Unglossy with Bun B
Unglossy is a raw dive into the cultural forces shaping identity, creativity, and influence today. Hosted by legendary rapper, professor and entrepreneur, Bun B, alongside music industry veteran, Jeffrey Sledge and brand and marketing guru, Tom Frank, this is a conversation about cultural impact.
Through real stories and unfiltered dialogue, Unglossy explores how artists, entrepreneurs, and visionaries define themselves, move culture, and build legacy beyond the gloss of hype and headlines.
Tune in to "Unglossy" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you catch your podcasts. Follow us on Instagram @UnglossyPod and join the conversation.
Unglossy is produced and distributed by Merrick Studios. Let your story take the mic. Learn more at https://wearemerrickstudios.com
Unglossy with Bun B
New Era Energy: VIBE Reloads + Two Mothers, One Aché Debuts
In this special drop, Tom, Jeff, and Bun B introduce Two Mothers, One Aché: A Grief Dialogue, a powerful new series from Merrick Studios about love, loss, and the courage to heal out loud. You’ll hear why this show matters, why it belongs on our network, and why Bun is stepping up not just as a co-sign—but as a future guest.
Then we get into last week’s headline: VIBE Magazine is teaming up with Rolling Stone. Smart evolution or culture grab? We break down what this means for hip hop journalism, why VIBE never lost its credibility, and who deserves the first cover when the new era begins. What do you think? We’re taking bets.
And please, stay to the end for a sneak preview of Episode 1 of Two Mothers, One Aché: A Grief Dialogue. Tap in now to Unglossy.
"Unglossy with Bun B" is produced and distributed by Merrick Studio and hosted by Bun B, Tom Frank and Jeffrey Sledge. Tune in to hear this thought-provoking discussion on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you catch your podcasts. Follow us on Instagram @UnglossyPod to join the conversation and support the show at https://unglossypod.buzzsprout.com/
Last week on Unglossy.
SPEAKER_07:It was too much therapy in it. I didn't care. All of that. It was just too much. Too much therapy? I didn't have time for all that. And I was the o I almost got I almost got murdered because when Tony Stark died, people were crying and I was cheering. I was like, he's stupid. He's stupid.
SPEAKER_08:From the top.
SPEAKER_04:I'm Tom Frank.
SPEAKER_08:I'm Jeffrey Slitch. And I'm Bud B. Welcome to Unglossy.
SPEAKER_04:Real stories, unfiltered dialogue, and the voices moving culture beyond the gloss of hype and headlines.
SPEAKER_10:So buckle up, Unglossy starts now.
SPEAKER_05:Welcome to a special short edition of Unglossy, where we keep it real, keep it cultural, and keep it moving. Today we're doing something a little different, fellas. We're going to spotlight the launch of a powerful new show from Merrick Studios, Two Mothers, One Ashe, a Grief Dialogue. It's a raw, beautifully human podcast about love, loss, and the courage to speak truth. If you're listening right now, you gotta hear this one. And then we're gonna tap into a big move in hip hop media. Vibe joining forces with Rolling Stone. Is this a new chapter for cultural journalism or the end of an era? We've got some thoughts on this. But first, two mothers, one I'll check, uh, a grief dialogue. It's launching, guys. We got our first like real new show since we all started this uh Merrick Merrick Studios.
SPEAKER_10:I'm excited about this one. I'm excited about this one. I think um this one is is important because no matter you know how rich you are, poor you are, whatever your s situation is, everybody goes through grief of of some sort, you know? Yeah. Um and these two women are amazing. They've um gone through gone through you know heavy grief things individually. They've uh to the point where they've both trained at it and they've learned from it and they can and they help other people out now, like therapeutically. And I think this this show is gonna help a lot of people. I really do.
SPEAKER_08:And I'm offering myself up as a guest. Um obviously everybody knows that I've had a very public um bout with dealing with grief, obviously with the loss of my my former partner, Pim C. Um, I think not only would this be an informative, you know, first of all, it's a great introduction uh to having them as a part of the network, right? I think it makes for uh an episode that a lot of people would be interested in. And quite frankly, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna learn some things during this interview. I'm gonna, you know, realize kind of how far along on the path I am because every now and then I still speak in present tense.
unknown:That's what I'm saying.
