Little Haiti. They are truly dedicated to supporting the community.

[Dustin Ross]

Shout out to that.

[Francesca]

That was seeing comments like that. A lot of different people. And all the platforms were on were like, uncle Nearest donated for this thing at my colle. Uncle Nearest donated for this org in my city. Like literally comments and comments. So that's cool. Shout out to them.

[Asante]

Shout out to everybody. Last comment I want to share reads from Kels. Kel says Fran, Imagine my surprise when I realized you were talking about the father, Benjamin, of Isaiah T. Montgomery, the founder of Mount Bayou. My dad is from Mount Bayou, Mississippi, and we grew up taking road trips there during the summer. My dad talks about how it. How it was in the 60s and 70s. They even had their own hospital at one point. And cops would often stop following people once they hit the borders of Mount Bayou. Black people knew they were safe there. Mount Bayou was also mentioned in centers.

[Francesca]

Look at all this sick.

[Asante]

I feel like our Black History Month this year was such a great, rich month from all three of our perspectives. And I just think that it was a great, great conversation. Every conversation was great. But Frank, you did your thing too. Like, you started off with your history moment. And I think that was super, super insightful. And it cool because so many people from different places, unfortunate, you know, that the story was so widely, you know, been there, done.

[Dustin Ross]

Yeah.

[Asante]

And. And I think that it was super dope. I come in and I tell people that they need to document these things and Share them and people. And the Nana's recipes book, I think that was super dope. But Fran, you coming in and just like sweeping, you know, just. Just a great month of episodes. If y' all new to the show, make sure you list our Black History Month episodes last month. Okay, friend, what did you find out there in those streets?

[Francesca]

So in the soundcloud. Oh, okay. On the soundcloud streets.

[Dustin Ross]

I guess the train really do leave at three.

[Francesca]

That joint literally flew off my desk.

[Dustin Ross]

I gotta make my train.

[Asante]

You know what?

[Dustin Ross]

Close.

[Francesca]

The book said this episode reminds me of a women's history class I took in college. So many things were invented by women, especially. Especially black women. But because we couldn't own anything, white men ended up being marked as the creators and inventors of so much. It's sick. Also, Dustin, there was a little kid doing a presentation on that Zoom call where that lady was saying all that racist stuff. That evil witch. I actually looked into that. The part about the Zoom call. She was on a parent meeting.

[Dustin Ross]

A parent meeting?

[Francesca]

Yes, she was there as a parent. That was her child's school. That they were having a meeting. The snow day. And whether school was going to be canceled or not. She wasn't even there for work.

[Dustin Ross]

Oh my God.

[Francesca]

That was based on her child's school. And those were 8th graders on the call with administrators. So she said that in front of children.

[Dustin Ross]

She did it on purpose too.

[Francesca]

And when I watched the video, cuz, you know, I was like, what is this? After you brought it up and I saw the little kids on the call, like, you literally see them look confused because I don't even think they fully understood, like, wait, what is happening it right now?

[Dustin Ross]

Back doors with this. What the is she talking about? That's what the movie.

[Francesca]

And I hated the white man saying, we can hear what you're saying, like it's hearable or whatever he said it's like. That's your response to what she's saying.

[Dustin Ross]

The problem is that we can hear it, not that the host said it.

[Francesca]

Okay, that was weird. But anyways, I can't believe context, because

[Dustin Ross]

that makes it make. That frames it appropriately. And it's even worse, right?

[Francesca]

Children, eighth graders. What about her response? She said that she was teaching her child lying, lying about racism.

[Dustin Ross]

You sure were tits. You sure were teaching your child about racism. But not the way you trying to say you are. She's lying, trying to cover her ass

[Francesca]

because the Internet teaching him about racist tropes. That's the excuse she made.

[Dustin Ross]

So she told the truth. Then

[Francesca]

that was scary to me. So is she gonna force her child to lie?

[Asante]

Probably.

[Francesca]

So ask for this. Yikes.

[Dustin Ross]

If you. If you that type of racist, evil ass woman, anything's possible. You know what I'm saying? Coercion of a kid. That's your. That's your. Your juice, your zhush. Like people say.

[Francesca]

So sound like this isn't funny.

[Asante]

But I think about those kids that get on tick tock and they're like story time. Let me tell you about that time.

[Dustin Ross]

And they like dad, they took too

[Asante]

much of their business at the time. My mom was on a zoom.

[Francesca]

Right? On a viral zoom call when I was in eighth grade. She made me laugh. Holy. All right. Oh, in the Patreon street.

[Dustin Ross]

Look like a pilgrim. You seen her ass? Don't she look like Thanksgiving? You seen her ugly ass woman? Mean, evil, racist ass.

[Francesca]

Steve Harvey's old wig on Patreon.

[Asante]

Wait, hold on.

[Dustin Ross]

Wait. A name, please.

[Asante]

Steve harvest.

[Francesca]

Yes. On our patreon said. That tenderness business reminds me. Reminds me of the black lady who was giving Paula Dean her recipes. Paula told her that if she did, she would take her with her. She took the recipes and took nobody nowhere.

[Dustin Ross]

Yeah.

[Francesca]

Was calling them the N word all the time in the kitchens. The lady eventually got her own cookbook. Her name is Dora Charles.

[Dustin Ross]

I bought one.

[Francesca]

But I still think she was a fool for that. Can't be too trusting. I didn't know that.

[Dustin Ross]

Can we read a book for the binge? I mean, for the situation. Because we need to support Dora Charles. She didn't been through a lot.

[Francesca]

Did y' all know this?

[Dustin Ross]

No, I did not. Did you know the way that I would have thrown a hot pot of boiling water on Paula Deen's ass if she called me a and a kid kitchen.

[Asante]

Oh.

[Francesca]

After stealing my recipe and becoming a multi millionaire.

[Dustin Ross]

Scalded.

[Francesca]

Last one. Lexi Rich said, speaking of teachers getting paid more if you teach math or any other subject or if you're down to work with young people as an aid. My school district is always hiring. They start teachers get this at $100,000.

[Dustin Ross]

Wonderful.

[Francesca]

And start instruction aids at first at $45 an hour.

[Dustin Ross]

Wonderful.

[Francesca]

She says. Now we are in Silicon Valley.

[Dustin Ross]

Okay.

[Asante]

Okay.

[Francesca]

Which makes sense. You would have to be paid that much.

[Asante]

Okay.

[Francesca]

But it is refreshing to get paid what we deserve.

[Dustin Ross]

Yeah.

[Francesca]

Ain't many black people. But I'll be your friend. Okay. Maybe I'm recruiting friends and co workers.

[Dustin Ross]

As you said.

[Francesca]

It's the Mountain View Los Altos school district. You can go to Ed, join I'll make sure to post that below. And she said also, Dustin, you got my vote. You're playing but you could low key run.

[Dustin Ross]

I love you. Thank you.

[Asante]

See?

[Dustin Ross]

See? Good people. Good people. Thank you. And that's the wig person, right?

[Francesca]

No, the wig person told us about Paula Dean. Okay.

[Dustin Ross]

Yes. Well, thank you as well. Thank you.

[Francesca]

Put that information below because that's amazing. I've never heard of teachers being paid that. So if you're looking for work and you're a teacher, just an option. That's it for me. What about you, Dustin Ross? Would you find in the Twitter streets.

[Dustin Ross]

Breaking news? I decided I'm gonna start doing it live because it adds texture. Shout out to friend of mine, friend of the show, Dr. David Johns, host of the Teach the Babies podcast. And also just an all around incredible scholar, black voice, always talking the right in the right places and also a really, really cool person. So I love you, David Johns. That's my bro. He text me after listening to the show last week and he said, I'm gonna read you guys a text too. David said, good brother, you better sell the out. Keep talking your doing your thing. Thank you, David. He said also beautifully, friend, this is for you. Beautifully. Brilliant. Black History Month closing episode. I wanted to ensure that y' all saw that they're trying to take Fawn's company and he sent me a link to an article on the griot that is titled uncle nearest Fawn weaver facing bombshell $20 million accusation from receivership weeks before judge's ruling. And this article came out on February 28th of this year and it talks about how last summer a Kentucky court place to be whiskey and bourbon brand in a receivership and continues to argue that the company does not need to return to the complete control of Fawn and Keith Weaver. So it sounds like they trying to take their company off. And I don't know how that can happen. Yeah, I don't know how that can happen, but it did. And so however we can support whatever kind of awareness we can bring to it. Hell, I just figured I would talk about it here.

[Francesca]

Hell, absolutely.

[Dustin Ross]

You know what I mean? So that's it for me this week, you know what I'm saying? We can just keep it short and simple.

[Francesca]

I also wanted to add one more young, young thing, y', all

[Dustin Ross]

this week. Friend. What you. What was you listening to when you prepared for the show?

[Asante]

Oh, my God.

[Francesca]

Mountain Bayou is one of the most important towns in the civil rights movement specifically for protecting Mamie Till Mobley during the trial of her son's murder, Emmett Till. I also did not know that. So they protected her during that trial. She was able to hide out there.

[Asante]

Wow.

[Francesca]

Wow, y'. All. All this information. I love. I'm thankful that all this came up on last week's episode.

[Dustin Ross]

I used to wonder when I was younger and I would see, like, do documentaries and shit like that about history. Why everybody always look mad. And I totally get it now when you be thinking about, like. Like history and the shit that happened, the things that they was. My mama made us watch Eyes on the Prize and shit. And I just remember Eyes on the Prize.

[Francesca]

I was horrified. I was a sixth grader. Like, wait.

[Dustin Ross]

Like, this is the world. So I remember thinking, though, like, these people are so smart. Like, why are they so mad? I just remember thinking that now that I understand what the. They was talking about and. And we read like this. The things that they're trying to do to form Weaver and the things that we've talked about. I get it now. And I, too, be sitting around looking

[Francesca]

like this all the time in all the pictures. Nobody smiled. It's so true. Did y' all see Uncle Tenderness, though, in that video that's going viral of him at. At the Isley's house?

[Guest Singer]

House?

[Asante]

No.

[Francesca]

You see Ron Ozzy in silk pajamas with a woman next to him. And Mr. Tendonism and his music playing. Beautiful house. They're in a nice dining room. And Mr. Tenonism is. Is cutting up the meat. And he has his, like, chef outfit on.

[Asante]

Good.

[Dustin Ross]

Y' all let Saw Baby been doing like this. I know Saw Bay got carpal tunnel salt. Baby been doing like this for 20 years. Are y' all gonna let Mr. Tendonism through? Good for him. Shout out to the is for doing that. I know that's right.

[Francesca]

I was like Black History. But do you guys have any announcements before we jump into this week's episode?

[Dustin Ross]

I do. Yes. So shout out to everybody. You're gonna have fun when you come to my show on March 17th. Cause it's sold out. But God is good. And so are the people at City Winery because they offered me a second show. So we now have tickets on sale for a second show at 9:30pm thank you very much. Hands and cheeks. Hands and cheeks. Thank you. So 9:30pm show is on sale now. Go to Dustin Ross Live for tickets and you can get them. I'll see y' all in a couple weeks. That's a couple weeks. March 17th. So I'll see y' all there. Thank you.

[Francesca]

I know City Winery loves to see you coming. Dustin Ross.

[Dustin Ross]

That's why they be so nice and thank you Mr. Ross. I'll be like damn. Okay, it's a friendly time.

