The Internet Is Down

Summary

The Friend Zone – "The Internet Is Down" (June 8, 2026)
Hosts: Dustin Ross, Hey Fran Hey (Francesca), Assanté
Network: Loud Speakers
Main Themes: Internet dependency, technology frustrations, Black Pride, Internet culture, community check-in, wellness, TV & music recs

---

Episode Overview

This lively episode of The Friend Zone centers on our deepening reliance on the Internet and technology and the everyday frustrations and joys it brings. In honor of Pride Month, the trio celebrate queerness and resilience before launching into stories about tech meltdowns, smart home woes, and a broader conversation about how the internet shapes our daily habits, mental health, and sense of self. Along the way, they shout out Black-owned wellness brands, recap recent pop culture moments, and drop fresh music and TV recommendations with their signature banter.

---

Pride Month Kickoff: Joy, Resistance, and “Whoop They Ass”

[03:38-06:45]

• Dustin opens with celebratory (and comedic) shouts for Pride Month, recounting a viral video of a Black gay youth defending himself against homophobia at a graduation.
  • “If you gay, what up, though?” – Dustin [03:41]
  • Celebrates the video as proof of pride, resistance, and Black queer visibility, referencing the roots of Pride as protest.
• Francesca and Asanté react with laughter and reflection on defending dignity and identity, vowing: Stand up for yourself, be prideful, “Whoop they ass. You are pride.” – Dustin [06:00]

---

Internet & Tech: When Dependency Becomes Disruption

[13:16-15:28, 38:47-56:44]

• “The Internet Is Down”: The frustration of technology failing at the worst moments (laptops dying, routers crapping out, smart devices malfunctioning).
  • Dustin’s 8-year-old MacBook dies: “She looked up my history and was like, wow, you’ve never… there’s no repairs. I said, yeah, motherfucker. That’s why I’m mad about being here right now.” [13:17]
  • Fran’s smart thermostat dies during a heatwave; she has no manual override: “The fact that this one little thermostat could control the whole house in the middle of a heat wave… We have AC that works, but this piece in between us wouldn’t allow us to adjust it.” [49:02]
  • Asanté’s car requires an internet connection for basic features: “It made me think about you, actually. Do y’all realize that you need the Internet for literally everything nowadays?” [45:28]
• General Tech Gripes:
  • Inconvenient customer service (everything funneled through apps/portals, no human help available) [84:15]
  • Dehumanizing, inaccessible for elders; concern about exclusion [97:02-98:34]
  • Over-automated payment systems and smart gadgets leading to absurd dependencies.
  • “This is why AI… is very problematic… There’s so many things that haven’t been worked out already, and then we’re gonna throw AI in the mix…” – Asanté [85:52]

---

Digital Habits & The Data That Defines Us

[45:12-70:10]

• Internet Check-In: What are we doing really online?
  • Asanté proposes a self-inventory of digital behaviors, habits, and needs: “What the Internet says about us and what we’re looking for online.” [44:58]
  • “Are we becoming overloaded? … Just have to take these moments to reset. Think about what you’re doing online, what helps you, what hurts you, what you could use a break from.” [47:06]
• Habits, Validation, and Escape:
  • The hosts confess to scrolling, shopping, seeking laughs, recipes, and escape.
  • Search histories as windows into our needs: “If your search history was translated into emotional needs, what would it say you’ve been looking for?” – Asanté [103:31]
  • Fran: “Laughter for me.” / Dustin: “I love fight videos, roller coasters, theme parks… I love recipes and cooking content.” [63:34-63:47]
  • Underlying question: Is the internet a healthy coping tool or a means to avoid offline challenges?

---

AI & The Blurring Line Between Real and Fake

[73:01-83:52]

• Deepfakes, Faceless Channels, and Generative Scams:
  • Multiple stories of being duped by AI-generated people or products:
    • Fran almost platformed an AI artist on the show: “Did you look this artist up? … Oh, no, is she AI? … Fuck, take her off.” [73:08]
    • Shopping scams: “Clothing online—there’s a lot of AI stores… and it’s not a store that exists, and it’s just a shoe that’s made up.” [80:05]
    • AI-generated true crime stories and fake black families in viral videos [76:41-77:17]
  • Children as better AI-spotters: Fran’s nephew instantly spotted AI in a video: “He was like, oh weird, this is an AI family. And I sat there and looked again… I didn’t even see… the dumpling went through the dad’s hand.” [76:23]
  • Collective concern over lack of regulation and impactful “public trust crisis” [82:45]

---

Community, Support & Black-Owned Spotlights

[18:00-24:32, 108:35–118:25]

• Recaps of events & listener love:
  • Shout outs to the Bomisi Summit, family check-ins, and live stream attendees.
  • Black-owned business highlights:
    • Pigeonly: A tech company helping incarcerated people stay in touch with families, founded by Frederick Hudson [22:36-24:32]
    • Discussion on respectful language: inmate vs. incarcerated person [25:11]
  • Wellness Corner:
    • Fran spotlights two Black women-owned wellness brands:
      • Miche Beauty: Haircare rooted in moisture, transparency, and community (smells amazing, “fig leaf & marigold”)
      • Oui The People: Lightweight, non-sticky body gloss for a healthy glow, found in Sephora. [108:35–118:25]

---

Mental Health, Rewards & Routine

[93:08-95:20]

• Fran’s Gadget Detox:
  • She unplugs from her Apple Watch after realizing she was about to skip a walk simply because it wouldn’t log her steps: “It sounded an alarm internally... the fact that I reconsidered a walk because I wouldn’t be able to count the steps... Just that simple.” [93:17]
  • Dustin: “Things that make sense great this year.” [95:03]
  • Asanté: “Behavioral check-in—we don’t need the watch or internet to go on the walk.” [95:07]
• Greater Point: Many of us let tech dictate our rewards, worth, and behavior, but real life can and should be experienced without digital trackers.

---

Music & TV Highlights

Music Picks (“Listens Lately”)

[126:04–145:41]

• Fran’s Picks:

  • Daly – “Lavender”: “Ain’t that beautiful?” [127:10]
  • Santigold – “Starstruck”
  • Gwen Stefani – “Cool”

• Dustin’s Picks:

  • Blue Ivy Carter – “Mother May I Burn” (rock instrumental, Parkwood/Columbia) [133:10]
  • Honey Baby, Queen Naija, Bunny B – “Shame”
  • Esau – “Now or Never”

• Asanté’s Picks:

  • Sid feat. Blue June – “Calling” (from upcoming album “Beard”)
  • Infinity Song – “Hurricane”
  • Cherry – “Bible”

TV Segment

[145:41–152:52]

• Real Housewives of Atlanta: Season 17 is “back to glory” with “great chemistry,” returning to earlier, raw confessional formats.
  • “I don’t want nobody to leave. I want it to stay just how it is right now.” – Dustin [146:37]
• Love & Marriage: Huntsville: Season 10 reunion—spotlight on Destiny Payton’s glow-up and Melody’s resilience.
• Nemesis (Netflix): Mixed reviews on acting/production, but hosts committed to supporting Black showrunners and excited for Courtney A. Kemp’s new Apple TV deal.
• Lifetime’s Black Movie Pivot: Hype for Remy Ma’s upcoming suspense film “Don’t Trust the Girl Upstairs”: “Yo, when did Lifetime just turn fully black? Like, that’s our channel now.” – Francesca [150:24]

---

Memorable Quotes

• “Hold on to your dignity… No matter if it’s a Timberland boot, a kitten heel, or a size 14 women's shoe—whoop they ass. You are pride.” – Dustin [05:40]
• “I just don’t like the fact that people are angry… Two in the morning, you have no reason to be that upset.” – Asanté, on Atlanta road rage [10:10]
• “What are you really looking for when you go online?” – Asanté [63:24]
• “I love fight videos, roller coasters, recipes and cooking content…” – Dustin [63:36]
• “If your search history was translated into emotional needs, what would it say you’ve been looking for?” – Asanté [103:31]
• “I reconsidered a walk because I wouldn’t be able to count the steps… girl, you’re off that watch.” – Francesca [93:42]
• “We’ve built a beautiful community online doing something offline… That’s why I love this part of the Internet.” – Asanté [61:04]
• “There should always be some sort of AI disclosure… It’s getting so realistic, so fast.” – Asanté [78:07]
• “Children are better at spotting AI than us.” – Francesca [76:38]

---

Timestamps for Notable Segments

• Pride Month opener & viral video: 03:38–06:45
• Tech woes (computer, smart home, car): 13:16–15:28, 38:47–56:44
• Internet check-in & habits: 44:58–70:10
• Community & support / Black business: 18:00–24:32
• AI confusion & skepticism: 73:01–83:52
• Music: listens lately: 126:04–145:41
• TV updates: 145:41–152:52
• Black women-owned wellness products: 108:35–118:25

---

Key Takeaways

• Technology shapes not only our habits but our sense of control, well-being, and relationships. The hosts urge listeners to check in: Are you in charge, or is tech running your life?
• The internet is both a refuge and a minefield. It enables community, learning, escape, and fun—but also scams, confusion, and disconnection.
• Black queer joy, resilience, and community remain central. Pride is about dignity and “whoop they ass” bravado.
• Transparency & regulation are badly needed in AI and tech. The hosts warn of the dangers of unchecked innovation and the public trust crisis.
• Support Black-owned and community-centered ventures. From wellness brands to advocacy for the incarcerated, recirculating dollars and love is essential.

---

Summary/Call to Action

“As you’re online dibbling and dabbling, I just want you to be conscious and aware of what you’re doing, who you’re doing it to… check yourself, and check in on your needs and behaviors.” – Asanté [105:35]

Whether it’s for laughter, learning, or connection, The Friend Zone crew reminds listeners to be intentional—not just consumers, but mindful creators of our digital and real-life experiences.

---

Next up: More episodes this week, extra content on Patreon, and a continued focus on community, wellness, and culture.
Contact & Patreon: [e-mail] | patreon.com/thefriendzonepodcast

#TheFriendZone

Transcript

[Francesca]

You know what they say. Early bird gets the ultimate vacation home. Book early and save over $120 with VRBO, because early gets you closer to the action, whether it's waves lapping at the shore or snoozing in a hammock that overlooks. Well, whatever you want it to, so you can all enjoy the payoff come summer with Vrbo's early booking deals. Rise and shine. Average savings, $141. Select homes only. Ladies. If you're in that phase where your body's just doing new things, your sleep's weird, energy's weird, a ton of cravings. Also weird. You're not alone. It's totally normal. Menopause and perimenopause just means your body needs more support. And sprouts makes that support easier so you can start feeling more like yourself. They have tons of fresh organic produce where you can get your fiber. They have sprouts, protein, and even creatine to keep your muscles and bones strong and your energy up. They have supplements that can help you manage your mood shifts, Everything for everything. So whether it's perimenopause, menopause, or any other health journey is easier at sprouts Farmer's Market.

[Dustin]

Welcome to the friend Zone.

[Francesca]

Every time I'm in the zone, My name is Dustin. I'm Francesca, also known as. Hey, friend.

[Dustin]

Hey.

[Asante]

My name is Asante. This is the friend zone.

[Dustin]

Let's start the show.

[Francesca]

Are you gay?

[Dustin]

How you gonna ask me a question like that?

[Francesca]

That's right, Dustin, please.

[Dustin]

That's right. We ain't even gonna overcomplicate this shit. The month, when you write the date, you Write the number 6. Or either 06, then a dash or a slash, baby, that means it's June, okay? And that means that it's pride month. So if you gay, what up, though? You know what I'm saying? Shout out to all the gay people, you know, the motherfuckers that did it and ain't told nobody but you was gay once. Happy pride, everybody. You know what I'm saying to. If you fucked a boy in high school and you a boy just a little bit, you know what I'm saying, everybody? And also if you did a serious. On a serious note, yes, you know what I'm saying? Depends on your tenure. And what better way than to start this year off with what I feel like was the best pride gift we ever could have gotten, right? And that was a video of a black gay boy beating the hell out of a black man. That was being homophobic. To him at a graduation. Oh, no. Oh, yes. Oh, hell yes, as a matter of fact. So there are different stories going around about the origin of the fight, about why it happened. According to some reports, he was there to support his brother or family member who was graduating. But the gentleman that was obviously asking him to leave the family section and leave the graduation didn't want him there because he was gay. Other. Other accounts are alleging that it was actually his biological father who was telling him that because he was gay, he couldn't be there at the graduation and to get up and go outside and fight him in the video clip. But we know for sure as you can hear the man saying, come on, meet me outside. Let's go outside. Get up, get up. And pushing the boy. And the gay boy is not reacting. He's sitting there quiet. And the next thing you know, the man pushes his head a bit too hard. He gets up, turns around. Not even gets up. He turns around and works him all the way down the steps of the bleachers. And the way that we knew he was gay is because. Well, the way that we assumed he was gay. Fuck that. The way that we knew he was gay is when he. After they broke the fight up, he began switching and sashaying out of the arena and blowing kisses at the audience.

[Francesca]

Wait, are you feeling for real?

[Dustin]

On my mama. On my mama.

[Asante]

He did.

[Dustin]

Oh, that's the, that's the cherry on top. And the thing is, they, after, after that, they end up showing the. The man that he fought, bewildered, don't know where he is. Eyes swole, face bleed. He whooped his ass. Ass. And you didn't know that he was gonna walk like that based on the ass whooping he administered. You didn't.

[Asante]

You thought he was gone, you know what I'm saying?

[Dustin]

Up out of there or whatever. But he, he, he did all that and then he started switching and shit. And then what was funny to me was even when you, when somebody see you physically whooping somebody ass, right? You can hear the woman that was recording the video. She sound like a black lady. She was like. She sounds like she's black though, and it's a woman. And she says, look at, he got a. He built like shamar, trying to fight, gonna wanna fight. He look like shamar, wanna fight. You better shut up, you know what I'm saying? Cause we don't know what his boundaries are, you know what I'm saying? So you might wanna close your mouth too. The homophobia always seeps out. But one thing about it, she Said it after he did what RuPaul says and sashayed away.

[Asante]

You know what I'm saying? Right.

[Francesca]

Of course.

[Dustin]

That's when she was talking shit. So that made me. It was inspiring to me. I thought that it was beautiful and I thought it was poetic and necessary in our time. So as we embark upon this Pride Month, I just want to encourage everybody to be prideful and always remember that pride started with a black trans woman throwing a brick at some. No exaggeration, that's how pride started. Go ahead and whoop. They ask her. Okay, that's what you do.

[Francesca]

Hold on.

[Dustin]

That's right. Hold on to your dignity. Okay? You're gonna put your foot, no matter if it's a Timberland boot, on that foot, no matter if it's a kitten heel on that foot, no matter if it's a Mary Jane on that foot, no matter if It's a size 14 women's shoe on that foot. Okay?

[Francesca]

Thank you for speaking for me, Asante.

[Dustin]

Whoop they ass. That's right. Whoop they ass. Cause you pride, not your proud, your pride. You are pride. And that's what we want people to know. So in the spirit of kicking ass, welcome to the Friend Zone. You'll be looking at all things mental health, mental hygiene, and men will beat they motherfucking ass every month of the year, but especially in June. Hey, friend. Hey, Asante. How you doing? And if you don't believe me, you can go right to Twitter and look it up. Gay boy fighting at graduation. Look it up on TikTok, too. Gay boy fighting at gr. Gay boy beats man ass at graduation. Look that up.

[Francesca]

Okay.

[Dustin]

Fucks up, man at graduation. Look that up.

[Francesca]

And I'm sure a lot of videos will pop up on Twitter.

[Dustin]

That's right. Because you're down with the gays. That's right.

[Asante]

I don't know, man.

[Dustin]

Thank you. Resistance.

[Asante]

I'm scared. This is going to be one of those hot summers where everyone's just fighting all summer. Oh, no, I don't want it to be. But I was watching the news in Atlanta and they were talking about road rage and how bad it's gotten out there.

[Francesca]

Oh, God, don't tell me that.

[Asante]

Which they've always driven terribly out there, but, like, you know, on the heels of the World cup and, like, shit's going to get crazy out there, but it happened to me. I was in Atlanta this past week because my mom had surgery.

[Francesca]

And how'd her surgery go, by the way?

[Asante]

It went well. She's doing well. Everything's Great.

[Dustin]

Thank you so much. We love you, Mama, Son.

[Francesca]

Love you, Mom.

[Asante]

Happy birthday and blessings from my family to you all. They always ask about you. They love you both so much.

[Dustin]

They know we real.

[Francesca]

Okay?

[Asante]

They do.

[Dustin]

This ain't no fake shit. We actually love your family, you know,

[Asante]

and my family love y'.

[Francesca]

All.

[Dustin]

Yes, y' all do feel it.

[Asante]

Y' all know that. They love y'.

[Francesca]

All.

[Asante]

They. I mean, they love y'. All.

[Dustin]

It's a real thing. When they be asking about us, I just want to.

[Asante]

No, it really is like. It can't be. Just no quick. Yeah, you know, they good. We just recorded the other day what they was talking about is, okay, girl, just like, I want go listen to the show, girl. I don't want to.

[Francesca]

I told you. When my mom and I get off the phone, she says, send my love to Asante and Dustin every time you guys live here in my house with me. And I have to pass on the

[Asante]

message, yes, we love your mama. If you listening, we love you. We love you so much.

[Dustin]

She is absolutely.