SPEAKER_08:I'm gonna talk about them. You know what I'm saying? So there's a couple of things that I'm gonna have some questions about that they can maybe help help me get to a deeper understanding of why I feel a certain way about certain things at certain times. You know? And hopefully, you know, and I've always made my my vow with this public because I come from a community where people are taught to keep a step up and left. Like crying is soft and all of that type of stuff. You know what I'm saying? So we definitely want to reframe, help reframe that narrative for people from underdeserved, underserved communities because it only leads them down a path of bad decision making. You know what I'm saying? So everybody needs an outlet, everybody needs a proper outlet. I've showed that, you know, um I've been able to use music as a way of being cathartic about things in my life, but that's that's that tends to be temporary, you know. And I tell people, look, you got something dealing with you're dealing with, you know, write a song about it, record a song about it, and then take a while and re- and think about if you need to release it. Maybe you just need to say certain things, right? Sometimes it's very hard to just actually vocalize what you're feeling and what you're going through. You know what I'm saying? So I would tell all artists, you know, recording artists, like use that as a way to kind of just get it off your chest. And if you think it's a valid, one, a valid song, two, you know, could help someone, right? Then you should definitely consider releasing it. You know what I'm saying? A lot of people have dealt with a lot of different things, and using music has helped them go through it. Obviously, Eminem, but even people like Farrell Munch, who have been very public about depression and different things. And we don't know where these things stem from. Obviously, we know with my position, we know where it stems from. So I just want to not only bring on a partner that can help so many people, you know what I'm saying? But I'm bringing in a partner that I want to be the first one in line for help. You know what I'm saying? Like to be able to show people that it's a safe space. You know what I'm saying? Like that, that because that's really what it starts with. Any of these types of therapeutic um sessions have to start in a safe space where people feel seen, heard, and protected. So I'm gonna offer myself up, you know what I'm saying, to this podcast as a message to people that we here at Merrick Studios have a safe space that for people that are dealing with certain, like we're gonna have other people that are basically brought in to deal with other types of topics and whatnot. And we've done that really good if you think it's comic books or if you think it's production and mastering and all of that. But we're gonna start taking a deeper, more human dive into this platform that we have and allow these things to have a voice in our space and make sure that people know it's a safe space for whatever it is they need to get through. And we're gonna have a couple of different options. Some some a little bit more fun, right? You know what I'm saying? Yeah, some a little bit, some a little bit more deeply thoughtful, right? But at the end of the day, it's about helping people get past whatever's holding them back or whatever they think may be holding them back from being their best self.
SPEAKER_11:Yep. Yeah.
SPEAKER_08:Yep, yep, yeah.
SPEAKER_05:And what's what's particularly cool about this as looking at it from a production side, I love these two ladies. They are so excited, they are so passionate about what they're doing. I have a lot of clients who I expect to call, and when things are going bad, they called me just to say how much they were crying because they loved everything that that we're doing right now. From the trailer that that is coming out to the first episode. Uh, and the first episode you're gonna get to hear at the end of this show. So stay on and listen to it, and it'll it'll introduce you to these two amazing women, um, Avet and Dion. And I just, it's awesome.
SPEAKER_08:Yep. I love it. Yep. Yep. I can't wait. I really cannot wait.
SPEAKER_04:And we'll be right back.
SPEAKER_08:Welcome to Merrick Studios, where stories take the mic and culture comes alive.
SPEAKER_04:We're not just a merit, we're a family, bringing you smart, soulful, unfectured conversations.
SPEAKER_10:And this season, we're bringing the heat. But our biggest lineup yet, whatever you're into, music, sports, business, we got you covered. Merrick Studios, where the conversation starts and keeps going.
SPEAKER_01:Check out our full lineup, including Unglossi with Bun B, Jeffrey Sledge, and myself, Tom Frank. Now streaming at WeRMeritStudios.com.
SPEAKER_06:Master the art of lyricism with Pendulum Mink, the first school for rap. Learn elite techniques through immersive lessons, real world exercises, and guidance from hip hop icons. This is with MC sharpening skills and glow boldly on the mic. Ready to level up? Visit pendulummink.com and start your journey today.
SPEAKER_04:And now, back to the show.
SPEAKER_05:I gotta get your feedback on something else that's happening in the world today. I'm gonna read a little something to you. That's right. Vibe is joining forces with Rolling Stone. This caught my attention because Vibe is one of hip hop's most iconic media brands, and it's entering a new a new era. The magazine announced it's joining forces with Rolling Stones in a Rolling Stone in a move that Rolling Stone is calling a historic team up. The goal is to expand Rolling Stone's hip-hop and RB coverage and reignite Vibe's cultural impact with new investment in video, podcasts, long term, long form storytelling, social content, and special collector print editions. For a lot of people, this hits a nostalgic vibe, uh, or nostalgic nerve. Vibe wasn't just a magazine, it was a cultural GPS. It helped hip-hop journalism champion artists before the mainstream recognized them and documented some of the most important movements in the culture. Now the question is whether this move will preserve that legacy or reshape it for a new generation. So, Jeff, you were inside the game when vibe wasn't just covering culture, it was documenting history in real time. You remember what it meant to get the vibe cover, the feature, that cosign. With this new chapter alongside Rolling Stone, do you see an opportunity for vibe to bring credibility to hip hop journalism? And what do they need to protect if it's still to make it still feel authentic to the culture you came up in? Um yeah.