[Francesca]

Let's jump to this week's episode. This week's podcast is brought to you by Squarespace. Squarespace is the ultimate website platform that catapults you from invisible to iconic. Whether you're igniting your first idea or turbocharging a thriving business, Squarespace arms you with everything you need to dominate online. Build a jaw dropping professional website, grab your dream domain, skyrocket your brand and get paid all on Squarespace. With Squarespace's collection of cutting edge design tools, anyone can build a beautiful professional online presence that perfectly fits their brand or business. Start with Blueprint AI, Squarespace's AI Enhanced Design partner. Or you can choose from a library of professionally designed and award winning website templates. No matter where you start, your website is flexible to what you need and with intuitive drag and drop editing, beautiful styling options, unrivaled visual design effects on brand, AI content and more ways to list what you offer, there's no experience required and make smarter business decisions with Squarespace's intuitive built in analytics tool. Review website traffic, learn where to focus your engagement and you can even track revenue from bookings, invoices or product sales all from one place place. Check out squarespace.com friendzone for a free trial and when you're ready to Launch, use code FRIENDZONE to save 10 off your first purchase of a website or domain. That's Squarespace.com FRIENDZONE for a free trial and code FRIENDZONE to save ten off your first purchase of a Website or a domain.

[Asante]

LT why are you looking at your phone like that? Bro, I just downloaded a whole movie at lightning speed. Qriket Wireless 5G got me moving different man. Stop playing. You probably downloaded the trailer.

[Dustin Ross]

Nah for real. That's how fast this is.

[Asante]

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[Francesca]

This week's episode is a Dustin Ross production. And we're going in cold, which is always exciting with you guys. What are we talking about this week? Dustin Ross.

[Dustin Ross]

So first of all, thank you for having me. I'm happy to be here. Second of all, so everybody knows that one of the most popular shows on television right now is the Taters, hosted by Alan Cumming, featuring, you know, a cast of different people from different shows. Gamers, they say. So people that come from Big Brother and Survivor, the Bachelor, Love island now.

[Francesca]

Oh, nice.

[Dustin Ross]

Housewives from Bravo are there as well as other people stand up, comedians, musicians, you know, just a different grouping, a random grouping of people. This year on season four that just concluded about two weeks ago, the winner of the season was Rob Rouse, who was on Love island and he's a snake charmer who consistently. You remember Rob Fred?

[Francesca]

Yeah.

[Dustin Ross]

He consistently wears overalls. I believe he's from Alabama. Always wears some damn fucking big Smith Levi's overalls and shit. Lee jeans, overalls and shit. And he has snake tattoos on his arms. He's a handsome man.

[Francesca]

I was gonna say he's not a bad looking white boy either.

[Dustin Ross]

A lot of people think he's very, very handsome. And he absolutely used his charm and the magnetic nature of his personality, he used it to his advantage. He was chosen if you know how the traitors works. For those who don't know, it's a murder mystery television show and it's a game where A secret group of people have been chosen to be deemed the trai. They eliminate or murder, murder or eliminate people nightly. And then there's a group banishment where they vote someone out, but nobody knows who the traitors are. And so the way that you win the game is either if you're a traitor, you make it all the way to the end as people are being eliminated one by one, you survive everyone out, survive and outlive everyone, you win all the money. Or if you're faithful and you vote all the traders out through the banishment process, then at the end, whatever faithfuls are left win the money. But nobody knows who's who. And the goal of the show is to keep your identity as a traitor a secret and have everyone believe that you're one of the faithfuls like them. Rob was in that position this season. One of the people that he made an alliance with to go to the end with was a woman named Maura who is the host of A Love island after Charlemalene.

[Francesca]

I love Maura.

[Asante]

I'm trying so hard to just let you get through a desticus friend. Like you have to have seen Rob and Maura on Traitors.

[Dustin Ross]

This shit was. It was crazy. The devotion that she had to this man and not just her, the whole entire cast, they never suspected him of being a traitor. They never looked at him. And he was in plain sight the entire time, making moves, adding people to the traitors, secretly adding, recruiting other people to become traitors and then dispensing of them as well. And he lied to Maura all the way until the bitter end and when they made it so Maura as a faithful, right?

[Francesca]

I mean, it sounds like his.

[Dustin Ross]

You could talk about it, Tay. You can talk about it. You can talk about it. What you talking about?

[Francesca]

It sounds like. It sounds like his time on Love Island. Literally, he had everyone charmed.

[Asante]

Fran, it was such. It was such a great departure from his time on Love island, but it was very reminiscent of the way he was playing people because the way that Dustin's mapping it out, he's doing it very eloquently, like it's perfect, like, you know, for the listeners. But just as a Love island viewer, which I know a lot of people listening, they do watch Love Island. It was just funny to watch Traders where it is a show, as Dustin was saying, full of gamers. So it consists of people from Survivor, Big Brother, randomly, the Bachelor, then they have housewives on there. And he said comedians and musicians. Taylor Swift's mama in law was a traitor. It was like, all right, looking like Bruce Vance, Kelsey, Mama Kelsey, Tara Lipinski. And like. Like we have athletes on this show. So it's a bunch of different types of people. So everyone comes in as a faithful, you know, so everyone's just friendly and cool. Then traders are chosen. But like Dustin said, you don't know who's a traitor. So to get to the end. To get to the end as a faithful, it's your job to get rid of all the traitors. If you've gotten rid of all the traders, as Dustin said, you and the money, Money. To get to the end as a trader, you just have to go undetected. Like, they can't. They can't have voted you out. So if you get to the end,

[Francesca]

we know who the trader. We do the whole time, we know

[Asante]

who the traders are. Okay, so Alan coming. He. He'll pick the traders. We won't necessarily find out in that moment, but we eventually always know who the traders are.

[Dustin Ross]

Taps the shoulder. Remember, they show them picking the traitors,

[Asante]

but remember, we didn't know about mama Kelsey. So sometimes we don't know, like, the

[Dustin Ross]

new thing, the secret trade trader.

[Asante]

Yeah. So there's. And then when they brought that rob from one of the survivors or whatever, too. So it's like they always have, like, a little twist, too. So it's a very cool show and it's a very interesting show. So when you go on there with all these different people, it's hard to play the game. You guys always ask me when I go on big brother, Big brother is a very social game, but Traders is like a social game on steroids because it's a bunch of different personalities, a bunch of different types of industry people. Lisa Rinna was on this season. You know, Lisa Ren is known for having a big personality, but they kind of called it out because she. Her personality wasn't as big at times, so she kind of got discovered for being a traitor. I want to let you take it back, Dustin, but I just want to give frank context. This is such an exciting show, and it was just really cool to see Mara, who we don't really see much of, but we. We got to see a bunch of people who. Some of the people we don't really see much of anyway. Like, I didn't know that dude called Tim from the Bachelor. I didn't know who he was. I didn't know a couple of the athletes, so it was cool to kind of see them around. And I was like, all right, well, it's cool to you know, see what they're about. But Rob was just so unassuming. He didn't play hard, but he played when he needed to, and it was great.

[Dustin Ross]

He played a very smart, very strategic game. He. You have to. You would love it.

[Asante]

You have to watch.

[Dustin Ross]

He gotta borrow it out of everybody. So Maura, who has the strongest neck I've ever seen in my life. It's not that it looks.

[Asante]

Do you really think so her hit me.

[Dustin Ross]

I taught. I. Yeah. And she can dress, but she always. Her head is always stiff, like it weighs a thousand pounds. And her. She, like, when she be talking to them in the scene, she'd be doing like this. Like, she got a brace on, like, whiplash. But love her on the show. So her and Rob made it to the very end. And at the end of the thing, he played her essentially, you know what I'm saying? He had promised her that they were gonna win to the end. She thought he was a faithful like her, and they were in an alliance. And when they got to the end, he said, I am. I always have been a traitor. And her face cracked. Like, I had. I had like, the. The devil.

[Asante]

Like, she was waiting for him to be, like, just kidding.

[Dustin Ross]

And he didn't say it. And the thing that made it so sweet was right. The past two, three weeks at all, they had been on some betrayal shit. Because really, there's no rules in this game. You have no proof, no evidence to go off on. Everything is instinctual. You know what I'm saying? So the only strategy you really can apply is relationship building to make sure that people don't vote for you when it's time to vote. But they're voting based on. I saw you, you know, look down to the left this morning at breakfast, and that just set me off. And I just, you know, it'd be like that. You know what I'm saying?

[Francesca]

You just doing all day. Are they playing games?

[Asante]

Is a challenge. Yeah. Okay, so there is, like, down time in the castle, but then every episode there's a challenge to where they win money. So they try to win money to add to the pot.

[Francesca]

Love island, where they're chilling in the house, but then they'll have a challenge they have to do. Okay.

[Dustin Ross]

And they're in a castle in Scotland. Yeah, it's an incredible show. Very dramatic scenes, and it's. The cinematography is incredible.

[Asante]

So. Well, Alan Cumming is best. Like, he actually is trying to come for Mara as, like, best dressed host, because you know how Mara always looks good for after Cern. After cern, after birthday. I'm not saying he looks good, but he does.

[Dustin Ross]

Dress up costume. More of being our Alan. Have like Alan's clothes will light up, you know what I'm saying? More being like fashion. That's what I mean. It's about the difference.

[Asante]

But give a. Like for real. Yeah.

[Dustin Ross]

So more.

[Asante]

This was a good season.

[Dustin Ross]

It was an incredible season. And shout out to Candace Dillard Bassett, who made it an incredible season, but. So Maura was hopelessly and blindly devoted to Rob, you know what I'm saying? This man that took her to the end. And like I said, the past three weeks they had been betraying people. It was so cutthroat. They were literally turning on people and without guilt, you know what I'm saying? They would pretend to be their friend and then vote them out. And each time the very next vote, that person got it. Maura had just turned her back on Eric, who I couldn't stand, and he had just turned his back on Tara and Johnny. So it was just like a domino effect. So when Maura's face cracked, we was all laughing, you know what I mean? But it was because of her blind devotion to a man and her just a man, making her make bad decisions. That's a very universal thing, right?

[Asante]

Are you about to make this about that?