[Asante]

She is a heart. Don't speak. What I saw, that's fine.

[Francesca]

But I'm happy your mom's feeling better. I told you, too. I told you this.

[Asante]

You did. That helped me, you know, feel optimistic going into it. And then everything was just going great. So I was like, great. We're just gonna keep up this great energy. So it was a great time. Outside of the fact that the road rage happened to me.

[Francesca]

Okay, tell us.

[Asante]

Three o' clock in the morning on a Wednesday.

[Dustin]

What is there to be mad about? At three in the morning?

[Francesca]

At three in the morning,

[Dustin]

all the

[Asante]

way to the right. Not on, in a turning lane, but like three, like two other lanes. Two other lanes. I'm all the way on the right, you know, Late night cruising, late back, and a car, their lights disappeared behind me. I don't like when the car is. I don't like when I can feel you in my backseat.

[Dustin]

Exactly.

[Asante]

So this car finally decides to go around, and I'm thinking that they. They're gonna keep going. They go around and they stop real quick, and I'm like, oh, is this happening to me? But then they start back driving and they make the next turn. The next turn was my turn, too. I ain't no bitch. As soon as I made that turn, I had my middle finger all out the window and I was like. And I was. I was like, come back there, Come back there. I was like, this is my location, but come back there if you want.

[Francesca]

What?

[Asante]

Look, I didn't want to, but if I have, I will.

[Francesca]

So help me understand. What were they angry about?

[Asante]

No idea.

[Francesca]

Did they feel you were driving too slow? Because that's what always happens, mind you.

[Asante]

Again, Brad. So the crazy thing is, they'd be pissed. But the crazy thing is, even if so I was going the speed limit. But the thing is, that's what it was. It was so late at night.

[Francesca]

That's a problem for people.

[Asante]

But it was so late at night and there were other. There were other roads. I don't want to tell you.

[Dustin]

Next year you won't give a fuck. Next year you're going to be that person. But it doesn't change the fact that they did that to you and fucked.

[Asante]

Yeah, okay.

[Francesca]

What do you mean you don't want to tell them?

[Asante]

Okay, so I'll tell you the real story though, right? So somebody else was driving my car.

[Francesca]

Okay. Okay. At three in the morning, you're giving us a vision.

[Asante]

And they was getting honked at. And so because it was my shit, you know, I was ready to fight for my shit.

[Dustin]

And your man.

[Asante]

So I was scared, you know, like,

[Dustin]

you said, my shit. Yeah.

[Asante]

I got to fight for my shit. So that's really why I was throwing my middle finger all out the window, like, come back there, because I was ready. I was like, you was about to hit my shit and we was really about to box. I was about to call my cousins. I knew exactly where everybody at, how long it's gonna take them to get there. I didn't like that. I just don't like the fact that people are like, angry or again, two in the morning, you have no reason to be that upset or annoyed to where. If a nigga is cruising all the way on the right, which is where the slow traffic is supposed to be, you can't just go around and there

[Francesca]

are other lanes, two other lanes. I'm literally not blocking.

[Asante]

There were two other lanes.

[Francesca]

Fast as you would like to drive,

[Dustin]

but no more Tory. Exactly.

[Asante]

Exactly. Happy pride yet again.

[Dustin]

What Karen Hugo say clank. The clank.

[Asante]

They buy soap.

[Dustin]

You might want to help your daddy.

[Francesca]

Well, I'm glad you made it out of there safely because, you know, you

[Asante]

raised me and I'm so glad you mentioned him because it made me think of Young in May. And I'm very upset about all of that. But I leave.

[Francesca]

What Young and May do is she

[Asante]

Young and May was somewhere Cape Young and May, I think, is trying to make a return. But I'm gonna act like it's not happening because in the interview, I saw Young and May was caping for Tori. I think there's. They have a song together. And younger man was like, yeah, you know, Free Tory, that's my guy.

[Dustin]

And I was like, Megan must have turned her down. Megan was probably like,

[Asante]

I don't want you. I don't want you.

[Dustin]

I don't want you. I don't want you.

[Asante]

I don't want you. You know, friend, I made it to the movies again.

[Francesca]

Oh, you know what? I've been to the movies four times in the past month. What is wrong with us?

[Asante]

Did you go see backrooms?

[Francesca]

No, back rooms. You think I'm going to go to a theater to be scared? No, absolutely not. I would never watch horror. I don't even watch horror in my house.

[Asante]

You saw it. No. It wasn't horror, though.

[Dustin]

Well, the way y' all described it.

[Asante]

Okay, let's move. What did you see, bro? What did you see? What did you see?

[Dustin]

Let me be quiet. My bad. Normally, I don't have.

[Francesca]

No, we talked.

[Asante]

It don't matter. You and her was both under a lot of stress.

[Francesca]

It's been a crazy weekend. Also, we apologize for the delayed episode.

[Asante]

Yes, but you are.

[Francesca]

We are getting two episodes this week to make up for it. We were having some technical difficulties.

[Asante]

I'll tell it.

[Dustin]

My fucking computer died. I had that raggedy bitch eight years. Never had one. One issue. When I went to the Apple store, the lady looked up my history and was like, wow, you've never. There's no repairs in eight years. I said, yeah, motherfucker. That's why I'm mad about being here right now. Is it supposed to be. This shit's supposed to work fine forever, as far as I knew. But anyway, it was my fault. My computer died. I had to get a new one, and I was traveling for work, so I had literally no time to do the show until today. So thank you to my incredible co host for their flexibility and dedication to y', all because they wanted to make sure we got the episode out. We're currently recording on Sunday, and I'm just very appreciative to y', all, so thank you.

[Francesca]

On a Sunday.

[Asante]

We love you so much, Dustin. Apologies to you for that happening, because technology should not fail you, especially when you do not abuse it the way that a lot of other people, such as myself do.

[Dustin]

They have no answer this New York. So I just started yelling at. When I walked outside the Apple store, I just started yelling at the sky. I'm so goddamn mad. I was just yelling and Cause this New York, nobody. They kept walking, told me to shut up. I think I. And they yelled it. I thought I heard somebody shut up, but I was too busy screaming.

[Asante]

So, you know, somebody was like, me, too.

[Dustin]

Right.

[Francesca]

Speaking of New York, shout out to the Knicks.

[Dustin]

Okay, okay, let me go.

[Francesca]

Give me a bomber, a satin bomber, a vintage starter.

[Dustin]

That's what I want you to do.

[Francesca]

You know, I was looking. I literally was looking this weekend, but y' all done ate up all the Knicks merchants. Claude is in New York right now. He told me that the tables are out on the street with all the merch. I was like, give me some. Give me a T shirt from Harlem. Yeah, but shout out to the Knicks. Y' all think they gonna win?

[Dustin]

Hell, yeah. Krystal was on her Instagram thanking God that the Thunder had lost, because she was like. Because God knew that it was destined for the Knicks to win the championship. And God knew that I would not be able to handle being a Thunder fan while the city's on 3 trillion for the Knicks. So shout out to God. Crystal is so exclusive.

[Asante]

She's so funny. Crystal's the best sports fan. Like, if she started a sports podcast or did a sports show, I would watch just for her.

[Francesca]

How cute would that be? I wish. But, yeah, I'm excited about it because we haven't won in how long? 60 something.

[Dustin]

Oh, a thousand. I don't know. It's a long time. Four score and 40 championships ago.

[Asante]

While you're doing. Are you playing like that? I was watching. Well, why are you looking it up? I was going to talk to it. Charlamagne said, I forgot what the episode was about, but they were on the Breakfast Club. Talking to Charlemagne was like, yeah. You know, we was born in the 1900s. And I really had to sit there because we were born in the 1900s. Like, there are full adults that are in the 2000s that don't know what a 99 is. Yeah, well, my thing is, you better

[Dustin]

hope you make it.

[Asante]

Oh, yeah. No, for sure. Not a negative way. It was just really like, huh. Really reflective of the time, y'.

[Francesca]

All. It's been 53 years. Yeah. Since the Knicks have won an NBA championship. The last one was in 73.

[Dustin]

God damn.

[Francesca]

It was their second and most recent title. Wow, this is huge.

[Dustin]

53 years and our civil rights getting put right back to where they were 53 years ago.

[Francesca]

Just then, poetry and. And they said, trump is coming to this. Oh, God, tonight. I kind of hate that. He's like, trump going to leave an

[Dustin]

ass crack Stain on the seat.

[Francesca]

They said people can do the watch parties they've been doing on the street because of it. Nobody outside. Just like selfish and gross. But anyways, shout out to Spike Lee. I know he's happy child with the

[Asante]

back of his head.

[Dustin]

That's right.

[Francesca]

With his custom hats. But anyways, do you guys have any announcements? Anything you'd like the folks to know before we. Jump in? Jump in.

[Asante]

Just thank you to all of the listeners for bearing with us. We love you so much and keep rocking with us. Okay.

[Francesca]

And thank you for the live stream too.

[Asante]

Oh, shout out to lechat.

[Francesca]

We had so much fun. And Carrie, shout out to brother.

[Dustin]

Is Carrie the one and only personality on a trillion, naturally, organically, which makes it so refreshing and enjoyable.

[Francesca]

I love Carrie.

[Dustin]

Shout out to the Bomisi Summit 2026. I was the co host with my girl Amberly Forrester for the second year in a row. Shout out lots of black. It's a black owned media equity and sustainability institute summit. So there's representatives from all pockets of media there. Mainstream media, independent media. Lots of deals are broken in the brokered. Excuse me. In the room. Not broken. Hell no. That's the wrong conference. But yes, great time. It felt good to be back with my bomisi family this year. See y' all next year. And that was great. Also shout out to Dennis McKinley from Real Housewives of Atlanta. That's how a lot of people know him. But Dennis is a native Detroiter and he is a serial entrepreneur, owns a hot dog factory in Atlanta. Y' all know about it. And he's the father of Portia Williams daughter. He was at the conference and he. I was being me, talking shit, cracking jokes, you know what I'm saying? While I was up on stage and he pulled me to the side and told me I was funny and asked me if I was a comedian. I said yeah. So shout out to him. Shout out to Jamel Hill. She was there. She gave an incredible keynote. Shout out to just everybody. My girl Christina Bowman from Love and Marriage Detroit was in the building and looking beautiful. It was just a great conference. And shout out to the black business of the week that I'm gonna do. And it's my turn that I got at the conference.

[Francesca]

Nice.

[Asante]

You know who you are.

[Dustin]

So, yes. And also you can come see me tell jokes. My ass is on the road. Boy on road. Man on road. Actually, yes. First date is Juneteenth in Philadelphia. This is a city winery tour. So all the venues are city wineries. [e-mail] we're going to Philly, Boston, Chicago, St. Louis, Nashville, and Atlanta. And I can't wait. So that's it.

[Francesca]

That's going to be a fun tour, too. Speaking of hot dogs, I'm not one of those people that ever thinks to go get a hot dog.

[Dustin]

Yeah.

[Francesca]

Like, it's just not my thing. Like, I'm not like, oh, we should go get some hot dogs.

[Dustin]

I get it. I hear you.

[Francesca]

You know, it's just not. Don't come to mind. But they're every time right, and you actually enjoy them. We went to get hot dogs this weekend. I was putting up a fight because I was like, bro, there's so many other good things to eat that I'd rather eat. And we got one, and it was so good. And I was like, man, I have such a wall against them. I don't know why. I think it's because it's not enough. It's like, you eat the hot dog and then what?

[Dustin]

It's a couple reasons. Number one, hot dogs are not really a part of your program when it comes to the way that you eat. You know what I'm saying? Like, that you don't think of. You ain't getting hot dogs where you shopping. I put it like that, right.

[Asante]

Second of all, do you guys have hot dogs?

[Dustin]

Yeah, but they are good. You're 100%.

[Francesca]

They are good.

[Dustin]

Because when you eat one that bitch, it connects every time. I never had a bad, nasty hot dog, now that I think about it. Truly, I eat them a lot.

[Francesca]

So I had, like, relish. Like, it just was so good to me. And I. And I was like, it's so interesting that I just would never come here.

[Dustin]

I made some in time. I had made, like, these, actually. So Trina Braxton, remember I told y', all, Trina Braxton used to be cooking and shit on YouTube with her husband. I think they still do. But she had made these cornbread dogs where she, like, what? Listen to me. She dipped the hot dog buns in cornbread batter, like, cornbread mixture, and then baked them. There was cornbread around them. She used, like, a bratwurst. She grilled, like, onions and peppers.

[Asante]

I need it.

[Dustin]

She put cheese on the inside of the bun and then grilled onions and peppers, seasoned them up. It was so good. So I made them, and they was the shit, too.

[Francesca]

I'm looking that up. That's so interesting.

[Asante]

See, I already. I don't normally eat hot dogs, but I love a good corn dog. That right there already. That's why I was like locked in a cornbread, stuffed cheese, onion filled broccoli,

[Dustin]

anything elevated, you know what I'm saying? Like, I never thought about it that way.

[Francesca]

I'm interested, but yes. Shout out to the hot dogs. Shout out to. Would you say his name?

[Dustin]

Dennis McKinley. Dennis.

[Francesca]

Dennis McKinley. Having a hot dog.

[Asante]

That's right.

[Francesca]

It's so interesting. I know, right? You have the black business of the week that you like.

[Asante]

Yes, I absolutely do. This one is for our people listening that either are locked up, incarcerated, or have a loved one, that is. This is called Pigeonly P I G E O N L Y. Pigeonly, founded by Frederick Hudson, is a tech company built to help incarcerated people stay connected with loved ones in a way that's easier and often lower cost than traditional prison communication systems. What Pigeonly does is they. You can send printed photos to your incarcerated loved ones from your phone, send mail, postcards, greeting cards and articles. You can help reduce friction around prison communication and they offer again, the lower cost calling options in some systems. Hudson, the creator, he actually came up with the idea while he was incarcerated himself. After serving time, he built the company around a problem. He experienced firsthand how expensive and difficult it can be for families to maintain connection. Pigeon Lee and this is crazy because we often have seen this, like when we watch shows like 60 Days in where these people unfortunately pretend to be inmates. But they did complain about how hard it is sometimes to communicate with their loved ones on the outside.

[Dustin]

But Pigeon Lee, because bitch, you ain't even in jail.

[Asante]

Right, right. That's why I was like, I hate using this example because they was pretending, but they, some of them actually did

[Dustin]

a little bit of a. Further to your point though, yes.

[Asante]

Right. Later, Pigeon Lee received backing from startup programs and investors and grew it into a nationally recognized platform. If you go onto their website, which is pigeonly.com p I g e o n l y.com you can use. They have a free inmate locator tool. You'd be able to find an inmate at any federal, state or county facility. You can conveniently pay. There's no long term commitments as well. So for more information go to pigeonly.com again, that's P I G E O N L Y.com for more information.

[Francesca]

And since you're saying that we have, we always do this, but I have to take the time to shout out to the inmates that are listening to us. Every week y' all send us the best messages. Because for those who don't know the tablets behind bars, they have very specific podcasts that they're allowed to listen to, and ours is one of them. And I think, yeah, amazing. So I'm happy that I am happy to reach y'. All.

[Asante]

If you're listening and you're able to leave a comment, which some of y' all are. I'm not going to expose how, but I know some of y' all were like, how can they leave a comment? I can't. I'm not.

[Dustin]

We don't even care about that.

[Asante]

We don't even care.

[Dustin]

Yeah.

[Francesca]

Oh, okay.

[Asante]

Anyway, if you are listening, tell us what you prefer to be called. Because I was struggling when writing a copy for this. I'm like, do I say inmate? Do I say incarcerated persons? Does one sound better than the other? Do y' all care? Is there a different name? Because I don't want to dehumanize or demean anybody or do any of that. Because prison folks, y' all's my peoples. I got some folks locked up right now. I ain't gonna hold you. But anyway, that's the black business of the week brand. I will make sure to get that to you.

[Francesca]

Perfect. Let's jump into the recap segment. Last week's episode titled High Heel Chunkless. Thank you, Dustin Ross.

[Dustin]

Thank you.

[Francesca]

I had so much joy writing that out. We showed support to those who needed laughs after dealing with their family all day at the Memorial Day cookout and OR event. Dustin. Dustin brought us the week's hilarious Hot Topics. You are welcome and seen who stood out to you. This is Dustin's right out to you.

[Asante]

Shout out to everybody in the Spotify streets. I. The first comment that I want to shout out is Mary Linnae. Mary's comment reads, I wrote in one of the Waymos and it was a strange experience. The writers before. The writers before me left all their trash in the backseat. So as I was pushing away the fries on the floor and leftover wrappers, the Waymo has started moving. But because I didn't have on my seatbelt, the Waymo started. Started. Started staring and started staring and stopping and blaring red lights. Other than the ride. Other than that, the ride was fine, but I much prefer a human driver. That is funny because that's just so much chaos. And it's supposed to be. It's supposed to be convenient. And I thought about it being chaotic in other ways, but never in those, like, small. Those small but necessary ways because that's nasty. Like fries and shit in the seat. And then they don't know that you ain't ready to go. So it's just rocking you around while you're trying to move it. That's crazy. And for you to say that, other than that, the ride was fine. Shout out to you, Mary Lynae, girl. Blessings to you. The other comment I want to share is Amber is a menace. Amber's comment reads, look, I love my faux tabbies a little too much. And Fran mentioning the Vibrams really took me out because I just started seeing the girls talking about them on TikTok. I love how cynical fashion can be.

