This week on #TheFriendZone, it's a shoot the sh*t episode. No Hot Button. No segments. Just whatever wants to come up. Brace yourself.
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Dustin Ross
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Fran
That sounds nice.
Dustin Ross
With all new episodes of all the Queen's Men.
Fran
You stand up when you talk to the Queen.
Dustin Ross
Plus a whole new world of movies like Gladiator 2, I must have Power. Original series like the Shy.
Fran
Life comes at you fast whether you ready for it or not.
Dustin Ross
In live sports like ufc. Unbelievable new home. Welcome to paradise. Same family.
Asante
That's all that matters to me.
Dustin Ross
Your BET favorites are now on Paramount Plus. Subscribe Now. Welcome to the Friends. My name is Dustin.
Fran
I'm Francesca, also known as hey friend.
Asante
Hey. My name is Asante.
Dustin Ross
This is the friend zone.
Fran
If you don't sit your God damn
Asante
ass down with them spaces in between
Dustin Ross
your T for sure this week we're doing it. I'm just gonna lay out the facts and then we're going to get in the ass. Okay, so here's what's happened. So there's a huge conversation going on right now online, on social media, Facebook, specifically about Young Miami song Spin that and how it is the detriment responsible for being the detriment to black society.
Fran
Wow.
Dustin Ross
That one song We're Doomed and how it's just a bad song. Overall, it started with some comments that India Ari made about the song XD's favorite.
Asante
Her favorite.
Dustin Ross
Why do we think about XD when India Ari pops up? We think about XD and we think about Shout out too. I don't even remember what Twitter user it was, but they took a clip from Tyler Perry's film version for Colored girls when Whoopi Goldberg was like get the devil out of this child.
Fran
Get the devil out of this child.
Dustin Ross
And they said that was India Irene to Young Miami. And she had that white hair. She was swaddled in fabric the way nd iree be. So it was really funny.
Fran
Oh God.
Dustin Ross
However, so India Ari made some comments. Then brownstone singer Nikki Gilbert entered the fray. She made about an hour long video offering commentary on the song and a specific clip of the video highlights the portion where she said that as real artists they already have to compete Against AI and now this ratchet ghetto bullshit trash. And she said that, and she said that. And there's even talk about this song being nominated for a Grammy. She was like, and as a voting member of the Grammys, I really hope that that doesn't happen. We're gonna listen to the clip of what she said and then I'm going to continue the story.
Asante
And if we out here and I
Fran
get it, I get it, I get it.
Asante
I get the argument that, well, girl, ain't nobody really finna be out here boosting. That's you with your grown ass who shouldn't be bopping around at that ignorant shit anyway. But to the young, impressionable young women, many of whom I know in my family personally, who have had issues with
Fran
boosting and stealing and shit, who miss time with their kids, who weren't able
Asante
to be present as parents because they were locked up for boosting and scamming, and now we got a record that has taken off. When I first heard, I was like, I ain't gonna say nothing about this because it's gonna go away. Ain't no way in the world. This is gonna become like the number one most popular record on the planet. And guess what's done happened? It has become the number one of debuted on Billboard at number one. People are talking about the possibility of it becoming a Grammy nominated record.
Dustin Ross
I hope. Listen to this part especially.
Asante
People are talking about the possibility of it becoming a Grammy nominated record. I hope as a voting member that we have a say in whether or not that happens.
Dustin Ross
So that was her commentary on the song. Now when I saw it, I was inspired to respond, right? So I tweeted, what a hater. Especially the part about the Grammys. I said, mind you, she been in court fighting for ownership of a story about strippers and drugs and murders. So it was okay for Nikki Gilbert?
Asante
Yes.
Fran
Who?
Dustin Ross
Nikki Gilbert. Yes. I'm a fill in the blank soon as I finish this quote. So it was okay for Nikki Gilbert to make art about that, but spin, that is too far. Laughing my ass off. Now, to answer your question, yes. Nikki Gilbert, she has been the reason that, you know how P Valley has been on this like four year hiatus and everybody's pissed that it hasn't come back. The reason it hasn't come back is because Nikki Gilbert, front man of brownstone, front woman. I didn't mean to do that at all. I mean, literally, nah, but whatever, you know what I'm saying. But Nikki Gilbert, front woman of brownstone, was in a legal battle. She Was suing Katori hall, who is the creator of P Valley. She was suing her, saying that she had stolen her idea for P Valley from a play that Nikki Gilbert had written called Soul Kittens Cabaret, okay? Which involves strippers, drag queen slash cross dressing person murders. And not equating the presentation with these things, but just in nature of them being taboo. Murders, domestic violence, rape, everything under the sun, abandonment from parents, racism. All the things she was fighting for four years, she lost, by the way. She was fighting for. Because it wasn't true. She was fighting for four years saying that she came up with the ideas that P Valley represented, which we all know what P Valley was about. Strippers, hoes, dykes, fags, motherfucking drug addicts, pimps, sending domestic violence, everything gambling, everything under the sun. But Young Miami Spin, that song is responsible for the decline in black society. Now, she has gone on after this to post so many things about black women being victimized in this somehow. Mind you, Young Miami is a black woman, but somehow black women are victimized in this. All this other shit, she's taking it all over the place. And she also said that real artists, real artists already have to compete with AI and now they have to compete with this ghetto shit. First of all, you make R and B music, so by definition, categorically, your song won't even compete with Spin that anyway. If you had a song out. She can't even keep Brownstone together. It's in need of repair, okay? They can't even keep it together to tour halfway. Second of all, are you going to dye your roots or not?
Asante
Oh, my God.
Fran
Haven't seen it.
Asante
I haven't either.
Dustin Ross
The reason we're going there is because she responded to my tweet. Oh, what is it? And see, this is the thing. I didn't even get nasty with her like I could have. So she says we clearly see where all the scamming and boosting ninja. Scamming and boosting ass ninjas and bitches. She wrote bitches in all caps lock at don't we quote all up in the videos Dancing to their anthem and mad at the aunties who don't like it with three laughing emojis. So she inadvertently called me a bitch in response to my tweet, right? Yeah, Slick casual homophobia. I'm not surprised. She looked like the type. Big feet, big old wide mouth with a bunch of teeth in it. Loud mouth, always got an opinion about something. Look like she need to be somewhere with a newsboy cap and some suspenders on. Singing in a shoeshine tap dance band, you know what I'm saying? With some jeans with a cuff in them and socks. That's what she looked like with her own ass. But I didn't even go there with her, you know what I'm saying? I didn't even make no personal attacks. All I swear is just personal. But since she started her tweet with we clearly see. I said you don't see nothing clearly. You wear glasses.
Fran
Oh my God, Justin.
Dustin Ross
Because she always has these big thick clunkity clunk ass glasses on. Coke bottle ass motherfucking windshield glasses on every time you see her. She didn't have them in this video. I don't know if she got Lasik. She, maybe she couldn't handle the weight of them sitting down looking at all them court documents from when she lost with P Valley. But calling me on my name ain't gonna give me ma', am, you know what I'm saying? So after that I just said what? I said let it go. The next day she sends me a video of. She came back to the tweet because she's engagement firming. She wants people to engage with her. After I went to her page, I saw what was going on, but. So she sends me a video of some guy, black guy, I think he's an Internet comedian or whatever. It looked like he was at a skating rink with a bunch of little kids and they was all singing spin that. Little kids and shit. It was like 50 kids. And it was a shame cause that song is obviously not for children. It's in the song. Right, but what the fuck is you sending it to me for? First of all, I don't even have no kids, okay, so let's start there. I don't give a fuck about them children like that. I care about their well being, but those ain't my damn kids. Second of all, it's their parents responsibility shield them from things that are too mature for them, you know what I'm saying? And me seeing them kids singing that song don't do nothing but make me want to play it. Because I hadn't listened to it yesterday. And so I just wanted to hear it. I turned it, I pumped up the volume and jammed after I seen that. So all I did was respond to her. Oh, and she said she tagged the video. She said go off AWF D E N Dusty D U S T Y so she's being slick homophobic, right?
Fran
Yeah, yeah.
Dustin Ross
So I just, I just quoted the tweet and I was like. And let Them watch P. Valley next Nickel, you know what I'm saying? Because her name is Nicole Gilbert. So I called her nickel because she's hard and metal as a woman, you know, she's porous and deaf.
Fran
Porous.
Dustin Ross
Porous and deft woman. That's what she is. Downtrodden always got a problem. Sullen all the time. I mean, that's what she is.
Fran
I think this song is terrible.
Dustin Ross
Yeah, and that's fine. But you also are not saying that.
Fran
Yeah, but you know, just don't listen to it.
Dustin Ross
There you go. You're not getting in her way.
Fran
I'm not putting it in my car. I'm not. That's how I engage with music.
Dustin Ross
I don't mind you this with all of the shit that's going on in this country, right?
Fran
This song is single handedly solely.
Dustin Ross
This is what you choose. And you should see her tweeting it. She been tweeting India Irene talking about I will end that if the day comes. I will stand ten toes with you, Queen. And all this other shit. I don't know what battle it is. I was about to say imagining in her mind like this is psychosis to me a little bit. So I've been treading lightly because something wrong with her and we should have known it because the way God electrocuted the roots in her hair like that and made it look like that. Always looking like she licked the wall socket every time you see her. Just big ass mouth, loud mouth mouth, almighty tongue everlasting. She reminds me of those wind up teeth and wind up teeth. That's what she reminds me of when
Fran
she said that'll be the name of this episode.
Dustin Ross
Wind up Wind up teeth. That's right, wind it up. Like Gwen Stefani said, I'm just sick of her and I'm sick of people like her. She ain't nothing but an overgrown Internet. She's just like the rest of them. All she cares about is people going to her page. You should see the message.
Fran
Does she have a blue check?
Dustin Ross
I know. Yeah, of course.
Fran
She's getting paid too.
Dustin Ross
Well, she got blue hair too with them gray ass roots. And she has great whatever, she got it today. Also, she'd been having these messy ass interviews, interviewing Ms. Jones, bringing up old ass from 30 and 40 years ago and messy ass shit in the radio or whatever. Bringing up people, trying to agitate conversations and make mess to stir up. I guess engagement with her page is over, ma'. Am. Sing brownstone songs on the road. That's what you need to do. Because what you are not Nikki Gilbert is likable. And nobody wants to fuck with anything that you do because of that. You done pissed everybody the fuck off, including the members of Brownstone. That's why y' all can't ever keep y' all shit together to even go on tour. Y' all just started doing shows again recently. You got cussed out. Famously. You the. The way Selena Johnson cussed Nikki Gilbert out deserves to be archived.
Fran
What?
Dustin Ross
Overweight in a federal governmental capacity like in the Smithsonian Museum. We all remember when Selena Johnson cussed Nikki Gilbert the fuck out on R and B Divas and told her, you'll be there looking a mess with those black gums and all. Knock ass knees. She told her it's a special place in hell for a woman like you that wants to come in and cause division amongst other women. That's right. Selena Johnson tore her up.
Asante
She ripped the hell out of her.
Dustin Ross
As a matter of fact, Claude Kelly and Chuck Harmony on the we so Crazy We Sound Crazy podcast interviewed Selena Johnson and she did a long form discussion about it. And they were lauding and applauding her for having one of the best cussing outs in the history of people getting cussed out on tv. That came from Claude Kelly. And so you should hear their glee and excitement as they reflect and remember how bad it was when Selena cuts Nikki Gilbert's ass out.
Asante
That's amazing.
Dustin Ross
So you already dealing with all of that. And if you really want to pile onto it, since you're this savior of black women and black people. Heffer, you literally licensed a song to Tory Lanez after he shot Megan.
Asante
Yep.
Fran
So yikes.
Dustin Ross
Much like that, jawbone is misaligned. Big ass mouth. Leave me alone. I didn't do nothing to you but state the obvious. You are jealous of the success that young Miami is experiencing because you feel like she don't deserve it. And instead of saying that, you wrap it in this message to uplift and save black people when black people don't need your help. I'll put it like that. You need your own help. You gotta put a bandaid on that licked raw ass wound that they left on your lashings that they put on your ass in the courtroom from P Valley, wasting everybody's motherfucking time. We didn't forget where I don't even remember the motherfuckers names on the show no more. And it's her fault.
Fran
I didn't know. It's been four years.
Dustin Ross
It's been too damn long. And it's all because of her wasting everybody's time and resources.
Fran
Yeah, they have such a big audience.
Dustin Ross
And then loss.
Fran
And then lost. So it was for nothing.
Dustin Ross
Loss. Talking all this shit about creators and protecting creators and shit. What about Tori Hall?
Fran
Where was she? Assuming that Katori read her work or her play. That's the part I want to.
Dustin Ross
The. The. The vanity, the. The narcissism. Huh? Soul Kittens Cabaret. I'm not down in her work because I'm not gonna do that to her. She got enough. She does enough stupid ignorant ass shit for me to use as fuel to light her ass on fire.
Asante
Yeah.
Dustin Ross
So I'm not gonna down her work. But she's an imbecile and a grandmother at that. And the fact that she literally is finding the time to send me a fucking video. And now, mind you, again, I went light. I went very light. I'm not even gonna. You know my thing. I ain't finna be calling her out her name and all that shit. That ain't even my style of her.
Fran
It's never that deep either.
Dustin Ross
Not for me. But you should have seen them comments. Like, oh, she got the right one. I can't believe she's the convincing.
Fran
Yeah.
Dustin Ross
Cause they already know, you know what I'm saying? Leave me alone. People know how I don't care nothing about her. I don't care nothing about her. She cares too much about this. And so that's just what it is. And since she decided to get her cement root hair ass on the Internet and start talking shit about. Spin that. Here we are. You started the conversation, it's continued. And you don't get to make personal attacks against me with your steel toe shoe wearing ass. And I don't need to say nothing about it on my show. Yeah, she do too. And she always trying to put her big ass foot down, sing a song. What note you gonna hit? That's what I want to know. Can you still hit them Brownstone's notes or have you your voice up, running your mouth about shit that you shouldn't be. Nikki Gilbert.