SPEAKER_10:I, you know, vibe, the brand, the thing about the vibe, the vibe brand is it never kind of died. It never fell off, as they say. It didn't know the the magazine, you know, I guess, you know, business-wise thing, it stopped going, but it wasn't like our vibe is whack now. It never it still has that cachet and that prestige. And um I think there is a space now that that needs to be filled, like you said, for writers. You know, people there's great, great people writing out there, but there's kind of like they have the people have their own little podcasts, own little blogs, wherever, but there's really no place for writers to go. And the thing about Vibe is that the the writing, the writing and the writers are all like top-notch, press, you know, pristine people. Um, I've actually interviewed two editors, or former editors of Vibe on Mixed the Mastered, Emil Wilbekin, who was there for the bulk of it. It's it's heyday, and he talked a lot about what it what it meant. And um, because he he basically started it. He was one of the core people that started it with Quincy Jones and Dayton Thomas, who came after him and kept the flame going. So I'm I'm very interested to see the the type of talent they're gonna attract now because there's now there'll be a like almost like a landing space for people to go to. It's like, oh man, I can I could go the years ago, it's like, oh, I could go right for Vibe, I could go right for this source in the South. I could go right for, you know, Ozone or some other magazine, and and all that stuff is gone. So I I think Vibe is gonna have this pick of the litter on who to um to pull in to write, you know, these these stories or these features about the culture. I I'm looking forward to it. I think it's gonna be dope.
SPEAKER_05:Do you think there's any fear that Vibe doesn't need Rolling Stone audience? That they're trying to, in some ways, I don't know, uh I mean that it's a different audience. Are are they trying to to lessen what it means to hip hop culture by by rolling it into Rolling Stone?
SPEAKER_10:I don't think it's uh as different as a of an audience as it used to be. Hip-hop is so dominating in all facets now. Like before it was kind of like Rolling Stone's kind of like the rock magazine, and vibe was like the hip-hop magazine. And there was definitely crossover, you know, you know, outcasts would be in Rolling Stone, and you know, and uh like you know, MGMT would be a get a piece in vibe, whatever. But I I think now with hip-hop being as dominating of a culture as it is, um, I think that there's and and hip-hop being around now for 50 years, that all those that audience of Rolling Stone and Vibe, there's a lot of there's a lot more crossover than it used to be. There's a lot of people that are fans of UGK and fans of um Coplay. You know what I mean? Like there's it's kind of like the the lines are are very blurry now. It's not, you know, it's not like this or that. It's kind of like you like both. So I don't know, I don't think it's a problem at all.
SPEAKER_05:And Bun, so like as an artist of your era, right, you didn't necessarily need like a viral moment. You needed like the right platform to tell your story. And Vibe was one of those rare places that treated hip hop with respect. And now that Vibe is joining forces with Rolling Stone, do you think there's a chance to reintroduce real storytelling in hip-hop media? And and what do you hope this new era remembers about where Vibe came from and who it served?
SPEAKER_08:Well, I'll I'll be very honest, Tom. I think the people at Rolling Stone already understand that right now, which is why they they chose to acquire. Here's my perspective on this situation. I believe that over the last 50 years, right, where Rolling Stone was already in business when hip-hop came into fruition, right? And of course, they they they kind of pushed back against it, and then they realized some of it was beginning to cross over, like a run DMC or L O Kujay, and eventually obviously the Beastie Boys and people like that. So I feel like Rolling Stone was always trying to make room in its magazine for RB and hip-hop, right? Particularly things that were on the cusp or were already becoming pop, you know, music. Yeah. But as hip-hop grows, right, in order to really truly incorporate hip-hop into the brand, would be to push more traditional rock and pop acts out of play. This affords Rolling Stone a direct pipeline into what's new and cutting edge in RB and hip-hop as a genre. You get a, they'll get a first-line look. I mean, they're gonna get a first, you know, um, what what do we call it in uh Write and Refuse. Right? They're gonna have the best of writers because now they know that this Vibe magazine is underwritten by and supported and built around Rolling Stone, which is an extremely viable publication, an extremely viable hub for media. So just alone being affiliated with uh Vibe Magazine, which is now affiliated with Rolling Stone, raises the pedigree of the people that write for this publication. I would imagine, as Jeff spoke of crossover, I would imagine that a person that finds a certain artist and writes that introductory piece to Vibe, if that artist blows up and crosses over into Rolling Stone, I believe they'll have that same writer who's already on the clock be able to come over and explain it perfectly for their pop crowd. I think this is a great breeding ground for not just new and seasoned artists, because they'll we'll need those guys to write the new covers of Vibe magazine, right? But I think for up-and-coming media, you now have a house where you can show your hip-hop, your hip-hop knowledge, right? You can show your connections to the culture. And quite frankly, if you're that good of a writer about certain things, there's a room, not to say that Rolling Stone is of a higher pedigree than Vibe, but I would imagine that some people will be