[Dustin Ross]

When you think about women finding themselves in compromise predicaments because of allegiance to a man, right? This is a theme that we see reflected in the very highly esteemed and valuable works lyrically, which are honestly literary works, if you really want to think about it, of black women in hip hop. It's Women's History month, right? So let's give a nod to the black women in hip hop who have told this same story. Here's a few examples. And this one right here is actually downtrodden. This is from rapper Kaya. The quote is the quote. Kya is absolutely downtrodden. She's literally like just. She's a. She's a sad case. Funny, but a sad case. And a talented musician at the same time. Three things can be true. Okay, Kaya, here's a quote from rapper Kaya. Quote, put your trust in a stupid hoe. How you figure? And that's from Kaya from the song Don't Trust no featuring dsd. Now that quote, I feel tells a generations old story, right, of betrayal at the hands of a man. And it warns women not to be governed by emotion, but skill and strategy instead. Right? I think that's the gym there. We have another one from little Kim, right? Brooklyn's own. When I sucked your dick, it's like smoking a roach. Ugh. I go from first class to coach. That's from Lil Kim from the song another featuring Notorious B.I.G. now this quote in particular struck a chord with me because it also tells a generations old story of losing comfort and losing stability which most often was earned by very hard work from a woman due to succumbing to physical urges and the yearning of intimacy that unfortunately led to a misaligned coupling which resulted in financial ruin. That sounds like to me, right. We have two more. The next one that I want to highlight is Women's History Month. So we're going to take a nod back and I mean back. You see what I mean? This quote comes from Miami rapper Trina. Quote, you done forgot who introduced you to rocks and popping, all that Chris and shit. Who let you hit it from the back any way that you like. And any debts I can pay the price. I thought I was a chick you would make your wife and now a bitch can't even stay the night. That's Trina from Here We Go featuring Kelly Rowland. This quote tells a universal story as well of a woman who was selflessly devoting herself to the strengthening of a man through creating unforgettable first time experiences for him, right, that tend to be habit forming only to then be ousted and thus emotionally devastated after being refused lodging. Our final quote comes from Detroit rapper Cash Doll quote with a lame once learned my lesson lost a couple bags on the way I ain't stressing Shooter got a gun with a beam he ain't guessing. That comes from Cashed Out Pressing featuring T. Grizzly, which again tail as old as time. It illustrates the power of resilience, especially after a failed relationship, while also highlighting the value of feeling secure and protected after a breakup by friends with fire arms. I think that these all have a recurring theme here, right? As well as what happened with Maura on Love Island. And the theme here is. The theme here is the shift that can take place when women trust men sometimes. That shift from innocence to knowledge, right? That's the theme here. And also the loss of essential paradise, right? A utopia of sorts. And this is actually nothing new. Okay. This is a story that goes back to the beginning of time as we know it. We were given one of the most vivid examples of this and a book that I think we all read, the Bi ble. Oh my gosh, that's the book for me. Okay, so the theme of today's discussion is the brain of Wisdom.

[Francesca]

Getting there. I was like, when's the turn?

[Dustin Ross]

We're here today. We're going to talk about. And highlight, you know, the braid of wisdom, right? That exists between the. The traders.

[Francesca]

We're naming this episode, though. Let me.

[Dustin Ross]

We're gonna talk about. We're gonna talk about. That's it. That exists between. When you marry, right? Between female hip hop, the traitors and the Bible.

[Asante]

Oh, my God.

[Dustin Ross]

And this is. This is in honor of Women's History Month. Okay? This is in honor of Women's History Month. One time for the women.

[Francesca]

You hear me?

[Dustin Ross]

Women's.

[Asante]

Women's.

[Dustin Ross]

Women's.

[Asante]

Women's. Women's.

[Dustin Ross]

Women's. Women's History Month.

[Francesca]

No, you didn't.

[Dustin Ross]

So we've already highlighted an example of a story going awry with Maura and Rob on the Traitors. The traitors. We've also highlighted the archived literary works of several musicians, Women in hip Hop, Trina, Cash Doll, Lil Kim, who was the first one. One. Oh, Kaya. See, I have forgot about her bucket ass already. Now let's talk about the Bible. You know what I'm saying? And. And I feel like the. The biggest example of this or the most present example of this in my mind as a Bible scholar, I am that Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve. You put your trust in a nigga stupid ho. How you figure? It's the same. It's exactly what happened with Maura. Same thing, right? Rob was a serpent. He had snakes on his arm when she was talking to him. A serpent. And a serpent is present in the story of Adam and Eve. Now, I always felt like, because the Adam and Eve story is so. It can be broken down so simply and it's so often told to children, it's kind of overcome, overlooked to me, right? And it's. The basics is where you start, you know, Adam and Eve up. So because they up, all our lives are up. It's inherent sin from them, and that's all we really know. But when you really think about it as an adult, you know what I'm saying, With life and lived experiences and. And the. The woman man thing that y' all love to talk about on the podcasts, you know, I think that there's more context here when it comes to, like, trust and when it comes to. To women's issues and men and what is more historically about a woman than Adam and Eve, you know what I'm saying? So I felt like for Women's History Month, this is it, right? So let's talk about it. The story of Adam and Eve takes place in the book of Genesis, which is at the front of the Bible. I don't care what version you got, the living Bible, the King James Bible, the New World Translation, the Holy Bible, the hotel Bible. I don't care which one you got. Genesis is up front. They're gonna start this off right with Genesis. Okay? Okay. And in that story, we find out about Adam. God. According to the Bible, most versions of it, God had created Adam in his likeness, right? And in his image, because he needed somebody on the earth that could talk and walk and do the butterfly and the bogo and, you know, and all the things that we can do with our bodies. You know, God wanted somebody to do that, so he created Adam. Once this happened, you know what I'm saying? God decided to create Eve. He wanted to create a partner, a person to complement Adam and to be a helpmate for Adam. Now, this is what most people believe, right? Let's just leave it there for one second. How do you all feel about the notion that Eve as a person was created to be a help mate to Adam? What do you think that means as far as, like, women and men's issues and shit? And does that mean anything as far as, like, gender roles? Or is that where that comes from? What do y' all think about that? Because I personally have a problem with it. Because what you mean? I'm a farm hand. They was living in the Garden of Eden, and you need me to help teal the land? Like, why? What you mean? I would have taken umbrage with that person if I was Eve. I would have walked to the. I'd have walked up to the front like this. Excuse me. What the hell am I supposed to do? That's what I would have asked. What do I think about that?

[Francesca]

Well, hasn't it be. Hasn't the Bible been, like, revised, rewritten, twists and turned? You know, so it's hard to know whose interpretation this is. I know it changes depending on the era or what version. So I don't know.

[Dustin Ross]

Even the names change.

[Francesca]

To me, it doesn't necessarily. Do they?

[Dustin Ross]

Yeah, Yahweh became Jehovah become Jehovah. You know what I'm saying? Like, it's like, wait a minute.

[Francesca]

How do we go from, Eve had a different name? I'm like, I never seen that. Right.

[Dustin Ross]

Yeah. The first lady of Rough Riders. You've seen it with the paw prints. Now, that's a version. Okay. And she reinvented again, Queen of the pivot. Eve is now.

[Asante]

Yes.

[Dustin Ross]

In the countryside in England, okay.

[Asante]

With the elite doing her thing.

[Dustin Ross]

Okay. Gumballs, 3000, you know what I'm saying? Race and her man and her baby. She got a son look just like her too. Have you seen her son? He looked just like his mama. He looked just like Eve. I said, look at him. I wish they would have named him Steve because he looked like me.

[Francesca]

You know what?

[Asante]

I think that statement that back to your original the Bible, it does come off real. It does sound like really problematic. And I wonder if they. That was, to Fran's point, one of those things that was kind of written as, you know, God wanted to, you know, make a second. And it was just interpreted as, well, God wanted to give Adam a helper. And it's just like, well, maybe, maybe God just wanted two, you know, like, you know, let's add something, you know, or maybe an addition and then addition just became help or something. I don't know.

[Dustin Ross]

Everybody knows, like, you don't get the first batch, you get something out the second one. Right. So if the woman was the second batch of humans, to me, that means that she's the improver that you worked all the bugs out. You know what?

[Francesca]

I was beta testing.

[Dustin Ross]

So I don't ever understood the subservient, you know what I'm saying? Assumption that is, that comes along with this story. Like, why? What do you mean? She's created in submission. Like, if anything, she.

[Francesca]

And the way it's weaponized. Yeah, yeah. That's why when people talk about doing marriage counseling at the church before getting married, I had that conversation. I was like, you turn it to

[Dustin Ross]

that lady from Top Model Friend.

[Francesca]

My thing is, should couples have counseling? Absolutely. I think those are great conversations to be had about your finances, about your. Where your values align or don't align. These are things that it's like being in the pod on Love is Blind.

[Dustin Ross]

Things you need to know.

[Francesca]

Things you need to know. Know. But I also, I also think you should be aware of who is guiding the conversations because a lot of their projections are going to seep into the perspective that you're given. And that's where I'm mindful. Because I love God and God is always going to be at the center of everything I do. But man also has a lot of opinions, right? That's where you lose me.

[Asante]

Well, you're cooking for him.

[Francesca]

That's what I'm saying. Imagine the old man guiding us being like, so, no, you know, so like, no.

[Dustin Ross]

Or the hoe from Hunter College, you know what I'm saying? Like, you never Know like people be. That's why, look, I don't let everybody pray over me.

[Francesca]

You got. Hey, that's a big one too.

[Dustin Ross]

Okay, Anyway, so this happened now. Another. Another point. So we all know the story, you know what I mean? We all know the general story of what has taken place. According to the story, God created Adam and Eve. He told Eve to listen to AD and not listen to nobody else. Don't question nothing. Just go with the program. Get with Adam's program, help him take care of the garden, you know, I think he gave her a little shovel, you know what I'm saying, and told her, just help with the garden, you know what I'm saying? They was butt naked. And all the pictures, Eve had like a bust down. You bitches can't even spell the Eden, you know what I'm saying? She had her hair hitting her ankles in every picture I've seen, you know what I'm saying? That is that 76 inches. I know they was melting lace in Eden, you know what I'm saying? Like, God damn. Where they had dryers because that. That wave pattern, it looked mo. I was like, damn. But yeah, Eve was all that in the pictures I've seen. And so we all know the story God told her not to listen to nobody but Adam. She listened to the serpent. The serpent. Snake was actually the devil reincarnated as a snake, right? So there's that whole element, you know what I'm saying? For all the people who say we can't talk about the zodiac, we can't. We can't believe in nothing. We can't say none of that. The first story has a magical element in it. But okay, so you know what I'm saying? So this is by no means to shame nobody's faith, nothing like that. Believe as you wish. I support respecting everybody's views. I'm not trashing nothing. Like, that's not what this conversation is. We simply talking about the story. That's all. So that happened, though, you know what I'm saying? According to the story, once Eve took a bite of the fruit from the tree at the suggestion of the serpent. God was upset, his feelings were hurt, and he punished her and punished Adam by saying, since you sinned, everyone of your offspring is going to be a sinner and have bad luck, basically. And then he said, eve, since you was the one who bit the damn Adam apple, when you have babies, it's gonna hurt like you're gonna suffer the pains of childbirth, and that's the punishment from the eating the apple. You know what I'm saying? So I'm sure we all have our feelings, you know what I'm saying? I. I guess I could have romanticized it a little bit more, but that's what happened, you know what I'm saying? That is the story. So I guess for me, like. Like, after watching King Harris so boldly support and defend his mother, Tamika Tiny Harris, right? Tamika Tiny Cottle Harris, okay. Who he referred to as a motherfucking legend, you know what I'm saying? When he was cussing. She is. Tiny's a legend. And when he was cussing, 50 cents. Ass the fuck out. And I was so proud of King. After suffering through seeing him fumble and make so many missteps and mistakes, it felt so good to see him, you know, do something right. I'll be yelling over a phone, but it was the right thing to do in the situation. And it made me think about having respect and reverence from your mama. Where is the yo mama respect for Eve? I think she was one of the always talking about the founding. This the first day. She was the first mama I heard of, you know what I'm saying? Who her mama?

[Asante]

Eve.

[Dustin Ross]

Kids ain't have no grand grandma,

[Asante]

so

[Dustin Ross]

Eve was the first mama and grandmama, the grandmother is literally the baby. So that's why I feel like he deserves some respect, put some respect on his motherhood, you know what I'm saying? Like, why don't nobody mention her on Mother's Day. It should be Eve cards. Where is Hallmark and. And mahogany, you know what I'm saying? We should. They should have Eve cards for Mother's Day, you know what I'm saying? That should be the. The. I'm sure they do, you know, like cameo jewelry. It should be jewelry. It should be jewelry with pictures and silhouette and Nefertiti. All y' all got that gold chain with Nefertiti doing like this

[Francesca]

in the eye of horse.