[Francesca]

Not only that, y' all are wearing balloon pants, y' all are wearing vibrams, and y' all are wearing koofies.

[Dustin]

Mm.

[Francesca]

So to see everyone looking like they are running a retreat, a wellness retreat, a spiritual retreat. You all look like gurus. I love it. You know, that's like, you gotta wear what you wanna wear. Cause you just never know when it's gonna hit the cycle. I love seeing it, though.

[Asante]

Somebody's looking at you and going, ugh. Meanwhile, somebody more important's looking at you, going, interesting, right? The last comment I wanna share is From Deja Vu Gao121. This comment reads, laughing emoji. Laughing emoji. Laughing emoji. When you guys were talking about Sheree's honorary PhD because this I kept thinking she's more of a doctor, and I thought she was gonna say than the person we were discussing. But she's more of a doctor than that fake doctor that she went on a date with in the earlier seasons of Real Housewives of Atlanta. Now that's a full circle moment. I totally have forgotten.

[Dustin]

Dr. Tyee. Yeah.

[Francesca]

Who is that?

[Dustin]

So he was a radio person.

[Asante]

He was like a love doctor.

[Dustin]

And so they were grilling him in an episode from season three. Yes, from season three. They were grilling him. Sheree had a car party at her house. Spades. And everybody was there. Cynthia, Mallory, Lisa, Woo, Mama Joyce, Nene. And they was all questioning him. Nene walked in, like, and literally did like that to him. Don't I know you did it Just like that. And then they grilled him about the legitimacy of his doctorate. And Mama Joyce famously was like, did you get it online at the school? And then he said he got it at an online place. She was like, got it online. And everybody, like, went off. So it's a classic moment. And that's a real. Real Housewives of Atlanta fan that connected those dots.

[Asante]

Thank you for that. Thank you for that, gal. There's so much more I couldn't share. Cause y' all were being really crazy on the Spotify streets. But I'm gonna go ahead and pass the baton to you, friend. What did you find?

[Francesca]

So Ro on Patreon said, I hate that Argosy gets a bad rap because of Dr. She wrote in quote, Dr. Cheyenne Bryant. My husband graduated from there. He went to the actual campus in Alameda, California. Also, it's been a long road of him getting all his hours and licensure to become a marriage and family therapist. And yes, the board still accepts our money to maintain his license. And we paying student loans back every single month.

[Dustin]

Right. So in other words, that's. That's that Cheyenne Bryant shit. Not them. That ain't about. They went to Argosy and I met

[Francesca]

and that's what she's like. That sucks that y' all talking about. We did laugh, but Skateboard P said, is so wild to see the 2,000 fashions come back. I wore Puma Speed Cats in undergrad and I saw those. And the heeled sneakers are back too. I've always been a sneaker head and I'm a professor now. My students stay asking me where I got my kick. Mind you, I bought many of them when they originally dropped and just keep my stuff in good condition. Recently a student asked to buy the shoes off my feet. A special edition pair of Air Max that I got 1212 years ago at a sale. I waited in line overnight for those. Air max were only $40 in the time. At the time, the student just offered me $500 for them. I said no. But then I looked up the shoes on ebay and the cheapest pair is going for $2,000, which soon was about

[Dustin]

to finesse your ass, man.

[Francesca]

Because you know they was about to resell. They was about to turn that on. And lastly, on SoundCloud, Jazzy said, After covering Nature Boy the past few weeks and your episode years ago about the cult that started on the Sarah Lawrence College campus, I thought I might suggest a YA novel to you guys. The book is titled the Scammer by Tiffany D. Jackson. We actually read a Tiffany D. Jackson book, right? Allegedly. That is. Well, the book is called Allegedly.

[Asante]

Yeah.

[Francesca]

And it's a book that. That Asante facilitated. I'm actually down to read another Tiffany D. Jackson book because that was a good book.

[Dustin]

It was.

[Francesca]

Right? Those are my.

[Asante]

Still don't know how we feel.

[Francesca]

What? Why are you making that face?

[Asante]

He does not concur.

[Dustin]

Anyway,

[Francesca]

what you find in them? Twitter, right?

[Dustin]

Shout out to. Before things go left, shout out to the Twitter account. Bravo by Caleb Bravo by K A E L E B who tweeted LGBTQ and blm Ally Queen. Rosie confirms that she's not maga. Just another reason to stand. Hashtag H O R I. And this is a company with a screenshot from Instagram where Rosie's cast photo holding the pearls was shown. And a commenter named Joe Colello wrote, isn't she maga, though? And Rosie responded to it. She tagged him and she wrote no with the vomiting emotion emoji.

[Francesca]

Nice.

[Dustin]

So I wanna officially take it back. I take it all back. Rosie, you all right with me? And to that I say ring around the Rosies. I'm on Rosie's side now. She's my new favorite Real Housewife of Rhode Island.

[Francesca]

And after these past few episodes, Rosie, join us on Patreon.

[Dustin]

Okay. Yeah, join us on Patreon. That's right. Join us with Rosie on the not Maga side. She said throw up emoji. I was like, girl, I like you. Sit down. Yeah, so.

[Francesca]

And we've been saying that we're starting to like her more on the show too.

[Dustin]

Yeah, Good time like a fungus. Love her. You know what I'm saying?

[Francesca]

That's it. No more.

[Dustin]

That's it. That's where it starts and stops for me. Your political affiliations. So you know what I'm saying? That's it. That's all I needed to know.

[Francesca]

That's it for our intro. Let's jump into 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. You can build a jaw dropping professional website, grab your dream domain, skyrocket your brand, and get paid all on Squarespace. Get discovered fast with integrated Squarespace SEO tools. Every website is optimized to be indexed with meta descriptions, an auto generated sitemap, and so much more. So you show up more often on search engines and bring in more of your ideal customers. With Squarespace's collection of cutting edge design tools, anyone, literally 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. So no matter where you start, your website is flexible to what you need. 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. And most importantly, no experience required. So 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 forward/friendzone for a free trial and code FRIENDZONE to save ten percent off your first purchase of a website or domain as routines shift and summer plans begin, it's easy for learning to take a back I Excel, however, makes it simple to stay sharp and keep skills fresh in just a few minutes a day. I Excel is an award winning online learning platform that helps kids truly understand what they're learning, whether they're building math confidence, strengthening reading and writing skills, or reviewing science concepts. IXL is used in 96 of the top 100 school districts in the U.S. and studies show kids who use IXL score higher on tests and it's been proven in all 50 states. We've mentioned on the show for the past few years that we highly support ixl. They are wonderful for kids, especially with the summer coming up. I actually think this is really where this program shines because we are constantly trying to keep these kids stimulated without interfering in their fun, but also just not wanting them to come back to school in the fall completely numb, completely clueless and just having a hard time getting back on track. Just a few minutes a day will help them stay there. So I highly support ixl, especially for those children in the summer. Make an impact on your child's learning and get IXL now and the Friend Zone listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at iexcel.com friendzone visit ixl.com friendzone to get the most effective learning program out there at the best price. Happy Learning.

[Dustin]

All right now everybody knows how your routines change every year in the spring. Typically we overhaul our wardrobe, get all new clothes, social calendar starts filling up, we start getting invites to outdoor events, day parties, patio events, and sometimes our work priorities even shift during this time right? All types of things just change in the spring and some of us even change our skin and hair routines for the change in weather. Depending on where you live, you live where it's dry. Put some grease on. However, whether you're curious about affordable GLP1 options or if you're looking for smart nutrition guidance and a supportive community, Weight Watchers is gonna give you the tools to stay on track and reach your weight loss goals because spring isn't about starting over. It's actually about starting fresh with support that helps you keep up. Now with their Core plus program, you can get a customized plan that ships in real time based on your life and your goals. And that's no gimmicks or no fads. It's a science backed approach that's designed to support you in getting better results. And they have completely overhauled the app, y'. All. They give you the support you need to succeed all in one place, making it so easy. You can join the 63 million members who have used Weight Watchers to help support their health and weight loss journeys. Stop the guesswork and start something that works. Join Weight Watchers Core plus program for the ultimate weight loss support and better results. Go to weightwatchers.com friendzone to get a special offer for our listeners. That's weightwatchers.com friendzone for a special offer.

[Francesca]

This week's episode is an Asante production. We going in cold, but I have a feeling I know where we're going this week. What we talking about Asante friend.

[Asante]

Where do you think we're going, Ms. Driver?

[Francesca]

I'm guessing something AI or Internet or scary related. Something me and Dustin will be cringing about.

[Asante]

Well, it's number two. It's Internet.

[Francesca]

Okay.

[Asante]

I'm just going ahead and just rip the band aid off. But it's nothing scary, right? This is more so one of those check ins that we like to do because I did want to do something around technology. Yes. I was thinking about those robots and how we still haven't checked in to

[Dustin]

see kick that boy. What did y' all see that? It was a robot dancing and it was people around it watching. And he, he kicked the out this little boy and then kept dancing.

[Francesca]

Kept dancing.

[Dustin]

First of all, why don't you have your kid that close to a robot?

[Asante]

You asked why he was laughing and that made me wanna laugh.

[Dustin]

And the robot was literally doing him. It was doing the robot and you know what I'm saying? The boom. He punched

[Asante]

the robot.

[Dustin]

I hope so, but I don't know if I got steel kicked like that. You know what I'm saying? I don't know.

[Francesca]

Okay, that's what you get.

[Dustin]

Get your kids away from robots. You don't want them kicked. Why would you have your kid next to a wild robot like that?

[Francesca]

Where was this? Like at a lab somewhere?

[Dustin]

They was outside. It was performing. The robot was like dancing with a crowd of people. Like a street performer almost.

[Asante]

It did look like that. It did look like that. It did. Look, he's not wrong. He's not wrong.

[Dustin]

Yeah. That robot was it.

[Asante]

Because I did wonder. I was like, are they.

[Francesca]

Showtime.

[Dustin]

Pow. It kicked the shit out that little boy.

[Asante]

All you had, see, but while you crawl. Why you playing, friend? There is a robot. I don't remember what the it's called, but there's a whole Instagram page where they show this robot giving people. No, it just. It just walks around and cracks jokes and gives the middle finger and.

[Dustin]

And ain't nobody threw a cup of water on it yet. Because I know that's the first of my sizzles. That's it.

[Asante]

Splash.

[Dustin]

Getting out of hands, zap your ass. And actually, I'll break you. I literally would grab that motherfucker's leg and just split it in half.

[Francesca]

All you gotta do is push it

[Asante]

up with a battery out.

[Dustin]

Yeah. And pour water on it.

[Asante]

I'll turn you off.

[Dustin]

You can never go wrong with nature. Like, nature.

[Asante]

We're not going.

[Dustin]

Everything you need is in nature.

[Francesca]

The mouth.

[Dustin]

And the trans girl sitting up there, trying to hold her, laughing. I should have known when they started meowing and shit. The trans girl go say.

[Francesca]

She was like, give me the fuck,

[Dustin]

and hit it the next day. And in her interview said, well, I knew I never was gonna be living there.

[Francesca]

She just came to scope.

[Asante]

To see, mind you. She didn't even have to. She didn't even see the pot, did she?

[Francesca]

Oh, Lord.

[Asante]

You know, the pots ain't had no pot. Pots. No. No pots to in.

[Dustin]

Yeah, yeah. No trans woman going for that, right?

[Francesca]

I was like, did y' all say she wants to braid hair or something?

[Dustin]

She was his queen.

[Francesca]

Oh, she was his queen.

[Asante]

Yeah.

[Francesca]

Just kidding. What on earth?

[Dustin]

She was his queen. Yeah.

[Francesca]

Okay.

[Dustin]

And she only stayed one day.

[Francesca]

Two stories. I know. They brought someone to braid hair, and the girl was like, they stunk and she had to leave, remember? I guess that wasn't her. Wait, it's a lot of kids.

[Dustin]

Yes, I do. And no, it's not the same person. Them was funky. They looked like they stunk. Let's be clear. Yeah.

[Francesca]

They're outside sweating all the time.

[Dustin]

It didn't look like the air was ever on any of the things that I saw. So, you know, grow tomatoes anyway.

[Francesca]

But, I mean, you couldn't use no

[Asante]

foliage to wipe with. I mean.

[Dustin]

But honestly, I'm using bathroom tissue to wipe my ass on a bidet.

[Asante]

I'm just saying, like, if you. If you ask. If you say, dude wipes, I don't care what it is hot nails.

[Dustin]

Hell, I don't care what it is. Charmin, that blue pack of charming ones.

[Asante]

Look at me real quick for a little Charmin. I don't care.

[Dustin]

And let me be over somebody house one of my female friends, and they ain't got no dude Wagner girl wipes.

[Asante]

Okay? It's all gonna do the same thing. Cracks. But if. I'm just saying. If you're gonna tell me I gotta do it outside. Like, if you don't have an alternative for me. I already. Hey, I already. First of all, I'm saying so like, it is already no, but I'm still curious to understand what's going on here. And that's just a hard no for me. It's funny though, right? Because this conversation was not about the robots or Nature Boy, but it is about that. Because I want. Again, I said, friend, it's about the Internet. I said that. This is gonna be a check in. This is more so about your Internet habits. I thought about Fran when you were saying you had the segment where you had us discuss our browser histories, and it made me think about what. What the Internet says about us and what we're looking for online. So. And it also made me think about what people find online, whether it's Nature Boy or a robot that they can take to be a street performer out, unfortunately, to kick a little boy. I just felt like it was healthy for us to talk about our Internet habits. And I don't necessarily want us to answer these questions, but I want to give some of these questions as a baseline to you listeners so you can check in on what you're doing online. Because we don't want you to get trapped in the Nature Boy hole or spending your money on the wrong thing. Now, none of us are up here purporting ourselves to be any sort of doctors or advisors. We are just your friends here at the Friend Zone having a conversation. No judgment start.

[Dustin]

None of that bullshit.

[Asante]

Yeah. So what really made me think about this was when I was in my car, because I told y' all my car, it'd be having some technical difficulties. Like it needs Internet. My car. Dustin, you don't understand.

[Dustin]

Impossible, right?

[Asante]

It's. The car. Drives perfectly fine, amazingly, looks beautiful. But when it comes to just doing simple things, I have to get on. Like sometimes I'll, like, you know, because I can't talk or because I can't touch it while I'm driving, I use the voice commands. Sorry, you'll need Internet to do that, to tell you to turn something off. Or to stop doing this. I'm not asking you to look something up.

[Dustin]

So you have to pay, like, a monthly subscription to the. To your car company for the Internet services.

[Asante]

You know, so funny that you say this. So. Yes, and because. And. And so it actually comes with it. Right? But this generation of this service does not actually come with service. It comes with, like, connectivity services, but not Internet service. And I can't purchase my own Internet data plan. It's fucking me up. It's making me feel like I need the Internet. I don't need the Internet, but my car is acting like I need the Internet. And so it made me think about you, actually. Do y' all realize that you need the Internet for literally everything nowadays? We talked about how everything's assimilated before. I remember I did this episode and I was talking about how everything has. How all the electronics have the same things, but they don't need to do. They don't need it to do shit. Like, why does my TV, like, the TVs have Wi Fi, even the TVs in the Internet. Because they have their own apps now. But now the TVs have AI too. So the TVs can. I don't even know what the AI is for in the TV. I just. It's just. I mean, well, they have AI, I guess, for picture and sound and other things on your tv. But it's just, like, crazy to me that all of these things bleed together. And it just makes me think about how we all have these personal anxieties, right? These personal things that. Whether it's family stuff that we deal with outside of the Internet and how we process and then we run to the Internet to process these things. So I wanted to have kind of a free for all conversation again about the Internet, because we grew up in a time where we had Internet, but it was just kind of something you went to. To use because we didn't have to get on it. But now that we all are seeking things, and I feel like we're seeking things almost in excess, and we're becoming overloaded. Like, we just have to take these moments to kind of reset. So I want you all listening to really think about what you're doing online, what helps you, what hurts you, what you could use a break from. I know we've talked a lot over the years about social media breaks, but maybe it's not even social media. Maybe it's like, you know, notifications on your phone. Like, all right, I need to actually sit down and work out how my computer Even your computer, Dustin, Like. Anyway, I don't know if you want to have a moment or not, so I'm just gonna keep talking. Unless you want me to stop.

[Francesca]

Yeah, but that's annoying too, right? Yeah, mine is, actually. I had an issue this weekend. I don't know if you finished with your intro.

[Asante]

No. Please share. Let's go. Let's get. It's. This is a free for all Internet conversation, and we can complain about tech all we want.

[Francesca]

So my. Y' all know the ecobee? That same ecobee that the kids were

[Asante]

talking to me through, which is so

[Francesca]

creepy for those who missed that episode. This was like, what? A couple years back, I. There was little kids talking to me through my thermostat. Shake your booty. They were like, shake your booty. And in fact, they were saying that. I was like, can they see me? What is happening? I just didn't. I didn't. I still. Anyway, so that same thermostat. Too much going on in the world.

[Dustin]

Yeah.

[Francesca]

The screen went black this past weekend, and I was like, oh, okay. So I'm like, is there a battery? Because I'm thinking it's hardwired. So I wasn't understanding how the screen was going black. So I kind of pull it off the wall. All these wires in the back. There's not necessarily an on off switch. There's no battery. There's nothing that I could just adjust in any way. So I pop it back on, email the maintenance people. I'm like, explaining to them that this went black. And they're like, okay, you know, we will send a contractor out at the top of the week. Mind you, it's the weekend. I understand they can't just send out. But it was a heat wave, right?