brought into that building at some point, right? Because they will recognize, hey, he's not just a good RB story writer, he's not just a good hip-hop writer, he's a good writer. You know what I'm saying? So I feel like I feel like they are positioning themselves not only to have the best position for the talent, but also the best positioning for the people who can find the talent, write to it, build a relationship, right? And and and bring that relationship over to the larger publication once that artist becomes a bigger draw. I think there's a lot of opportunity here for people. And again, Vibe, as you said, Vibe is is is already embedded with so much hip-hop uh legacy and culture. Some of the best for I mean, the you know, the Death Row album cover. I mean, the death row cover of the magazine, that's iconic. People still replicate that image to this day. You know what I'm saying? So it, you know, Vibe magazine has very high hip-hop RB and for its time, popular music pedigree. Let's not, let's not forget, Vibe was not a hip-hop magazine, it was not an RB magazine. It was a music and culture and television. So anything that encompassed that, they brought it to the table. So there have been white people, Latina people, Asian people, black people, all of all representations of culture have been on the cover of Vibe. So I don't think vibe is just gonna be that. I think they're gonna specialize in it, as they always have, but I think it's just a brand new identity, um, a brand new opportunity, excuse me. It's a brand new opportunity for artists who do not look as they've always looked, who don't know how to present as they've always presented, and are ushering in a new era of music representation. I think it's a great starting ground for a lot of people because quite frankly, we don't have that for hip-hop artists and RD artists. There is no publication that specializes in it. So I think Rolling Stone is probably tired of a lot of criticism, a lot of maybe unnecessary criticism because they just didn't have what they felt was enough proper space to represent. This is what I'm gonna say. This is my excuse for them. They're more than welcome to take it or run with it, right? But I think I think they can see more than ever how dominant hip hop culture is, um, and that they can't speak to it properly in their magazine and the way that it's formatted. And so the best thing to show that they're still connected, that they're still obviously understanding and aware of these things is to bring in something with such a high level of pedigree that they don't have to really do any heavy lifting. The name does so much heavy lifting as far as recruitment, as far as booking talent, right? As far as really hitting the story on the head. Vibe Magazine already has that pedigree. They're just giving up a budget and uh some office space and reinvigorating the platform and just making this thing work. And because Jeff brought up the best point about it. They didn't go out of style, they didn't go out of fashion, they didn't go out of favor. Right? Nobody was like, yo, I don't know, man. Like vibe. We just looked up one day and vibe wasn't published anymore. Well, it was just gone.
SPEAKER_05:Is that the only thing? They just stopped publishing the paper. Yeah, I don't remember Jeff.
SPEAKER_08:Jeff, you might be closer to this in proximity, but I don't remember any vibe scandal in terms of.
SPEAKER_10:No. It was no scandal, it was just like, you know, magazines weren't making the money that they were, and people weren't advertising, and it was it was like a business thing. It wasn't like, uh, you know, it was a problem or something like that. No.
SPEAKER_08:They weren't the only publication that went away with it.
SPEAKER_10:A bunch of them went away.
SPEAKER_05:It's kind of fun to see some of these ones coming back around and re kind of redeveloping themselves and figuring out how do I use other forms of media to kind of relaunch. And so that's what I'm excited about is to see what they do and how they do it and where it goes.
SPEAKER_10:And I gotta I gotta mention that the the them putting Dayton Thomas at uh at the front of it is an amazing um look, too, because you know, first of all, he's a great dude. Everybody loves him, he knows what the what the hell he's doing, and he he can make those calls. Like if Daituan calls you, like you say, okay. Oh, yeah, you're definitely gonna listen. He's gonna, I want this one on the cover, I want this story, whatever. He can make those calls and people are gonna respond because he's got he's got that pedigree. He's done it, he did it for so long, and he did it at such a high level. So that's that was a great get for them to bring him to bring him back, you know?
SPEAKER_08:Yeah, he not only brings legitimacy, which he absolutely brings to it, but he has the experience of multimedia, right? So if they bring someone in that's just a singer, right, or someone that's just a rapper or a producer, he can see that, like, no, you know what? I think this plays into this as well. We should bring this into that. Like, he's gonna be able to decipher and differentiate between all of the people that are coming to them that they will have approaching them about things and know exactly who fits where. Yep. What's the real thing? It's a part of his skill set at this point. Some of these people may lend themselves more to television. So someone may go from being a hot act in the summer to doing a New Year's Eve show in the f in the winter. You know what I'm saying? Because there's proximity now for hip hop and RB to not just be, I mean, obviously this gives them more visit visibility in the space, right? Being a part of this magazine. Because the rollout for this is going to be insane. Who gets the first vibe covers? That's gotta be the biggest thing they're talking about.
SPEAKER_10:I was thinking about that. Who gonna get that first cover?