[Dustin Ross]

Where Eve chain at?

[Asante]

You know what I'm saying?

[Dustin Ross]

I would like to know that. And so. But yeah, Eve is never credited as a mother, you know what I'm saying? And I think that that is an omission that we need to hide. Highlight. There is scriptural evidence, you know what I'm saying, that suggests that God did, as I said, create man in his own image, and then he created the male and female. That's Genesis 1:27, Moses's account. Because Moses wrote that part. That was. That was Moses on the pen, you know what I'm saying? Moses, he was. He gave A surprisingly sparse account of Eve's history. History. We really don't know, you know what I'm saying, anything about or not even when I say history. Obviously not her relatives, because she was the first. Right. According to the story. But just about her lived experiences beyond up that time with the apple. Yeah, a lot happened. It's a lot of holes in that story, you know what I'm saying? Because Eve, they had on them Esau. Them kids and you know what I'm saying, what happened? Eve completed. Eve is thought of as completing, apparently Adam. She made him complete. She was the second piece to his puzzle. Together they shared his responsibility of the garden and all within it. Right. And so there is to be said the. The perspective there. There, there there is or whatever the perspective that Eve shares and displays a portion of the characteristics of God. So then if she decided to eat the damn apple. Apple. Is it Uchiwali or is it one mic? This is turning into more of a QTNA situation, you know what I'm saying? Like that. I think that that's why I wanted to talk about this. It is. Why? Because obviously, according to the story, we see the through line right at the. At the suggestion of a man, which was the devil. You know, out of all the questions, I've never seen anyone question the devil's gender. Have you? There's so many songs about God being a woman and. And people really feel like God's creator Persona and being suggests the ability to reproduce and people think God is a woman, you know what I'm saying? I have never heard nobody say the devil is anything but a stinking ass man. Have you?

[Francesca]

Well, no.

[Asante]

Devil in a blue dress.

[Dustin Ross]

He had a red one on when we first seen him.

[Francesca]

You know what didn't he looking like

[Dustin Ross]

he going to New Orleans for the. The red dress run. I remember one time on TS Madison's show, shout out to TS Madison. They had put up these pictures of CeeLo Green going. He was going somewhere and he had on all red and he had like a red Goyard travel luggage set. He was just red, red frame, glass, glasses, gloves, you know, CeeLo be putting it on too. And so somebody in the comment gonna say is giving a Nola tea talking about.

[Francesca]

That's the way if you know, you know.

[Dustin Ross]

Yes. And I love those Easter eggs for us. So just for a little bit of closure as we wrap this section of the show up, the Bible does not tell us how long Adam and Ev. Eve lived in the garden without incident. So we don't know how Long. It was good. You know, I personally think Eve got tired of pushing that fertilizer and shit, you know what I'm saying? And picking weeds. She probably grew tired of that, you know what I'm saying? Women are smarter than men. There's statistical data that supports that claim from me. And so I believe. I'm telling you, I believe Eve. What did she do? She took her forearm, covered her breasts. And I believe she walked up to the front of the garden and was like, hey, hey, we gonna have to do something about this. You know what I'm saying? I'm hungry. I don't want nothing. This. This. Keep making horrible food suggestions, you know, I don't want.

[Francesca]

Look at this stuff. Neat.

[Dustin Ross]

Well,

[Asante]

okay, I have a question before you close out.

[Dustin Ross]

Part of. They always calling her worldly. Part of their. Okay, what's up, Asante? KS2 Pegunta.

[Asante]

Okay, this might not be. This might be Bible adjacent. And I learned it from tv, so it's wrong.

[Francesca]

Okay. You just threw that out.

[Asante]

Okay, What'd she say? Mienta Latino.

[Dustin Ross]

I love it.

[Asante]

Who is Lilith?

[Dustin Ross]

The Lilith Fair was a concert comprised of a few women. It is, huh?

[Asante]

I only asked because you mentioned. You mentioned Adam and Eve, and then you talk about the devil, and I think about this. Is this why I was like, this might be completely wrong about that. So I know it's not. Well, I know Lilith ain't in the Bible, per se, because when it was mentioned, it was mentioned on some not Bible stuff. And I was like, oh, I don't really deal with that. But anyway, the reference that I. I was getting it from was True Blood. And so on True Blood, it was like a storyline. On True Blood, there was a storyline about Lilith. And I don't remember if Lilith. Lilith was the devil or the devil's wife or. But I know l. Lilith was something. And I was like, what? But they were like, lilith isn't even mentioned in the Bible. And I was like, oh, I remember when I watched the show. And I was like, oh, I don't know. So that's why I was like, he probably don't know anything about this.

[Dustin Ross]

No disrespect, Lilith, but I don't know you mamas.

[Asante]

Well, I know Lilith ain't in the Bible. So I always wondered. I was like, where this coming from?

[Francesca]

This says Lilith is a figure. Figure in Jewish folklore and Mesopotamian mythology, widely known as Adam's rebellious first wife who was created equal to him from dust, refusing. Refusing to be subordinate. She left the Garden of Eden and Oft. And is often depicted as a powerful demonic night spirit. But recently she has been reclaimed as a symbol of female autonomy and independence. Pendants.

[Dustin Ross]

Yeah, cuz she got the hell on.

[Asante]

Eve.

[Dustin Ross]

That's how they was getting around back then. They get on the back of an angel. Where you think the song came from?

[Francesca]

Okay. Lilith. I heard of Lilith, but I guess I never looked into.

[Dustin Ross]

I ain't heard of.

[Francesca]

I guess she had already said where. E. Eve and Lilith. The same person? It says no. So he had two wives.

[Dustin Ross]

I didn't even know the was married.

[Francesca]

Oh. It says through some folklore, Lilith was Adam's first wife before Eve was created as a replacement. But this is apparently a concept not found in the Bible, but in later Jewish tradition, like the Alphabet of Ben Sira. Okay, okay.

[Dustin Ross]

So he just said. He said, I don't like that we giving him another wife first. And this one's A. And this one's a little spice to it. O. This got a little sweetness to it.

[Guest Singer]

This is crazy.

[Dustin Ross]

I know that.

[Asante]

You.

[Dustin Ross]

You look.

[Asante]

You. You brought me there, so, you know, look. Women's History month. Look at that.

[Dustin Ross]

I bet you she had. She was the first person with hoop earrings with her name in the middle. I'm getting a. I'm getting out this guy. She was also the first person to go out to talk about her to somebody. Adam has got me standing there pulling all this passion fruit. I want to pull this. I feel like they had passion fruit and eating. Yeah. Hibiscus leaves. You know what I'm saying?

[Asante]

Okay.

[Dustin Ross]

I didn't know Lilith had hit it like that. Okay, then. Well, even I wonder if Eve had a hard time. She ain't know what the hell to do.

[Asante]

She.

[Dustin Ross]

She was trying to live up, you know what I'm saying? You know, making a. With a first wife happy is a different kind of, you know, path to walk. You know what I'm saying?

[Asante]

It's different. Okay, Dustin, So this is gonna make it worse. I googled Lilith on True Blood. Cause I was like, well, what was Lilith? Lilith is the progenitor and the first vampire in True Blood Season 5. Created by God before Adam and Eve. O. So I told you. I told you that's.

[Francesca]

I don't play with those things.

[Asante]

So. Yep.

[Dustin Ross]

Where is H? I need some embodiment, Fran. I need some embodiment.

[Asante]

So I wonder how her history has been updated or rewritten or how it was actually written in Jewish folklore before it was taken by hbo.

[Francesca]

Interesting.

[Dustin Ross]

I got to ask some of my

[Francesca]

Jewish friends, Lilith's sin is that she would not submit to Adam. That was her sin.

[Dustin Ross]

Well, no head.

[Francesca]

You know what?

[Dustin Ross]

On that note, the first person that said I don't do that, Lis was the first one. I do not do that. That was Lilith. You are cool.

[Asante]

Oh, my God, please.

[Dustin Ross]

Lilith was the first person to say, I don't think so. That was Lilith. The first person. Lilith. Lilith had a lot of firsts. She was the first person to put her pan in somebody face.

[Francesca]

Wait, what's the Jocelyn intro?

[Dustin Ross]

What you talking about? Adam's like, give me some, you know, put in your mouth. You know what I'm saying? What you talking about? What are you talking about? You keep playing with me up in here. You keep playing with me, Adam. That's a.

[Francesca]

All right. Okay.

[Asante]

Great episode.

[Dustin Ross]

To look away and point her thumb at the person that she was just talking to was the first person to do this. Women's History month. So shout out to Women's History Month. I just wanted to highlight the braid of wisdom between female hip hop, the traders and the Bible. And apparently that's on Lilith. Lilith Tubman. She was the first one ran away. No, Lilith Tubman. That's probably where Harriet Tubman got that. That idea. You know what I'm saying? Lilith tapped her shoulder real quick. Hella help.

[Francesca]

Oh my God. Today

[Dustin Ross]

one day Lilith said, like the traders. Speaking of the traders, you know how he tap your shoulder and tell you a trader. That's what Lilith did to Harriet Tubman in the field that day.

[Asante]

Justice. She did not decide this.

[Dustin Ross]

I'm leaving. Thank came to her. It was Lilith. Thank you Asante for closing the gap.

[Asante]

Wow.

[Dustin Ross]

And with that being said, this is a little Women's History month comedy for y'.

[Asante]

All.

[Dustin Ross]

Again, this is just jokes. No disrespect to anyone's faith. We respect everybody's walk when it comes to that and all of your choices. For real. This is all in the name of comedy. We just having a little fun. Like Juicy said at the just having fun. We have two. And with that friend, what you got for the wellness segment?

[Francesca]

Let's jump into this week's segment.

[Asante]

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[Dustin Ross]

Stop playing. You probably downloaded the trailer. Nah, for real. That's how fast this is.

[Asante]

I'm streaming, gaming, scrolling all the good stuff. H man, how much you paying? It's Cricket. So you can count on great value. Cricket wireless lightning fast 5G speeds at prices that. That makes sense. Switch today. Cricut 5G requires a compatible device and is not available everywhere.

[Commercial Voice 1]

Okay, I have to tell you, I

[Asante]

was just looking on ebay where I

[Francesca]

go for all kinds of things I love.

[Asante]

And there it was.

[Dustin Ross]

That hologram trading card. One of the rarest. The last one I needed for my set.

[Commercial Voice 1]

Shiny like the designer handbag of my dreams. One of a kind.

[Francesca]

Ebay had it and now everyone's asking,

[Dustin Ross]

ooh, where'd you get your windshield wipers? Ebay has all the cars that fit my car. No more annoying, just beautiful.

[Francesca]

Millions of finds, each with a story. EBay.

[Commercial Voice 1]

Things people love.

[Francesca]

This Week in Wellness. This week in Wellness is more of a piggyback to the wellness segment that we had with Jessica Jones of Diabetes Digital. Yes, we love that fka. The food heaven made it easy. So we were talking about how much protein is too much protein. In that conversation, a lot of you actually were saying, this should have been a longer episode. We're definitely going to bring her back alongside Wendy, of course, so that we can have an updated episode.

[Dustin Ross]

Y don't have to keep hashtagging free, Wendy. She's coming.