[Dustin]

This is an emergency.

[Francesca]

This is an emergency scene. We had to literally wait. And that was so crazy to me. We slept so hot. And I was like, how crazy is it that this one little thermostat could control how the whole house in the middle of a heat wave, where it was literally 95 degrees outside, which means the house was probably 100 degrees, and we had nothing to do about it, mind you. We have. Have a AC that works. It's just this one piece in between us. That wouldn't allow us to adjust it. Right? That wouldn't allow us to adjust it. And I thought that was so problematic because that's the problem with technology. This one or a big.

[Dustin]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Francesca]

And imagine we had elders. We had to wait. Like, you know, it was like Friday when it Happened. We had to wait till Monday for someone to come out. So basically we spent the whole weekend sweltering hot in the house, dying. It also let us know that what we think we have to do is have like a. A plan B contractor type person that we can just bring them in during these types of emergencies. And then they just have to bill the maintenance people because ain't no way. What if we had an elder in the house, you know, or like babies or something, you know, like. Like just really problematic.

[Dustin]

And when the.

[Francesca]

Is just supposed to work, it's just supposed to work. And then the guy, he fixed it, you know what I'm saying? So it just. That bothered me a lot. And it was that feeling of like, the fact that the AC or the. The heat doesn't have a manual option in case of these types of malfunctions. I found that highly problematic. And that's what kind of blows me about the way that a lot of us have integrated the Internet and AI and all this smart shit. Because it just has too much control, I feel, you know, even with the car, right? Like, it's just way too much control on how I can do things. And I don't like that it's too

[Asante]

much control, and I feel like it's unnecessary, right? Like, it would be one thing if the cars maybe, I guess, had their own network, right? Because I think of. Of. I think of those, like, futuristic movies where they show the cars are all self driving they damn selves, and they just weaving in and out of traffic on their own. Like, it's like, all right, something is connecting or talking to let these cars know. Like, you are able to do this. Because in real life, when people are doing that and they zooming and zooming, they paying close attention to that. But that's a completely different thing. That's my imagination running wild. I just think that sometimes people focus so much on one thing or trying to stay ahead that they forget to normalize and really keep just making sure that they have clean systems that are in front of them. I told you guys a couple weeks ago, my Internet, my. My main Internet crapped out right before we were recording. I'm over here resetting this router box over and over, thinking, like, all right, it's just gonna work. Y' all know, I got my backup Internet. I was like, fuck it. I had to. I actually. I had been paying for the Internet forgot because at one point I just unplugged that other router and put it in my cabinet. So I literally had to Go plug that. That router in and wait for it to boot up and just pray it connected right before we got on. So I called after my. My other Internet company. I'm like, hey, my Internet is out. I've disconnected my router. You know, why is it out? Why haven't I received any notifications about this? They're. They really don't have any answers for me.

[Dustin]

Because before I get pissed right there,

[Asante]

a couple of times before my Internet has gone out, which has pissed me off, but I would randomly get a text, and in my mind, I'm like, okay, so y' all bitches know that this shit is out. Okay, great. But now I'm not getting texts that y' all know that it's out. And to add, I'm about to get frustrated telling the story again. To add insult to injury, get frustrated. You want to say we could talk about the first time I. I did. The first time I called about this Internet. It was like, right after we recorded, I called, and I was like, hey, my Internet's out. What's going on? They're like, all right, you sure? Experiencing an outage or is it just off? And I'm like, well, it's off now because of the outage. And so I'm like, do you see that there's an outage? Two things were happening, apparently, in this system. Apparently, he could see that there was an outage or no, apparently there wasn't a ticket for an outage. But upon checking my network, where, even though, yes, my router was disconnected, the line that I was connected to, everybody else was disconnected as well. So there was an outage, but there wasn't a ticket for the outage. And I'm like, okay, I don't know what the this means, nor do I give. Who's gonna. I. I don't give a. But at the same time, apparently I gotta walk you through this to understand how I need this answered. And he could not give me no answer. And I was pissed. I was like, all right, okay, so send this ticket to whoever, but also escalate this to a supervisor. I need someone to call me back about this. Two hours go by. Four hours go by. I'm like, let me call back again, because I'm checking my app. It's saying I'm still in the outage, but also my thing's still unplugged. So it could be my fault at this point, but I'm not gonna plug it back in. There's some outage. I'm calling back, Same thing. With this person. They're like, I don't see a ticket for an outage, but I'm checking. I see that there is an outage in your system. Okay, so what does this mean? Does this mean that maybe I do have Internet and I just need to plug my thing back up? And I'm being like. I'm being dense. And they're like, no, there actually is an outage in your area, but for whatever reason, something's wrong with the system. I'm like, okay, well, is there somebody that you can call? What is the process of escalation when there is something funny in the system? We just keep sending notifications to someone and. And we have to wait for them to clock in or come off a break or whatever, like, which might be hours from now. It just frustrated me and it pissed me off. And again, it's not something that I need to be working out or being able, like, having to deal with. And I know that that sounds so like, first world, but these are the systems that are set up. This is why they charge all of these high prices for things. This is why they put neighborhoods at inconveniences for their factories and bullshit. So it's like, if y' all are going to do all that, y' all can't make this work, at least let the shit work. I know part of that hit a little wrong, but some of the shit that we do online is wrong. And back to the Internet, right? Because I needed the Internet. And that's why I had this conversation about how it pissed me off that I couldn't even figure out how the. The Internet was on. This woman's on the phone talking to me like, I'm at work. I don't need the Internet. But it's like, girl, you need the Internet to do your job right now. So aren't you a little bit concerned? Anyway, the Internet. The reason I feel so passionately about. About this is because I have become addicted. I feel like we are all addicted to the Internet. If the Internet went down tomorrow.

[Dustin]

I mean, it's a difference between being dependent on something and being addicted to it. Yes, we are all dependent upon the Internet because how we have to function. Yeah, right. But addicted to this bitch? Hell, no, I am not.

[Asante]

I use addiction lightly, and which I guess I shouldn't. So you're right, Dustin, but I'm addicted. I get online. I search things that don't matter for hours on end.

[Dustin]

I scroll.

[Asante]

Look, I surf the neck. I swipe, I scroll, I laugh, I repost. You know, we all have fun things that we do on the Internet, but the Internet.

[Dustin]

Watch that choir in Mississippi that the guy, you know, the guy that got his friends in the projects in Mississippi

[Asante]

to start seeing as a choir that

[Francesca]

hooked up

[Dustin]

funny and friend. When they end the songs, he does like this every time.

[Asante]

Every time I want them to go

[Dustin]

on tour, they be smoking blacks and like, they did a tour. So funny.

[Asante]

They should do a tour.

[Francesca]

Send me the video. I've never.

[Asante]

But the Internet, it's a place that you can find almost anything and you can escape from almost everything, from information and entertainment, such as this choir that we're talking about, to community, which we have fostered so beautifully here over at the Friend Zone. And if you're not part of our gated community. Shameless. Plug time. I wasn't even supposed to do this. Patreon.com the Friendzonepodcast Visit us if you wanna get more information on how you could see us if you're only listening to us, or how you could listen to us commercial free and maybe even connect that to one of your favorite podcast listening apps. And we also have premium content, so you'll be able to listen not only to this main show or not only listen or watch just the main show. We have our tv, our TV show. We have our TV review show called Binge. Currently we're reviewing Rory Real Housewives Rhode Island. And we also have our book club called our book show. It's called the Lituation. We're currently, we're just starting our new book, which is the Midnight Train by Matt Haig. For those of you that have been part of the gated community, we have read the Midnight Library, which was the initial book from this author. He's done other books in between, but this is his newest offering and we're going to read it together over on Patreon. So join us [e-mail] the Friendzonepodcast.

[Dustin]

This flight hit on me because of that book on my way to Detroit for work.

[Asante]

Really? Yeah.

[Dustin]

He was white, but he had.

[Francesca]

What he say?

[Dustin]

Well, when I first was walking on the plane, you know how they always be like, hello or whatever, they speak to you? Yeah, I spoke and shit, but he spoke like that, you know what I'm saying? He was like, you know, he spoke that way, so I already knew what time it was. So I got in my seat, he asked me, did I want something to drink. I ordered a Woodford neat. And so he was like, oh, you drink Woodford. Okay, Bourbon man. I was like, yeah, he Was like, what do you read? And I was like, oh, it's the midnight train. You know what I'm saying?

[Francesca]

I like this. It's a sequel in the first book.

[Dustin]

You know what I'm saying? I was like, they're actually turning the original book that this is a sequel to into a film right now. He was like, oh, okay. He was like, I'm gonna come back. Cause I wanna, like, write the title down. I was like, okay, this whole game, I can't. He came back over there and he took a picture of the book, had his phone. I know he wanted me to say, like. Like, you know, take whatever. But he didn't ask. And I definitely wasn't about to offer because I wasn't into him. But he was nice, and I liked his spirit, you know, because he. You know, he was trying and I could respect it. You know what I mean? He wasn't ugly. He just wasn't my type. He had, like, yeah, longish, kind of brown hair that was like. Not longish, but, like, it just wasn't.

[Francesca]

It wasn't your vibe.

[Dustin]

So he was nice for somebody. You know what I'm saying? It's not for me.

[Francesca]

Yeah, well, you know what? Shout out to him for trying.

[Dustin]

Shout out to him, though. Yeah, he gonna get what he want. Trust me. He. Because he had, you know, the approach was together, but. But anyway, it was all because of the book. It was all.

[Asante]

Yeah.

[Francesca]

So we're hitting a hundred episodes.

[Dustin]

Oh, yes.

[Francesca]

We should tell the main show we have a hundred episodes of our book club this. This week. I'm so proud of us. That is so wonderful. It just shows what happens when you really stick to something. Right. Because that can be challenging for a lot of us. So I'm proud when we have proof that we came up with an idea and really, really followed through. So I love that. 100 episodes of the situation.

[Dustin]

Yeah, we.

[Asante]

I was gonna say, like, back to the community piece of this part. Like, we've built a beautiful community online, doing something offline. Like, everybody has picked up so many of these books, from Corinne Steffens to the Tiffany Jacksons, like, to Octavia. I was gonna say, I take a big oc.

[Francesca]

So much range.

[Asante]

We have just done so many cool things. And that's why I love this. That's why I love this part of the Internet. Right. Like, you know, we. Com. I complain about the Internet because of things that happen on social media. Yes. But there are just so many cool pockets where people are offering great things. And I love the fact that we do our best. If not, you know, succeed at offering some really beautiful things, like, you know, friend from the things that you make us watch destined to the things that you make us talk about or even laugh at. I think that we all just have such interesting, cool things that we want to present to the world, and that's part of our identity. And I think people, they get online and they look for identity or to, you know, whether it's to build their identity or just pieces of others. Some people look for validation, and some people are simply just looking for escape, which might lead back into any of those other things. When it comes to online, I am

[Dustin]

looking for escape number one. They need a season two of that show with swv. We want more. Okay. You need to know what happened with them sisters and all that. And you're right. I do have parts of me that I want to share with the world, but I won't because my family follows me online.

[Asante]

That's real. That's really real.

[Dustin]

I'm supposed to be a superstar. I'm be the first to win an Oscar. For Only Fans.

[Asante]

For Only Fans. I don't even want to mentally explore because y' all know, I'm so.

[Francesca]

In the category of cinematography, best direction,

[Asante]

Put me on the midnight train right now.

[Dustin]

I definitely win costume design. Okay. I would definitely win that.

[Asante]

But, you know, OnlyFans is an interesting intersection, though, because again, on the Internet, you know, again, validation, escape, entertainment community, like Only Fans touches a lot of those things on the Internet. You can. You can become somebody, but you can also lose yourself online. And I think that was the part that I wanted to circle back to. As I was thinking about, like, you know, the people in the cult and stuff like that. Everybody was looking for some sort of community, and then they got duped with that. It's like, what? So I want to know, not from you guys personally, but from all of you out there listening, what are we actually looking for when we go online?

[Dustin]

That's what.

[Asante]

That's what I really want.

[Dustin]

Deals, literally furniture, for sure.

[Francesca]

Laughter for me.

[Asante]

Yeah.

[Dustin]

You know, just laughter fights. I love fight videos, roller coasters and theme parks. Oh, I love recipes and cooking content.

[Asante]

Yeah, I think I have recipes a lot.

[Francesca]

Yeah. If you look at my YouTube, I guess if y' all looked at my YouTube algorithm, it would be my. Lots of recipes. There's a couple specific creators that I just love. Their daily vlog, or not daily weekly vlogs that they put up. Like, I have to shout out Scott Louie.

[Dustin]

I think he's so the diva dash. That's my, you know, shout out to Scott. Hell, yeah.

[Francesca]

I find him so funny and entertaining and just. He's just great. I think he's a great creative. He has the food that he offers because he also cooks impeccable stuff. Skincare and then makeup and then style. Like, I think he really got it. So there's just a lot of creatives that I really enjoy watching them on YouTube, so those vlogs are cool.

[Dustin]

Monroe.

[Francesca]

Still love Monroe. Steve, you put me on. You put me onto her, and I love her style.

[Dustin]

Love her. Yes.

[Francesca]

Right? She's so fab. So, yeah, Little things like that. And then I'm trying to think what else. Watching more. Of course.

[Dustin]

I love.

[Francesca]

I love Isaka.

[Asante]

I just sent y' all something.

[Francesca]

Remember we used to watch music videos? I don't. I feel like I don't watch music videos anymore, to be honest. I'm so behind on what people are putting out. My algorithm doesn't even bring up music anymore, which is sad to me, because that's all I used to watch on YouTube. What did you send?

[Asante]

So we're talking about cooking content. This creator does all of her videos. She does all just.

[Dustin]

Was it the girl with the body?

[Francesca]

If you want to call it that.

[Dustin]

Okay, well, never mind.

[Asante]

If you scroll through her page, she does all of her videos. Was just like, that nice.

[Francesca]

And I'm like, get your money, honey.

[Asante]

But. And you know what, friend? That's why I landed, too. I was like, you know what? Something for everybody. Because what I was going to say earlier. So when I asked the initial question, I was going to say, I was going to ask, what is your Internet? You know, I said, what is your Internet you should say about you? And you were saying how you. You search recipes and stuff. I literally look up recipes because that inspires me to cook. Like, if I'm like, all right, this looks simple or this looks good, or, like, I got that. Like. Like, it's just easier when I can, like, visually kind of see it and put it together. Because, you know, when you put things together in your head and then when you're doing them, it's like, damn. Like, this effort's a little bit different than I thought about. But when you kind of watching someone do it, you're like, all right, this is like, I can actually chop faster than that. Or, I got this prepped already. So it's like, it becomes, like, more feasible and reasonable. Now. This person that I sent you, they. Their content. You know, I guess it gets other things going for people as they're looking to cook. But that I just thought was so funny because I couldn't even be mad. I was like, you know what? That's what the Internet's about. Like, different things for different people. And we all need different signifiers to get us in the kitchen or the gym or out in the world. And so that's really what the Internet should be used for, is to help get us out into the world.

[Dustin]

Yeah, I love being worldly. Personally, I grew up thinking being worldly was a bad thing. I love being worldly. So I think that the Internet is great for that. 100%. Absolutely.

[Asante]

Now.

[Dustin]

Yeah. This girl with the body, I just looked it up. This is the girl with the body. I saw her earlier today making, like, seafood pot pies. They look good. And she did too.

[Asante]

That's what I'm saying. That's what I'm saying. Like, the food look good. The food looks good. And she does too. Have y' all seen the Realtor?

[Dustin]

The Realtor versions of this? There's these videos that are going viral that are so funny of these like, like beautiful, like, voluptuous women with, like, leotards on walking in, I was like, like, welcome. This is like, this is a six bedroom. I was talking about it with a leotard. Talking about, you got to get the deal done these days. You know what I'm saying? And they'll have like, they ass cheeks out and like, come on. It's so. It's a joke. But it's so funny. It's so funny.

[Asante]

I watched one where it's a Realtor and I don't know her name or anything about it. She just came up and she was just being really funny and fun and a little ridiculous. And I was like, honestly, I would buy a house from her. Like, that was what I left with. I know the comments was going off for her probably, but I was like, she seemed cool. She's my homegirl, somebody I could trust. I know people gonna have things to say, but just off that personality, I wanna sit down. I wanna. Like, I felt comfortable. So you just never know what's gonna hit and who's it gonna hit for, right? Like, based on what you've been looking for, based on what you've been looking for online, what do you think the Internet would say about you? Do you think it would say, oh,

[Dustin]

I got an answer for that. Remember a few months ago, Instagram was doing this thing where they were, like, showing you what your algorithm says about you or whatever.

[Asante]

Oh, you read It.

[Francesca]

I remember because you read yours on the show.

[Dustin]

World News. Okay. Comedy. Okay.

[Asante]

History.

[Dustin]

You know that mine was like that. You know what I'm saying? Wasn't, you know, baby versions of reality show scenes. You know what I mean? It wasn't none of that.

[Asante]

It was.

[Dustin]

Yeah. So I don't feel bad. My algorithm says I'm all that.