Fran
Yikes.
Dustin Ross
I never thought I'd see the day.
Asante
It is always interesting when people like have reduced themselves to Internet mouthpieces. I don't know.
Fran
Especially someone so talented. Yeah. You love Brownstone.
Dustin Ross
What?
Asante
And now I just. I'm left with this. Yeah, yeah.
Dustin Ross
Now I scroll right on past that. I don't want to hear it. It's still good music. I just don't want to hear it right now. She with me, right?
Asante
Right.
Dustin Ross
Anyways, welcome to the friend Zone. What up, though? I don't feel like saying all that. How y' all doing?
Fran
How are y' all doing?
Asante
I'm mad. Did y' all have barbecue this weekend?
Fran
No, I did. Oh, I definitely did. It was on the grill. No, I. We didn't put anything on the grill. One of our friends was grilling.
Dustin Ross
Okay.
Fran
Yeah, but we. Yeah, we had fun grilling with A.B. well, I was smoking with A.B.
Asante
okay. I hope that gentleman is doing well, west coast uncle.
Dustin Ross
Yeah.
Fran
Yeah. There's, like, a big thing that we go to every year. It's, like, at a big, huge park, and they have, like, vendors and rides and live music. Terrible live music, but live music nonetheless.
Dustin Ross
What were they singing, Fran?
Fran
I mean, just a lot of white songs. You know what I mean?
Dustin Ross
A lot of Journey, Don't Stop Believing and shit.
Fran
When I say you hit it. Yeah, you hit it on the nail. So I was trying not to talk wild. Terrible. The music is, you know, so.
Dustin Ross
And that's a good range of interest. So you know that if it irritated you, it was the environment. You know what I'm saying?
Fran
And it was the COVID band more than the performers.
Dustin Ross
Yeah.
Fran
But. Yeah, the fireworks. I love fireworks. It was just.
Dustin Ross
Did y' all boo?
Fran
Huh?
Dustin Ross
Did y' all boo?
Fran
What is boo Boo? Did we boo? No, I thought you were saying some slang. I'm like, did I boo? What is that?
Dustin Ross
Yeah, did you boo up?
Asante
Did you boo out? Did y' all boo? Yeah, we booed.
Fran
No, I would never.
Dustin Ross
Oh, my God, them kids would have loved it.
Fran
You like tomato, tomato, tomato? No.
Dustin Ross
Poor memory.
Fran
But it was really fun. A lot of really good food. And then the. Yesterday we had a fun ass water fight where the kids were all playing. And then I ambushed them because they thought I was in the house cleaning. And what I really was doing. Do you know there's this new thing now where you can fill up water balloons? It just has this, like, nozzle attached to it, and then it fills up a hundred water balloons, and they're already sealed. It's the craziest thing. You could fill up 100 water balloons and literally it takes, like, two minutes.
Dustin Ross
You don't have to knot it anymore.
Fran
You don't have to knot it anymore, and you don't have to. You don't have to fill it one by one. It's just this. This, like, these plastic strings all attached to the balloons with one nozzle. And you fill up the nozzle and it just fills up all the balloons, and then the balloons just slide out of the plastic once they're full enough and they're already sealed. Crazy. I was like, yo. So I bought a few of them, filled it up in the sink. So I had 100 water balloons. Then I put them all in a cooler. And while the kids were playing, they didn't know. And I just started bombing at
Asante
Hell yeah.
Fran
They were like, what is happening? Because it just started coming from the top of the house.
Dustin Ross
Oh.
Fran
They had no clue what was happening.
Dustin Ross
They was cracking up.
Fran
It was so much fun. So that's the weekend I had, but it was good. I actually don't usually do, like, you know, we don't care about Fourth of July, but it's nice to get together with people. Also, the lone family, they are with us.
Dustin Ross
Shout out to the loans. Yes.
Fran
Shout out to the lone family. Y' all know how much they mean to me. Most of them were down here, so we actually all got together, their whole family, all of us, all the kids spent the whole weekend, literally Saturday and Sunday together. So that made me happy, because y' all know those are my people's shout out to loan. Lo&e. Their deodorant is a phenomenal, like, safe, all natural, nontoxic deodorant. I know a lot of y' all are like, I need my aluminum, especially in this heat.
Dustin Ross
But it's a really great if you're over 5, 10. But, yes, I agree. I agree.
Fran
If you're looking for it, it's a great company. And I've been friends with their family for many years now. So, yes, now I had a good weekend. A good weekend of, like, family, friends, and just a lot of fun, A lot of kid fun. So what'd y' all get into? Did y' all do anything for the fourth?
Dustin Ross
Well, I've been deep in rehearsal mode.
Asante
That's.
Dustin Ross
First of all, it was over 100 degrees in New York. I had some family stuff I had to handle, but, like, it was over 100 degrees in New York.
Fran
Ooh. I didn't realize it was that hot already.
Dustin Ross
Yeah. So I was inside, like, sharpening my blade for my shows this week.
Fran
Nice. When's the next. What's the next stop?
Dustin Ross
Tomorrow in Chicago. So today?
Fran
Oh, yeah. Duh.
Dustin Ross
Well, it'll be yesterday by the time.
Fran
Right, right, right.
Dustin Ross
But tomorrow in Chicago, Thursday in St. Louis. So busy week for your boy.
Fran
How exciting.
Dustin Ross
Rocks in the window, you know what I'm saying?
Asante
Man on road. Man on road.
Dustin Ross
Man on road.
Fran
Those are good. Two fun cities, too.
Dustin Ross
I'm really excited. I can't wait to see everybody Again, like, it just. It's a. It's overwhelmingly. It just makes me feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude that people gave a fuck enough to buy a ticket.
Fran
Hell yeah.
Dustin Ross
You know what I'm saying?
Fran
That will always be grateful. Most mind blowing feeling when you're on.
Dustin Ross
Yes. So thankful. So I can't wait to talk. Shit. I got some really risque, horrible things to say that I look forward to letting out.
Asante
You love to release.
Fran
I'll be. I'll actually be in Chicago next month. Okay, then. Yeah, we're going to do a whole weekend there just to eat good food.
Asante
Yeah.
Dustin Ross
Go see the bean, you know, all that stuff.
Fran
Because my partner was just there last time, month for work. And then I was like, man, I haven't been to Chicago for fun in so many years. I've gone for work, but not for fun, like, where it's just me choosing to go for the weekend. And so we were like, let's just go. I was telling Jade and she was like, oh, my God, I might pull up with y' all because, you know, we just love eating. She was saying she got some restaurants too, that I absolutely need to try. So I'm gonna have one of those foodie weekends next week.
Dustin Ross
That is so cool.
Fran
It's gonna be fun. I have, literally, I haven't been there in years, so I love Chicag. Like a cleaner New York. I always feel that way.
Asante
It's a beautiful city. It's a beautiful city. And it's also great in the summertime because, you know, when it's cold, you ain't nowhere. Don't go nowhere.
Fran
A little too hot, but, I mean, very similar to New York, but I'm excited. Chicago, I love y'.
Asante
All.
Dustin Ross
Welcome to the Friends.
Fran
Every time I'm in the zone. See, the only problem I have with Poshmark is that now I've just been scrolling on it as if it were a social media platform, just seeing what's on there, seeing what's the new post of the day. That's good and bad, especially for those of us that like to shop. But it's just that much of an amazing app. I already told y' all my hack, if there's something I want to buy that's out in stores right now, I check Poshmark first before going on the website of the store because there might be someone who missed their return window or maybe the sizing was off, or maybe they tried it and decided it wasn't for them, but it was too late to switch out. Whatever the case, may be some people even sell it new with tags, new without tags. There's something for everyone and most of the times what I'm looking for is there on the app. So I suggest it. Y' all know how I love Poshmark. I love it a little too much and it has nothing to do with the fact that we're working with them. I wish y' all could see my account. It goes back many years and many products. But Poshmark, for those of you who are unfamiliar, is the leading fashion resale marketplace shaped by real people and real style. Millions of new and pre loved items from daily wardrobe staples to vintage and luxury fashion archive worthy pieces as well. So if you thought you missed out on that shoe, you thought you missed out on that dress, you may may find it on Poshmark. And that's the best part of the site too. They have current essentials, one of one vintage finds. It's really all there. And when you're ready for a closet refresh, you can earn real money selling the pieces when you're ready to part with them. And it reaches more than 80 million people on the platform. So someone's looking for what you're selling. So if you're interested, there are new deals and styles listed every day, so you really don't have to wait. Download the Poshmark app and use Code Zone when you sign up to get $10 off your first purchase. Shop now at poshmark.com zone and get $10 off your first purchase. That's P O S H M A R K.com/zone. Go on the site or check out the app. Regardless, the goods are there. Happy shopping the summer schedule can get busy really fast, right? With camps, vacations, sports and family time. I Excel, however, makes it easy to keep learning as part of the routine with just a few minutes a day. Iexcel 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 their science concepts. IXL is used in 96 out of the top 100 school districts in the US and studies show that kids who use IEXCEL score higher on tests and it's been proven in all 50 states. I know that during the summertime the kids just want to be outside or hopefully they do. 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Dustin Ross
I have a Chicago story.
Fran
What's your Chicago story?
Dustin Ross
So the very first year that I went to any, like, Gay Pride. Oh, my God, I can't believe I'm saying this so loud, but, like, the very first year I went to any gay pride, Chicago, 4th of July weekend was, you know what I'm saying, with Black Gay Pride. So we went. It was only like a three hour, three and a half hour drive. Me and my friends went. So we get to the park, right? Cause during the day on Saturday, everybody goes to the park. They be like, out there. It's like vendors and shit. But, you know, people just be chilling in the park at the time, smoking weed. This before I smoked, I was just drinking, and this was kind of new for me. So we get to the park where everybody is and shit. We walking through, seeing people or whatever, and I'm like, wow. You know, it was like all these guys, and it was just like, all these people. So, like, we walking through or whatever. Wow, right? Like, this is nuclear. So I'm like, oh. And I'm figuring out, like, where I fit in the mix, you know what I'm saying? Like, it just was happening for me, man. We walk past the park and we get to, like, the basketball courts, right? And it was like, people playing basketball. That wasn't a part of pride. Like, it was a park, open park, right? Guess who was playing basketball and taking pictures, being so nice. I don't even. I hate to even say it, R. Kelly. Everything I look like, Hand to God and the other one to Octavia. He wasn't there for pride, though. You know what I'm saying? I don't. They didn't. Him and his crew didn't even know that. It was like, pride. They was like, he just happened to be out in the basket, out in the court. He was in the park playing basketball. And so you had to walk past, like, the basketball courts to get to, like, where the Pride area was. And as people was walking past, they was being so cool. Like, him and his people, people was like, stopping to take pictures and shit. He was like, yeah, you know, like, yeah, being cool or whatever. Like, I'll never forget that. I will never forget that. So that's my Chicago 5 store.
Fran
Not where I thought you were going.
Dustin Ross
That's my Chicago.
Asante
Didn't see that one coming at all.
Dustin Ross
You didn't. I was like, that's R. Kelly. Much respect to everybody, right?
Fran
You know, this was then. This was that.
Dustin Ross
That was a long time ago. Yeah.
Fran
Yes. Asante. What did you get into
Asante
Love Island?
Fran
Oh, you ain't. That was me last night. I stayed up a little late watching. I'm still behind, but I'm sorry, I'm
Asante
caught all the way up. I'm tuned all the way in. Like Dustin said, it was hot everywhere I was. It was just hot. It was just hot all weekend. So I just needed to be inside getting some ac, trying to hydrate and just plan my next moves. And. And while doing that, I just kept up with the drama of people on television, and they just so happen to be the people on Love Island. I will say this is so random, but only because Saturday I watched a few of them after sun shout out to the two co hosts of After Fran.
Fran
I tried because everybody was like, it's so good this year. You gotta give it a chance. The hosts are amazing. I was like, you know what? I'm gonna give it a chance.
Asante
The hosts are amazing. The thing is, friend, we don't friend. We don't after sun. So we're just kind of like, eh. I will say I've passed. Tried to after sun and be like, okay, I definitely know that this isn't for me, but I've after sun a few times this season, and I still don't care about it. But the hosts, they really. They really, like, found their rhythm together. They've got great energy together, and they're perfect for after sun. Even with that said, I still don't want to after sun on a regular basis, but knowing the mechanics of after sun and seeing them, I'm like, they are perfect together. Like, I thought it was only just one co host before that they would switch out. But the two of them, Teffy has really good energy, and Sierra, I mean, we already knew we were gonna love Sierra, but Sierra and Teffy together, they're very fun together. They have two different angles, and it's great. I was like, okay, y' all are great. Will I do this again? No.
Fran
Is Taffy from reality tv?
Asante
I don't know where Teffy's from, but I think she has her own, like, podcast or show where she would cover reality tv.
Dustin Ross
Like, I mean, tell Fire, right?
Fran
I was asking because I've seen her be. She's popular on TikTok, so I wondered if she got that hosting gig from her popularity on social media. I didn't know if she's already coming from television. I know Sierra. I don't watch, but I know people have mentioned she's summer house fame. Yeah.
Dustin Ross
She on a roll right now too.
Fran
Oh, no.
Dustin Ross
She's in Shaboozi's video. Yeah, she's like, the lead. Yeah, she. She's beautiful dancing.
Fran
She's very pretty, though.
Asante
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Dustin Ross
Good for her.
Asante
Yeah, good for her. I mean, Teffy, I didn't actually know of her before this. When I saw her, I was like, who is this cookie kind of white woman? And my friend broke it down. He was like, yo. She'd be online talking about the people. They like her. She's cool. And then after seeing her a few times, I was like, all right, I get it. Like, especially for Love island. And then them having the Fiji, you know, backdrop and budget for the wardrobe and stuff. I want to see her to keep winning. And if it's with Ty, amazing. If it's by herself, amazing. But the two of them together, I really settled into it because, you know, sometimes people are like, oh, get rid of one, or whatever. I see the vision. I like it for that. For Love Island.