[Francesca]

An updated episode where we can really tap into them about how we should be eating for well rounded meals. But I did want to very quickly touch on this plate that is going around is it's not new. It's just ground beef. No ground beef, sweet potatoes. Right. People are saying if you trying to get skinny or if you try to be on your fitness shit, you try to build muscle, whatever it is, this is what you need to be eating every day.

[Dustin Ross]

Ground beef and sweet potatoes.

[Francesca]

A lot of people mean it's a very gym bro meal. Everyone in the fitness world knows that's a very gym bro meal. And it does. Dustin, you are killing me with spirit

[Dustin Ross]

of limit took over me like June, like, never mind, never mind.

[Francesca]

And while ground beef and sweet potato are very helpful, but I did, I was having a conversation with my doctor. She. We were talking about the danger your

[Dustin Ross]

stomach was probably hurting from that ground beef and sweet potato. That's why he was at the damn doctor.

[Francesca]

No, I don't eat ground beef like that.

[Dustin Ross]

I should have known you right? You too smart for that shit.

[Francesca]

But we were no, we were talking about the dangers of. And this is actually kind of similar to what even Jessica was saying in that segment of things being popularized and becoming trendy without people looking into it any deeper. Just because someone is saying, oh, this really worked for me. Now out ground beef does work. It's protein. It's gonna help you build muscle. But one thing that people aren't discussing is the fact that ground beef is also really high in saturated fat. And saturated fat, they usually. That's the sad part. It really does. Because when you eat that 937 ground

[Dustin Ross]

beef, you need 80. 80. What is it?

[Asante]

80 23.

[Dustin Ross]

Yeah, 8020 or whatever.

[Francesca]

Or the 15. Yeah, that, that one. But then you, you know, when you're really trying to get into the lean meats, when you're really watching your health, it can be a little cardboardish, but it's Spam because I eat 93. 7 ground turkey.

[Dustin Ross]

God bless you. That's why you look good, though.

[Guest Singer]

Yeah.

[Francesca]

But when you put cumin, you put chili powder, you put some Dominican oregano, you know, like, it. It helps, it helps. It helps do something to it. But I'm just, I just wanted to bring it into people's awareness because I know people are on their health journey, their fitness journey. That ground beef and even a lot of the chicken, it's. You have to consider what they call your low density lipoprotein. We've all heard that's ldl, which is the quote unquote, bad cholesterol. All those things are very high in it. And then if your meal prep, prepping, that means that you're eating it at least what, three, four times a week. Right. Most people that meal prep, meal prep on Sunday and that's. That takes them till what, Wednesday, Thursday.

[Dustin Ross]

Yes.

[Francesca]

And I understand meal prepping is extremely useful. It honestly has kept me on track. But you have to be mindful of what you're meal prepping and what people are encouraging you to meal prep. Because if your LDL starts elevating, which it will, if you're eating saturated fat four times a week, us o l

[Dustin Ross]

get out of luck at that point.

[Francesca]

And for people who are unfamiliar, LDL can cause clogged arteries. Right. And once your arteries start clogging, that makes the vessel itself get narrower. And when that vessel gets narrow because it has all this plaque buildup on the inside happens, blood pressure starts changing. And let's be real, here in our community, communities, we hear it a lot. You know what I mean? Dark circles around the eyes, increasing rates of heart attack, stroke. I mean, there's a lot that I feel people need to be mindful of when they're following these fitness influencers and this meal prepping trend that's really taken over. It doesn't mean that you can't eat ground beef, but you shouldn't be eating it four to five times a week. And you definitely shouldn't be eating the fattier one. If, if you're. If. When you put the ground beef in the fridge. Fridge. That little hardened fat, y' all know that gets all around. I know it makes it good, but that's also the one that causes that plaque buildup in your body. So.

[Dustin Ross]

So mix it up. Yeah.

[Francesca]

It don't mean don't ever have it.

[Dustin Ross]

Right.

[Francesca]

But it shouldn't be the dominant protein in your week. That's all.

[Dustin Ross]

Everything in radiation or moderation that.

[Francesca]

So if you're doing it once a week, twice a week. Cool. Four times, three times. Be mindful. And then there's, there's, there's lean ground beef. Like I said, the 93, 7 still has saturated fat. It's just less.

[Asante]

Right, right.

[Francesca]

But even that, you should have less ground beef in general. Skinless, boneless chicken. I know it's not fun, but because they took off the fat, they took off the skin, there's like almost non existent saturated fat on it. And that's why people tend to lean towards that when they are on their wellness journey. I understand. Skinless, boneless, it's not.

[Dustin Ross]

I prefer it personally when it comes to my chicken pieces. It holds the seasoning, the meat holds the flavor better because the skin is out the way.

[Francesca]

You gotta tell them, chef Dustin and y' all know chef. Be chef. I just called you chef. And y' all know Dustin being there, chefing it up. But there's ways to make it good. I mean, we eat it and we make it good. We make it work. You know, you can pull it, put it into wraps, all kind of. There's so many ways to prepare it. Another thing too that I wanted to mention is there's a lot of tuna and like canned and tinned fish that's also becoming really popular. You have to be mindful too with the tuna. Tuna is amazing. It has so many, so much protein per can. You can get 30 grams of protein just from one little acid. So I completely understand why it's people's go to. But you have to be mindful. I was looking on the Environmental Protection Agency and they were talking about methylmercury. Right. Which is found and tends to be found in fish and shellfish, especially silver ones. And Healthline, you know what Healthline was saying that there are certain brands like Albacore that have high, higher mercury in it. See, and so that's another thing. You should not be meal prepping for four days a week either, because that will, that builds up in your body mercury. And mercury actually has horrible side effects. Yeah, Loss of peripheral vision, lack of coordination and movements, impairment of speech, hearing, walking, muscle weakness, which actually means it's going to work against what you're most likely eating it for. So if you are doing tuna, just don't do it every day. And if you do get the one in water and they say if you buy the light or Skipjack ones, those tend to be even lower in mercury. So that's something to be mindful of, you know, and so this isn't to make people feel overwhelmed because this is already overstimulating. Right. Where you're talking about food and what adults are tired. And then we got to think about what we're going to eat every day. It's already a lot. But I think when you are meal prepping, there's just certain things that you should keep in mind for sure. What it is that you are eating for four to five days out of the week. Just make sure that, that how it's being prepared isn't working against your blood work and against your body.

[Dustin Ross]

Causing different problems for you.

[Francesca]

Yeah. Causing long term problems when in reality you're just trying to make your life easier so that you can eat better. Right. So that you can have structure.

[Dustin Ross]

Put on a sexy sarong, you know what I'm saying? So.

[Asante]

Well, the, the two of you are some, you know, fit individuals, you know, really in the kitchen about your business. What are your recommended proteins, especially if you're meal prepping.

[Francesca]

Absolutely. Like I said, skin for me. Right? Skinless, boneless. Chicken breast is my go to.

[Dustin Ross]

Yeah.

[Francesca]

And with chicken breast, because it's so damn thick, you can cut it into like three fillets just from one chicken breast because it's so dang thick. And it's better because then when you're, if you're searing it or grilling it and you cut it down, it's easier to cook because it's not so thick and meaty. So I would suggest that I do ground Turkey. I do 93, 7 ground turkey. You know, it's not everyone's favorite. It's lean. I'm trying to think what else. I don't eat fish. Unfortunately it's not because I don't want to. I would love to, but I just can't. I'm allergic. But I suggest if you're able, don't sleep on fish. You know what I mean? Not every day either, but at least once or twice as good. Because also you have to consider the mercury and shellfish as well. So I'm trying to think what else is there that's healthy? Those are my go to. I eat very utilitarian.

[Dustin Ross]

I eat a lot of seafood. Seafood.

[Francesca]

I wish.

[Dustin Ross]

I love fish. I love seafood in general.

[Asante]

Shrimp.

[Dustin Ross]

I eat a lot of shrimp. I eat a lot of lobster. I eat a lot of crab meat. I eat a lot of, I don't eat a lot of red meat, actually. The only time I, like, I made a pot roast a couple Sundays ago when it snowed. I haven't made a pot roast in probably since the last time I was cooking regularly, which was like six years ago, you know what I'm saying? So that's rare for me. I never, I don't fry nothing because I don't like my house smelling like fried food. I don't know, I just feel like my house smells.

[Francesca]

I don't either. And then you smell it, your hair,

[Dustin Ross]

your clothes, and it never comes out. And I got my couch velvet. I just can't take them risks. So I, so I don't fry anything. That's one area where I make, you know, my concessions and shit. But I'll also be eating cheese on shit using a lot of heavy cream and when I cook and all kind of shit. So, you know, you just make your choices where you can. But Fran hit the nail on the head, speaking on protein specifically with the meat choices that she just shared.

[Francesca]

Yeah. And also the butcher. I know it's, it can be pricey, especially in this economy, but if you're able, I would, I always go to the butcher to get going there and

[Dustin Ross]

wash them with that beef cleaver because

[Francesca]

it's just fresher produce, you know, less packaging

[Dustin Ross]

carcasses hanging around when they open the goddamn refrigerator door. That noise it makes when it closes. Like you, the ice cream thing that the guy pushes, you know.

[Francesca]

But also don't sleep on eggs, obviously. Right. Egg whites even more so. I know people don't love cottage cheese and I get it. It's not every, it's not everybody's thing. Cottage cheese. I do Greek yogurt.

[Asante]

Okay.

[Francesca]

Yeah, yeah. You know, obviously beans, like there's, it don't always have to be.

[Dustin Ross]

I'm very selective with beans. For me personally, like, I'm not a.

[Francesca]

Not yet.

[Dustin Ross]

It just depends. It depends on the bean. Like I like, like, like Dominican bean dishes and shit. You know what I'm saying?

[Francesca]

We use a lot of pinto, black

[Dustin Ross]

eyed bee, black eyed peas all the time. I make my famous black eyed peas, you know, so like, But I don't make like lima beans and shit or like northern beans and you know what I'm saying? Like, I don't be making all, all of that. I don't know.

[Francesca]

I'm, I, I, I usually only make two really. The pinto red beans that Dominicans make or Cuban black beans, which is my personal fave. I love making Cuban black beans, but that's really it as far as beans for me. But I also do want to start cutting down on how much meat and chicken I'm eating anyway. Y' all know if you've been listening to the show. So for many years, I didn't eat it, moved here, started eating it. I don't regret it because it was something that my body literally was asking for, and I just was fine with the decision. But now I'm starting to get the opposite feeling where I don't know if my body needed something from it then. Now it's feeling like I'm good because now I'm getting a different sign of cutting down. Not necessarily cutting out, but absolutely cutting down. So trying to find alternative forms, terms of protein. Because a lot of vegan, vegetarian people eat a lot of bullshit, too, of processed shapes and they're high in sodium, you know, like, they're. They're worse off a lot of times. And so it's important to do your research as well. We'll have Jessica Jones and Wendy to come on to really help us tap into those different reserves. But I did want to tap in this part of the conversation because I am seeing that ground beef and. And sweet potato plate floating and a lot of people being like, yes, this is what is helping me look good. And it's like, yeah, I get it, it is helpful. But don't forget about your bad cholesterol and the saturated fats.

[Dustin Ross]

I'm. Leave them alone. I'm gonna leave these people alone. They going through enough eating that damn ground beef and sweet potatoes. They don't need it for me. But just stop.