[Francesca]

Mine was fitness. See, well, mine is just wellness, right? Yeah, it's a lot of, like, food and fitness. And there's also clothing, because I just love clothing. Shout out to the shop, my app. And then what's the other one? Ltk. Those are, like, my little weaknesses. But outside of that. Yeah, it's just a lot of wellness, which, I mean, aligned. Right. Most people, when they think of me, if you've been following me online for all these years, I think most people's words would be wellness.

[Dustin]

So, yeah, I know what Asante says.

[Asante]

What does it say?

[Dustin]

Asante's algorithm is car stuff right now.

[Francesca]

Oh, you know, it.

[Dustin]

100. Like, car stuff, tents, music.

[Asante]

Car stuff. The tents are still in my algorithm.

[Dustin]

Okay.

[Asante]

Music.

[Dustin]

And specifically concert tours and like that for artists right now. Yeah, that's his thing. Personal items. And also, what else is in Asante's thing right now? Clothes. Clothes.

[Francesca]

I would love to know what you mean by personal items.

[Asante]

I mean, did you hear how he took him somehow?

[Francesca]

It was the way he turned his head to the side.

[Dustin]

Personal items.

[Francesca]

Okay.

[Asante]

With an S. Yes. You know, it's so funny because I love the fact that so much music comes up in my algorithm, but it's all the, like, the music. I love the fact that it comes up in my Instagram algorithm, but my YouTube algorithm. Don't be music videoing me the way it used to. Like, I feel like I used to.

[Dustin]

I watch music videos every day on YouTube.

[Francesca]

I do not.

[Asante]

I do. I do, too. All right, guys, if there is one thing that we are all usually worried about, it is money, okay? And that is something that I am always looking at and tracking, because when it comes to spending, I need to know much about. I have how much I need to make. And the one great way that I know to track that is Rocket money, okay? We've talked about Rocket Money before. It's a cool little app. It just gives me everything I need, all of the status, the statistics I need about my own business, okay? And when I'm talking about rocket money, I'm talking about Rocket Money because it's a personal finance app that helps you find and cancel your unwanted subscriptions, monitors your Spending as I'm telling you and helps you lower your bills so you can grow your savings. Let rocket money help you reach your financial goals faster. Try for $0 at rocketmoney.com zone. That's rocketmoney.com zone rocketmoney.com zone so you can track your spending. With me.

[Francesca]

Prime day is June 23rd through the 26th.

[Asante]

These deals are so appealing, like portable steamers for steaming.

[Francesca]

Whoa, did I just sing soprano? I think I'm breaking into song epic deals on air fryers, vacuums and skin care. I can't stop Sing shop epic deals this prime day, June 23rd through the 26th. I think that's it. Nope, there's more luggage. Smart glasses.

[Asante]

Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile with

[Dustin]

a message for everyone paying big wireless way too much. Please, for the love of everything good

[Asante]

in this world, stop with Mint. You can get premium wireless for just $15 a month.

[Dustin]

Of course, if you enjoy overpaying.

[Asante]

No judgments.

[Dustin]

But that's weird.

[Asante]

Okay, one judgment.

[Dustin]

Anyway, give it a [e-mail] Switch upfront

[Francesca]

payment of $45 for 3 month plan

[Asante]

equivalent to $15 per month required intro

[Francesca]

rate first 3 months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra. See full [e-mail] you guys, guess what? What's up? That artist that I played on the show on last week's episode. It's not on the episode because I took it out once I realized so isn't. It's edited, but it's AI art.

[Dustin]

Yeah, that's okay. That's all right.

[Asante]

That was a double gag that I

[Dustin]

loved to find out

[Francesca]

that I cut it off the episode in time before it published. Matai and I were fucking like, no. And you know what happened? I told y'. All, she just came up on my Spotify and I was like, this is so nice. And then when Ty. When I was going through the notes with Ty and we were doing the timestamps for the music part, he was like, did you look this artist up? And I said, I said, oh, no, is she AI? He said, look her up. We found her Instagram. And I was like, fuck, take her off.

[Dustin]

Well, don't feel bad because I seen this guy, he was like dark skinned and he was really, really handsome. And I had liked his picture. And so this guy that I know who'll be watching what I do online,

[Francesca]

of course, is always called me and was like, I know you ain't liking

[Dustin]

no AI pictures, mister.

[Francesca]

I hate AI.

[Dustin]

That's what he said. I know your Ass ain't getting caught up.

[Francesca]

Like, you know, AI.

[Dustin]

I was like, man, his name hit the person name started at B. I'm not gonna say who is his next story to be. You know, who you are.

[Francesca]

The fact that they called you to

[Dustin]

tell you, oh, 100. Because they were waiting, but I'm not telling you, you know what I'm saying? They were waiting to get me. I was like, man,

[Francesca]

the person was AI.

[Dustin]

Yep.

[Francesca]

Were you embarrassed?

[Asante]

Hell no.

[Dustin]

I gotta, I gotta. I got good eyes. So if I was recognizing the beauty, then, hey, but speaking of six fingers, you can't even use that as a thing all the time because I see this online.

[Francesca]

Oh, no, they're good. Now.

[Dustin]

That was. So this is a real person, but they actually have a six finger. It's a real person.

[Francesca]

Yeah, okay.

[Dustin]

But one of the most beautiful people I ever seen in my life. Real. And I looked at the hand, it looked like. I was like, why is there a fringe? What is it? Why is the hand looking like a fringe? And then when I seen it, I was like, oh, this really got six fingers.

[Asante]

I cannot believe you just said that.

[Francesca]

You know what? I.

[Dustin]

It was cool though.

[Asante]

I started.

[Dustin]

My mind went, you know, kids seem

[Francesca]

smarter than us at spotting AI because we were watching. I was watching Tick Tock videos of those, you know, those dumplings. Yeah, from the 5 and 5. What is it? 5 and dime or 5 below? And the kids are trying to get like the glitter ones. Like it's like a whole thing on Tick Tock. So I was watching one with one of the boys and it was a little. It was a black family, and the father had gotten the glitter dumpling and the daughters were like, freaking out. Like, give it to me, give it to me. And he was like, oh, weird. This is a AI family. And I was like, he spotted it immediately. And I sat there and looked at it again. I was like, oh, my God. I didn't even see the dumpling went through the dad's hand.

[Dustin]

I was like, the kids are. Are all right. Because what was the first thing he said? Ooh, weird.

[Francesca]

Ew. Yeah.

[Asante]

Okay.

[Francesca]

Why would they do that? I was like, yo, that's right.

[Dustin]

That's right, young man.

[Francesca]

It made me happy. He peeped too. Because I'm like, okay.

[Dustin]

And it was repulsed. That's the problem.

[Francesca]

Because he said, why would they make a fake black family? Is what he said. To sell these dumplings. I was like, I was telling him they have fake true crime channels on YouTube. And I've gotten got two times where they're telling. Because I do watch True Crime on YouTube.

[Dustin]

That's me too.

[Francesca]

Genre. And it's the story. You know, they're telling you the story of what happened with the crime. And. But I noticed that all the pictures that they was rotating in the video were AI looking. So that's what made me Google if this was even a true story. And nothing came up.

[Dustin]

I know nothing.

[Francesca]

The family's name didn't exist.

[Dustin]

It's called true crime.

[Asante]

Right, right, right.

[Dustin]

I don't want to. This is not fiction.

[Francesca]

But it also seems. We talked about this before, but it seems intentional that these are black 100 true crime. You know what I mean?

[Dustin]

We didn't. Like Billy said, we didn't start the fire. Okay?

[Francesca]

It's creepy, y'. All.

[Asante]

It's creepy. But also, I don't fault you for having gotten bamboozled, because unfortunately, everything just keeps swimming together.

[Dustin]

It happened to me.

[Asante]

Happy Pride Month. Keeping it P. It's the person calling you.

[Francesca]

Like, I know you ain't like, I

[Asante]

hate AI so much.

[Dustin]

I was like, whatever.

[Asante]

But that was our initial. Like, when we talked before, we talked several times about AI Specifically about how it should have had some sort of regulations. Like, these are the things that just should not be happening happening. Like, there should always be some sort of AI disclosure or something, because this. It's getting so realistic so fast that, hell, you ain't even gonna be able to tell the difference between some happening in your face. For real. For real. Like, I'm laughing, but I'm also like, I can't blame you, because I know I have probably been there already. Like, maybe I didn't even know it. You know, Some people don't ever find out, and they probably just run around like, I'd never get duped by AI but then they're retweeting some conversation on Twitter around a video that's AI And I'm like, why are y' all having a conversation about societal norms in this AI video? Like, what is that? Like, it. It's freaking me out, but it's also, like, where the Internet is moving. And so I also have. That's why I'm like, also, we gotta just talk about the Internet, y'. All. I don't know what that looks like, but everybody needs to start checking themselves and what they're doing online.

[Dustin]

And I feel like I'm a bad. I'm sorry.

[Asante]

No, go ahead, Go ahead.

[Dustin]

One of my friends that has a really popular YouTube channel just did a video about how they're making all this money on these faceless channels. They had a bunch of, like, faceless channels or whatever.

[Francesca]

Yeah. People are killing it with that, making

[Dustin]

so much money doing it. And I was like, damn. I never even thought about, like, wow,

[Francesca]

okay, you don't even got to be out on the Internet. Just let it work for you. You know what's another thing that's popped up that's creepy. So if you look at clothes, I wonder if y'. All if it's happened to you, because I know y' all look at stuff, too. Clothing online, specifically Instagram. For me, if I'm looking for, like, a certain sneaker, a certain shoe or whatever the case, there's a lot of AI stores that. That'll show you, like, this beautiful shoe, and you'll be like, oh, this is a really nice, like, heel or sandal. And I'll click it. And it's not a store that exists, and it's just a shoe that's made up.

[Dustin]

That's crazy.

[Francesca]

Have y' all seen that? And so you're sitting there about to try to find this shoe, because I was screenshot it. You know, you screenshot it and you put it to people image, try to go see what store. And it's not a shoe that exists. And that's been happening. It's so strange. It's been happening a lot where it'll just be AI boutiques or shops on Instagram putting the most beautiful heels and sandals and shoes or hats, clothes, whatever. And it doesn't exist. And it's just people in the comments like, how can I get this? Can I get the link? Link, link, link, link. You know, I saw people write link, link, link, and it's. It's not real.

[Dustin]

So dumb and stupid.

[Francesca]

I'm like, what is the. This feels so dead Internety, you know, where it's just like, somebody's making money off the clicks.

[Asante]

Yep.

[Francesca]

Just off the traffic. Because they know that we're trying to find this shoe now. And, you know, it doesn't exist. So strange.

[Asante]

I don't know a different version of that. Like, this is. This is not the same, but it's similar, Right. Because it pisses me off when people go. They promote businesses that aren't actually doing business either. So y' all know, over the past few years, I always look at apartments and shit. People will put up those videos of, like, oh, you know, hit me up. I'm an apartment person. I show off apartments. Some of those, you know, people were scammers. You know, that was a thing. But some of Them weren't even real or some of them were just pages, I guess that you know, people decided not to use anymore for whatever reason. And that's, that's annoying. It's like y' all are putting up these like properties and you're showing that you're providing a service. People are hitting you up. Sometimes you're hitting them back and then you disappear. Or some of the properties aren't even real. Like when I look at the property,

[Francesca]

I was about to say that that just happened to me this week.

[Asante]

You would see, you will see a property on TikTok and it would have like Google reviews or show that it's been in place for one or two years. And then you look at the Google photos and it's a plot of land or you go to the address and there's like a business there and it's like that.

[Dustin]

What?

[Francesca]

Yo, I'm kind of tripped out. You're saying that because that just happened to me this past week where I was, we, you know, been looking at houses, just trying to see what the market looking like. And I was on TikTok. A realtor popped up for me in Oregon. So I'm like, oh, this is a beautiful, I mean beautiful house. Like it was like a little bit, you know, up in the hill. So you get the trees, you know, it's just like really, really beautiful. I go to me being me go to Google to try to see if I could find the house. I put it in the Maps app. Doesn't exist. I even typed in the realtor's name that popped up, quote unquote, selling this house, giving you the tour, not even a person.

[Dustin]

This is why public trust. We're at public. The lack of public trust in everything is at an all time high right now.

[Francesca]

It's just gonna get worse.

[Dustin]

It is. And that's why people like Cheyenne Bryant really have to stop doing that shit because it is contributing to a much bigger problem than just whatever the they trying to do. You know what I'm saying? If you can't trust a saying they're a doctor. If you can't trust a realtor saying that a property exists, a property like what is happening. So no, I, with the brands I trust, I go to the, the places I know. The, the, the entities that I know are doing legitimate business. I'm really not in the space of, of trying anything out for the first time right now. I'm not.

[Asante]

You don't want to buy a bonnet from an AI young man who's AI

[Dustin]

mom, water on him, eat his Mama Tambien.

[Francesca]

And even my, the, the company that manages this house that I'm in, I noticed that when I was trying to get in touch with them for this Ecobee shit, I noticed because I don't really hit them a lot. There's not a lot of problems. Like I just hit them maybe once a quarter, if that. Like, really I don't have a lot to talk to them about. So I guess it's been enough time that I didn't realize that how they have completely changed their system where you can't even talk to a person no more. You literally can't talk to a person.

[Dustin]

You can't call nobody when you try to get to speak.

[Francesca]

Is that not crazy to me? You can't speak to not one person. There's no emergency line. I have to just go in the portal because, you know, everything is the maintenance portal, put in the message, everything is in the portal. And I'm like, that's so problematic because you're a tenant, you're a human person that has very specific needs and issues. And now they've just relegated you to this app basically. And you just have to wait to be responded to because there's literally no one else that's going to talk to you. And I think that's so weird. It wasn't like that when we first moved here. I could call him, I could text you text him. Literally, I could shoot him a text, hey, blah, blah, blah. You know, I don't know if maybe he had to create some boundaries between him and the tenants because maybe there are tenants that were just like constantly. I don't know what it is, being a scammer too.

[Dustin]

They probably trying to make the record keeping process a little bit more tight, but more seamless. I would hit them up anyway and be like, listen, I need a direct line of communication because this, this system that you guys have is just not enough, is not gonna work for me. So I need to have a dedicated number to get in touch with you guys. Just like y' all have one to get in touch with me, with us,

[Francesca]

if you need it. Right, Right. Because if, because what if the emergency is after Friday at 5pm no one is responding in this portal after Friday at 5pm they're not responding till Monday morning. And I think that that's really problematic when you have human beings that are staying on your properties, you know?

[Dustin]

Yeah.

[Francesca]

I don't know.

[Dustin]

Reach out.

[Francesca]

It's weird. This is very weird to me.

[Asante]

That's. That's part of like the. The Internet, though, right? Like, it's this place that exists. Everyone utilizes these things from it. This is why AI is partially prop. Well, very problematic, you know, environmentally on so many levels, but there's so many things that haven't been worked out already. And then we're going to throw AI into the mix of that. It's like, like, why do that? It should not.

[Francesca]

Data centers.

[Asante]

It should not be used for callback centers or AI agents to take phone calls right now. Like, you know, it should not be used for everybody named Mama to just make skits online. You know, it should have been reserved for, like, you know, the way that they used to be. Like, all right, if you want Photoshop, you gotta buy a serial license key. But mainly you should be an art student or something. Like. That's what people mainly thought that it was going to be used for before, right? Of course, everybody kind of gravitated toward it and started using something as simple as Photoshop. I always think about that because nobody really cared. But then people, I guess because we needed to edit our MySpace Photos were using this, right? Oh, my God. I just think that there's so many things.

[Dustin]

Calling her a catfish.

[Asante]

Please, please, please, please.

[Dustin]

Why would she do that? She started that whole pitstorm on that show by saying that Angel Massey was a kid.

[Francesca]

I know she regrets going on that show prior to this decision and the

[Asante]

fact that it got thrown on.

[Dustin]

Wendy, when I think about my time on the show, I. That's how she used to be talking.

[Francesca]

But go ahead.

[Asante]

It's just interesting because when I think about even the callback services or connecting to a human, there should always be some sort of, like, all right. Or some sort of disclosure.

[Dustin]

Human.

[Asante]

They should have said. They should have sent y' all an email. They should have sent y' all an email saying, hey, we're starting this new system if it's inconvenient or whatever.

[Francesca]

That's what I'm saying. Where's the email that let me know, hey, y' all not gonna talk to us no more, right?

[Asante]

I think because we've just become so okay with the fact that technology is here and everybody uses it and everybody kind of, you know, is finding their way with it. There's no, like, actual, like, hey, there should be some sort of etiquette, whether it's in business or ethics or something. There should just always be some sort of baseline for when you're dealing with people, whether it's consumers or. Because I. I just. Because you brought up Cheyenne Bryant, it just made me Think like, you know, she was. She sells this product of trying to help people give advice and then caused

[Dustin]

Taraya incursive by saying he's like.

[Francesca]

That was so crazy. Right.

[Asante]

It's like if you're allowed to go out and pretend to be a doctor, which is fine. I actually don't care. Right. Like, if she's going to pretend to be, there should still exist some service where she gets fined for. Hey, you can pretend to be a doctor, but you can't say that on tv. Or you can pretend to be a doctor, but you can't, you know, actually talk about it since you're not one or something. There should just be something like where she gets some sort of reprimand. Reprimand. Because it's like. Like becoming a doctor or getting a doctor. It's like that's a serious thing. Not that I would.