Fran
Yeah.
Dustin Ross
I think Sierra was just on the COVID of Elle too. If I'm not mistaken. She just did a cover. I know. Landria then had cover after cover. She's on Rolling Stone, Cosmopolitan, like, everything. So good for them. Black girls winning.
Fran
I love seeing that new season that black girls are the popular ones.
Asante
Where are you at in this season now, friend?
Fran
I just last night got to Casa More. Not even got there. Just that part where the girls are watching the videos of the men having come out. That's where I'm at. And I was so sleepy, I couldn't keep watching, but that's where I stopped.
Asante
Yeah.
Fran
So I'm far behind, but I'm catching up.
Asante
But what are you thinking about? Or what are you thinking of from what you caught up with so far?
Fran
I think what I'm most interested in is I see all the KC hate. So I'm trying. I'm trying to tap in, like, what. What happened? Because from where I'm at now, you
Dustin Ross
know, what does Jodeci have to do with this?
Asante
You're not mad at him so far?
Fran
I won't say I'm mad at him or not mad at him, but also, I have to remember this. There are some people that take TV very seriously. You know what I mean? And it, like, they take certain things to heart because I'm seeing just pure vitriol online. But it just made me wonder, like, what did he do that's making people so angry? Like, people hate him. Like, I fear for that man when he comes out and grabs his phone. I can't even imagine what his mentions
Asante
are like, I was disappointed with Casey, but I don't hate him. But you are right. People are, like, on his ass. They're just not feeling.
Fran
They take this show very seriously.
Asante
They're not feeling how he treated Aniyah. But also, Casey was.
Fran
But when did it start being that you watched everything? Is it before Kasima, or is it.
Asante
Yeah, everybody was not feeling him. Even with, like, the soul situation when she was there, people weren't feeling him, saying that he, like, wanted to explore but didn't want to explore. And then afterwards, he's like, yeah, you know, I wanted to talk to you, but I saw you had already locked in with sincere. And then soul sitting there like, okay, well, nigga, I still. You know, she. Without saying it, she still need to be in the house. So you're gonna try to explore now.
Fran
What's up?
Asante
Yeah, but Casey's just not. He's not good with the communication, and so that's why I'm just kind of annoyed with his ass. But other people take it as, he
Dustin Ross
knows what he's doing.
Asante
He's trying to make himself the victim. He thinks he's a prize. Blah, blah, blah. I'm just like, I don't know. Just don't know how to talk, you know, Everybody means well. They're just missing each other. And that's what I would just be kind of. That's why I said, especially on Love Island. It's a bunch of hormones and confusion. Look at Kenzie. Kenzie just trying them all out, taking them all for a run. People are mad at her for that.
Fran
And I thought,
Asante
people are mad at her for taking them off for a ride. I'm like, that's what Love island is to me. She can ride as many as she wants to. Y' all gonna keep her in the house? That's what I thought. Part of the point was.
Fran
Yeah.
Asante
Later on, you're gonna see her say she thought that kissing was like, a handshake in the house. And everybody pretty much had the nerve
Dustin Ross
to be, oh, no.
Asante
And I'm like. I mean, from what I see in them challenges, I can see how she got there.
Fran
All that kissing. Want to throw up. I can't. Oh, like, you know, supply. I don't get when they have to kiss down the line. And so you kissed me after kissing five people before me. Like, that is just so disgusting.
Asante
I'm so close to Covid.
Dustin Ross
They still doing that?
Fran
Yeah. Oh.
Asante
What? I'm so shocked that the guys don't get all homophobic and Be all like,
Dustin Ross
oh, you gotta wipe your mouth off before you kiss.
Asante
Like, I'm actually. I'm always shocked when I see that.
Dustin Ross
Yeah, I'd be looking at the guys while I was kissing them.
Fran
No, you didn't. Oh, there's two of them that I. I feel are doing just that. I'm starting to peep with these.
Dustin Ross
I heard they said it was two of the boys act like they. Or something. Did they say that's going on?
Fran
Because there's a difference between.
Dustin Ross
What island is that?
Fran
Men that are close, right? Like, they just got. They have a connection. They're very friendly. But these two I saw, like, one was sitting down, and the other one pushed his head in really quick towards his crotch to. To kind of pretend that he was about to blow him, you know, just. And I get some people play like that, but it.
Dustin Ross
They doing it too much.
Asante
These is the ones I was talking about. I was trying to tell y'.
Dustin Ross
All.
Asante
They got.
Dustin Ross
Where's Janet Jackson when you need her? Are you gay? That's what. That's what we need. Okay. How you gonna ask me a question like that? But they. We. We need her. So are they. Are they gay?
Fran
They haven't said they are, so I can't say that. But when you look at them, I think they're reenacting. What's that show everyone's crazy about with the.
Asante
With the heated rivalry.
Fran
Heated rivalry with the hockey players.
Dustin Ross
What a metaphor, right? Sticks and pucks for a gay show. I was like, nice try, but yeah,
Fran
okay, well, Love island is cute. I'm catching up. I definitely feel like this is a good season because you always. You never know if the season's gonna do as well as the previous one, because they've all been really good.
Dustin Ross
But stars.
Asante
The stars of this season. Melanie and Sincere. Right? All the villains. There's not. I think Carrie was tweeting about the couples. Shout out to Carrie because
Fran
I need to see what he been tweeting.
Asante
I need to find that tweet. Because Carrie says something so funny about, like, just how he viewed all the couples. And I was like, you know what? Agree. But I was about to say Melanie and Sincere are like stars because they are villains, but he just put dot, dot for a bunch of. Of him because he. Everyone's annoying this season.
Dustin Ross
Describe the tweet.
Asante
The tweet? No. So here's the tweet. Somebody said, we all agree that Casey and TT Are the next to leave. And it's like a chart of all the current couples. So the current Couples in the villa are Anaya and Carl, K and Zach, Kenzie and Dylan. Melanie. Melanie and Sincere. Tierra and Casey, Trinity and Bryce. And so Carrie retweets it and says, y' all are crazy as hell. And so I'm going to tell you his breakdown of each couple. Right.
Dustin Ross
Trinity and Bruce is like a ranking or simply a breakdown of the couples. Are they in an order? This is just. There's a breakdown of the couples.
Asante
There's no order. But.
Dustin Ross
So it's not a ranking.
Asante
Right. We'll start from who he hates all the way to who his favorite is. Right. Well, most compatible. We won't even say favorite. Most compatible. He said Trinity and Bryce. Friend, are you familiar with Trinity and Bryce? That couple?
Fran
He's saying they're. He hates them.
Asante
Well, we're gonna. I'm gonna tell you what he. How he describes them. I was like, Trinity and Bryce. He says, scamming.
Fran
Okay, thank you, brother.
Asante
Anaya and Carl. Oh, I'm sorry, friend, you didn't get there yet.
Fran
I was thinking, who the is Carl?
Asante
Well, Carrie Forced Casa More.
Fran
Okay, gotcha.
Asante
Zach and Kada. I don't like them unlikable.
Fran
Thank you, brother.
Dustin Ross
That's her name. K.
Asante
Like K. I don't like them together. I don't care about Z. Okay, Kenzie and.
Fran
But K makes me laugh because she's so cute and, like, pretty. But then when she laughs and talks, she sounds like the Simpsons aunts. Remember the aunts?
Dustin Ross
Yes.
Fran
She be laughing.
Asante
Dustin. She's beautiful and she's cute. She'll be like, oh, my God, stop.
Dustin Ross
You're so annoying.
Asante
Oh, my God.
Fran
I love.
Asante
Get away from me. E. I'm still mad at you.
Dustin Ross
Get away from me. E. I'm still mad at you.
Asante
One of the challenges, she was like. She was like.
Dustin Ross
That was cute.
Asante
I think. I think that was really cute.
Fran
She's cute to me.
Asante
Okay, okay. Kenzie and Dylan. You don't know Dylan yet, friend. But either way, this one says literally nobody cares.
Fran
So Kenzie and Corbin. Okay, I see. I'm. Yeah, well, update.
Asante
And it's all gonna happen during Casa More, friend. You're gonna be all the way.
Fran
Clearly.
Asante
Because Corbin was hyped girl going into Casa More. All the girls thought it was gonna play out differently than what it did. And the boys, you know, just do what the boys do. Casey and Tierra tell you right now,
Dustin Ross
I'm in Casa More.
Fran
Oh, they.
Dustin Ross
They. I'm not going over. I'm going to forget as soon as I walk out the door when I get to kata El Moore. I'mma be single and ready to motherfucking mingle. And I don't even know how the show works. I was piecing that together.
Fran
But you know what they did differently this year? Just real quick, Asante.
Asante
And then.
Fran
So when you get to Casa More right now, this year, they put a camera showing the girls how the boys are reacting as the new girls are walking out one by one. So they don't know that the girls are watching them on this massive, big, big screen, seeing them laughing, kiss, and being like, I'm with her. Like, just, you know, saying all the honest that they think they're saying amongst boys.
Dustin Ross
I hate my girlfriend.
Fran
No Literally climbs this. You know, just talking. They talk. And the girls are, like, crying, shaking, throwing.
Dustin Ross
Mind you, friend. Mind you.
Asante
The girls got that. And then shortly after, they got movie night, so it's like they got to see that.
Fran
What? Wait, did the boys not come out for them? Oh, you mean like, episodes later on?
Asante
Yeah, episodes later. Oh, no. Movie night during costume or movie night. That would be crazy if they did a season like that. Like. All right, let's condense this and do movie night costume more in the same city.
Fran
That beautiful bean footage. That's what I thought.
Asante
You okay?
Dustin Ross
I don't really know what's going on, but I know that was good, what you just said, friend. About the beans.
Asante
Yes. But Love Island's been treating me very, very well this season, I must say.
Fran
Yeah. I'm sucked in. I just hate that I'm so behind this year. But because the commentary has been so funny. I love Dustin. I feel like you would enjoy it.
Dustin Ross
I told you.
Fran
And people would enjoy your. I know. I know. People would enjoy your commentary on it.
Asante
Yes. I think.
Dustin Ross
And I feel like I'm honestly on some real shit. I feel like I'm missing out on a bag talking. Talking about it.
Fran
1,000.
Asante
Absolutely.
Fran
Because.
Dustin Ross
And that makes me cringe.
Fran
I'm seeing certain creators that I love already, and they have tapped into the Love island bag. And it's been fun.
Dustin Ross
But that's okay because I just ain't said nothing about it yet. No matter when I watch it, people love that show so much, they'll come back to hear what I got to say. Yep.
Asante
Literally agree. Literally.
Fran
That's not the good.
Asante
Fran, what did you think about Melanie? And sincere. Just so far from what you've seen of their story arc start.
Fran
It's just young. I feel like most of us have been through that, where they're, like, fighting getting back together. Fighting. Well, let me not say most of us. Some people are smarter than that. But there's a lot of us in our early 20s, 30s, and well, well saying 40s and 50s that have been in that.
Dustin Ross
Where Smokey Robinson 80 his nasty ass.
Fran
Where y' all just have a thing, can't get enough of each other. Shit keeps falling apart. You get back together, it's falling apart someone most people who have had that person, so I can't knock them for it. They just happen to be on TV with it, you know?
Dustin Ross
Exactly. Leave them people alone. Nikki Gilberts.
Fran
And the funny thing is these two, probably by next year won't even be together. So it'll be a lip in her life life experience. Which is another thing most of us have also been through where someone felt bigger than life. And now you can even. I can even tell you what city they live in.
Dustin Ross
Couldn't pay me honey to lay down with the.
Asante
Well, friend, you see, I'm like, keep sweating.
Dustin Ross
I hope everybody did me wrong doing bad. Who you talking about? Keep Anybody, that's how I'm just like him. Fuck that and fuck you all.
Asante
Well, Frank, you see they finally got back on the good foot before Sincere went to ca some more.
Fran
So they did. But once they got to Casa More, I said, oh, it's over for that. Before even knowing what happened, I already knew he was so. He was the most lustful of all the men. As the girls were coming out, the way he was looking at their asses and their thighs when they were walking away from him, I said, oh, that shit's over.
Asante
Oh yeah, the girl in the silver, I think she was.
Dustin Ross
Well, she was going to Rena.
Asante
She should have been going to hell. Whoever that was dressed like an angel.
Fran
She's removed.
Dustin Ross
Yeah, but they let it go. She looked like a child.
Fran
She looked like a child, right?
Asante
And then she was like, I'm a good girl. Or whatever. But apparently she'd been saying but. But they let her little story arc play out. She was just didn't come back to the villa. So
Dustin Ross
you a.
Fran
Mind you, she looked like a child when she came out. I was like, how old is she? She was so like. And I'm not shaming bodies, cuz I know people are smaller, but she. Her face looked like a child, like very young to me.
Dustin Ross
And I was calling somebody a. I
Fran
mean that didn't help either. Now that you're telling that part of the story. Yeah, yeah.
Asante
Removed.
Fran
I have cast some more to watch. So I got to the good part.
Dustin Ross
I'm One episode away.
Fran
I wish you would just watch it, Justin.
Asante
I'm gonna make you watch it next year. Next year I'll be like, we starting.
Fran
If it wasn't 500 episodes, I would
Dustin Ross
say that's that first dance thing. I'm telling y'.
Fran
All.
Dustin Ross
I can't, because I feel like I'm not gonna understand everything.
Asante
Okay, I'm gonna just make you watch episode two. You just gotta watch the intro.
Dustin Ross
Have to chain me down to watch it. Like, I mean, what's some things in the bed, when they put them. It looks like belts, but they strap you down. Yeah, I'm have to be in one of them. Some restraints or that thing from the Janet Jackson concert. They. Do you like this?