[Francesca]

So all in all to say, like they say on Reddit, tldr if you are tldr if you're meal prepping, research what the dominant foods are that you're meal prepping that you'll be eating for more than half of your week. Just make sure they're not going to go against your blood work. And that's it for this week in wellness.

[Asante]

This week in Music. It's a Music man segment. Just a couple, couple of quick stories. First of all, not so much as a story. Just want to congratulate my girl, our girl, you know, resident hotties, Megan Thee, Stallion. She is on Broadway. That's right.

[Francesca]

Wait, what?

[Asante]

Yes, yes, Megan Thee, stallion. Yes, that's right. The hot girl is hit Broadway. She's gonna be in Moulin Rouge.

[Francesca]

That's so cool. I love that.

[Asante]

I love that for her. I wanted to make sure I congratulated my girl. She did a little post on Instagram. You know, she's been doing her thing as an artist, and she's been making a lot of the right moves lately. So I just want to continue to celebrate her, especially when she's happy. She looks like she's happy with her man, but she looks like she's happy in her career as a whole. So I just, you know, just up from here, just uplifting her, especially because it's women's history month. Black history, you know, black people. We're doing the damn thing in the name of that.

[Dustin Ross]

She's playing Harold Zidler. She's the first woman to play Harold Zidler in Moulin rouge on Broadway. So it's a history making gender switch for the character in her Broadway debut. And she's the first female rapper to do Broadway. Like all that shit. Yeah, it's like it's a big deal. And, you know, I'm obsessed with people doing stints on Broadway and I get excited with the big reveal. So I didn't know nothing. I didn't hear no rumbling. So I was really a fan enjoying the moment when this was announced. I'm excited about this.

[Asante]

I am super excited. I know Megan has a natural talent as an artist. I am thinking about it.

[Dustin Ross]

Let me know we'll go because Chris will want to go too. I seen she had posted about it. We all should just go.

[Asante]

Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Okay, let me know where y' all go. You know, I'll come.

[Dustin Ross]

I'm gonna connect with her. Yeah, okay.

[Asante]

All right. So shout out to being the stallion for that. You know, Shout out to everybody black. Which brings me to my next story. This story actually broke last week. I didn't want to talk about it because I'm not too into the group. I have mentioned them before, just lightly, but there is a group because y' all are not. Y' all might know, but, like, y' all don't really know. And I don't really know either, to be honest. So that's really why I'm downplaying it. There's a group by the name of Cat's eye. They are a k pop inspired girl group. There are a girl group consisting of six young ladies. They were put together through this dance academy, which they called the dream academy. It got picked up on Netflix. The show played out on Netflix and Cat ey was put together a couple years ago. I believe they dropped their first single and they have gained popularity over the past couple of years. Well, as of last week, one of the six members, the black one, now her name is spelled like Manon, but I believe it's Manon. I'm not entirely sure.

[Francesca]

She's French, right?

[Asante]

I'm not entirely sure her background. But her, her skin, her skin color tells me she might be one of us. So rooting for her. Okay. Last name Bannerman. She actually announced, or it was announced through the group that she was going to be taking a break from the group to focus on her health and well being later on.

[Dustin Ross]

There was some cats. I got pink eye

[Asante]

pretty much because they didn't want no more black. And I see it was. People had posted things surrounding this and Manon had actually liked some of the posts suggesting that maybe she. She was healthy and she was fine and she did not need to. Or maybe that she was. Didn't want to be asked to leave the group. But some people say that maybe she was wanting to be out of the group. All of. All in all the optics are bad. It just raised the question in a lot of conversations about black girls in girl groups last week. Yeah, there was a large discourse on that that, that happened. I didn't partake. I. Again, I'm not entirely into this group, so I don't really have a lot of comment. But a couple people asked me if I was going to say anything about this on the show, so I at least wanted to bring it to the table. Had you guys seen anything about this and do you guys have any thoughts just as far as what you've seen?

[Dustin Ross]

No, I wouldn't, I wouldn't know.

[Francesca]

I'm not. I'm not familiar with the group's music.

[Asante]

Right. Absolutely not.

[Francesca]

I started seeing, you know, their fan base faces would. Would show clips in the music videos where Manon was being hidden. Like they would. They would like configure them in ways where she was always behind someone. So in the video you don't see her until there's like a random spin movie. You see her hair whip. So you know she's back there. But she's strategically hidden.

[Dustin Ross]

She's never featured.

[Francesca]

Never featured, but in. But hidden in a way where it's like, what the. How did they even think that was okay?

[Dustin Ross]

Who they think she is? Tarazi. This ain't hidden. Figures. Figures. Hoe put me in the front.

[Francesca]

They had like dolls made of them. And like the girls each had like pictures put up of them with their doll. But she wasn't, you know, like things like that. She just kept being excluded and hidden and treated very strangely. And people were like, it'd be different if she was like trash, right? And they're just hoping she gets better or something. But apparently she's amazing, you know, just like the other singers and dancers. So they're not really sure, outside of her being black, what other reason it could be. So I started seeing that conversation on Twitter and it made me be like, who are these girls? Because it just kept coming up, kept coming up. And they have so much proof, so many receipts, so many clips, so many years where it's like, damn, how is this even possible? Came from. So you're saying that this was a dance show that was on Netflix where the girls won like a competition? That's how they got put together as the. This group?

[Dustin Ross]

Or are you saying that they got put together by this program that got turned into a TV show?

[Asante]

So, yeah, I guess the program happened and was picked up for tv. I'm not entirely sure how it happened. I know I was watching a YouTube channel and it was like the Dream Academy and it featured all these girls. But then when it was on Netflix, it's like they brought back some of the girls. It was almost like. It was almost like making a band. Like, you remember when they brought back some of the girls and they started like, with a bunch of other girls. Like, they brought back some of the girls, girls, and then they, like, were bringing in other girls. And I believe Manon was one of the girls that they had brought in later because, okay, there was actually a different black girl. There were actually a couple different black girls that were in that spot and they got switched out. And from what I remember, I actually remember Manal not being as. I don't. They were trying to, like, make it an issue on the show that, like, oh, she's not working as hard or she doesn't seem like she wants to it as bad. And I remember being like, is that what this is?

[Francesca]

Or is this.

[Dustin Ross]

But there were.

[Asante]

But there were. There was one girl on there that she was like, doing her thing. And I remember saying to myself, well, I remember just saying to myself, as like an avid, like TV watcher and fake, you know, at home, A and R, the other black girl that was on there doing her thing, I was like, oh, she too powerful for a girl group. Like, that was why I was like, they not choosing her. Especially when you got a group, a group of six girls. So it's like. And that's another thing that happens too, right? So, Dustin, because this is a group of six, Six girls, some people will try to hide, like, oh, you know, maybe it's not that they're not showing her as much. It's just they're trying to give everybody their moment. Like, cuz, you know, that's like a big. So that's like supposedly a big thing in music, right? When they're always like, all right, well, you know, with girl groups, they got to wait till like their album or something like that. But it's like in K pop groups, there's always too many. Everyone always has a moment or two. Y want to make up this excuse of this black girl. Like, oh, well, you know, she. She stood in the front for the first two seconds.

[Francesca]

It's like, okay, a K pop group.

[Asante]

Well, I said K pop inspired. Because they're not all Korean, right?

[Guest Singer]

Yeah.

[Francesca]

I was like, wait, they're considered K pop.

[Asante]

K pop inspired. Like, they were actually put together by some people that like, have done stuff in K pop. And I was just like. That's why I said this isn't really my realm. Because K pop isn't something that appeals to me. Like, I do appreciate girl groups, but I don't really like when it's a lot. And it's like I like vocals and sometimes I'm. Other things appeal me. So that's why it's like I wanted to open the door and see what was inside, but I'm just peeking through there. I'm not like actually going in to hang out. Too many members.

[Dustin Ross]

I like my groups to feel like a group, not a flash mob.

[Asante]

Pussycat. Pussycat Dolls was definitely like a flash mob, but even then different.

[Francesca]

That's like dance. Lead singer.

[Asante]

Great example.

[Dustin Ross]

Because she don't want them to Melody Thornton her. Right. Because can't Melody Thornton. I'm dead ass serious. So she can sing and dance her ass off. Remember when she took the mic and they was pissed at her and it was adling.

[Asante]

Adling.

[Dustin Ross]

It sound like our sister Monet.

[Asante]

What's her name? Like Pussycat Dolls.

[Dustin Ross]

Mana. Our sister Mana is like, y' all ain't finna do me like that.

[Francesca]

I'mma gone and get worse because they. They hiding her. And that was the craziest shit I ever seen.

[Asante]

Those are two different arrangements. I'll say.

[Dustin Ross]

Because I said no. Hell no.

[Asante]

I feel like Pussycat Dolls. I feel like they weren't looked at as like a singing group. It's like, all right, y' all just gonna. Nicole. Yeah, right.

[Francesca]

Act which is usually dancers and then someone singing. That's me.

[Asante]

They actually got all these girls because they each can sing, can dance, can hand coordinate, switch things, be cutesy. Like, they literally were chosen to do this group. But also, I remember talking about K Pop groups before, how they're literally. They're literally run like. Like they sleep in dorms, trying to put them. Put them through, like, academies, and it's, like a weird thing over there. That's why I'm like, I'm not really into the K pop for real. Like, I like when talent is cool. Like, I know there was another TV competition on Netflix that I just watched last year. I can't remember what it was called, but there was a group that just made a song, Season four. Have you. Have you heard of this group? Season four?

[Dustin Ross]

Yes, But I did not watch that show. There was Kelly Rowland on it. Who was on that show.

[Asante]

I think Kelly Rowland was on that show. This was the show with the. The person that passed away, and I was like, damn, that hard. That last episode was, like, real hard to watch.

[Dustin Ross]

Yeah. So, see, I haven't watched that show, but it was popular. I do know that. And I've heard the name of this. This group from that show. I'm. I'm. I'm familiar, but I didn't watch.

[Francesca]

I didn't hear about it.

[Asante]

I really wanted to figure out the name of this or, like, what the name of the show was. Oh, Building the Band. So Netflix. Building the. Building the Band. Season four is a group that's on that show, and they're still together, but there were a couple of other groups that were on the show, and like, they, like, announced that they were, you know, dismantling or whatever. But even them just finding each other on tv, I think it was kind of cool that they stayed a group or they're still making music. You know, maybe they're like, like, I like that they were on that show. They, like, literally chose each other and, like, had to work together. When these groups are put together where they're, like, chosen and to, like, work together and, like, made to do stuff, it's a little different.

[Dustin Ross]

They break out each other later.

[Asante]

Like, I like the chemistry that season four has so far and hope that they keep that. And I feel like cat's eye, the girls that are in the group, and hopefully this is one of those situations where maybe Mana just is. She does want to take a break,

[Dustin Ross]

and she's looking at this baby.

[Asante]

Hopefully it's all good. Press with you, sister. Whenever you can, speak up and say what you got to say. Say, we listening, and we got her back.

[Francesca]

That is a cute concept. I like the idea of this global girl group because it's like, girls from different countries.

[Dustin Ross]

I Think I don't know nothing about them. So put me on. That's dope.

[Francesca]

Isn't there like an in. Well, I don't know if she's Indian, so let me not say that. But there's a girl. Let me not assume where she's from. But you know, right. There's women from different parts of Asia. Then they have my own, which I think think she's a French black girl. You know, it's like, I think that is a really cool concept.