[Francesca]

Laws. I remember there being some laws where you can't just call yourself an expert or a doctor or nothing if you are not licensed or certified in that field. Very specific. I know they're targeting influencers and all the online culture misinformation, but I thought that was smart. I feel like it is smart. You can speak about things in your experience or anecdotally, but making yourself an expert I think is a little bit tricky. And also with the customer, not this finger the customer service too.

[Dustin]

Yeah.

[Francesca]

Exhausting. Where you can't speak to nobody. How many times you be like, agent.

[Dustin]

Yeah, representative.

[Francesca]

Representative. Speak to agent. And it's just like round and round and round with. I had a tariff hit for something I had ordered and fine. We all know that that's a possibility. Not every company is eating the tariff costs. So UPS is like, you gotta pay. You know, I think it was like $36 or something. I was like, fine. I pay it on the app, the package comes. Then I get an invoice for $36 coming to my house. So I was like, okay. But I.

[Dustin]

What?

[Francesca]

You wouldn't have given me the package if I didn't already pay this. So how did I pay it in the app? I'm looking at it. That's how the guy released the package. But now I have an invoice for $56. I go to call UPS to tell them that doesn't make sense. There's no one I can talk to. So I'm just pressing. The automated system is sending me to the next automated. Then they give me an email. I send the email. Of course nobody respond responded. So I'm trying to call. I'm Like, I'm not paying this. I just paid it. I have the proof in the app. Do you know they sent it to collections.

[Dustin]

That is crazy.

[Francesca]

You know how pissed I was? What I had to do was call when the collections people contacted me. I explained to them what happened and they were like, oh shoot. Because thank God a person answered because, you know, collections. They want their money. She was like, I see. I see what you're saying. I sent her the image from the app showing that this was paid. And I said to her, I'm sure you have ordered things, ma'. Am. With tariffs. They don't even give you the package. I've never seen a tariff that you pay after. Think about it. That's not even the point of it. And she was like, we're getting sorted. Yeah. Long story short. She was like, it's not even the charge. Like we're sorry. Yeah. And she. A human helped me and she was able to see the error and it got dismissed. But I hate it because I'm one of those people that is very clear about my credit on my record. And I hate that because it's just all because I couldn't get a human being on the line.

[Asante]

Yep.

[Francesca]

And it only got fixed because I got a human being on the line who will listen to me and see what I was trying to show them from jump.

[Asante]

Yes.

[Francesca]

Crazy to me.

[Dustin]

Crazy.

[Francesca]

And I feel like more shit like that is going to be happening because of all these automated systems when nobody's trying to help you.

[Dustin]

100 and that's why I don't with that. But I did just sit through an AI seminar that made me understand it differently and the usefulness of it. It made me understand it differently.

[Asante]

Right. Isn't this funny to have that?

[Dustin]

I still hate it.

[Francesca]

Yeah.

[Dustin]

I haven't. I haven't wavered on my stance but I've been enlightened to an understanding of it. That I just see it differently. That's all. But still not the dumb. You know what I'm saying? But. But I understand how to use it in business differently now. That's all.

[Asante]

Yeah.

[Francesca]

As an assistant. Yes. As videos of fruit being cut.

[Dustin]

No.

[Francesca]

No.

[Asante]

Right.

[Dustin]

Right.

[Asante]

Absolutely. Absolutely. 1,000% agree.

[Dustin]

Certain processes. You can utilize it. You know what I'm saying? Certain processes. Certain things.

[Francesca]

Things.

[Dustin]

There's just different areas. And this is coming from a person. I don't use nothing. I don't have a check. I don't have any AI. You know what I'm saying? I don't use it at all. So yeah.

[Francesca]

I've been trying to minimize. Remember I told you I even my toothbrush back to manual. I've stopped using my Apple watch, too. Funny enough.

[Dustin]

Why? Because everybody.

[Francesca]

I've been using it.

[Dustin]

No, friends. Like, everybody's got it.

[Francesca]

No, you know what it was? I. I went to go on a walk, and my watch was dead. And I. And I got irritated that it was like, I literally was about to not go on the walk because my watch wasn't going to count my steps. And that bothered me.

[Dustin]

It sounded an alarm internally for you.

[Francesca]

It really did. Y' all know how I am. I was like, the fact that I reconsidered a walk because I wouldn't be able to count the steps reps was so silly to me. And I said, girl, you. You're off that watch. Just that simple. So I've been using it here and there, but it's much like. Much less like I used to be. Y' all know I had my watch every day to count. Every workout every day. And not even that. I'm like, that's annoying, girl. Just go do your workout. Go walk. Whatever steps you hit, you hit. However long your workout was, it was

[Dustin]

just wear your roller.

[Francesca]

Relax.

[Asante]

But honestly, friend, that's a good. Like.

[Francesca]

But you feel me? Like, it's like, relax, bro.

[Asante]

I just tell myself that that's like, a great intersection of kind of a little bit of everything. Like, there's the Internet, which we feel like we need, right? So, like, you get this. So they make these Apple watches, and they make you feel like you need them because they, you know, track your health, and they connect to the Internet, and they make everything.

[Francesca]

Your reward system in your brain, right? You're like, the. The rings are closed. I hit 10,000. And I'm one of those people that needs rewards, right? And it's like, I feel like I turn into a lab mouse, and I don't like that.

[Asante]

And that's the thing.

[Francesca]

Rewards.

[Asante]

That's why I wanted to have this episode for people to kind of give

[Francesca]

themselves, like, a snap when I get back from home.

[Dustin]

Or Chanel.

[Asante]

You know what I'm saying?

[Francesca]

Like, yeah, you know what I mean?

[Dustin]

Things that make sense great this year.

[Asante]

But this is why I want everybody to have a behavioral check in, though, right? Because you don't need the watch or the Internet or any of those things to go on the walk to actually get those steps in. Because, you know, some people will look.

[Francesca]

And the sun. That's it.

[Asante]

Cause some people gonna feel like they can't do something until they get something as opposed to just doing it. Right. Like, for me, I felt like I wasn't gonna be able to, like, well, we wasn't gonna be able to record until I had Internet, so I had to do that. But like, like, and for other things, some people might like, let's just say I was playing my game. If it's one o' clock in the morning, my Internet goes out. I feel like I need my Internet because I'm just playing a game, you know, like, why do I feel like I need it? Like, that's where it gets bratty. But also, there are other important moments where, like you said, friend, if there's an old person in the house and the AC is broken, this is a life or death situation. Like, this is. This is completely different.

[Dustin]

But you think they got life of them.

[Francesca]

And those portals, I have fallen and

[Dustin]

I cannot get up.

[Francesca]

And those portal. My. My friend's nephew, his grandma was taking a nap on the couch and she had the life alert bracelet. And he pressed the button because he was curious, like, why does she have a button?

[Asante]

What. What happened?

[Francesca]

The police came.

[Asante]

I always wanted to press it.

[Francesca]

The kid was like, why you got. Why grandma got a button on her fucking bracelet? And he pressed it as anybody would, right? If you're a kid. She was so.

[Dustin]

Because you know why? Number one, they didn't woke her up out of sleep. That's number one. Oh, my God.

[Francesca]

That was one of the funniest stories. He's never gonna live that down as he grows. But anyways.

[Dustin]

Get up, grandmama.

[Francesca]

Also

[Dustin]

get up, grandma. The story of when I press my grandmother's life away

[Francesca]

on substack, right. So the same with my mom, the building she's in, they switched the payment system where now it has to be through the portals. And they don't consider that not every older person has a laptop with the Internet like that.

[Dustin]

Yeah.

[Francesca]

Or a phone or. Or access to apps. Or even knowing how do I send this payment through, through a portal or setting up, you know, that monthly reoccurring pain. Like, you really have to know how to use those apps to even set those systems up. So I was like walking my mom through it, and that bothered me. I mean, it's good for her in the sense that she has to be stay on top of it, you know, like, you just got to stay on top of technology. You have to be able to go in and out these apps. Apps. You have to know how to adjust the payment, pricing changes, you know, like, it's good for her mind Too. Keeps her sharp.

[Dustin]

But not everyone.

[Francesca]

But I just think of. Not everyone has a person that has the patience to walk them through it. Not even. Not everyone has a phone that's a smartphone or a phone at all.

[Asante]

Right.

[Francesca]

Problematic. You know, even the train in New York. What is it? Omsi Omni, where you have to swiping.

[Dustin]

No Metro cards. Nope. You gotta flash right up to get.

[Francesca]

As if everyone has a smartphone.

[Dustin]

What if I had carpal tunnel?

[Francesca]

You know what?

[Dustin]

There's that. I can't be keeping.

[Asante]

A lot of.

[Francesca]

So much to consider, y'.

[Asante]

All A lot. A lot of great points, friend. Especially when it comes to things that are accessible. But then when it comes to older people, like, I think back to what Dustin was saying about, like, him and AI, you know, he don't really fuck with AI, but he has an understanding of it. So I, like, have this understanding of, like, it's cool that these apps and companies have made it easier to pay your bills online, but why haven't you guys thought about, like, all right, well, let's. You know, we can't just only send out these letters and say, sign up by writing your numbers in here, you know, or scan your QR code. Like. Like somebody. Some. Like, somebody has to be responsible for something when it comes to ushering in the older people. Like, I like the fact that companies, like. I don't want to say companies like Apple do a great job, but they at least offer, like, the Genius Bar, and they're like, hey, you know, we have this device, Please.

[Dustin]

I love your point.

[Francesca]

He's right, though. My mom goes to the Genius Bar sometimes just to brush up on. He's triggered. He's triggered.

[Asante]

I know.

[Francesca]

To brush up on. You know where technology is. They'll teach you. They have people that will walk your parents through how to use their phones,

[Asante]

because that's the thing. They have the iPhone on lock. And then they know that that phone does so much and too much, maybe, and they know that all of their things do too much, which is why

[Francesca]

it's great that they do that. Honestly, that they have those classes.

[Asante]

And I thought it was cool that other companies tried to copy that. Like, there was the Microsoft Store at one point I was like, okay, this is interesting, because I don't even know what the windows be looking like no more. So, like, if I ever felt like I needed. Because I know it's still a large part of the market. Like, I could just go in there and learn some things, but I don't

[Dustin]

know as much as I'm mad at those folks that won't be named. I still ain't going across the street now. You know what I'm saying?

[Asante]

Exactly.

[Francesca]

You know, teeth are telling you if I ever.

[Asante]

Sometimes, you know, if I ever just randomly end up in a situation where I have to. I don't know what that looked like, but, you know, I would do it. I mean, I would do it because I wouldn't have to. I would have to get rid of the stuff that I got. It would just be something on the side. We need order.

[Dustin]

Law and order.

[Francesca]

Better technology than us.

[Asante]

But a lot of us, the Internet, if there's nothing wrong with being online, it's where we, we learn information. We laugh as we talked about the videos and the memes we work as. We were just talking about where we would be with technology for that dream connect Pastime. It's one of the most affordable places to be for some of us. Because if you can't afford to leave a house, you could just sit at home and scroll on your phone. But every place has something of us or spend money, depending on look.

[Francesca]

But you can still spend money.

[Asante]

You can window shop.

[Francesca]

Spend more money not leaving the house.

[Asante]

Look, you could window shop without. Without using gas, low key. So, yeah, you know, you might end up spending the money, but you might end up not spending that money because you're like, oh, I ain't got that. You could just scroll on by and not feel guilty. And I feel judged because, you know, sometimes you feel bad when you walk by somewhere. It's like, damn, I gotta go in there. But like, I ain't got that right now. Even though you do got it, you just don't want to spin it right now. But every place can't relate. Look, look, I. I thought about Beyonce in my head when I thought about

[Francesca]

you friends like, yes,

[Asante]

see it, I want it. I was like.

[Francesca]

I was gonna say, I don't turn myself down, babe.

[Dustin]

You know what?

[Asante]

I need one of those. Because when you indulge, girl. But the question isn't whether we spend too much time online. Since the Internet is everywhere. I feel like the question could be who you are when you get there and what are you doing while you're online? What are you spending your time and maybe your money on while you're online? What keeps bringing you back? You know, are you going back?

[Dustin]

Let's send that questionnaire to him first. What you've been doing online, Christy Gnome Husband. Who. Who are you online? Where do you spend your money online, Christy Gnome Husband AKA

[Francesca]

I'm thinking that video is.

[Asante]

Oh, my God.

[Dustin]

Bounce that ass. Get shake. And I'm looking for the biggest, realest in the city. Tits McGee over there. We ain't forgot it's Pride Month, you know you getting sprayed. You had the way you was racked up. Rack City.

[Francesca]

Tits McGee.

[Dustin]

Hey, rack City. It just came to me. I don't know why that came in

[Asante]

my head just now.

[Dustin]

I don't know where that even came from. You know how you just be on

[Francesca]

a roll, Tits McGee. Oh, wait, you know we have ads. No, we can't name the episode Tits, cuz. Imagine Ty sending them. So your episode. Your ad went live on Tits McGee episode.

[Asante]

What if he spelled tits differently? No, like with a Y. No, I'm just kidding. Oh. Well, as we ask all the. As I ask all these questions and I end with, what would the Internet say? If your search history was translated into emotional needs, what would it say you've been looking for? But maybe the Internet doesn't reveal who we are. Maybe it just reveals what we keep returning to and that's just where it is. I didn't want this to be a serious heavy episode. I'm glad we got to talk about where everything was, just. Because the Internet is everywhere and it's gonna continue to piss us off. So. And I keep going back to it. Every time I try to leave, something keeps pulling me back. Whether it's my damn phone, whether it's my car. I just leave the house. And I thought about.

[Dustin]

But what are we gonna do? We fucking Quakers. You know what I'm saying? We have to have. We have to.

[Asante]

See, see, look. That's that nature boy right there. Look, we can't do that because I'm not in no hole. No, no, I'm not doing it.

[Dustin]

And I need a nails. A nail place.

[Francesca]

I got you.

[Dustin]

You know what I'm saying? I don't want to be filing, getting

[Francesca]

my toenails set up under a tree

[Asante]

with the aloe vera gel. No aloe vera gel, Manicures.

[Francesca]

Right. We set up under a tree. Just.

[Dustin]

I need a multicultural community so I can have me some. You know what I'm saying? We need DEI in this. All the things that the Internet provides.

[Asante]

Because I know how I want.

[Dustin]

Mine's done.

[Francesca]

Well, he's saying without saying, like, we need to.

[Dustin]

We listen. We got to be together. We're all in this together. We're all in this together. So just saying close this out.

[Francesca]

I hope that curse you out like Terence, I'm trying to.

[Dustin]

You don't you do watch your mouth. Asante. Don't be gentle with me. Okay? You be that way with that. That drove your car. You don't be that way with me, cuz. Remember she was like, be that way with your wife. Tere.

[Asante]

Look, see, that's why I want to tell the truth. That's. I want to.

[Dustin]

I'm sorry, I, you know, I don't know why.

[Asante]

I understood the example though. So, yes, as you all are online dibbling and dabbling, I just want you to be conscious and aware of what you're doing, who you're doing it to, whether it's the. That drove my car, apparently. Because I just wanted to bring that up. I'm going to bring it up myself. Damn, why'd I do that to myself? I'm like Liz or Rory. But that is it for this week's Hot Button episode. Hope you all enjoyed.

[Francesca]

Let's jump into this week's segment.

[Dustin]

Welcome to the Friends.

[Francesca]

Prime day is June 23rd through the 26th.

[Asante]

These deals are so appealing, like portable steamers for steaming.

[Francesca]

Whoa, did I just sing soprano? I think I'm breaking into song. Epic deals on air fryers, vacuums and skincare. I can't stop Sing Shop Epic deals this prime day, June 12th, 23rd through the 26th. I think that's it. Nope, there's more luggage. Smart glasses. Do you wish you could relive the most meaningful moments in your life? Like that legendary birthday celebration, your first wedding anniversary or the day you got your diploma? You can't turn back time, but you can revisit those memories with a Hallmark card. When you give a Hallmark card, you

[Asante]

give a reminder of the relationships, emotions

[Francesca]

and moments that make up their big meaningful, magical life. So make the moment last. Make it a Hallmark card. [e-mail] or wherever Hallmark cards are sold.

[Asante]

Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same Premium Wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities.

[Dustin]

So do like I did and have

[Asante]

one of your assistant's assistants switch you

[Francesca]

to Mint Mobile today.

[Dustin]

I'm told it's super easy to [e-mail]

[Francesca]

Switch upfront payment of $45 for 3

[Asante]

month plan equivalent to $15 per month

[Francesca]

required intro rate first 3 months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees, extra fee, full [e-mail] this Week in Wellness. So speaking of buying shit online, specifically TikTok, there were, there are two products that I have Started using. One is a newer product, so I'm not that many days in with it. The second one is a great product, but both are black women owned. I kept seeing the founders coming on my tick tock and so you know how it is. Is black women selling a product that looked good. I started paying attention. One of them, it's. It's a product called Mish. I'm sure the women listening or the natural hair community listening. Yes. Mish spelled M I C H E. For those of you watching on Patreon, this is what it looks like. I'm giving you YouTube hands.