Fran
They have the.
Asante
From what I saw, right?
Dustin Ross
Hey.
Asante
Okay.
Dustin Ross
I ain't really into, like, toys and swings and. But, you know, went in wrong.
Asante
You know, why not if you're fine.
Dustin Ross
A little while.
Fran
Corbin is cute to me now. To me. I find his face so cute every time he comes on screen.
Asante
What does he look?
Dustin Ross
Can you pull him up?
Asante
Yeah, Corbin's the one that friend thought she was gonna be into that I
Fran
thought you would find cute. And I still think you would find him cute. I don't know if you would like him.
Dustin Ross
Let me stand like Spike Lee before
Fran
I start looking, but get a good picture if possible.
Asante
I'm gonna just give you the photographer. I'm gonna just give you the Google. Google images. And you tell me which one I should zoom in on. Fran.
Dustin Ross
Oh, okay.
Fran
Yeah, that one right on the left. Bottom left. The bottom left. That's probably the. He's cute, right?
Dustin Ross
Awful. That. That's my meter. But yes, I would have sex.
Fran
I would have sex. And he's like, six four. He's. What is he, Jamaican Chinese? I think his face is really Jamaican black.
Asante
And.
Dustin Ross
Well, yeah, I can speak. Shout out to Crystal. We can speak a little patios to each other. And she was. She was. She was in a rant, speaking patios or whatever.
Fran
But I find his face super cute. Yeah, I think Casey is cute. And, like, he's who I would have liked in, like, middle school. He's, like, middle school cute. You know how there's, like, different levels, but. Yeah. I don't know. I feel like the girls just don't get a good deck.
Asante
Yeah. Wait, T. Did you. Oh, they really don't friend. Because wait till you see the cost of more guys.
Fran
I don't even want to. I don't. I was like, no, they never do the girls, right? Never. And Then meanwhile, the guys get a bunch of beautiful women. It's just unfair.
Asante
I mean, the way that the girls came in, it was like, damn.
Dustin Ross
Well, they got a solid. They got a solid three. I know. I've been keeping count based on the pictures y' all showed me. They got a solid three on the black boy.
Fran
Casey.
Dustin Ross
That's him.
Asante
Casey's the black boy?
Dustin Ross
Yeah. Is he a Haley?
Fran
Is he a Haley?
Dustin Ross
Casey and Jojo Haley, they. Man, they look a little, you know, and they relate to Fantasia. He looks like Fantasia.
Fran
Beautiful, brown, sincere, and Corbin, our most handsome guy.
Dustin Ross
Yeah, listen, Yeah, I can occupy my time,
Fran
but they're also. Hell, it's like, so am I at least sincere as hell. Hell, he is so annoying. He reminds me of all the boys I hate when I was growing up that they just cannot be truthful. And you're a whole ass adult. Just be like, yeah, I mean, it's bad.
Dustin Ross
You just gotta lie first.
Fran
No, he didn't lie, friend.
Asante
Wait till. Wait till movie night. Cause even the guys turn on his ass even though they're like, what, bro?
Dustin Ross
They probably been waiting to hate the
Fran
irony of his name being sincere. Sincere kills me the most.
Asante
It's so bad.
Fran
Is it true that his mom was on live crying?
Asante
I didn't. I didn't catch that.
Dustin Ross
Not his mama. Tambien. Wait, wait a minute.
Fran
You know, people be saying anything, but I did see someone say, did y' all see his mama on live crying? Because she's so embarrassed by him and his behavior. I don't know if that's true. I didn't see her myself, but I thought that was funny when I came.
Asante
The Internet loves Love Island. And it's so funny because. Because when I open up Threads, it'll show the contestants without hair. Like, they'll snatch their. I don't know why, but they'll, like, snatch their hair from the Threads app.
Dustin Ross
Ain't doing that.
Asante
I know that people posting it on Threads, they'll be like, people generated. They can't have their hair back until they act right in the villa.
Dustin Ross
I thought you meant Threads was just posting niggas bald headed.
Fran
I'm still not on Threads.
Asante
You know, I cycle through and open every app for a little bit and going about.
Fran
I never activated that.
Dustin Ross
I heard Threads is an elevated conversation, an elevated version. Basically just an elevated version of the conversations that are on Twitter. They said black Twitter is having a better time over on Threads. And of course on Spiel. Yeah, yeah, Spill and Thread. They said, that's where we at.
Fran
I Didn't realize people gravitated to threads. I've seen some people. And then Instagram lies to you. They'll say, jade, of all jades and crystal, really want to see you on threads. And then I'll hit them like, why are y' all sending alerts that you want to see me on threads? They're like, what do you.
Dustin Ross
What's threads?
Asante
I haven't even downloaded that.
Fran
What?
Dustin Ross
Yeah, I get the same Damn thing. And TikTok does the same too. They really know what I'm saying.
Fran
Threads. Jade was like, I'm not even on threads.
Dustin Ross
Why would they say Jade is wearing threads? I felt so bad. I woke up, as you can hear in my voice. I'm sure I woke up congested yesterday. And so I didn't go to Jade's. Think about it. Jade is cooking and shit. I didn't want to be out there around that food. So I felt so bad. Cause I really wanted to and not because of Jade. I wanted the damn food. I felt bad for myself, you know what I'm saying? I felt bad for me, right? You know what I'm saying? Cause I wanted some of that good
Fran
assuse it sound that menu.
Dustin Ross
Brisket and then that corn and bread. Pea salad. Oh my God, all of that. The butter. Butter corn, Honey butter cornbread. Have you talked to brown butter since? Yeah. No, not since.
Fran
Okay. I was gonna say hello. I need to call her today.
Dustin Ross
Shout out to Ray. Ray went. Ray pulled up on her and got some food.
Asante
Shout out to Ray.
Fran
We love Ray.
Dustin Ross
Love Ray. Absolutely. Ray is family. But Ray went a bunch of other people. You know, she had a good turnout, so I was happy for her. I just wanted to sit up and you know, poke a little fun, gossip a little bit, you know, do the things we do when we get together. But I kinda couldn't even go. I felt so bad.
Fran
I hate that that's. This is one of the parts that makes it hard living in a different city when your friends have these types of events. You know, you want to be everything for everyone's.
Dustin Ross
But I wanted to be there throwing water balloons with you.
Asante
Okay. I wish that sound real fun.
Dustin Ross
That would. I'd have been throwing them and then looking at you. This fun, you know,
Fran
a Jade. I hope it went well. I'll call you later to find out. But I trust that it did because
Dustin Ross
she had a nice setup, man. Looked good when it was packed too. I saw somebody who had posted their food and the way it was packed up, it looked really good.
Fran
She's so Man, Jade. So damn.
Dustin Ross
I told her that's the one thing I. Well, too. That and her being a mom. Because she a hell of a mom, too.
Fran
Yes, she is.
Dustin Ross
Her being a mom are off the table, not anything else. Yes, ma'. Am. Yes. Mamula.
Asante
Mamula.
Fran
We love you, babe.
Dustin Ross
Welcome to the friends.
Asante
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Dustin Ross
Awkward time to ask this, but. Hey, did you download the trail map?
Fran
Yeah.
Asante
No, I don't need to.
Dustin Ross
I don't understand. You're trusting your signal out here.
Asante
I'm trusting T Mobile. They have the best network.
Fran
And if we end up in bumtots
Asante
nowhere, well, we've got T Satellite for backup.
Dustin Ross
Whoa. I don't trust my carrier that much.
Asante
We'll just use your phone as a flashlight.
Dustin Ross
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Fran
That sounds nice.
Dustin Ross
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Dustin Ross
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Dustin Ross
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Asante
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Dustin Ross
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Fran
What other plans do y' all have for the summer? Like, are y'.
Dustin Ross
All.
Fran
Do I know you have your tour, but are y' all traveling? Doing anything fun outside of that?
Dustin Ross
By the grace of God, I'm gonna try my best to go see Jay Z this weekend. And that's gonna be my gift to myself.
Fran
Yeah, I didn't realize I was coming up already.
Dustin Ross
Yup. That's gonna be my gift to myself. So put the rocks in the window.
Fran
I got you. What day would you wanna go? Cause it's another Saturday.
Dustin Ross
Or, excuse me, Friday. Friday the 11th to the Blueprint show. Why Friday the Blueprint show?
Fran
Okay. Cause it's different albums.
Dustin Ross
It's three shows. Yep. The 30th is one show for the 30th anniversary of which. Come on.
Fran
Crazy.
Dustin Ross
But then there's the 25th. Or 25th.
Asante
Yeah.
Dustin Ross
Because it came out in 2001. Nine, 11. 25th anniversary. The blueprint. And then there's the third show, which is called Extra Innings. And so we don't. Because, you know, the concert is being held at Yankee Stadium, which is crazy. So we don't. I don't know what the set list is going to Be like on that third show. But I. I just for me, personally. Personally as a Jay Z fan, the Blueprint album is like. Think about it. It came out in 2001. You know what I'm saying? In our life, no Soul samples the production, the I can't wait to be rapping. Never change. I'm gonna start crying. When he started doing Never Never, Never Never. I'm still hustling same clothes for day. I never change. I can't wait.
Fran
Especially being in a stadium full of people rapping it right along with you. That's gonna be.
Dustin Ross
A bunch of my friends is going and I'm going by myself. Sometimes I just want to be able to take it in.
Asante
You know what I'm saying?
Dustin Ross
I don't even mind.
Fran
I just want to be that.
Dustin Ross
Yeah. I just want to get zooted and go just soak that music up and just cry internally as a Jay Z fan because I'm experiencing that moment. There's so many things I've missed. I would have loved to have been at at Be Chella. You know what I'm saying? I would have loved to have been at the Elton John and Billy Joel Dueling Piano Tour. I would have loved to have been there. You know what I'm saying? And I missed it. So this is one of those things that me and Claude. I would have went to that with Claude. Cause we wouldn't have said nothing to each other. We would just stood there and it had been all right, but just high. This is on the list of events for me. This is some once in a lifetime shit. And I've been about that Jay Z. So I know that's gonna be something I'm trying. I'm gonna try to go. So as long as it works out. Because it's exorbitantly expensive. So I'm trying to find an alternative avenue to go.
Asante
Yeah.
Dustin Ross
So we're gonna hope these connections.
Asante
Amen.
Fran
And you never know who's listening too right? That knows what day you want to go.
Asante
Reach out. Reach out.
Dustin Ross
I want to be there, please. So yes.
Fran
Damn. And I've heard of people that are going to the all three shows. I'm like shout out to y' all some people that weekend.
Dustin Ross
Big Mama Don.
Asante
You know what I'm saying?
Dustin Ross
That's who doing that. But I, I, I really like I said I want to go. So I'm doing that. As far as plans for the summer though. Which was your original question. That. And I'm gonna go ahead and fully improve my terrace. I'm gonna do my terrace.
Fran
And especially with the. With the friends that you be having over the parties y' all be having.
Dustin Ross
That'll be my friends. Come over.
Fran
That's a nice floor to add. Yeah.
Dustin Ross
And so I really. Last year, I used it, but I didn't use it to its fullest capacity. Like, I should like having seating.
Fran
And. Yeah.
Dustin Ross
I bought some furniture that I did not like. Once it came, I wanted bigger, deeper cushions. I just. I didn't really know what I was doing. I thought I did, but now I know.
Fran
Right.
Dustin Ross
So I'm gonna go ahead and improve my terrace. Give me a gas grill, a charcoal grill, a deep fryer, and a beverage cooler. I'm gonna set up like, an outdoor kitchen. Then I want a deep seated cushions. I want plants. I already have the green carpet for it. Covering it or whatever. And then I want, like a big day bed, canopy style day bed up there. And like I said, string lights. Y' all know I love string lights. They make me feel romantic and charming. So I just. I love string lights.
Fran
You have to have. Especially at nighttime.
Asante
Yep.
Dustin Ross
And I'm gonna have a fish fry. That's gonna be the first event. I'm gonna have a fish fry and have everybody come over, so. Yeah. And I don't even like frying food house. So. Yeah, I don't fry. I never fry chicken. I never fry anything in my house. So I'll be doing that on the table outside.
Fran
Yep. That's how we do. We do everything on our backseat.
Dustin Ross
Like I said, comfort is important to me. I don't want, like, cute, small furniture. I want bigger, like, cushions you can relax on.
Fran
And you have so much space.
Dustin Ross
Yeah.
Fran
To have. Amen. Right. To have, like, nice size terrace furniture.
Dustin Ross
So I want to take advantage of it. Last summer, like, when my friends would come over here after the club, and we would go up there and be drinking and smoking until. Till the sun comes up. And that's fun, you know?
Fran
Yeah.
Dustin Ross
But I want to do it and have it. Have the whole terrace set up the way I wanted to, to support that kind of enjoyment. You know what I'm saying?
Fran
It's worth it too.
Dustin Ross
So. Yeah, that's what I'm doing. That's my plan for the summer.
Fran
Nice. Yeah.
Dustin Ross
Yeah.
Fran
That's a very adult plan for the summer.
Dustin Ross
And work right.
Fran
Wink, wink, make me so happy.
Asante
Oh.
Fran
Meanwhile, I'm looking at my hammock like,
Dustin Ross
okay, I'll be right to you.
Fran
What you got planned?
Asante
Well, I would love to go to a concert, but I'm currently hoarding money in case that lady decides she wants to drop some sort of hit home when she's going on the road.
Dustin Ross
New music from her music man. Yes, by the way. Well, new, newly released music.
Fran
Yeah, that shit for years.
Dustin Ross
Yes. It's the jam now.
Fran
But that's funny that that song has a cult following.
Asante
It is. It is. Is Beyonce does whatever she wants.
Dustin Ross
He said,
Fran
I know. She's kind of turning around.