SPEAKER_08:Like, who did who gets the because there's so many different things that need to go into play as to who gets that cover? They have to have been relevant during the high time of vibe. They need to still be relevant today, right? And bring back that instant, goddamn, I forgot what vibe was. When you see them on the cover, like a Mary J or somebody. You know, I'm just saying, somebody that personifies the hip hop that they represent, someone that personifies the RB that they represent, someone that personifies that crossover capability of talent that they're looking to expose. Like they're gonna have to pick somebody. That's gonna be a thing.
SPEAKER_10:That's a thing. That's a thing. I can't even I'd love to be a fly on the wall in those meetings. Just to see how they how they come to that conclusion, right? Yeah, yeah. Like who's who's who's gonna be? Because vibe cover was that was amazing. That was a big deal. That was a big deal. You got enough vibe cover. That was like uh that that meant it meant a lot. It meant a lot.
SPEAKER_08:Well, vibe, you gotta understand, vibe was big as hip-hop blue, right? And the crossover with more hip-hop and RB, uh, you know, a rapper with an RB singer, a singer with a rapper, on it that came into prominence during that time. So you have to understand that they were always like picking someone out of a cast of hundreds, right? Like VOD had access to the best talent at the time, all of the best talent. So they had to pick up, pick who could get the cover then.
SPEAKER_11:Yeah.
SPEAKER_08:Right? Because you used to have, you know, you'd have an RB singer and a rapper dropping albums during the same time. Both of them are hot. You gotta figure out who gets the cover. You know what I'm saying? So and then obviously it's it's just like radio, who gets the interview, right? Like that kind of a thing. So, yeah, that's gonna be ill to see who they feel collectively is the best representation of what they're trying to do and who they're trying to reach. Yep. They've got and they've gotta take print, uh, social media, streaming, all of that, because that person is gonna set the tone. It might not even be just a rapper. It could, I could see uh like a Kai Sanat and a Drewski and it could be and an artist or two, right? Like I could see them. We need one streamer, we need one uh comedian, we need one rapper, we need one singer, we need one writer and one director, right?
SPEAKER_05:So you think it could be a collection of people.
SPEAKER_08:I think their best bet is to show the broadness of what they're looking to represent. Mm-hmm. And I don't know, maybe if now that I talk through this, I don't know if one person does that.
SPEAKER_10:Yeah, I don't know if one person is enough. Not not to start it off, you know, not to start it off. It might have to be, like you said, of multiple people on the cover just representing the culture, like I said, the Kai Sanat and Drewski and maybe Kevin Hart and you know, just kind of like all these people at the top of their game. And and I don't yeah, I don't know. It's gonna be interesting, man.
SPEAKER_05:It's gonna be really that that kills my last question. I was gonna say to you, if you had to, if you had a wager, who would you put on the front cover? One person. One person? Yeah, now granted, we're all I'm I think we're all in agreement, it's probably not one person. But if you had to, if you had to put a wager down, this is your moment in time. We're gonna be able to come back to this and see if either one of the things.
SPEAKER_08:I wouldn't put a streamer because I think it would send the wrong message. Yeah, it would have to be an artist that is strong in the streaming space. Like, I don't I don't know. I hate to oh god. It depends on what they want to take. Because right now, right now, like Drake's getting ready to drop ice. I was thinking about Drake.
SPEAKER_10:I was thinking about Drake.
SPEAKER_08:But then they have to wonder if that automatically rubs the Kendrick people.
SPEAKER_10:Yeah. Yeah. Right?
SPEAKER_08:So you gotta find somebody that's a a choice that's not toxic. Yeah. A choice that does not divide, right? And someone that transcends whatever age they are. So it would need to be uh a youthful OG or a mature youngster.
SPEAKER_10:Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, because you don't want to make the uh the the cover too too young, which is why I wouldn't do Kai by itself, because as as monstrous as Kai Sonat is, he's still very youthful. But by the same token, you don't want to put, we won't put Mary on here again or you know, something like that. No disrespect to obviously Mary's a uh a G or Mariah Carey, because that kind of skews, like oh, they're just trying to do the shit they was doing before.
SPEAKER_08:We can always come back to that. We can always come back to that. Yeah, but this is today's vibe, right? This is today's vibe magazine.
SPEAKER_11:Mm-hmm. There you go. There you go.
SPEAKER_10:I think you got a call or something.
SPEAKER_08:Single representative. Yeah, I don't know who that is. It has to be somebody that's I don't know who that is. Single representative of what I got an opinion. Go for it.
SPEAKER_05:Am I gonna be the first one that publicly says what they're thinking? Here's my thinking. Think legacy, art, and credibility. Okay. Andre 3000. No, too too off tomorrow.
SPEAKER_08:I think too off the market. I think I'm too off the market. You know who I think? You know, you know who I think. You're just throwing my idea right out the window. I'm gonna throw I'ma say, I'm gonna say Gunna. Ooh, gunner could be good. Because gunner, that's a good story, too. Because that's a great story, right? It's great music. The photo shoot's gonna be bananas because he's not phenomenal. You know what I'm saying? And I don't think he's given a major interview to talk about any of this stuff.