[Dustin]

Okay,

[Francesca]

so Mish beauty is the brand and it's created by Michelle and Jonathan Ballard. They created it in 2016, but for some reason I'm just now really hearing about them. And they're becoming really popular too. Now. It's a brand that's apparently rooted in community education and ingredient transparency. They're also very big on the health care and wellness, you know, of your hair, not just trying to sell you a random product. So they're offering silicone sulfate, paraben and drying alcohol free products for natural curls, coils and waves. So I love that their formulations also prioritize moisture, which a lot of products nowadays, even though we have so many options now in the natural hair community, a lot of them are also very drying or they don't necessarily do what they advertise. So it takes a while to really find a brand that you can stick with. But this is a cruelty free, non toxic brand. The I love the smell. The one I personally got is the fig leaf and marigold. Love how it smells. My favorite thing is how long, how much of it. Like a little goes a long way. Like a lot of the products that we use, what happens is you use it two, three times and the product's done and then it's expensive for small amounts of ounces. I'm sure all of us can relate. And so with this though, if you look at it, I have used this, this four times, period.

[Dustin]

Wow.

[Francesca]

And look at it for those of you watching four times. Okay. My hair is long right now and still I have I'd say 90 of the bottle left.

[Dustin]

I like the packaging too.

[Francesca]

Isn't it so nice?

[Asante]

It's like the bottle, like matte. Like, I love when the bottles.

[Dustin]

Yeah, they got you on that color. That color you see with it.

[Francesca]

Sold. Okay.

[Dustin]

Browsing.

[Francesca]

All right, let me see this one. And so I love this in my hair. This is a gel to foam styling mousse and it's I got the fig leaf and marigold. I love it because I love definition. Even though my hair has changed a lot and I don't get the big massive hair I used to get. I'm getting older. My hair seems to be getting finer and.

[Dustin]

Okay,

[Francesca]

you didn't. I was telling Dustin in the sante that when we were in Atlanta, Jade said that I look like a Guatemalan child now because my hair is always wet and in two grays, friends. Okay. And that's the reason my hair's at.

[Asante]

I hope you cuss her ass out.

[Dustin]

Like, I know we laugh. Honestly, she went easy on you. You should hear the horrible I said the way your ass would be canceled if people knew the you was saying to me. But anyway, go ahead, friend.

[Francesca]

On your radar. If you're looking for a moose, especially now with the temperatures changing, I know people are going to be probably using.

[Dustin]

Well, actually, some people might need some frizz control.

[Francesca]

Some frizz control, which this definitely have. It has definition and hold because it's a gel to foam. I think it's perfect because you'll get the definition, but it doesn't necessarily give you that crunchy, wet, Puerto Rican hair for three or four days.

[Dustin]

You get your bottle a little bit in my beard. Just a little bit.

[Francesca]

I think you should do it even just for the smell, this brush just

[Dustin]

a little bit, you know?

[Francesca]

Yeah, you should try it, actually. I'd be curious how that would work for you. But I'm a fan. I wore my hair out on the show maybe like. Like two weeks ago, I think. I hadn't really been wearing my hair out and that was what I've used. But I also use it even if I'm going to do braids, twists. It's just a really great product. So Miche beauty. Definitely check them out. They're M I C H e Beauty. I got mine off Tick Tock Shop. But you can probably. I mean, you can go on their website and order it. You can also Amazon. You can go the second product that.

[Dustin]

Sorry, I know we ain't supposed to be this product.

[Francesca]

Also, this is called we the People, which I think is really cute. We the people, right? It's a really cute.

[Dustin]

Now what is that brand?

[Francesca]

So this is oil for your body so your skin can glisten. Now we're wearing tank tops again. We're wearing tube tops, crop tops, shorts.

[Dustin]

Yeah.

[Francesca]

Your skin is showing. I know. Now people want to look moisturized. They want to glisten. They want to shimmer. This I like because it gives you the glisten and the shimmer without staining your clothes. Because a lot of times you put that stuff and then you have oil residue, all spots. Because you was trying to be shiny. Now it's all over your tank top, all over your clothes,

[Asante]

you know, So

[Francesca]

I think this is a really good product. I just started using it. I will say it doesn't give that ultra shimmer that I know some people love. Like, they want that real greasy leg look. It don't give that or you know what it does, that glassy skin, but it does give. You know, when you see someone and they just look really moisturized, like their skin just has a healthy, dewy. Yeah, Healthy, dewy look to it. Like they just really take care of themselves. It gives that. It gives like that girl in that

[Dustin]

cooking video y' all just showed me.

[Francesca]

No, that was a little different.

[Dustin]

Now with her, the people look.

[Asante]

Yeah. When quenched. Quenched, not drenched.

[Francesca]

Okay. She. This is also black woman owns. Her name is Karen Young. And it's funny because I first started seeing her on Tick Tock, popping up, talking about the product. So I already kind of had it in my mind, but I didn't order it because I'm really not someone that puts oils on a lot for summertime. It's just not really my thing. I think because I moisturize so much, my skin is already looks like that. So I never think I need to, like, add more. But.

[Dustin]

Okay,

[Francesca]

no, you didn't. But when I went to Sephora, I saw it and that made me so happy for her.

[Dustin]

I was like, oh, she had that placement.

[Francesca]

She went from. I can't say she went from TikTok to Sephora. Let me not tell this woman's story because I don't actually know that. She might have already been there and just doing her work, promoting it. Whatever the case, it made me.

[Dustin]

But per your awareness, you saw her in one space and then and found her in Sephora.

[Francesca]

Happy to see her there. So of course, I had to buy it to support. Like I said, it's a hydrating body gloss. It has a really faint smell of, like, orange blossom. So if you're someone that doesn't like.

[Dustin]

Good for your.

[Francesca]

But yes,

[Dustin]

smell like orange blossoms. Yeah.

[Francesca]

If you don't. You don't like scented products, this probably isn't for you. But if you're someone that likes the really light scented products, this is really good for summer and spring. She also has lactic acid body washes, if you're interested. It's like gentle Exfoliating cleansers to kind of help your skin look smooth for then when you put the oil on, just a good combination and you can buy the set. Right. She sells the oil and the body wash. She describes it. We really do. She describes it as a fine fragrance shaped by culture, memory and skin. Is Brooklyn born, Caribbean rooted. You know how that made me happy to support her because she's. She's family.

[Dustin]

Absolutely.

[Francesca]

They also have different scents if you're interested. She has a set of small sprays and perfumes. She has one called Caribbean Skin and it's warm tart skin, musk with tamarind. All of these are very Caribbean. She has Island Milk, which is a soft milky spice gourmand and it has like a creamy sandalwood. She has souk honey, which is the orange blossom like I've tried, but it has like a honey floral. Like these are just nice for spring. They're really fresh and light. And she has a Sunday lime, which is like a vanilla sea salt scent. So she has something for everyone. She also. The last one is window fruit and it's a guava coconut. Last but not least.

[Dustin]

And her Pride month capsule window fruit.

[Francesca]

You know what, it's a guava coconut, milky lychee and so

[Dustin]

smell like guava. Hey, he's gay.

[Francesca]

And then you start the episode, right. If you're looking for some new scents, if you're.

[Dustin]

Why would you give me that lotion

[Francesca]

like that body wash or a hydrating body gloss. Check out we the people. She spells it O U, I the people. You can go. You get it on TikTok shop. You can go on her website or you can also get it on Sephora. I just wanted to shout out to black woman owned products that I've started incorporating. I think it's important as we look at our routines, right? Like your skin care, your hair care, even the stores you're shopping from who you're supporting. I think now more than ever it's important to know who you're supporting. Right?

[Asante]

Yes.

[Francesca]

So. And trying to get our dollars circulating within our own communities. So this made me happy to see these two women and their doing so well. And not only that, but the products are great.

[Dustin]

People trust what you use some and you like it. People trust that. So.

[Francesca]

And I really do appreciate that. Yeah. And I do appreciate that. Y' all know I'm not a hustler in terms of.

[Dustin]

Right?

[Francesca]

Just giving y' all product just so that y' all could pay me. Come with me. I love the guy that says that.

[Dustin]

On what the Is Fran doing?

[Francesca]

What is going on? But yes, these are two products I want you to try. And if you've already tried them, let me know, because like I said, neither one of them is necessarily a new product. They're just new to me. So let us know your thoughts if you're using them, if you're interested in using them, and if you do get them, let me know what you think. And that's it for this Week in Black Women's Wellness.

[Dustin]

Yes.

[Asante]

What about the men's this Week in Music? Alrighty, people, just a couple of things here in the Artist to mention world of the Music man segment. So the Roots Picnic happened in Philly.

[Francesca]

Oh, snap.

[Asante]

That was. That was last weekend. You know, the episode. A little late. We love y', all, but, you know, we still wanted to mention that we knew that that happened. So y' all can be like, can't even talk about it. We talked about it because we mentioned that it happened. I didn't make it out, but I did see a lot of the clips. Did you guys see clips from the Picnic? Any performance?

[Dustin]

Absolutely.

[Francesca]

Oh, you know what? The JayZ, Jay Z. Yes, you're absolutely right. Yeah, I forgot that was roots picnic.

[Asante]

Yep. J.C. he definitely went viral. There were also clips of Brandy, Kehlani, a lot of Monica. A lot of people were built on the festival from Mariah the scientist, Jermaine Dupree and friends, Corinne Bailey Ray. And it's funny because I didn't see Corinne Bailey Ray at the festival, but I did see her on social media recently and she was. You know, it's funny that you say that, because I don't know if she had a bike, but I maybe just felt like there was a bike there.

[Dustin]

That was her who had the bike in the. In the debut video, right?

[Asante]

Yeah, girl, put your records on. She's right on the bike. Yep, that's her. When she let her hair down. You see that big frog blowing through the wind?

[Francesca]

She's so sweet. I told you. I hung out with her and Claude one night. We all went out and danced and it was one of those random nights, magical nights. You know how New York is. It started off in the studio, then we went to get food, then you go out, then you get a drink, then you're dancing. She's very sweet. I have a picture shout out to Korean Bailey Ray on my Instagram from that night. She's great.

[Asante]

I've always loved her. Like, I've loved that first album, but I've always just liked her so Every time I just see her, her, I'm just happy to see her. So it was just to see Kareem Bailey. I was like, you know what, Korean girl? Love you, girl. Much love to Corinne Bailey Ray. But yes, a ton of other beautiful people were out there performing. Destin Conrad, Sasha Keeble. I just want to find. I wish I was there. I wish I was there a. Because it was the Roots Picnic, but it was a really good lineup this year. So I really, really wish I was there. Especially because t. I was there. So. So, you know, it was real Atlanta. You know, outside of that, the only other thing that I would like to mention or. Sid and Steve Lacy have both announced that they have albums coming out. We know them, Notorious.

[Dustin]

You did Happy Pride.

[Francesca]

No, you didn't.

[Asante]

They literally.

[Dustin]

I got the best album. No, I got the best gay album, girl.

[Asante]

It's funny because both of these albums are gay and like everything that you're like, I'm about to give you so much ammo. So they are both.

[Dustin]

They're both gonna be good. As though.

[Asante]

No, no, they're both. They're friends. Like, they love each other, they work together. They're probably on each other's new albums. Who knows? Like, they're. They're family. So it's not like they beefing or maybe they are beefing. We don't know. We'll find out. See so much ammo. Sid's album, they're both coming out on July 17th. Friend, you're not even ready. Since album is titled Beard.

[Francesca]

Beard. Oh, God. You just giving it away right now.

[Asante]

To Dustin's other point, before he continues to make jokes, the album features contribution or the LP. The 12 track LP is called CO produced by Sid and it features contributions from Rodney Jerkins, Rafael Siddiq, James Fauntleroy, Big Sean Van Hunt and Jordan Ward.

[Dustin]

There's no way that can't be good, right?

[Asante]

That's what I'm saying.

[Dustin]

Like sour ass. But other than him. Yes.

[Francesca]

Mad at you.

[Asante]

This was reported on rated R&B dot com. I wanted to make sure that I shared that story. Now, as for Steve Lacey's album that's coming out on July 17th.

[Dustin]

Be Rodney Jerkins,

[Asante]

the be you was talking about earlier.

[Dustin]

Mad at him.

[Francesca]

Oh, my God. Did y' all hear when K1 they. She. People been calling her music strap and B and she was not with that.

[Dustin]

I wouldn't either. Not.

[Francesca]

Why would y' all say that?

[Dustin]

Yeah, that. That is really.

[Francesca]

No, but seriously, why would y' all do her like that? She Was like, I'm not with that. Not. Sante is down.

[Dustin]

I don't blame her.

[Francesca]

And that is trapping B is so crazy.

[Asante]

Like, what?

[Francesca]

And I hate that they asked her that in the interview. With a straight face. I know.

[Asante]

She was like, oh, hell no.

[Dustin]

K1, you better check people. Don't be letting people ask you no up ass like that. Is it funny? But that's.

[Asante]

It's funny, but that's not.

[Dustin]

And it wouldn't be funny to me if I was her.

[Asante]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Francesca]

Absolutely it wouldn't. And it's whack. Just because we have an artist that looks like her, we don't get to have an artist like her make it to the mainstream. So don't do that, you know?

[Dustin]

Right.

[Francesca]

But.

[Asante]

Well, Steve Lacy's new album is coming out on July 17th as well, and that one is titled oh, yeah. Or maybe oh, yeah. Who knows?

[Francesca]

But I'm actually really looking forward to it. I like Steve Lacy's music. And Sid. I'm actually playing a sip record today.

[Asante]

Yep. They both make. Oh. So I will take that off my list. They both make really good. Yep.

[Francesca]

It's good.

[Asante]

It is. It is. It's fine. Because I know who I'm gonna replace it with. But. Yes. That's all I want to mention. Oh, well, you know what? I was going ahead and shout them out since we've been talking about the Internet and all that and how people don't watch music videos no more. Upon my YouTube. And y' all know I shout this artist out a lot because we love this artist. Right over here around the Friend Zone. Willow has a single out called Talk on the Hill. There is a visual out for it, and she looks beautiful, and it's just dope. I don't know. Like, every time I hear Willow, I'm just, like, amazed and surprised, and I love it. But, like, seeing her element and how cool she looks and it's not, like, super weird, it's. But she just looks fire. I love Willow Smith. Willow Smith has always been that girl, and it's just been amazing to watch her, like, grow as an artist. Like, you know, with my hair was such a campy, cool, fun. But, like, you know, I don't know if people thought that it was. It really was. But I don't know if people thought that that was the lane she was going to stay in. Like, she didn't stay that route. She actually went a completely different route. And almost like. I don't know if I should say this. I don't spend enough time in the genre, But I feel like she really was, like, expanding and bending the genres that she was in. So it's just amazing to watch. Watch Willow Smith evolve. So again, the song is called Talk on the hill. That's the visual for Willow Smith. Artists just talk on the hill.

[Dustin]

Oh, you know, he talking on the hill.

[Francesca]

Talk on the hill.

[Dustin]

Willow Smith.

[Asante]

Now we're going to move on to the listens lately portion of this. And Fran, I would love. Oh, no.

[Francesca]

The title of the this song.

[Asante]

Come on.

[Francesca]

Just bad timing all around. So I'm excited because Daily is back out. Y' all remember D?

[Asante]

Oh, yeah.

[Dustin]

Hell yes.

[Francesca]

Mar Roes Daily. He dropped a project, A song, I should say, called lavender.

[Dustin]

Oh, come on.

[Francesca]

Come on,

[Asante]

y'.

[Francesca]

All.

[Dustin]

I feel attacked almost.

[Francesca]

Play it. This is how it goes. Is there any way we could lose this crowd? Make a getaway? I'm too. I did. Distance loud where we dictate the mood Finesse the frequencies Cuz lying here with you could feel like ecstasy and I just want to be free to reside in your energy There are new colors that appear when you're here with me so lay down your defenses Let go your pre Give me all your senses and I make you feel yeah. Lavender. Ain't that beautiful?

[Dustin]

Yes.

[Asante]

Yes.

[Dustin]

100. That's good music. He really picked up the torch from Tina Marie, you know what I'm saying? He did. He was like, I'm gonna do it.

[Francesca]

Surprised to hear that.

[Asante]

I' ma do it.

[Dustin]

You know what I'm saying?

[Francesca]

I'm happy Daily is back. I'm such a fan.

[Dustin]

I got it.

[Francesca]

Daily is D, A, L, E, Y for those who are unfamiliar. And the song is called lavender.

[Dustin]

It's good.

[Francesca]

My next one is this song played in my head, and I was like, oh, my God. Why is it doing that? You know when a song just randomly pops in your head? Santi Gold. Starstruck. Here we go. Do it again and I'll see you tomorrow. I want to get it you got something to borrow can me give you Right on my own wait I dare you Want to get a fire but it don't measure up what is the ingredient? I see. You feel. I see you feeling under the skin it's not so easy to sweat Talk

[Dustin]

about talk your

[Francesca]

she was so great. I was just saying right while it was playing that she would be so perfect.

[Dustin]

Dropping right now the game is missing. Santa Gold, right?

[Francesca]

Asante. You could play the Sid record because I'm actually going to play another song that popped into my head this this week.

[Asante]

Period.

[Francesca]

And is Gwen Stefani cool?

[Dustin]

Oh, my God.

[Asante]

I know it cool. Oh, my God.

[Francesca]

It's hard to remember how it felt before Now I found the love of my life Past these things get more comfortable Everything is going right after all the obstacles it's good to see you now with someone else and it's such a mirror recall that you and me are still good friends after all the we've been through I know we're cool I know we're cool. We used to think it was so those. I love that song so much.