Asante
It's the look on your face, too. He's like,
Fran
and I saw it had, like, over a million streams in, like, nine hours or something. Eight hours. Something crazy. I mean, it's Beyonce, though.
Asante
I mean, listen, I'm scared, so I'm holding my wallet close to me, so I'm not doing. Doing too many crazy things. I just have recently.
Fran
What are you thinking? That she's gonna go on tour?
Asante
I mean, not now, but, you know, I just, you know. Look, every moment, every minute counts, okay?
Fran
You never know with her.
Asante
You just never know.
Dustin Ross
Why are you on a Beyonce hold? What? You know, we don't know.
Asante
I don't know. Nothing.
Dustin Ross
Look, there's been talking to Yvette.
Asante
There's a difference between, do you want to spend 500 for a ticket? $800,800 for a ticket and a thousand dollars for a ticket. Twelve hundred dollars. So it's just like. And then accommodations. Where are you traveling to? There are just so many factors that you go, especially. Look, especially me.
Dustin Ross
This goes to a concert in Australia
Fran
just to do it.
Asante
No, literally, in Sweden. The man at the front desk, he was like, you know, are you here on business or pleasure? I'm here for the Beyonce concert. He was like, you know, she tours in the United States as well. Correct?
Fran
I'm like, yes, duh.
Asante
Now, look, Now I'm here at your
Dustin Ross
job because she's here in your sweetest country.
Asante
Thank you.
Dustin Ross
Yeah. How to call him a Swedish fish.
Asante
But yes, you just never know what Beyonce got going on. So that's had me on my toes. That's all I've been thinking about for the summer. Not that she's gonna do anything for the summer, but I do want to go somewhere. I just don't know where. I just have a lot of things that I need to get organized. I have gone on a storage unit journey. Have you guys ever had a storage unit?
Fran
I've never had one.
Dustin Ross
Yeah.
Asante
You know, I had never had one. And I've always been kind of, like, intrigued at the thought of. But I have so much stuff now that it's beneficial to have a Storage unit. And it's actually pretty cool. Like it's like, okay, cool. Like I have like a place to offload things. It's climate controlled. I can sell things out of it. I can just do whatever I need. And it just feels so adult to have to just go do that. I don't know why. Like, I met this cool dude who was. He has a business. He was putting some of his orders away and he was trying to be really helpful with me and I helped him out, out. And I was just like, look at this community. This is really nice. So that's it. Just being an adult all summer long. And if anything surprising happens, then it'll be beautiful. So hopefully I don't burn up and die. Just like it was hot in New York. It's been hot everywhere I've been. I've been from North Carolina to Georgia. Like it's just been hot and it's been raining a little bit and stopping. Which I can appreciate because I don't like when it rains and having to be out in it. So.
Dustin Ross
Yeah, my head hurts every time it rains. It's raining. Well, it was raining last night. I think it's supposed to rain today too. And every time for the rest of my life my head is going to hurt.
Fran
That's crazy.
Asante
That sucks, man.
Fran
Yeah. Not, not this face.
Asante
This face.
Fran
It hasn't been that hot over here. Honestly. You'll get like a 80, 90 degree day randomly, but for the most part it's actually been cold.
Dustin Ross
A little bit more mild.
Fran
Yeah, completely. Like it's been in the. I mean we had more of 60 degree days. 58 degrees. Yeah.
Asante
Wow.
Fran
Yes. Cold. Global warming. Bad. Because the kids, you know, they're outside, they want to like be outside. But yeah, hoodies and sweats. And it's crazy because then, you know, you'll get a 90 degree day randomly. Like right now, today I think it's going to be like an 80 degree day. So it's just jumping around, a lot of rain. But I'm also in Portland so that's expected. But yeah, just not. But also we've only been in summer for what, two weeks?
Dustin Ross
Yeah.
Fran
So I think it's.
Dustin Ross
We're not even. We're not even mid summer.
Fran
Shout out to that friend.
Asante
What are you getting into this summer?
Fran
I'm gonna. I told you, I'll be in Nashville in a couple of weeks to pop up on Dustin Y this face. That's for those watching on Patreon. And then I gotta be like. Popping up. Popping up on Dustin and then I'm stay in Nashville.
Asante
Oh, my God.
Fran
He's just going down the line. I'm going stay in Nashville for a couple of days and just kick it with Claude because we haven't had a chance to spend time together, and he has a lot of home. It is gonna be so nice. He just makes me so happy. And there's gonna be a lot of home decor projects and stuff that we're gonna kind of sit in and work on. Yeah. So I'm excited for that. Just have, like, a best friend week. And then from there, I'm gonna go to New York. Probably spend a week there. Just. I'm so mad. The one week I'm going to New York, Jade's not gonna be there.
Dustin Ross
That's so tip.
Fran
Where the hell is ruining something, right? She has a trip. And I was like, jade, you're kidding. Like, I'm talking about the exact day I get this.
Asante
Oh, girl. My passion, the airport, all the weeks.
Fran
I'm so mad.
Dustin Ross
But I told her, send me them dates, too. Yeah, Yeah.
Fran
I told her I might just stay longer or something because there's no way that I'm gonna not hang with Jade. So I might just stay longer until she comes back. But.
Dustin Ross
But, yeah, wherever y' all at, I'm coming to y'. All.
Fran
Oh, you already know. Yeah, we gotta have a hangout. We gotta go to dinner. We gotta kick it a J.
Dustin Ross
Guys gossip, you know?
Asante
Oh, y' all should pull up to his house. You gonna have that terrace done.
Dustin Ross
Oh, y' all know. Y already know. Y' all can damn sure come over. I could. Y' all could come over. Say, say less. It's already done.
Fran
It's already playing. That just made me so happy because I miss y' all so much. And then in August, we're gonna do, like, the Chicago weekend, which I'm excited about, because that's just gonna be food and roaming around. I was saying I want to do a couple of those throughout the rest of the year. For real? For real. Like, picking a city, Leaving. Just. Yeah. Leaving on, like, Friday evening and then coming back Monday morning. There we go. Come back Monday morning really early and just kick it all weekend in a different city and just try all the good food and whatever that city has to offer. So. So that's kind of what I'm beyond. Yeah, I'm gonna be on. So that's what I'm doing. Nothing too crazy. A chill summer. I do miss my friends, though, so.
Dustin Ross
We miss you too.
Fran
I know. I miss y' all so Much. So I'm probably gonna spend a good chunk of time in New York.
Dustin Ross
You should come. Yeah, I want to come too.
Fran
And New York summers, I mean, nothing compares. And everyone's saying New York is feeling good right now, man, it just feels
Asante
like a different year. Everything just feels like I'm not even there. And I feel like there is just an energy, like in New York from over here. And I'm just like, damn, I need
Fran
to go get a piece of that. Everyone's telling me Claude was just there and he was like, bro, you gotta come. Like, you have to just come. Just kick it for a week or two. And y' all know the hotel. I like to stay at that area that. That time of the year.
Dustin Ross
My God, I'm picking up exactly what you already feel.
Fran
So that's why I'm like, yeah, I'm gonna just have to kick it for two weeks.
Dustin Ross
Oh, yes. And then you know what else we should do? Go thrifting while you're here. Like vintage shops.
Fran
Speaking my heart.
Dustin Ross
We'll go. We'll go eat and just go shop in general. Yeah.
Fran
Oh, yay. This is making me happy. Yeah. That's why I want to stay long. Cuz it's just like. It's just too many people I love that I need to spend time with. So that's kind of my plan. And of course, hanging with these cutie patooties over here while they're here for the whole summer. So.
Asante
More water balloons.
Fran
More water balloons.
Dustin Ross
Tell them we said hey, too.
Fran
Yeah, I definitely will. You know, the little one was like,
Dustin Ross
yeah, we miss our friends.
Asante
Right?
Fran
But yes, that's the kind of summer, just more friends and family, focused.
Asante
Beautiful.
Dustin Ross
I got to get on a roller coaster at some point too. That's another thing. Like, I haven't.
Fran
Yeah, you've been at an amusement park that you enjoyed.
Dustin Ross
It's been like a couple years. I haven't ridden roller coasters in probably two, three years.
Asante
Damn.
Dustin Ross
Yeah.
Fran
Surprising.
Dustin Ross
Yup. I can't go to a great adventure.
Asante
Yes, sir.
Dustin Ross
Last year.
Fran
Yeah. You would be ashamed of me if you saw the rides I turned down this weekend. They're like the little kitty teacups.
Dustin Ross
How was that? How was that, friend?
Fran
It was amazing, but I just don't do rides.
Asante
Yeah, friend, I'm with you.
Fran
And I was dying.
Asante
I'm with her.
Fran
One of the lone sisters shout out to Sarah. A lot of you that. That order from loan know Sarah because she's usually the one engaging with y' all in the emails. But Sarah Sarah's daughter shout out to her baby. She's 8 years old. She wanted to get on one of the rides, but the amount of kids we had, she was gonna be left off by herself because everyone had kind of paired up an odd number. Yeah, it was an odd number. So she turned to her mom, goes, that means you have to get on her mom.
Dustin Ross
Come on, Sarah.
Fran
Her mom looked at me like, oh, my God. She was like, I'm gonna throw up on this child. I was like, you got it. You got it.
Dustin Ross
How did she fare? How did she fare on the ride?
Fran
The first of all, I have video of her just staring at me like, come get me. Make him turn this off. Make him turn this off. She looked so bad that the guy actually asked, asked, are you okay? Do you want me to turn this off? She was like, no, no, it's fine. It's fine. The rest of the time she was just like, recovery. Every time I looked over, she was kind of like spinning.
Dustin Ross
That is hilarious.
Asante
Me.
Fran
Mind you, if you saw the ride, you would be like, come on now. It's just one of the ones that just goes around and it kind of. It's like, it's like the teacup ones just goes around.
Dustin Ross
Those are called flat rides.
Fran
Literally nothing to it. It's. Don't go up high. There was a baby on there. Me and her laughed for like 20 minutes when we saw the baby that couldn't. Couldn't even walk. The parents carried the baby to sit and it was like three siblings with the baby in the middle of the baby, smiling and waving, having a ball. Meanwhile, the rest of us were standing
Dustin Ross
on the side of the petrified.
Asante
Yeah, that is one brave baby.
Fran
The baby had a ball. I was like, wow. Not me being shamed by an eight month old baby who had a ball. But I just don't have. I'm not. I don't have the wiring.
Asante
Yeah, same.
Dustin Ross
It changes feel.
Fran
You have to have wiring for those types of rides because I'm just gonna feel sick. So what's the fun, right?
Dustin Ross
You're sensible, I'm crazy. And so, you know, do you feel
Fran
when you get off the ride, do you ever feel sick?
Dustin Ross
No, I'll be pumped. See, like when I get out the ride, I'll be ready to get right back on and mad that I have to get back in line. Yeah, yeah.
Fran
Cause the line, it took us.
Dustin Ross
I like them all of that. Hands up. I'll try my best to have my seat belt a little loose because air time, when you go up and down on heels when you go up and when you go over the heels on a roller coaster, when you go on the hills on a roller coaster, there's a quantifiable element called airtime, which is the amount of time you spend up out of your seat where the roller coaster makes your butt come up off the seat of the vehicle, and you
Fran
loosen it and feel it more.
Dustin Ross
And so the more airtime you get, the more exciting it is. And so if I can, within the confines of being safe, obviously, but if I can, you know, give me a little centimeter or two, you know what I'm saying? I will. You are, because you have the seatbelt,
Asante
and then he's an animal.
Fran
The restraint, he is snowed in.
Asante
He's an animal.
Dustin Ross
You have the seatbelt, and then you have the restraint. So the restraint has to be down tight. They come and check that. But that seat belt, you can, you know, give yourself a little bit of wiggle room.
Asante
He's an animal.
Dustin Ross
Yeah, he's an animal. No, thank you. I'm very excited, so thank you for your service. Six Flags Great Adventure used to have this roller coaster that was 456ft tall called Kingda Ka, and it was built by a company called Intamin, and they had a whole bunch of technical problems. It cost them, like, millions and millions of dollars to maintain it every year. And so not that it would break down and, like, compromise the safety of the riders, but just maintaining the systems, the operating systems, all of that sounds scary to me. Exorbitantly expensive. So they bulldozed it.
Fran
Damn.
Dustin Ross
And it really broke the hearts of. It had been around since, I think, 2005, 2004, 2005. Because they built it to break the record that Cedar Point, this park in
Fran
Ohio, which was Shout out to Cedar Point. Yeah.
Dustin Ross
You know about cedar, of course.
Fran
That's when I was in school.
Asante
So.
Dustin Ross
Yeah. So Cedar Point had a ride called Top Thrill Dragster that was 420ft tall, and it was the tallest roller coaster in the world.
Fran
When. Do you know when that was made?
Dustin Ross
2003.
Fran
I was gonna say, I wonder if I saw.
Dustin Ross
Was themed to, like, drag racing. It had, like, checkerboard flags, and it was yellow and red and white, and it stuck up in the air like a big old dick. It looked like a phallic. You know what I'm saying? Like, that's what the toddler of it looked like. But Kingda Ka was built. It was that same style of ride, but it was just taller and a little faster because they Wanted to take the world record. Six Flags wanted to take the world record from Cedar point. Fast forward 20 some years later, they blew up the ride because it was taking too much. It was costing too much to maintain for the park. Totally redid the area where it was, and now they're constructing this ride that's going to debut next year in 2027. But they just completed the construction of the actual track work, like, two days ago, and they haven't announced any details. It's just.
Fran
I was about to say, is it about to be another.
Dustin Ross
It's just this thing they're building, but it's huge. It's not as tall as King nika. It's only 382ft tall, but you're going to spin, and you go up this tower vertically and around the top, and then you do the whole thing backwards, and you get launched upside down in this thing called a stall. So, like, you're upside down and it launches you. It's gonna be insane. But they're building it now. And the point of all this rambling I'm doing is that I wanna go see that while it's in the construction phase. So at some point this summer, I'm gonna make my way to Six Flags Great Adventure. Cause I'm a rollercoaster nerd, and I wanna see it.