SPEAKER_10:I think people don't really know what he sounds like when he talks. He doesn't talk much. He just kind of even when he takes pictures, he kind of just waves. He doesn't really talk.
SPEAKER_08:I think there's a I think there's a shit ton of mystery there. I don't think he's ever, and I think everybody's talked about everything except him. Now that Thug has spoken, I think it's a great time for him to go ahead and tell his story now.
SPEAKER_10:What about is she what about Tiana Taylor? Is she big enough yet?
SPEAKER_08:She's about to have a fucking beast of a year. That's what I'm saying. I don't think it's this year. I don't think it's this year. I think it's next year. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Because I think she I haven't seen the film yet. I haven't either. Right? I haven't seen the film yet. And wait, Jeffrey, who did you say on the person when you said that?
SPEAKER_10:Oh, Tiana Taylor.
SPEAKER_08:Tiana Taylor. The person I saw that has seen it, whose opinion I trust, has seen it three times.
SPEAKER_10:Oh wow. Well, I'm a P I'm a PTA fan anyway. Yeah, no, no, he's gonna go. But I I don't know.
SPEAKER_08:I haven't seen it, so I can't gauge whether or not this is this is the one. But I do know that this movie could lend itself to her first like acting nomination. Yeah. And I think once we get to because there's a couple of other things that she's in that's pretty good that I've seen. There's there are trailers too. But whenever they figure this Dion Warwick thing out, right, and get her the right writer and director for it, I think that's next year next year for Tiana Taylor. I thought this movie would have came out sooner and that she could, you know, get more out of it. But um, I think next year is Tiana Taylor's year. Yeah, me too. So that that being said, she's the right age. Absolutely. Speaks to the right demographic. She's highly fashionable. You know what I'm saying? Um, currently in one of the, you know, which with she's currently in the movie that's probably going to lead most nominations, unless there's something we haven't seen yet. Right? Because a lot of the major shit will come. There's a foreign film from the starring the guy that played Pablo on Narcos. Really? That has won, it's winning everything. They won like three different awards at Cain.
SPEAKER_10:Wow. Okay. I want to see the Emily Blunt joint, too. I'm a not Emily Blunt. Emma Stone, excuse me. The Emma Stone joint. I'm a huge fan. Yes, I'm a huge fan.
SPEAKER_08:I was at Sirius this week, and they were literally, the cast was being interviewed by um Andy, Andy Cone. And Serious. And I was explaining to people like, yo, she's supposed to be an alien. They're like, it it's it's gonna be crazy.
SPEAKER_11:Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_08:Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_05:All right, so to recap though, because we I wanna I want to hear our listeners' point of view on this one. I got I got thrown away right away, but I'm still staying, Andre 3000. Okay. Bun said gonna. I said Tiana, but I don't really have a And you're going with Tiana Taylor, which I'll be honest with you, of the three of them, I'm kind of leaning towards what you just said. Okay. So don't give up on yours, even though you guys trashed mine. Tiana Taylor.
SPEAKER_08:I could see Tiana Taylor being a safer bet. There wouldn't be very much public backlash for that. Whereas with Gunnar, I don't feel like street dudes are are gonna be in vibe on vibe like that anyway, but we don't know how. But we don't know how, because it it they're gonna have to have video um of these interviews, right? They're gonna have to have some kind of video component to it, right? So I just don't know if people I feel like Tiana's a safer bet because I don't see a bunch of people blowing up the comments with like rap. You know what I'm saying? All that type of stuff, right? Just being ugly about it for the most part. I think Tiana is big enough. I think she's important enough. I think she's famous enough. I think she looks good enough, right? I think she checks all the boxes, right? And she and she's hot right now. She's very, very hot right now. I think she checks all the boxes for what I believe would qualify for what a vibe cover should be out the gate. Yeah.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_10:But let's ask the audience. Let's ask. Yeah, yeah. Sending your feedback. Who do you think should be on the on the on the first cover of Vibe Magazine? New vibe.
SPEAKER_08:When are they looking to drop? Like we they're not starting anytime soon.
SPEAKER_10:No, no. They're still developing. Like they twine. They're still developing.
SPEAKER_08:I think they're ways off, yeah.
SPEAKER_10:He told me like this week was actually his first week. So they're just they're just getting it started.
SPEAKER_08:Let's see if they're curious. Let's see what they think. Listen to us based on what we presented today. Let's see what they're guessing.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. All right. Hold on, listen to the first episode. Two Mothers, One Ashay, a Grief Dialogue. Listen to it. Let us know what you think. And until next week, I'm Tom Frank. I'm Jeffrey Sledge, and I'm Bun B. And now for a special preview of a new podcast from Eric Studios, it's Two Mothers, One Ashay, a Grief Dialogue. Enjoy.
SPEAKER_02:Welcome to Two Mothers One Ashay, a grief dialogue.