[Dustin]

I do too. I love anything sound like 80s music. Like that. And that. That was a perfect song. Yeah.

[Francesca]

The writing really makes you emotional.

[Dustin]

If you know, you know, circles and triangles. And now we're hanging out with the new girlfriend so far from where we've

[Francesca]

been and she goes, anna. Cool, right? What a great record. Those are my three amazing, amazing.

[Dustin]

I'm surprised that finally still got a strand of hair on her head. Much blonde dye. She got some of the best blonde you want to talk about she got. She must be using some mish Misha.

[Francesca]

Some mish beauty.

[Asante]

What you been over there listening to?

[Dustin]

All right, so the first song we gonna pump is by Blue Ivy Carter. This song is called Mother May I Burn featuring Asadiqi. I'm assuming that's how you pronounce the name. It was just released to. It's released 2026 Parkwood Entertainment, LLC. Exclusive license to Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. Credited to Blue Ivy Carter. Randomly posted to Apple Music. So, wait, what is filed under Rock on My Mama? Look.

[Francesca]

Wait, What?

[Dustin]

Y' all see that?

[Francesca]

Okay, is this AI?

[Dustin]

No, this is real. This is the real deal.

[Asante]

Yes.

[Dustin]

Okay, here we go.

[Francesca]

Sam.

[Dustin]

Ain't no words, but it's good. It's just a rock instrumental. It's good. So. So that's that song?

[Asante]

Yeah.

[Dustin]

Ain't no words.

[Francesca]

I know he got got and he trying.

[Dustin]

I just shared it. I don't be lying.

[Asante]

I told you.

[Dustin]

It's licensed to Parkwood. This is official. Okay, so they playing over there, but they play music.

[Francesca]

And we knew what actor he was, right?

[Dustin]

This is by Honey Baby, Honey baby Honey baby Queen Naja and Bunny B is called Shame.

[Francesca]

Shame on A thinking he could play me Shame on a nigga for thinking that he made me Shame Ain't have to do me like that no, I' ma get you right back. Shame on A for thinking he could play me Shame on A for thinking that he made me Shame Shame A have to do me like that no I'mma get you back it's a shame you lost I don't know real what you to blame I would have got it out the must I through the rain with you soon as I let down my God you started lane switching can't play these games with you now I got to move different you fighting demons I don't want nothing to do it won't be old on me get somebody else to to do it you think it's we go figure x you out the picture cuz I ain't going n n n around and find out disrespect me and I'll send on hit us right now really hate just how it had to turn out thought you was a blessing just a lesson learned now shame shame on a thinking busy

[Dustin]

on that the last song I'm about to play Damn. Should I it this now or never by Esau.

[Asante]

Yes.

[Francesca]

Forgot to make the most of time you make your way across the room sh in the space in between and you cross. Before we forget we don't have forever Kiss me. What? You kiss me now.

[Dustin]

That's the keep the 80s vibes going. That's it for me this week.

[Francesca]

Nice.

[Asante]

Yeah, you rocking hard over there. All right. First song I'm going to play is that Sid record that friend so eloquently passed on over to me. Thank you, friend. This record is called Calling, featuring Blue June. Here's how it goes.

[Francesca]

I don't really be out on the scene sitting in a section all night that ain't for me Thinking about about you while I'm rolling trees I know

[Asante]

you got my messages cuz I ain't

[Francesca]

turning green hit me back hit me back I'm on the way I'm on the way baby Hit me back hit me back I'm on away I'm on away calling I'm calling 911. And you ain't picking up I'm coming for your love. Nice.

[Asante]

So that's project Beard. Next song I want to play. We've talked about the this group. We've actually talked about a couple of them individually. We've talked about they can do whatever the they want to do. And if one of them wants to release a song, they can do that, which is Momo. And if they all want to keep releasing together, that's infinity song.

[Francesca]

She is so pretty.

[Asante]

Infinity song. The group has dropped a record as well, shortly off the heels of Momo's record. Okay. This song is called Hurricane. I'm loving this record. There's a video for it on YouTube. I love that they show the other sister too. Let me get her name real quick. I had an angel I told you

[Francesca]

they make me want to buy rollers.

[Asante]

Yeah.

[Francesca]

Sit under a dryer.

[Asante]

It's a black and white video, but it's. It's effective because you just get to see the members having fun and listen to the record. And the record again, it is called Hurricane. Here's how it goes.

[Francesca]

I still see your face when I close my eyes I don't want to escape I didn't even try I still hear your name when I sleep at night I don't want it to hear no, I'm not going to pretend like

[Dustin]

a someone

[Francesca]

who doesn't love the rain Harden the storm. Oh, I keep waiting for more yeah, I'll keep waiting for more Hurricane and I'll keep waiting for more oh, I keep, keep waiting for more yeah, keep waiting I still feel the touch of your hand in mine and I'm not giving it up don't want to give it time I could just move on I could put up a vibe But I just want to give in no, I'm not going to pretend like I someone.

[Dustin]

So, yeah, that's hard as that's a hit record. Actually love this record.

[Francesca]

That's a global. That's a global. Yes, right there.

[Asante]

They need to be everywhere and that's a good. That's a great record to put them everywhere. There's an artist. I played her on this show once, maybe twice. I hope she's not AI.

[Francesca]

I was just about to say, did you look her up?

[Asante]

I did not. And I think I saw her on Instagram. Knew that first. Look. Not that that helped, but I think I saw her on Instagram. Not that that helps, but the artist, her name is.

[Dustin]

Oh, I love Cherry.

[Asante]

Chx. Yes. Yes.

[Dustin]

From. She's from Canada. I listened to her album in the airport.

[Asante]

The album is so funky.

[Dustin]

I like. Reminds me of Brat.

[Asante]

It does remind me of Brat. But I can see that I love Cherry. I have been listening to the album on repeat. There are a lot of dope, dope songs. Like, it's just nice to hear someone having fun doing cute music. But also, like, there's. There's more there. Like, they're really focused on, like, the moments and the writing in those songs.

[Dustin]

I don't even with you.

[Francesca]

Is she the Ethiopian girl that signed to the weekend?

[Asante]

I think, yeah, I think. I think someone did say she's Ethiopian.

[Francesca]

Okay. I wonder if that's the one sign she signed to the weekend.

[Dustin]

I think shout out to Ethiopians.

[Francesca]

Okay.

[Asante]

Hell yeah. Okay.

[Dustin]

Come on, Cherry.

[Asante]

The record that I'm gonna play today is called Bible Damn. Oh, yeah. This one came on in my car and it was just such a. First of all, I had that music blast. But when this came on, I was like, damn. And it low key gave me a little bit of 80s feel. Like it's just something hard about, like what she's doing. So again, Cherry, this song is Bible. Here's how it goes.

[Francesca]

So is this what everyone talks about? This shit's so overrated. I hate it. Loving you makes me dumb stupid don't know how you did it but you did I go psycho Everything you say is like B, say you're not the one if you text me I still come the way I.

[Asante]

It's just like, you know, those little moments in music be so important. And I feel like artists, not today, they forget that, but they just get so lost in production and keeping up and doing too much. If you get you, like, some really nice, like, not. Not simple songs, but songs that just really highlight the points you're making. Whether it's the. The writing or the singing the notes and what you can do, you have a strong record. And I feel like that wasn't like, maybe even the best record on the project. But she just does so many things that I think are so interesting and dope, and I love that about Cherry. So shout out to Cherry because I've been missing Abra completely different styles of music, but Abra was an artist. She was a black girl. She used to make that, like, soundcloud kind of Vegasy. Like, like. I don't even know how to describe her style, but she was an artist I had been missing. And then Cherry kind of came along and has, you know, given me something. Abra, if you still. I still want to listen but shout out to you.

[Dustin]

She was one. What was her people's name? The Cadabras. Right?

[Asante]

Yo, that's it for the music segment.

[Francesca]

The way you look down I already

[Asante]

knew it was about to be some. When he said.

[Francesca]

When he did this, I knew, right?

[Asante]

No, cool points are out the window. Bye.

[Francesca]

Bye.

[Asante]

That's it for the Music man segment.

[Francesca]

Oh, God.

[Dustin]

This week in tv. All right, so first of all, the Real Housewives of Atlanta is on a roll. I don't care what nobody says. Season 17 is the shit. It has been incredible television. It's back to the glory days. They are doing interview. You know, how they do the confessional scenes or whatever, like the interviews back in the early, like seasons one, two, three, they used to do it on the street. Like if they have an argument at a restaurant, they would interview them getting in the car, like talking about what had just happened, you know, like chemistry

[Asante]

and Nene and all the.

[Dustin]

They did that. They did that. Angela and Shamia got into an argument and they interviewed them both. Both right there. And they was talking, still mad. So it was good. It's back to the. That made it good back in the day. This is the.

[Francesca]

Do you think they finally got the

[Dustin]

right configuration, the right cast, right formula? I don't want nobody to leave. I want it to stay just how it is right now.

[Francesca]

Okay.

[Dustin]

The reunion is coming up. They've been talking a lot of online, so it's. The beef is hot. And they all gonna come to the reunion, you know what I'm saying? With that kind of energy. So I cannot wait. It's been great. If you haven't watched Go on Peacocks, you know what I'm saying? And just watch it, you know, watch it on the Peacocks. But yeah, so that's been good. Also, the love and marriage Huntsville season 10 reunion just aired this Friday and it was so damn good. And I cannot believe it, but Destiny Payton is the star of the show now. Destiny's story, her reaction to what's going on has become. I don't know what happened, but a switch has been flipped and she literally just got real on the show and just started being like, you know what? This is this, this is that. And it made for it. It just made her the people's champ. So shout out to Destiny's Payton. She had a great season 10. Great, great, good.

[Francesca]

Who of the originals are still on that show?

[Dustin]

Marceau and Latisha Scott.

[Francesca]

Okay.

[Dustin]

Kimmy and Maurice Scott.

[Francesca]

Okay.

[Dustin]

Martell Holt. They're originals that are still there.

[Francesca]

Who is he with?

[Dustin]

He doesn't have a partner on the show and he's in an on again, off again relationship with the lady who. The young lady who he had a son with.

[Francesca]

Okay. That's what I was wondering. Got you.

[Asante]

Shout out to Melody.

[Dustin]

Yeah. Forever and ever. Amen. And shout out to Melody. Cherie.

[Asante]

Shout out to Melody.

[Dustin]

Melody forever.

[Asante]

Shout out to me. You want to talk about the greatest example of standing on business? Shout out to Melody.

[Francesca]

Wow.

[Dustin]

So, yeah.

[Francesca]

But what a storyline.

[Dustin]

All of that has been great. I'm still getting back into Nemesis on Netflix. I'm trying to do it.

[Asante]

I have thoughts.

[Dustin]

Yeah. I'm getting back in there. I'm gonna get in there. Yeah. Yeah, I am.

[Asante]

You didn't finish it, Dustin.

[Dustin]

Nah, no.

[Asante]

Dustin. Dustin.

[Dustin]

Yeah.

[Asante]

You are the reason that I went back and watched it. I have to. I have to tell you this. So when we initially discussed Nemesis, I had only watched like maybe 10, 15 minutes into the first episode. I was like, I don't know.

[Dustin]

Yeah, you planned it.

[Asante]

Yeah. I thought to myself, you know, I'm gonna take it for what it is. And knowing who's behind it, I'm really gonna, like, give it the fair one, the fair shot. Honestly, I enjoyed it and I want there to be another season.

[Dustin]

Good.

[Asante]

I will be watching.

[Dustin]

We love. I did shout out to you for being open minded. Courtney A. Kemp, who was the creator of Power, the Power Universe.

[Francesca]

That's right. That's right.

[Dustin]

And she just entered into an overall deal over at Apple tv. So now that's where all the new shows are coming out at. And I feel like her brilliance literally at Apple TV's quality of execution. I feel like we about to get some shows. We about to get some motherfucking shows. So for all the criticism that Nemesis has been getting about, like the quality and shit, and they've been comparing it to other shows and stuff, I'm still gonna watch. You know what I'm saying?

[Francesca]

It wasn't even the quality for me. Cause my thing is you gotta be where you're at. Like, you gotta support her and just hope for bigger budgets. But my thing was the acting. Yeah, that was throwing me off.

[Dustin]

I get it.

[Francesca]

I kinda started watching acting.

[Asante]

It just felt like it was like a nigga soap opera opera. And so once I watched it like

[Francesca]

that, it was very school of Tyler Perry, you know, that's what happened to me. And Queens throwing me off.

[Dustin]

Remember that show Queens on abc? Speaking of which, did you see that Remy Ma has a movie, a Lifetime movie coming out? It's like a dramatic. She's leading and it's about somebody. Don't talk to a girl upstairs or something like that. I'm gonna pull up the poster. I'm gonna go to her Instagram.

[Francesca]

Yo, when did Lifetime just turn fully black? Like, that's our channel now.

[Dustin]

I'm with it. Shout out to Lifetime.

[Francesca]

I wonder what happened. I really do.

[Asante]

I think that they must have put

[Francesca]

out a movie with a black lead and it blew everything else they had out the water. And I was gonna say they realized, let's pivot.

[Asante]

Look. Yeah, you, you. And shout out to Michelle, y'.

[Dustin]

All.

[Asante]

They ran the numbers. After hearing y' all conversation, they realized that they needed to Pivot. And they did. And it was a quiet pivot, too. Like, I don't know when or how it happened, but they have been doing it for a while where it's like. Like black movies. Like, because every holiday, we got black movies on Lifetime. Okay, Lifetime.

[Francesca]

Like, I love it, but I'm happy because they're giving a lot of work to a lot of our vets, too, which I think is great.

[Dustin]

Her movie is called Don't Trust a Girl Upstairs. I can't find the movie post right now because I'm trying to see it.

[Francesca]

I'm watching.

[Dustin]

Let me find it. Don't Trust Lifetime.

[Francesca]

What app is Lifetime on?

[Dustin]

I think they have their own.

[Francesca]

Oh, I don't know if I have

[Dustin]

it then, because I used to watch Married at First Sight on there.

[Asante]

Yeah, here we go.

[Dustin]

Images. Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on. Boom. Here we go. Look at the. Look at the movie poster, y'. All.

[Asante]

I. I literally.

[Francesca]

Oh, it actually looks good. It looks like a horror film.

[Dustin]

It is. It's like.

[Francesca]

Tell me that don't look like a. A24.

[Dustin]

It's like a suspense. Yeah, it's like a suspense film. You know what, Remy? Get it.

[Francesca]

I'm watching.

[Asante]

That's what happened to her daughter.

[Dustin]

It's called Yo Mama Girl Upstairs. Yeah, your mama. That's what this one's called. Your word to your mother. That's what this one is called, y'.

[Asante]

All.

[Francesca]

We should watch it for the binge.

[Dustin]

Big brush. We can. Should we. Should we take a brief intermission?

[Asante]

Intermission from Rory.

[Francesca]

Done with the binge in two weeks. Oh, no, I'm not. Because then it transfers over. It's fine. Whenever we do it, we'll do it.

[Asante]

I mean, we could take a break. Breather. A breather on the white chick.

[Francesca]

You think people will appreciate that? We'll figure it out.

[Dustin]

Well, this releases June 20th.

[Francesca]

Okay?

[Dustin]

So I'm not sure where that falls in line, but it'll be available for us.

[Francesca]

Maybe we'll do it a binge intermission

[Dustin]

for Big Bronx, or else she'll shoot us. So we have to. We have to. We have to pay a miles. I'm just playing. You got to get a Remy Gun, Jokey.

[Francesca]

No, I'm down.

[Dustin]

But, yeah, that's it for the TV Land segment this week. We out this.

[Francesca]

And don't forget to join us on Patreon. We're recapping the Real Housewives of Rhode Island. We're currently on what episode six or seven. So we're rolling through the season. We're having a lot of fun. Oh, God.

[Dustin]

Did y' all see Blossom saying it?

[Francesca]

No.

[Dustin]

Cardi. B's baby girl. She ain't went to school the baby. She went to school her brother Waves.

[Francesca]

My youngest, Bialik.

[Dustin]

We done with that book, fam.

[Francesca]

On that note, you know she a host of Jeopardy.

[Asante]

So did she do it on Jeopardy.

[Francesca]

We love you guys. Thank you for listening. And we'll catch you again this week for a twofer dedicated. Bye.

[Asante]

This is

[Francesca]

prime day is June 23rd through the 26th.

[Asante]

These deals are so appealing, like portable steamers for steaming. Whoa.

[Francesca]

Did I just sing soprano? I think I'm breaking into so epic deals on air fryers, vacuums, and skincare. I can't stop singing shop Epic deals this prime day, June 23rd through the 26th. I think that's it. Nope, there's more luggage. Smart glasses.

[Dustin]

There's a pill version of Ozempic.

[Asante]

Hello, I'm Ozempic and I'm other GLP1s. Kind of like him. Hey, did I hear there's a pill version of Ozempic?

[Francesca]

Yep, you sure did.

[Dustin]

Ask your doctor about which FDA approved

[Francesca]

uses of the Ozempic pen or pill may be right for you. Call 1-833-OZEMPIC or visit ozempic.com to view the medication guide and learn more about

[Dustin]

ozempic semaglutide tablet, 9 milligrams and ozempic

[Francesca]

semagLutide injection, 2 milligrams.

[Dustin]

There's a pill version of Ozempic.