Fran
I'm amazing.
Dustin Ross
They call it Project Purple because the track is purple on it, and they haven't announced it. And they got all these, like, posters around Six Flags Great Adventure just to kind of hide purple. Yeah, they got a big crate. It's gonna be themed in an area that's themed to, like, the New Jersey shore. So it's, like, called Shoreline Pier. And they got this big shipping crate up right now where if you push a button, you hear something growling on the inside. And they said that that's the sea creature that that ride is supposed allegedly gonna be themed to. I got to go see this shit. I got to go see all of this. This is, like the. If you keep up with all this, it's, like, exciting times for the rooster fans right now.
Fran
So.
Dustin Ross
Yeah. Yeah.
Fran
How cute. I love that for y'. All. Y.
Asante
Did you hear me, Dustin? Thank you for your service because I will not be getting on any roller coasters.
Fran
I'll be. I'll be drinking on a patriotics.
Asante
Okay, I'll be right there next. I'll be right there next to you with the. What's that? The frozen lemonade. That minute made lemonade.
Dustin Ross
Okay.
Asante
Frozen Coca Cola funnel cake.
Dustin Ross
You know, Coca Cola, please. Yes.
Fran
Honestly, I admire. We, we were watching this TikTok of these two little boys. It went viral. Have you seen it? Where they thought that the ride had gotten stuck?
Asante
No.
Fran
And so they start crying for their mom and they're trying to figure out how to get out, which really was making my heart like drop. They were trying to figure out how to get out of the ride. Mind you, they're up. I was like, why would they with their kids? They had to be like eight, honestly, freaking out, crying for their mama, looking at each other and just crying. You saw the drool coming out. And then all of a sudden the ride start and they are having a ball, just screaming, yelling with their arms up. And all I kept thinking was, they're eight years old.
Dustin Ross
Going through the range of emotion, like the panic and peril to joy.
Fran
Shout out to y', all, man, that's so brave. And I actually admire when I see the little, little kids that'll go on those big ass rides. I'm like, how cool are you?
Dustin Ross
Before I was 48 inches tall. Typically like the general high requirement for most roller coasters is 48 inches, inches. Some of the more like aggressive ones that go upside down and have really high speeds, high rates of speed, those may get into like the 52 inches or even 54 inch height requirements. But I remember, I remember being a little boy and crying because I was watching Damon and Daria and them go on all the roller coasters and shit. They was teenagers, they had new outfits and shit. They was cool.
Asante
You know what I'm saying?
Dustin Ross
They was going on all the new big ass rides. And I remember I wasn't tall enough. And I remember my dad being like, you just got to wait a summer, Dustin. I remember my dad telling me that. And I remember my eyes bald. Always. All my life. I have loved roller coasters and theme parks all my entire life.
Fran
And your whole family would get on it?
Dustin Ross
Yeah.
Fran
Hell yeah.
Dustin Ross
Yup. I remember the year I got. I made the height requirement every ride with me. Hell yeah. And then once I was able to go on my. And got like grown and fast and managed and shit. Oh my God. It was so much more fun and exciting because then it became like the flirting and the dating element and the making out around the bushes and shit, like just all of that.
Fran
Oh, you know what? One of. Not to put too much of his business, but one of our boys had a little crush. I know. And when he was getting on the ride, he asked me, should I ask her to get on it with Me? You should absolutely ask her. He was like, but what if she starts like, what should I talk about? I'm like, don't even stress about that. Just like the conversation will flow. Like, just let it be what it's going to be. I asked her. I watched him go up to her and ask him, do you want to get. She said, yes. And then they went and sat by a tree.
Asante
Oh, so my cute.
Fran
Sat on at the base of the tree and just talked the whole time. And I kept telling my partner to turn around because he was just staying. I was like, turn. Stop being weird.
Asante
Right?
Fran
Feel like you gonna make it.
Dustin Ross
Yeah.
Fran
Yeah. Like you can't. We can't stare at them. Like, just have.
Dustin Ross
I love it.
Fran
But that was my first time seeing him in that space, you know, of like crush and like, no asking. And he kept coming up to me asking me how to play it. I was like, oh, my God, what a compliment.
Dustin Ross
You know what I'm saying?
Fran
Right?
Dustin Ross
Put that badge on your sash.
Fran
But also, just the thought, you know, when we were young, like, it makes you remember just like those little.
Dustin Ross
That feeling puppy crushes. That's why I love going to the club because that's the closest I can get to that these days.
Fran
Oh, so cute.
Dustin Ross
Oh, okay.
Asante
So what happened? We wanted.
Dustin Ross
We were like, you know, how did it end? And see the other kids.
Fran
But you know what's the craziest part? She's from the lone family. It's one of their daughters.
Asante
Oh,
Dustin Ross
that makes so much sense. That can. That. That would be. That's how it would be on that trip.
Fran
Because me and her mom were literally like, okay, let's not be weird. Let's not be weird.
Asante
So cute.
Dustin Ross
Let them kids being kids.
Fran
And then she text me today like, hey. Which made me think, I. Okay, maybe this little girl does like him because she texts me like, hey, if you guys have anything planned, me and her can come. I was like, oh, my God, what's happening?
Asante
Yes.
Dustin Ross
I'm so proud of him. Yeah, you make sure you tell him your other uncles is really proud of you.
Asante
Okay. High five him.
Dustin Ross
Carry the torch, young man.
Asante
I love that.
Fran
It's just too cute. And I. It made me think you remember those summers especially. Especially if you were traveling to with family where you would have that little summer.
Asante
Yeah.
Dustin Ross
Suck a titty. Absolutely, absolutely.
Asante
13, 14.
Dustin Ross
Sucking titties like a.
Fran
No.
Dustin Ross
Hell yeah. Now that's when you get by yourself. Yeah, but. No, but, but age appropriate for him. I think this is perfect. So innocent.
Fran
Getting on the rides and sitting on the tree. And then we.
Asante
Yes. So.
Fran
And then I told him. I was like, you know, you can ask her to go on a walk and you guys can talk and like, really get to know. So if you feel like everybody's staring because of course all the parents were staring.
Dustin Ross
Okay.
Fran
He was like, nervous about that because he's like, well, I just don't know what I'm gonna say. He kept being nervous about what he was gonna say.
Dustin Ross
Bless his little heart.
Fran
Growing up, boys. I know. I can't even.
Dustin Ross
That's so cute. That's so cute.
Fran
And then after. Afterwards he. Because his dad was like, dang, he's on your neck. Because he was just all like next to me, just asking me so much.
Dustin Ross
He trusts you and you're a woman.
Asante
Yeah.
Fran
It was so cute. Then afterwards he was asking me questions about, like, when I was his age, you know, like what talking about. I was like, well, I can't tell you what we talked about. I don't remember. I'm damn near 100 years old at this point. But I told him that. I remember when I used. My. My mom's oldest sister is from Miami or lives in Miami.
Asante
Miami.
Fran
And so I. Sometimes some of my summers would be in Miami. That was crazy because all the Cuban. The little Cuban boys. Because obviously where my aunt lived was like very immigrant heavy. You know, they was super tightly knit.
Dustin Ross
Yeah.
Fran
Because she was Caribbean. So she lived in like a Caribbean area. And so there was like, come down
Dustin Ross
with your New York flavor.
Fran
What?
Dustin Ross
And style and swag down there in the Miami backdrop.
Fran
New York little girl from Harlem, the blue boy.
Dustin Ross
What a bikini top and some jean shorts. Come on with it, baby. And a big ass ankle bracelet.
Asante
Yes, friend.
Fran
Wait, why did you just.
Dustin Ross
Yeah.
Asante
Oh.
Dustin Ross
L. My friend Jasmine gonna be mad at me, but I don't care. I was. I love you, Jasmine. And shout out to her baby Morgan. She turned 8 on the 4th of July.
Fran
Oh, happy birthday. I love you girls. That's like my favorite age for kids.
Dustin Ross
And I named her. I'll tell you her middle name later. It makes so much sense. And y' all gonna be like, that's so cute. Anyway, Jasmine. It used to be this event in Flint every summer called the Expo, right? Where they would have like. It was like a carnival fair or whatever. Last night lasted like two weeks. But teenagers would go like in the evenings on the weekends, you know what I'm saying? And I'll never forget her. Her best friend that got like some tennis skirts that was real short. She was like, she's like, we going to the Expo. And so she. She did her hands like this, like, underneath her, like, you know, to make it look like the shorts you gonna be in the Expo.
Fran
I love how we have mannerisms that I just.
Dustin Ross
We're gonna be alright. And I. I never forget laughing, man. Because Jazz was always funny and doing stuff like that. She always have, man. Yeah. Shout out to Jasmine.
Asante
But.
Dustin Ross
Yes. So that's good. They're gonna have them core memories, like.
Fran
And they have a whole summer.
Asante
Yeah.
Dustin Ross
Shout out to y' all for being cool parents too.
Fran
Yeah.
Dustin Ross
And then being able to. Him being able to talk to you about like that, that means you're doing
Fran
a good job and encouraging him too, to just be himself and have fun with it. Not trying to shame them either. Like, no, you can't talk to nobody. No. Because I'm like, we all know that time. And you don't want to create sneaky kids. Right.
Dustin Ross
Which is why a lot of people dealing with issues as grown ass adults, because you feel shame attached to certain shit instead of, you know, just honoring it as a part of the human experience. Making it age appropriate.
Fran
Yep.
Asante
Right.
Dustin Ross
You know what I'm saying? That's all you do. Like, you can't. The worst thing you can do is make your kid feel like they have to lie to you about shit like that.
Fran
That part and being closed off to just conversation, you know? And the crazy part is I almost feel that it was a breakthrough in my relationship with him. You know what I mean? It was so interesting because me and him are really close as it is. I've known him his entire life, damn near. But he was like, coming to me and I could see the. Like you said, the trust, the vulnerability.
Dustin Ross
It was perfect.
Fran
It was just very, you know. And then I felt like after that we just were closer even as, you know, like just in general talking more as people. Yeah. I almost felt like there was some type of emotional breakthrough on a human level between us that I thought was so cool. I was like, man, children are so interesting, man, the way that their trust just means the world, you know? And I'm happy for us as human beings that he feels that way, you know, and has that person that he feels he can just like tap.
Dustin Ross
Just. Cuz y' all are doing a great job, you great job.
Fran
Yeah.
Dustin Ross
And I told y' all doing great job.
Fran
His mom is amazing. So I was just like, yeah, I'm happy for him. I'm just like, oh, my God, I'mma
Dustin Ross
talk too much if we Keep talking about that. This is much more of a before the show conversation. So anyways, yeah, that's what's up, though.
Fran
All the cute little crushes.
Dustin Ross
One more thing, though. Thank God he can talk to y', all, because you can give him gas
Fran
game that part that, you know. And the biggest thing is, you know, boys are weird. Like, the way they're the worst raised now more than ever, I think they're very weird. So I think it's also a privilege to have conversation and. And make sure that it's a. You know, how he's talking to her, the things. He's talking about expectations, too, because this incel culture is scary. And, you know, these boys are online. We don't know. I remember one of his sons asked me if I knew who Andrew Tate was, and I got my heart dropped. I was like, wait. I didn't want to shame him or make him feel wor. But I said, why? Do you know who Andrew Tate is? And then he started telling me that, like, all his friends are really into it and asking what I thought about it. I was like, oh, my God, no,
Dustin Ross
You had to swallow first.
Fran
I did.
Dustin Ross
Well, because I want to shut the
Fran
door because he asked me, right? And be like, don't choose my.
Asante
Okay, okay.
Dustin Ross
He's gonna come up in the situation. But, yeah. You know what I'm saying? Like, remember.
Asante
Yup.
Fran
You there.
Dustin Ross
But yeah, like, I think that's so cool. And I thank God for, like, my brother, because Damon never, Like, him and Daria literally never kept me out of, like, the grown shit. Not in a way that, like, was toxic.
Fran
Was inappropriate to me. Yeah, but it was.
Asante
Well, it was.
Dustin Ross
You know what I'm saying?
Asante
But.
Dustin Ross
But I'm thankful for it, you know what I'm saying? Because all I did, my brother and my cousins, Damon, my brother Damon, my cousin Marcus, my cousin Juju, and my cousin Dante, they used to be on them.
Fran
Okay.
Dustin Ross
I'm talking about. They had a house. They lived together. My aunt Carolyn, rest in peace, had given them a house that she owned, and they lived together. And Damon and them used to let me. I was like, 11 and 12. They would let me come over and DJ the picture parties because Damon had put. Damon had put me on, like, the music. And so he would let me just do the music. True story.
Fran
12 is crazy.
Dustin Ross
So I would be. I'd be planning my outfit like, I'm going to a party, you know what I'm saying? And be over there in the mix watching him have this party. I. I saw stuff you know what I'm saying? And they protected me, of course.
Fran
Yeah.
Dustin Ross
Full stop. But like I was in the mix with my brother and I'm so grateful because when I went, because I was. This can get deep. But because I was gay and going to like. I found the gay clubs and shit in Detroit on my own by myself. I didn't have like gay friends that
Fran
told me that you could roll with and get.
Dustin Ross
So I ended up at all kind of leather shit, all that shit, until I found the black shit that I understood.
Fran
Gotcha.
Dustin Ross
And because I understood like the party environment from time spent in my brother house and I understood like the way they do, they would treat the girls. I just mimic that, you know what I'm saying? In the gay shit. And then when I started going out, my brother would let me act like I was going to work and I would really go over his house and then go party and shit. You know what I'm saying? Like yup, we always been, we always been like always beautiful. Always. That's why I hate that I didn't
Fran
get the sibling experience.