SPEAKER_03:I'm Dion, and I'm Yvette. We're mothers, friends, and sisters in grief.
SPEAKER_02:I lost my daughter Siway at 15 years old.
SPEAKER_03:And I lost my son, Dasan, at 26.
SPEAKER_02:This podcast is our space to talk about grief, how it shapes us, how it lingers, and how love carries us through. Welcome to the conversation.
SPEAKER_03:We are here. We're here. We're here. See, we are here.
SPEAKER_02:We've been talking about it, and now we're doing the thing. I love this.
SPEAKER_03:I mean the road has been bumpy to say the least, right? I'm so happy to see you. I know right now.
SPEAKER_02:Let me let me say, we go in the hair, did nails did, everything did. We fancy, huh?
SPEAKER_03:I mean, far cry from our hunter days, right? Like, come on now.
SPEAKER_02:Child. I showed my friend a picture of us at my baby shower. Mm-mm. Yes. I love it.
SPEAKER_03:Well, I was like doing the salsa and all that stuff. Yeah. Yes.
SPEAKER_02:Yes. You know what? Girl, girl, I'm talking to you, and you're talking to me, and the people don't know who we are. Well, what are we doing here today?
SPEAKER_03:We're gonna invite them in. This is like kitchen table, right? Like, come on in, come hang out. Go get your tea. I have ice tea, your water, your coffee. Cause you know that's how we say it up here.
SPEAKER_02:Um, so you got tea and coffee.
SPEAKER_03:I mean, you've always been quite the overachiever, though, honey.
SPEAKER_02:I might was I might resemble that remark. Um I I was trying to remember, like I know we met at Hunter College, and the way the world has come full circle, the fact that I have a family member at Hunter now, and I was trying to think about where we met and how we met, and I really I know it was Hunter, and I think it was around politics and stuff. I think we were saving the world before our children were born.
SPEAKER_03:That's right. We were, and we're and we still are, which brings me to hey guys, I'm Yvette Lov Davila, and I'm the co-host of Two Mothers One Ashe.
SPEAKER_02:I am Dion Colette Monsanto, and I am the co-host of Two Mothers One Ashe. This whole dialogue is gonna be a lot of fun, and um it's a grief dialogue, but it's gonna be a fun journey because I'm fun and Yvette is fun.
SPEAKER_03:That's right. We are we are fun, and you're gonna know this immediately. But you know, Dion, I I want us to talk a little bit about, right? Just in our invitation for folks to come in and join us. I want to just talk about what brought us here. Who are we? And how and how do we get here? You go first. Okay.
SPEAKER_02:All right, I'm gonna go first, but in true Dion fashion, I'm gonna have to pause and take a breath. So I'm going to invite you, Evie. You're gonna hear me call her Evie sometimes. It is Evette, but it's Evie. So don't be confused. Same chick. It's even for the it's Eevee.
SPEAKER_03:Because you guys are family, my my very close friends of family call me Evie. So be my guest.
SPEAKER_02:I am a mother of three, and I unfortunately lost one of my children, and that began my journey with grief and loss. And every time I start to talk about it, I get choked up, which is why I said, I'm gonna invite you to breathe with me. So, wherever you are, I'm gonna keep my eyes open for a bit. But what I tend to do when I take a breath, because even at the moment when I told you it's a grief dialogue, and I mentioned that I lost one of my children, my daughter. She was a teenager, like my heart closes. And then I'm like, I have to breathe some love and life into my heart. So wherever you are, I'm gonna invite you. You can do the same thing if you want. You can place one hand on your heart, you can place one hand on your belly, you can keep your eyes open or closed. But let's just take three deep breaths together. And out. Two more. In and out. Last time together, pull air in, open your mouth and sigh it out. It feels so much better. Right? Oh my god, like I am I am fully present in my body here with you, here with Evie. And um that felt good. And Evie already said it that we want you to feel like you're sitting at the kitchen table, una cafecita, una taza de te. You know, you have some tea, you have some coffee, some water, whatever you need to be comfortable with us and join the dialogue. So I hinted at it. I lost my daughter many moons ago. She was a teenager, so that's me. And I'm from the Bronx, you know, the Bronics. And uh, so I'll pass it over to you, Evie.
SPEAKER_03:Thank you for that, Dean. So I am from Santurse, Puerto Rico by way of East New York, Brooklyn. And uh I am a mother of two, and I lost my son, and I knew this was gonna happen really quick early on, and I will not apologize for my tears because they have been earned. Um and uh I my god, how many lives have I lived? So many. I'm a 27-year veteran of the music industry. I have been been reborn through pain, and now I am a healer. I have a wellness practice which I welcome people to come in and take care of their skin, take care of their souls, take care of their spirits. And uh, you know, I we we like to say that we have I'm gonna go back to you saying that you can't remember exactly when we met. I I really remember, I rarely remember that moment, Dee, uh, those kind of moments, and I don't remember our moment, which leads me to believe that it was just fate. You've always been there, maybe not in eye view, but you've always been there, and we are met for each other, we have walked a very similar path in life, and we are now in each other's point of view, and and now we're here. Two mothers with one ashe. And I'd like to explain to the folks Ashe. Yeah, the name I was I was yes, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:So Ashay too, so perfectly okay.