[Dustin Ross]

Yeah, but we got that. We got our sister back. Them cat's eyes. Let me tell you something. We got your back, mano. Okay.

[Asante]

Yeah, we got your back, girl.

[Dustin Ross]

This for me? No, that's why it's pink.

[Francesca]

Oh, yeah. She is Indian. They have a girl. One of the members is named Lara, is Indian of Tamil descent. And so it is a global girl group. And I think that that's such a cool idea. I just hate that they even in a global girl group. The black girl.

[Dustin Ross]

Damn.

[Francesca]

M Streeted. Ain't that some.

[Dustin Ross]

That.

[Asante]

Yeah. So they went from the Dream Academy and when they were put on the they became a Netflix docu series Pop Star Academy. Cat's Eye, which re. Which recounted the audition process, intensive training information of the group. Cat Ey debuted in June 2024 with that single debut and followed with their breakthrough single Touch. So yes, this is all according to Wikipedia, which cites other sources, but Cat has been around for a couple of years. I just don't like that they starting this year off being a little anti black. So if y' all listening, y' all need to go ahead and fix that. To to your point, friend. I do like that girl a lot. Raj, the Indian girl, I like her voice too.

[Francesca]

And I love seeing a darker skinned Indian girl being a pop star. Like we need to see that too, you know. So that's why to me, when I first saw them, I was like, what is this? This is such a cool concept. So I hate that they're ruining it because if you're gonna go as far as creating a global girl group, I would think that the whole point is to break those barriers. Right. What pop stars look like and sound like. And so that sucks because it's like you had the idea fucking went back to the old shit. But I looked up Manon is a French name, but she. Is she from Switzerland? Yeah. She has a Swiss Italian mother and her father's from Ghana, but she lives in. But she's from Switzerland. Yeah.

[Asante]

So because it says with members from Philippines, South Korea, Switzerland and the US

[Dustin Ross]

well, pull your army knife out on them.

[Francesca]

And they have a Filipino artist. Like, I'm telling you, it's such a great concept. I really love it.

[Asante]

It's an amazing concept. Concept. The music for me, I couldn't really get into because I just know that it's for a younger generation. But I saw the appeal. Like when I watched. I saw that they won like a Nickelodeon award. I was like, okay, this makes sense. Like, you know, this is for a younger generation. So as they're getting bigger, I can see them maybe becoming more appealing to me. But this right here is where I hit the hard stop.

[Francesca]

Also, it's okay to be aged out because when I. Gnarly song where they're like, gnarly.

[Asante]

I'm not saying.

[Francesca]

Saying chicken.

[Asante]

I'm not saying I want it for me to like, consume. Right? Everything could be described in one word. Gnarly. Fried chicken. Gnarly. Tesla, gnarly. I was like, all right. And. And even in that song, that girl, Lara Raj, the lines are so dumb. But I'm like, I don't care cuz I like Lara. Like, that's. That's what I'm saying. Like, I'm endear to certain aspects.

[Francesca]

Crazy though.

[Dustin Ross]

I'm a support club tonight. Gay.

[Guest Singer]

Gay.

[Asante]

I'm like, okay.

[Francesca]

At this age, we come to terms with the fact that not everything's.

[Asante]

Who's in?

[Dustin Ross]

Who wrote the songs. The pink sauce lady, probably, you know,

[Asante]

because you know that pink sauce was no. Or what's the.

[Dustin Ross]

Not the pink sauce. What's that lady, you know who I'm thinking about? The ice cream. Yum yum. Ice cream. So good. That's not the pink sauce lady. That's two different people. Yeah, Pinky.

[Asante]

What's her name? Pinky something. Her. She.

[Dustin Ross]

She in. She in the studio with them. Fried chicken. Gnarly. It sound like some of her.

[Asante]

Right? It's it for this portion of the Music man segment. Now we move on. Hopefully that was gnarly for you. Music.

[Francesca]

Imagine being. Imagine being in the boardroom when they came with that song.

[Dustin Ross]

I would have quit.

[Francesca]

And then it was a hit, though. That's a cry.

[Asante]

But it was a hit, right?

[Dustin Ross]

And I'm at home smoking cigarettes, looking like Effie after the dreams blew up.

[Asante]

But imagine they come in there and they start playing that and then somebody sitting there looking like the lady on the trim their headphones like. Like, ooh, gnarly. And it's like, what the. What are you hearing? Pay around the corner and around the globe. Apple Pay is accepted at millions of places worldwide. Wherever you see the contactless symbol in

[Dustin Ross]

stores or the Apple pay button online and in apps, whether you're checking out on iPhone or Apple Watch, just double

[Asante]

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[Dustin Ross]

wallet and you're good to go.

[Asante]

Pay the Apple way terms apply.

[Dustin Ross]

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[Dustin Ross]

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[Dustin Ross]

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[Commercial Voice 1]

Okay, I have to tell you, I

[Asante]

was just looking on ebay, where I

[Francesca]

go for all kinds of of things I love.

[Asante]

And there it was.

[Dustin Ross]

That hologram trading card. One of the rarest. The last one I needed for my set.

[Commercial Voice 1]

Shiny like the designer handbag of my dreams. One of a kind. Ebay had it.

[Francesca]

And now everyone's asking, ooh, where'd you

[Dustin Ross]

get your windshield wipers? Ebay has all the parts that fit my car. No more annoying, just beautiful.

[Francesca]

Millions of finds, each with a story. EBay, things people love.

[Asante]

Oh, great. Let's see.

[Francesca]

Songs we do like, right?

[Asante]

Yes, Fran, I want to know what you have lately that be sketchy.

[Dustin Ross]

They need to team up with K. You know it's gnarly when you see them two fingers touching, touching.

[Francesca]

Did you see Tyler doing?

[Dustin Ross]

Yeah. They might as well just fight.

[Asante]

Oh, my God.

[Francesca]

She's awesome for that. That had me howling. You hear me?

[Asante]

All right, friend.

[Francesca]

So y' all know I love me some Baby Rose. Yes. And Baby Rose has a song with Leon Thomas.

[Dustin Ross]

Leon Thomas is on a roll like Butterbeans.

[Francesca]

My goodness. And he. Their song is called Friends again. And this is how it goes.

[Guest Singer]

Can't you be joy? But here I am wanting more but in my mind I'm not so sure Larry, open up the door about the fight with the rain With a matching kerosene out on the flame why do I feel this way? Feel it be the shame why did we have to complicate Moment of weakness? We can explain Will we ever be friends again? To all of your burning desire

[Francesca]

it's

[Guest Singer]

hard to put out these fire why try to put out these flames?

[Dustin Ross]

You always come back the same

[Guest Singer]

Oo.

[Francesca]

Come on. I've been playing that a lot, actually. So the next song I want to play, I mentioned it, but didn't play it. Jill Scott and Jib. And it's called, to be be honest.

[Guest Singer]

I really would like to know you Let me be your friend I really would like to hold you Won't you please let me in? I really would like to know you Let me be your friend maybe.

[Dustin Ross]

Yeah, I get that.

[Guest Singer]

Hard times in every single neighborhood. Let me give you something good and right Let me give you something good and right I really would like to hold you that's the.

[Francesca]

The way you did the front part. And then lastly, so you know when you have your song playing, the best part of Spotify is that it'll put you on to other good.

[Dustin Ross]

Yes.

[Francesca]

Yeah. Other artists you never heard of. Literally, my favorite part, there's an artist named Know Me, and she has a song called Badman that popped up. And I was like, oh, who's this? And this is how it goes.

[Guest Singer]

You couldn't control yourself. Some mistakes just take time. Your mistakes I can't hold oh, See, the good guys have bad days That I can understand. But you're not a good guy. Maybe you're just a bad man. You're a bad. Baby. You're a.

[Asante]

Right.

[Francesca]

Okay. And those are my three.

[Asante]

Damn. You over there jamming, girl.

[Francesca]

Those are my three for this week.

[Asante]

All right, Dustin Ross, what have you

[Dustin Ross]

been listening to lately, man? I went back and watched the first episode of Empire.

[Asante]

Oh, wow.

[Dustin Ross]

I did. Something came up, and I just. I ended up going back to watch the first episode, and I watched actually, like three episodes while I was working on something. But this right here, when this shit motherfucking dropped. This was part of, I believe, that show being successful because this just changed. It was a game changer for me, and it still gave me chills when I watched that first episode. This is what Is Love by V. Boseman.

[Guest Singer]

I would tell you that I love you tonight

[Francesca]

But I know that I've

[Guest Singer]

got time on my side where you going? Why you leaving so soon? Is there somewhere else that's better for you? What is love if you're not here with me? What is love if it's not guaranteed? What is love if it just stops and leave yeah.

[Dustin Ross]

I'm trying to tell you, man, the next song I'mma play. I was on the train yesterday, and this guy was literally blasting this song, and it was so rude. It was pissing people off. But it was my jam, so I started singing it. And even though he was like I'm not going to say he was not operating in reality. I'll put it like that. But when I started singing the song, he looked at me and he was like, he did like that when I started singing it. So this song is plushed by Stone Temple Pilots.

[Guest Singer]

And I feel the town's a ways to go so where you going to tomorrow? And I see that these are lies

[Dustin Ross]

to come

[Guest Singer]

toward you even care yeah, Can I feel it? Can I feel it? Where you going for tomorrow? Where you going with a master foundation? And I feel, and I feel when the dogs begin to smell her

[Dustin Ross]

yes,

[Francesca]

so that's okay to see Teenage Dustin.

[Dustin Ross]

Oh, my God. Angsty. This song is by Filthy Rich featuring Lil Kayla. It's called Down Her Up. I've been playing this back to back. I can't stop playing it because I just love it. So here we go.

[Asante]

Hold it down for the movement, not the moment. Any disloyalty, I cannot condone it.

[Dustin Ross]

Whether I'm down or whether I'm up, the mother is all about us.

[Asante]

You could keep your love I want your Lord.

[Dustin Ross]

See, I can spoil you and you

[Asante]

can spoil me One thing, thing for show, two things for certain. Christian.

[Dustin Ross]

Yeah, I love that song. So that's down. Filthy Rich spelled like the name Phil P H I L. Filthy Rich featuring little Kayla. Yep. That's it for me this week as Toros.

[Asante]

All right, Jimmy.

[Dustin Ross]

Y' all know I love speaking Spanish. I be feeling so smart, like, oh, no, I froze.

[Asante]

You ain't freeze over here.

[Dustin Ross]

Not for me either.

[Asante]

You're not frozen.

[Francesca]

There we go. I was like, am I still frozen? There we go.

[Asante]

All right, everybody jamming. First song that I'm gonna play is from Naomi Sharon. This song is called I Just Saw

[Francesca]

the clip for that Love.

[Guest Singer]

Turn that beat up a little bit. I got time tonight to let your body r for mine Let the feelings

[Asante]

align

[Guest Singer]

this ain't nothing new we done it. This passion's poison it's all if noted I know you can't resist me in your falling deeper A heart I'm bleeding We'll never make it out alive

[Francesca]

O I love it when you talk like

[Guest Singer]

that and when you wrap your hands around the smell of my bag I'm

[Francesca]

going to miss that I'm going to

[Dustin Ross]

I'm going to really, really miss that

[Francesca]

way you put me in and kiss me back you have my mind and my body turned inside out I'm going

[Dustin Ross]

to miss that I'm going to I'm going to.