Dustin Ross
I'm glad I got it because I don't have no fucked up view to a younger people people, you know what I'm saying? Like my brother didn't want no to me and they never like little boy me, none of that. And now I believe in, in embracing like young people and letting them have their moments and experience. Yeah. You don't want to be no up weird, tight ass, balled up fist anus ass, old fuckers.
Fran
For real?
Dustin Ross
Yeah, for real.
Fran
And learning the balance right. Of like protection but also letting them have their experiences because they're gonna do
Dustin Ross
it anyway way make them feel honest.
Fran
I was thinking when I was in high school, When I was 14, 15, I was at Copa Cabana.
Dustin Ross
Yeah.
Fran
In New York at the club. And if y' all saw what I was wearing, when I look back now, I would have sheer. I'm talking about sheer, like with a thong bodysuit. Sheer. The whole thing was sheer. Imagine.
Dustin Ross
Listen, listen.
Fran
With heels.
Asante
Shut up.
Fran
And you know, I got them sheer bodysuits down in soho. You know them little random windows.
Asante
Yeah, yeah.
Dustin Ross
On the Mannequin Club lined up. Yes.
Fran
Oh, the ones that even lean.
Dustin Ross
Yep.
Asante
And I was 40, Dominican hands all like this.
Fran
The party and club boutique Dinosaur Hoes. I don't even think those exist anymore.
Dustin Ross
But they do.
Fran
Do they still?
Dustin Ross
They do.
Fran
Oh, we get them paid like $14. Pray that it stays in one piece while you're dancing. And I would wear those with heels and be in Copacabana running shit.
Dustin Ross
Yes.
Fran
And my friend that drove us, who was also 14. Yes. Drove us.
Dustin Ross
Yep, yep, yep, yep.
Fran
She would get in her mom's Jeep, Jeep Cherokee and drive. We would drive, be out blasting music and everything from the Bronx down to Copacabana, which y' all remember, she was on the west side highway, like 11th Avenue, like where all the cops are.
Dustin Ross
Yep, yep.
Fran
At 14, you was on the west
Asante
side highway, killing on the west side
Fran
highway, praying that the cops never stop because if they saw a car full of 14,
Asante
seen a Che grand ch.
Fran
I mean, just think back. I'm like, that is crazy. That's crazy.
Dustin Ross
So God had his hand on us, or her hand, whoever hand. Somebody was on my shoulder for real.
Fran
So when I see the purity of these kids that, you know, at 13, he's more concerned with the conversation and should he ask, you know, and I'm
Dustin Ross
thinking, man, at church, I tell you all of that. That for sure. Like yes. And thank you for asking me that.
Fran
My, my head upside down.
Dustin Ross
Let them kids stay kids as long as they can.
Fran
No, that part, right, that part.
Dustin Ross
Let them stay kids long as they can. And once starts changing, roll with the tide. That's all you got to do.
Fran
Hold space. Yeah. And not try to st. Cuz I think too. I, I remember.
Dustin Ross
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Fran
Yeah.
Asante
No, I don't need to.
Dustin Ross
I. I don't understand. You're trusting your signal out here.
Asante
I'm trusting T Mobile. They have the best network.
Fran
And if we end up in bumtots
Asante
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Dustin Ross
I don't trust my carrier that much.
Asante
We'll just use your phone as a flashlight.
Dustin Ross
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Fran
This sounds nice.
Dustin Ross
With all new episodes of all the Queen's Men.
Fran
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Dustin Ross
Plus a whole new world of movies like Gladiator 2, I must have Power, original series like the Shy Life comes
Fran
at you fast whether you ready for it or not.
Dustin Ross
And live sports like ufc.
Fran
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Dustin Ross
New home. Welcome to paradise. Same family.
Asante
That's all that matters to me.
Dustin Ross
Your BET favorites are now on Paramount Plus. Subscribe now.
Fran
One of my closest friends, she had the kind of parents that was so strict. I mean, they were so strict that they wouldn't even let her come outside. I had to go and sit with her on her stoop. Like I would leave my house. We were like 15 at that point. I would leave my house and go to her stoop because her parents wouldn't let her go past her stoop. Yeah, and it crossed so many issues for her as she was getting older. She just didn't know how to relate to boys when she got to college. And now she's away from home. She has so many, you know, like, so many issues. They just did not set her up in a way that allowed her to have, like, proper sheets dynamics. Cause a ton of issues for her. And I hated that for her. Right. Because she just was so sheltered in an. In a unrealistic way that life wasn't prepared for life.
Dustin Ross
They in hell matter.
Fran
Okay.
Dustin Ross
That'd be my thing. You know what I'm saying?
Fran
And I'm. I'm sure it's hard too, right? You have this little girl.
Dustin Ross
Damon is crazy. I'm just gonna say that almost was talking too much one time. He said something to me about something like that. I'll tell y' all later.
Fran
And I can only imagine with Damon, but, you know, I could see it being hard. Like, I'm thinking, if I had a little daughter and she's in Harlem, how much am I really gonna let her be outside? Like, I don't know. I'm sure.
Dustin Ross
Look at Noah.
Fran
Right?
Dustin Ross
Right. Noah just started riding the train.
Fran
Oh, my God. I still can't believe that Noah's riding the train.
Dustin Ross
And we pray over her and over her. Her travels for safety and she is living her life and growing up, meeting up with her friends, meeting up with her friends. And you just do it. You know what I'm saying?
Fran
Yeah.
Dustin Ross
I think you just, just, you just do it and you. You lean into the confident, into the confidence of what you instilled in them. Jade and them have done an amazing job raising a well rounded, well adjusted child who is aware of the ways of the world.
Fran
A solid child, too. Like, she follows directives. Like she's going get it done.
Dustin Ross
They let her have an opinion. They let. They listen to her family feelings and shit. She feels affirmed and she can walk out into the world with some. Some confidence tools that. That will enable her to have street smarts.
Fran
Yes.
Dustin Ross
It's really all connected. And so, like, that's what I think. That's just what you do. That was the first example that popped in my mind because I remember when Jay told me they was going to start letting Noah ride the train like that. I remember I was like panicking at first, and then I was like, I can't lie.
Fran
I was like, oh, my God, are we there already?
Dustin Ross
Yeah, but like, she should learn that.
Asante
You know what I'm saying?
Fran
And that's also the age Jade and I were kind of talking about when we Were, you know, as New York, true blue New York kids. When we. When we started commuting on the street school, we were the same age. 12, 11 for me. Jade was like, 12, 13. And, you know, and it was a different time. These kids are much smarter than us, I feel, in terms of navigation, they have phones, they have all kinds of equipment.
Asante
You know, we get lost a bunch of cameras now.
Fran
Yeah. You couldn't call your mom or be like, hey, I got off on the wrong train, or it's express. Like, we had to figure it out. And so they have a lot more access. And I'm just like, there it is, though.
Asante
The tracker. The whole ride home.
Fran
Yeah. Because even with us. I told you. I was telling you off, off the record, that we gave the boys more freedom with their bikes. Right. So they've been riding around. We give them a time frame. They have to be back, and they get to just explore. And that's scary.
Dustin Ross
Yeah.
Fran
But I also see how proud of themselves and just the confidence it gives them, you know? And even them traveling alone now.
Dustin Ross
Yeah.
Fran
They're no longer traveling with adults. Yeah. It's like they are flying on their own. They had their first layover, which I thought was. Yeah. Which I thought was really important.
Dustin Ross
They went from gate to gate.
Fran
They had to go on their own. And.
Dustin Ross
Wow.
Fran
Figuring out. Okay. And this was their dad feeling. Obviously mom was, like, freaking out, but he felt like, this is real life shit. Like, yeah. Last year they flew alone. This year they have a layover. Like, they need to know how to do these things. These are life skills. You know, there's no freaking out even not going to get them at the gate and having them figure out, how do I get to baggage claim, go get my suitcase, come outside, meet them in the car. Like, he was making sure they did all. And they did all of it.
Asante
Yeah, they did all of it.
Dustin Ross
They're smart and.
Fran
Yeah. And they follow directions.
Dustin Ross
And we told them, just clap for them.
Asante
Yes.
Fran
Right? It is so cute. And these are life skills that are just so valuable. Actually, they inspired me. I was telling them that they inspired me to do an entire episode that I'm gonna do probably in August. I was just thinking of. And obviously, I don't want y' all to answer it now so we can have the proper convo. But just thinking back of the times that those types of responsibilities started clicking in for us, you know, like traveling by yourself, commuting, driving. Even smaller responsibilities. Like, when did you start having to do your laundry?
Dustin Ross
Yeah.
Fran
Or some people didn't I know grown men who still don't know how to do their laundry because their mom did it for them.
Dustin Ross
Yeah.
Fran
That's for their whole life, you know,
Asante
That's a woman's job. No, idiot. That's a person that wants clean clothes. Job, job.
Fran
I literally told y' all that person that I was with for all those years that the first time I ever went to their house, they had clothes on the floor. And I was disgusted. I thought, what adult lives like this. It looked like whenever he got home from outside, he would just take off his pants and then leave them there because it would just be pants with belts on.
Dustin Ross
I can't function in a house like that personally. Now I'm gay. So maybe home decor and, like, cleanliness is different.
Fran
Yeah.
Dustin Ross
Interest, you know, but just being honest. But, you know, some just fundamentals. Like my brother, straight as an arrow. And his house ain't never been fucked up.
Fran
I mean, never.
Dustin Ross
You know what I'm saying? Like, so we don't play that. To me, like, cleanliness is next to Godliness.
Fran
I'm sorry, man.
Dustin Ross
I just feel like it says something. I don't want to feel the anxiety of being out with my friends and them being like, let's go back to your place.
Fran
And you're like, oh, shoot, I didn't really clean like that.
Dustin Ross
I don't ever want to feel. Feel like that.
Fran
Same, same. And I remember being like, what a strange. And. And I should. If I was smarter, I would have taken that as a sign of his mental health.
Dustin Ross
Yeah.
Fran
And ran. But I didn't. I was young. And I remember, I told y' all afterwards, he said to me that it. That he viewed that as a test. The fact that it didn't come to me to pick up the pants, fold them, or put them in the washing machine that he had in his washer room. And I looked at him like, first
Dustin Ross
of all, don't test me that part. How about that?
Fran
You're gonna be.
Dustin Ross
You gonna angry.
Asante
I told him, look, it was a test. And you actually. Because.
Dustin Ross
Let's be clear. Scan, trying to.
Asante
Scan, trying.
Fran
That should have been our last conversation.
Dustin Ross
Pick them calls.
Asante
Look, you know how you.
Dustin Ross
You know you can fail the test
Asante
by not filling it out correctly on the first one. Like, the first thing is you ain't fill it out correctly.
Dustin Ross
The first thing, you let go. Exactly. You're nasty.
Fran
I mean, the levels of red flags and failures, and I just skated right by them.
Asante
But you just want to see the beautiful in the person.
Fran
Yeah. That was the Problem.
Dustin Ross
And at the time, no. Anyways, go ahead.
Asante
Look, it's over now, okay?
Fran
But because of that. That's why I think it's so important with the boys, to having boys specifically, is also letting them know, like, you don't have a maid.
Dustin Ross
No domestic shit is on you.
Fran
It is on you. Laundry. They've learned laundry. They make their own bed. It's part of their morning routine. We have a chart, we have a whiteboard, and everything is listed on. You have to check a box that have to be completed before you even bring your butt downstairs. Is your face wash washed? Moisturizer? Your teeth brush, floss, tongue scraped? Is your bed made? Look around the bedroom. Is there anything on the floor that should not be there? If it is, you know where it goes. Because I have. The drawers are all very structured. One drawers.
Dustin Ross
I already know how.
Fran
You know how. But it also helps because if a kid can't say, I don't know where to put this, because you know where everything is.
Dustin Ross
And not even speaking from, like, a disciplinary lens, but just, like, as far as teaching them organizational skills. Skills, that's essential.
Fran
It's helpful.
Dustin Ross
So, like, yeah, yeah, for sure. And let them know, too. Like, since y' all like girls, and now girls will like you better if you clean and take care of yourself. So, like, tell them that.
Fran
And your skin is moisturized, you know, over here, ashy with dirty socks.
Dustin Ross
Like, tell them. Make it. Put that. That spin on it, too. Right?
Asante
You know what I mean?
Fran
But I tell them, too. I'm like, I know that you guys might find this stuff, teeth tedious, you know, even having to read every day. Right? I'm like, I'm telling you. And even when they first came, I always put them on a sugar cleanse.
Dustin Ross
Yeah.
Fran
Because they're gonna eat a little bit differently when they're here. So I'm like, it kind of helps them adjust. And I know they view that like a sugar cleanse. I can have candy and soda. And I'm like, trust me, when you're older, you're gonna look back and be like, yo, we used to be on sugar cleanses. You know, we had everything just structured. And I was like, even the fact that y' all read every day for power. This is building up things to talk about. This is building up your vocabulary. I'm like, imagine someone having conversation with you. And you've read how many books in the past couple months that you've been here. Like, think about that. When people say, what'd you do for the summer? You can Be like, I read this many books. I'm like, this is just building you up as just a really fly man. Really fly person. You know how to do your laundry. They all know how to make their breakfast. Even. Even down to the eight year old. They're also scrambling eggs.
Dustin Ross
Yeah.
Fran
And they'd be good hash browns. Like sausage. They know how to do everything because you. I just don't want them to be the weirdos. Men like the ones I've been with that don't even know how to make breakfast.
Dustin Ross
Yeah, yeah. Or pick up they goddamn pants.
Fran
Pick up their pants off the floor. Don't know how to do their laundry. Waiting for some girl.
Dustin Ross
The bathroom. Like Nene told Bryce, that's another. You don't even clean your bathroom.
Fran
And teaching them to clean properly because, you know, I initially like when they were younger, I used to kind of be stressed a little because I'm like, oh my God, the amount of cleaning. And then I realized, wait, they should be cleaning.
Asante
Right.