[Asante]

So yes, Naomi Sharon. Looking good, sounding good. Love the sound. Love that she can actually sing. And she's still doing that, doing, you know, little cool things with her voice and just a beautiful woman just glad that she's still making music. Next song I'm gonna play. Wow it. Every time I open up my tick tock all I see is this is Taffy. This is feeling on my body here. Here's how it goes.

[Francesca]

I ain't Nicki Minaj but I make his bed rocking he be drilling on my body and I knock up off his socks I bend over, he throw dollars and I make this ass rumble I be shaking left to right so you know that fumble swear.

[Asante]

I hate a broken.

[Francesca]

Because Gen Z says millennials always put things.

[Dustin Ross]

Especially when it's a nasty song. You know, you be like,

[Francesca]

That was so funny.

[Asante]

Every time I open up my TikTok, I see Taffy doing. Doing that dance. She's like, my body and. Or I see somebody else doing the dance and so I feel like this song might have been played here before if it had the. That's. That's Taffy. Okay, T F Y. Happy Women's History Month. Last song I'm gonna play. This will maybe hopefully be the last time I trouble you all with Don to that album is crack. I was traveling. I listened to the album all over and over again. This is Don Toliver and Travis Scott. This song was called Rosary. Here's how it goes.

[Dustin Ross]

Yeah, I'm trying to see that penny. I ain't got no hoes with me My girl on me like a rosary she bend it over and pose for me I swear this what it's supposed to be they acting like they knowing me I swear that get older me last week I'm trying to get high she just want to throw it back and do her best she look at me like Superman that is so much the way I got these, man. I think I need a.

[Guest Singer]

They talk too much.

[Dustin Ross]

I think it's cool.

[Asante]

I love that song. There's a part of the song where the beat it sound like Reading Rainbow or something. It just sound real magical. And I was high as fuck. It was the best shout out to Don Toliver. You did your big one.

[Dustin Ross]

He makes great music for real and low key. Now follow me here. Don Toliver would be an amazing. And maybe if he don't make the music himself, maybe if he write and produce it for other people, he should do a gospel project. Okay, tell me, tell me that synthesizer ass voice on some singing by God. Come on, man. It makes you think you guys have

[Asante]

enough time with him yet to, you

[Dustin Ross]

know, really that together. But the brain of wisdom. Of wisdom. Yeah.

[Francesca]

He's with Kali Uchis. Right.

[Asante]

I knew that they were together. I don't know if they still together, but yeah. Yeah.

[Dustin Ross]

And the way she slid. The way she slid all over. Is it a crime with Mariah the scientist, you know what I'm saying? Because Cali Hoochie slid on that.

[Asante]

Let him know she always do her thing.

[Dustin Ross]

She was singing on that like she was jamming.

[Asante]

Hell, yeah. And that's it for the Music man

[Dustin Ross]

segment this week in tv. First of all, I want to invite and implore everybody that's listening to this show to tune into the binge on our Patreon account, Friendzone. Excuse me. Patreon.com TheFriendZone podcast where we will have a weekly discussion about the new peacock series, the Burbs, starring Keke Pawson. So pay for your peacock, okay? Make sure your cock can pee. And we are going to watch the Burbs and we're gonna have a fiery, fun discussion every week about this show with these thriller elements and this, the suspenseful elements that are gonna make for a really robust conversation. So tune in. Join us. Come on. Come over. Come over to Patreon and watch that with us. The Real Housewives of Atlanta season 10 has finally concluded. Give it up.

[Asante]

Oh, to.

[Dustin Ross]

Excuse me, Potomac, not Atlanta. Potomac. Thank you, God. See, that's how done with the shit I was. Damn, I'm just glad it's over. Angel can go. Goodbye. We don't ever have to see angel again. Good.

[Francesca]

I bet she regrets that decision.

[Dustin Ross]

I regret her making that decision because I had to suffer through a season of her getting on my damn nerves, even down to literally the last second. If you go back, for those of you who watched the Real Housewives of Potomac Season 10 reunion part three, the very last episode. Episode, when the credits are rolling, all the ladies are kind of standing up, clustered in the front with Andy, who you see back onto the camera. Anybody that first stepped on any television set knows the number one rule is you don't turn your back to the damn camera. Who you see back onto the camera looking at the camera, mic pack hanging off the back of her dress. The mic pack was hanging on a cord off the back of her dress. Wasn't even attached. Just. Just a mess. Just a mess all over the screen. And it was so. But for me, that being the final frame was like, okay, this means that the culmination of her experience on this season Was this a mess? It was so meaningful to me to see that. So I'm glad it's over. I couldn't stand Tia on that show either. This season, you know, both of them can go. Bring Karen back, bring Shareese back. Bring. And I never liked Shareese, but she's so deeply entrenched in the story that's going on with her son and Ashley and her. She did an interview with Carlos King. Shout out to Carlos King. She did an interview with him and was complaining about Giselle and Ashley and everybody. Bring the old we need an all stars Potomac season that includes Stacy and K and jazzy because Kiana vs. Jazzy is interesting to me too. So that's where I'm at with that. Overall, it was a good season. I'm just glad angel is gone. What's that song? Goodbye to you. Goodbye to you. Goodbye to you. Go back to Colorado. So that's that. The Olympics, the Winter Olympics are on over in Milan. And Megan thee stallion.

[Francesca]

I haven't caught it.

[Dustin Ross]

Yeah, she been over there. She was over there doing content with NBC and with the Olympics and I thought that was really dope. Yeah, she looked great. She was over in Milan killing it national. I thought that that was really, really dope. Also, for those of you that have children, small children or family, like school age kids, Toya Rushing, formerly Toya Johnson, Reginae Mama. Her and her husband Red have a family channel called the rush life on YouTube. Tay off rip they everything that you can think that would be attractive about family content coming from them. You're right. Their videos of them Rain, their daughter Rain, who was like 9 or 10, I think. And she's demanding that they go buy a golf cart because her friends at schools, families have golf carts. You know what I'm saying? So Toya and her husband go and they test driving these golf carts and stuff. They get a golf cart. She was literally the grand marshal on the Toya was the grand marshal on the Disney cruise recently. She works with the Disney brand a lot. It's like really dope family content of these black people, you know, raising this family. It's just dope stuff that. So if you're into family related content, watch that. And you know what? We'll just leave it there. Make sure you tune in on Monday nights on for Monday Night Live with myself, Carlos King, Claudia Jordan and Blue Talisma. Make sure you tune into us every Monday nights. We'd be cooking over there with my friends. Yeah, and I'll see y' all on March 17th at City Winery. That's it for the music for the. I was about to say Music man segment. Asante. That's it for the TV Land segment.

[Asante]

Y' all need to watch the Pit. Shout out to Patreon.

[Francesca]

I love the Pit.

[Asante]

Was talking about the Pit, and so I went. I was watching it. I'm still in season one, right? Yeah, I watched, like, the first, like, four or five episodes of that. I'm hooked. I didn't get it on Grand. Grey's Anatomy. I've had friends that are like, oh, I've watched Grey's Anatomy, so I'm not watching that. But I've had people that are like, I've watched both, and this is good. And I've just come in and watching, and Dustin, I know you love a good medical show. Any, like, off hbo. It's not this along the same lines as that show with Niecy National.

[Dustin Ross]

Yeah. But there are elements nonetheless.

[Asante]

It's good. It's just good season.

[Francesca]

The whole season shift. Like, each episode is an hour of the shift. I just think that concept is. Is so cool.

[Dustin Ross]

Oh, okay. We'll stay in the burbs, but I'm gonna watch it my own time.

[Francesca]

No, it's good. Also, one of our listeners left a comment saying, fran, you should watch industry on hbo, and I do watch Industry.

[Asante]

Are you all caught up?

[Francesca]

Yeah, I've been watching it since it came out. I love the show. I will say season two this season, I was, like, a little bit of a slow burn for me. I believe we're in, what, season four now? Or three or four. And it's. It was like. But then I started realizing that they are doing a Ghislaine Maxwell Jeffrey Epstein storyline, that I just started connecting the dots. Once I connected the dots of what was happening, I was like, oh, I see what they're doing. How did they do that? That's so crazy.

[Asante]

I've been seeing things about it. I've been seeing things about this season. And so I was like, everybody I watched. I watched the first two season. Well, I. Somewhere in season two, I started to get lost. I was like, ah. Or I just didn't keep up. But I'm like, I. After seeing season four, the reviews, they were like, oh, stellar how they ended it. And I was like, you know what? I might need to pick that back up. I just.

[Francesca]

They lost me for. For the first half, I'd say of this season. But then I kept with it because it's such a good show. I was like, yeah, they're gonna bring it back around. I just. I know it. And then they did. And then that's so far not gonna

[Asante]

bother me on hbo. Me in the period pieces. But like with industry, like knowing like some of how it goes up and down, I might be able to stick with the downtime. Especially know knowing that it's going to go back up there.

[Dustin Ross]

So. Okay, I'm watch it.

[Francesca]

That the way they flipped that on gain, I was like once I was like, that's so smart. This was so well done. But yes, definitely check out industry on hbo. It's a finance. It's. It's like about, you know, the finance industry and just the cutthroatness of it. And it's just really, really good. And it has a black woman lead and she is phenomenal.

[Dustin Ross]

I want to watch. You making me want to watch, man.

[Francesca]

Yeah, it's a black woman lead. An Asian man lead. Like it's fire.

[Dustin Ross]

I'm looking it up right now.

[Francesca]

Yeah. So definitely check it out.

[Asante]

I'll be seeing them on Tick Tock too. Like I keep seeing them.

[Francesca]

Yeah, the two of them be doing the.

[Asante]

Them stupid ass dances. So. Because I kept seeing them on Tik Tok, I was like, what is going on? And so then once I saw that they were talking about industry on. On like threads. It was on threads and they were talking about. I was like, oh, you know what? I gotta go. I gotta go watch right now.

[Francesca]

Very good show. I forgot to bring it up because it's just one of those shows that I think it took a while for them to come back, so I forgot about it. But yes, definitely check out industry on hbo. Check out the pit on hbo. HBO is really doing their thing. So enjoy these shows while you can.

[Asante]

Wonder if they're dropping the HBO for a reason.

[Dustin Ross]

I thought they changed back to hbo, Max.

[Francesca]

I thought they did too. They put it back.

[Asante]

I feel like when I open the app, it just says Max now. Okay, well, I don't damn know, but now that the.

[Francesca]

The Ellison family. Did y' all say own everything? Every channel. Let's enjoy these shows while we can.

[Dustin Ross]

While we can.

[Francesca]

Yeah, because it's going to turn into state propaganda.

[Dustin Ross]

Propaganda. Yes.

[Francesca]

You already know, but yes. So that's it.

[Dustin Ross]

That's it this week, y'.

[Francesca]

All.

[Asante]

All right.

[Francesca]

Is it for us this week? We love you guys so much. We're grateful every week that you hang out with us and we will make sure to catch up with you guys next week.

[Dustin Ross]

Amen.

[Asante]

Stay black and protect your magic.

[Francesca]

Bye, y'. All.

[Guest Singer]

This is

[Commercial Voice 2]

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[Dustin Ross]

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[Asante]

can do, not where they learn to do it. So by stopping at the education section

[Dustin Ross]

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[Asante]

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[Dustin Ross]

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[Asante]

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