Fran
And the thing is they are fully capable and they actually realize that when they're doing it as a collective, they actually work together and we have fun. You gamify all of it. You do this, you do this. You. This is you, yours.
Asante
Yep.
Fran
And it just, it's amazing building boys that are going to be men that have these skill sets. You know what I mean? You're still on the weirdos. Like too many weirdo men that I've seen. I remember men that didn't even know how to make an egg.
Dustin Ross
Yeah.
Asante
Yep.
Fran
Come on.
Dustin Ross
All you have to do is heat.
Fran
It's not even like a real cooking skill. For real.
Asante
You're not just supporting them in their adolescence and their growth. You're like enhancing their life experience from now through the rest of their lives.
Fran
Right.
Asante
Like, like even the reading. Right. Like their brains are going to be wired differently versus the kid that was just allowed to be on their iPad or whatever. Gaming.
Fran
Awesome.
Asante
Like the sugar cleanse. Like one. Like they're going to start thinking about their bodies more as they're getting older. Like, like there's like a, an enhanced level of intelligent intelligence. You've like quietly fed into them and it's going to support the. They're like subsystems and I think that's amazing. That's so beautiful, friend.
Dustin Ross
That's the coolest.
Fran
And you know, we're all working together, all the adults to make sure that this isn't just. So when I'm here, I do this, I'm there. It's like, it's A network of understanding that this is cohesive boys. Yeah. That are reading, that are playing instruments, that can cook for themselves, that can clean the house, that can do their chores. Because it's like, I'm seeing when you hear women talk about the men they're dating, I'm always like, that's such a failure on the parents part a lot of times. What kind of man did you raise?
Dustin Ross
Yeah.
Asante
Yeah.
Fran
What weirdo did you raise?
Dustin Ross
I can't have a conversation. And your mama's ass ain't shit either. That's, you know, that type of shit.
Fran
I just saw TikTok. It was a little boy. He had to be maybe 10, I'm gonna say. And he was trying to. There was like, a heavy suit, that suitcase of clearly, they were coming in from somewhere as a mom, the dad, and the little boy. And the mom was about to grab the suitcase because the little boy was kind of complaining that it was too heavy. And she was like, I got it. You know, just help. And then the dad comes out like, no, absolutely not. He. And then suddenly it wasn't heavy no more. The little boy was able to carry with no problem. But it's almost like they weaponize.
Dustin Ross
Yeah.
Fran
Against the moms because they know that a mom for the most mom's gonna be like, okay, I got it. And even when the dad made him carry it, you still hear going, you okay, baby? Very boy mom. And the boy moms like that, you know, they can weaponize against them. And that's what creates these weirdo men that say awkward shit to you that when you go to their house, it looks like that, you know, it's like, no, no.
Dustin Ross
Yeah. I can't get with that now. I told y' all before, my daughter ain't gonna be no good
Fran
not raising a little girl.
Dustin Ross
It's not even gonn question. Like, I'm, I already know and it's whatever. But I feel like I could get through to my sons in a different way. You know what I'm saying? I do. Me and my daughter are gonna be friends, and, like, I'm gonna be her protector and, like, that's it. You know what I'm saying? Whatever she want.
Fran
Yeah. Yeah.
Dustin Ross
I'm gonna definitely put it up on. That's gonna be my girl. But, like, she gonna have it easy.
Fran
Yeah. Yeah.
Dustin Ross
I'm not, I'm never whooping her, you know, like how just it just crazy. I, I, I just whoop the boys,
Fran
but not the girl.
Asante
Not the girl.
Dustin Ross
Tear they ass up, but I'm not whooping my daughter. I couldn't.
Fran
I couldn't. I get it.
Dustin Ross
There's no way. And she wouldn't even do nothing. You know what I'm saying?
Asante
The first.
Dustin Ross
Damn.
Fran
Now, you know your daughter would be bad. Dustin Ross.
Dustin Ross
No, she wouldn't.
Asante
His little angel.
Dustin Ross
She ain't do it.
Fran
He'd be one of them parents up at the school. Like, tell me what she said, because she don't talk like that.
Dustin Ross
And this a new age. And this. Asante got tech. I make him come up there with me. Asante. I got a parent teacher conference. Oh. I want you to explain the tech to me because they gotta show me the video.
Asante
Y' all got these algorithms running up in this school.
Fran
Dustin's gonna be like, ruler. It's AI.
Dustin Ross
Yeah, it's AI. Because my daughter ain't even gonna be that type to do no like that. So that's just that. Nope.
Fran
She would have him wrapped around her finger and then.
Dustin Ross
And just. That's just how it looks be. You know what I'm saying? Like, you know. Yes, baby. Yeah.
Fran
You as a parent would be so good. I would. I would pay.
Dustin Ross
I wouldn't be no good. I know that about myself. So, like, I. But I would try my best to be fair, like you. I think y' all doing a great job.
Fran
Yes.
Dustin Ross
You know what I'm saying? And I think ultimately, beyond your. Your natural desire to spoil your kids, you want them to have, like, fortitude,
Fran
and you want them resilience.
Dustin Ross
Resilience.
Fran
The world is not their oyster.
Dustin Ross
A lot of times the world ain't. You spoil them, but the world don't give a fuck about them. You know what I'm saying? So you have to find that balance in the communication. But my daughter. The answer is yes. Sorry.
Asante
I'm just.
Dustin Ross
Sorry. Like, that's just it. It just is what it is. I feel the same way about my sister. Real talk.
Fran
Yeah.
Dustin Ross
Like, Daria can ask me for any. Anything on the face of the Earth, and I'm gonna tell her.
Fran
Yeah.
Dustin Ross
You know what I'm saying? Like, so cute.
Fran
I do wish there were little girls in this house. I wish there were little girls because I'm just so curious about raising the dynamic. The difference. All my friends have little girls, you know, literally.
Dustin Ross
Oh, yeah. Cute. Your best friend's cute little girl that look like you.
Fran
Yeah, right.
Asante
Who?
Fran
Everyone thinks, well, all of them look like me. People are like, oh, your babies are so cute. And then I'm like, thank you. And my best friend's like, you.
Asante
I returned them at 4.
Fran
Thank you. I told y', all, the little one, when she was at daycare, and she didn't want to eat, maybe the food was nasty, and she told the teacher she was fasting. This child is four. She said she was fasting.
Dustin Ross
You look at the teacher. She is not fast.
Fran
The teacher called my best friend, like, hey, I just want to check in with you and my best friend.
Dustin Ross
That is hilarious.
Fran
The little girl was like, the food was nasty.
Asante
Well.
Fran
And my best friend's kids are my first babies. You know, that was my first experience with being there when a baby's born, to now buying him basketball court, you know, basketball hoop and Roblox dollars, whatever they call V bucks, and. And the things he's interested in. And even just the fact that he's taller than me, which is crazy. Like, I've literally seen him from his first day. And that, to me, is like, oh, what an honor. And he's my baby. Like, I hate that we don't live in the same city because it's harder to be as close with him, but that's like my child.
Dustin Ross
I love that.
Fran
I think, like, I view him like my child. And she knows it, too, because every time I come to Oakland, me and him just be rolling. Yeah, we'll see y'. All.
Dustin Ross
Yeah.
Fran
Even the other kids. Bye.
Dustin Ross
Come on. Exactly. Yeah.
Fran
Yeah.
Dustin Ross
Sometimes you got to play a little, you know, favorites, you know what I'm saying? I love all of y', all, but, you know. You know what I'm saying? It'd be like that sometimes, right?
Fran
I'll sneak the boys. Even one of them, I'll sneak them a piece of candy or a gummy or something, and they think they're special, but they don't know everyone else. They be looking at me like, it's me and you. Yeah.
Dustin Ross
No, it's not camaraderie. It's a beautiful thing. Absolutely.
Fran
But shout out to all the parents, man, y' all are doing hard work.
Dustin Ross
Hard work. Can you imagine? Can you imagine explaining Trump to your kids?
Fran
How would you? Right? Even just the world as it is, especially when they're at that level where they're conscious of what's happening around them.
Dustin Ross
I was at Bloomingdale's the other day, and I walked out, and it was a group. They looked like they was tourists, but it was a group of, like, kids. Probably, like, 12 or 15 kids. They look like there's about 10 or 15, 11, and two adults. And a bunch of the little boys had on MAGA hats, red MAGA hats, no and they was little kids and shit. Now you know I was making faces and grumbling, don't you? I don't give a damn. Cause bitch, your little ass. You knew what, I didn't go that far. But your little ass knew what you was doing when you put that shit on. So I definitely was like out of my way, you know what I'm saying? Like cut through the crowd and shit. I did all of that and bumped a bit, little, little bit. But, you know, I kept on going. But yeah, that's the hard part, right?
Fran
Just the levels of influence that adults do have. We actually talking about that because we, when we see kids that are having like big meltdowns, you know, and obviously that's different. Kids have different wiring in their households and it just is what it is. But I also think of how many adults have breakdowns and don't have emotional regulations and then you re, you know, raising children. How are you supposed to teach them about emotional regulation when there's plenty adults who don't even have that skill.
Dustin Ross
When you up yourself, when you're up
Fran
and not even as, you know, precious
Dustin Ross
mama,
Fran
think about all the ways that you're up as a person and then you're supposed to guide this child. All the shit you got going on mentally, I'm like, you all don't need no kids.
Dustin Ross
Some of you all don't need no damn kids either. Some of y' all, you lucky your ass had them. And I don't care if no nobody else tell you, I will. Your kids is up and it's your fault. Oh, y' all know all the sacrifices y' all sitting up making all summer long, you know what I'm saying? All the sacrifices every, everybody involved in those kids universe is making.
Fran
Yeah.
Dustin Ross
To in. In the name of, of creating well rounded, fair thinking human beings to enter the world.
Fran
Yeah.
Dustin Ross
And see.
Fran
And then coming up against joy.
Dustin Ross
Coming up, coming up against your ignorant ass, silver tooth ass rug rats.
Fran
No, you didn't.
Dustin Ross
Hell yeah.
Fran
So it's so hard.
Dustin Ross
I hate some of y' all kids. All the kids in my life is amazing. You know what I'm saying? All the kids in my life and y' all life, all these kids is incredible kids. And they, they doing great stuff. Y' all kids is the ones that's bad. Funky breath asses.
Asante
Wow.
Dustin Ross
McDonald's all the time. I shouldn't say that because I want to work with them, but you know, I eat it all the time too. Well, my point.
Fran
Shout out to the parents, man. Shout out to the parents real, real, real hard work and shout out to the parents that are going through shit and still raising these babies. My God, I always think of that, like when y going through breakups, illnesses, and have to show up and the
Dustin Ross
kids have a up attitude, then got the audacity to be giving you problems.
Fran
Okay. I think of that all the time, man.
Dustin Ross
Me too. As I roll over and turn my feet in the bed child free and wiggle my toes.
Fran
All this. Anything else y' all wanted to touch on before we roll up out of here? Yeah.
Dustin Ross
You can come see me tell jokes. Dustinrosslive.com A city near you, baby. Bring a friend. Tambien. Get a meeting ticket so we can take pictures.
Fran
I'm bringing thres to be exact.
Dustin Ross
And I can't wait to see y'.
Fran
All.
Dustin Ross
Straight to amigos. Okay. But yes, come see me tell jokes, please. And thank you, Dusta. Rosslive.com I appreciate you from the bottom of my line between my balls and ass. Thank you.
Fran
And the Nashville stop. I'll get to see y'. All. Those of you that are pulling up, I'll be excited to bump into y' all as well. Yeah, I'm excited.
Dustin Ross
Nashville, Castro, Francis. She coming to the club afterwards too. So I was so happy when she had said that to me that we was going out. We gonna be in Nashville, Cash. She pulling out.
Asante
She pulling out one of them sheer bodysuits in the kids.
Dustin Ross
Cuz I know you still intact, friend.
Asante
Okay.
Fran
I listen. Imagine I'd be in the club, sleep. I'm so old now. I'd be in the corner knocked out. That's gonna be like, someone get her home.
Dustin Ross
One of my straight friends live in Nashville, so, like, we can go to some straight stuff.
Fran
The straight stuff is boring. I'd rather not.
Dustin Ross
Okay.
Fran
Honestly.
Dustin Ross
Well, I wasn't gonna say it,
Fran
but you know what? Maybe we'll. Maybe we'll see.
Dustin Ross
We'll figure something out. See what kind of line you know. Yeah.
Asante
Y' all are crazy.
Fran
You might be high on life that weekend.
Dustin Ross
I know I will be. Tennessee, please. The last time I smoked in Tennessee. Yes. So absolutely. Com.
Fran
Yes. The link is down below. Love. For those of you who are pulling up. We love you guys. Thank you for hanging with. Hanging with us yet another week. We do not take you for granted. And we will catch you guys next week.
Asante
Stay black and protect your magic.
Fran
Bye, y'. All.
Asante
This is
Dustin Ross
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Fran
That sounds nice.
Dustin Ross
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Fran
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Dustin Ross
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Fran
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Dustin Ross
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Fran
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Dustin Ross
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Asante
That's all that matters to me.
Dustin Ross
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Hosts: Dustin Ross, Hey Fran Hey, Assanté
Network: Loud Speakers Network
Theme: Exploring mental health, culture, social commentary, and friendship, always with humor and heart.
This week’s Friend Zone brings signature wit and candid commentary, with Dustin, Fran, and Asanté diving deep into the social media firestorm around Young Miami’s hit song “Spin That,” the drama with Nikki Gilbert, and broader conversations around black art, generational differences, and accountability. The episode also delivers laughs and thoughtful reflections, ranging from Love Island recaps to heartfelt stories of summer family time and raising kids with emotional intelligence. The energy is rich, critical, and connective—true to the Friend Zone’s blend of shade, comedy, and care.
Memorable Sign-off:
This episode is “for anybody who ever had to side-eye an auntie who’s more invested in respectability than real talk.”
#TheFriendZone