SPEAKER_03:Perfect. Ashe is a Yodaba word from West Africa, it was brought here by the captured who were then enslaved, and the word means life force. And through our conversations in this podcast for the foreseeable episodes, we're always gonna bring it back to Ashe. Because death is part of life, and so we all experience death, but our life force, our life force, shouldn't end there. Because we're the ones that are left behind to continue to live.
SPEAKER_02:And to your point, when you say that, that brings me to you know, your brilliance when in the naming process for this podcast is that we both experience the same heartache and Ashe is spelled the same way as ache, right?
SPEAKER_03:Except it has an accent on the e. That's right. That's right. So you can read it whether you can read uh a Yoruba word and pronounce it properly. We don't mind if you pronounce it ache.
SPEAKER_02:So, because it's one and the same, and through that pain, when I when I lost my daughter, that was our heartache, and when you lost your son, that was our heartache. So it's one ache and one Ashay. I want to, and I'm so glad you didn't apologize for your tears. Um, there's this whole aspect of forgiveness, and people are constantly apologizing for showing up as their authentic emotional self. And I was so happy when you said that. And um, what I also loved is that you brought in the Caribbean with you. I don't have my bandera, but you know, I am from the Bronx by way of the Virgin Islands, VI Massive. You know, let me see if I get my fingers right, VI Massive, and uh Virgin Islands and from the Virgin Islands, the family landed in the Bronx, in the PJs, in the South Bronx, Fort Apache. And it's been a journey. And I the other thing that we share is that we're both global citizens. We both love to cook. So when you said we're sitting down at the kitchen table, I'm like, yes. And I also notice about us from me still being in your home and you being in my home, our table is always set and ready for company.
SPEAKER_03:Always. Always. I like to say that no one will go hungry in my house. So I always Chris, my husband Chris, he was it was difficult for him to understand why it is that I always cook extra food. And it's really a habit that I learned from my grandmother. Absolutely. And I talk about this in my memoir that I haven't completed yet. But there I have a favorite story about my grandmother would sit on the windowsill like all the old Puerto Rican ladies, right? She put a pillow right on the windowsill and look outside. And there was this gentleman, um, his name was Mad Dog. And, you know, he he was he was addicted and he was a very lost soul. And my grandmother took to this man, and everybody in the neighborhood was scared of him, but she took to him, and he would come to the window and he would call, Senora, he'd call up to her. She'd go to the window and he'll tell her that he's hungry. Tell her that he's hungry, and she would go to the kitchen and put rice and beans in, you know, those quart, the quarts of milk, right? She would buy a quart of milk at a time. But she would keep the containers on this, wash them out and keep them on the side. And, you know, she'd pack it up and throw a plastic fork in there and throw it out the window, put it in a bag and throw it out the window to him. And, you know, I learned from her that anyone can stop by at any point and there'd be something for you to eat.
SPEAKER_02:Ash, yeah. I love that. And you know what? We never discussed this, so I didn't know you got it from your grandmother, but that's absolutely where I got it from. And I still in my kitchen, I'm like really happy that I have some of her corning wear pots, the white with the blue flowers on it, and then there are the other ones with the brass pot. And wait a minute. What is your grandmother's name? We have to bring them in. We talked about Dasan and Siway. What's grandma's name?
SPEAKER_03:Yes, so my grandmother's name is Margarita Ganino.
SPEAKER_02:Margarita. Margarita. Okay, so Margarita. So my grandmother is Grandma B, but her name was Bianca, Bianca Almeida Jackson Monsanto. So does Grandma B. And um, there was always, like you said, so much food. Now we were on the 16th floor in Millbrook Projects, so nobody was calling up to the window for us. That that wasn't happening. But definitely when people came by, because I was an only child for a long time. And when she cooked, she started working, she was a nurse out of Roosevelt Island, right? I don't know if you remember Bertess Kohler Hospital on Roosevelt Island is where she was, and she was a nurse's aide that doesn't even exist anymore. I don't know what they I don't know what they call them now, but it's not a nurse's aide anymore if you don't have that.
SPEAKER_03:I guess it's probably a whatever equated to an LPN, a licensed practitioner, a nurse practitioner, right? Yeah, like a practical nurse, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, and she and she wasn't licensed, right? You know, she had an eighth-grade education and school of hard knocks, getting from the island of St. Thomas here, but always food for people. And I remember that when I cook in my kitchen, my family's always like, You are like grandma. There's you know, everybody has food, and I have the bowls ready for when they leave to pack up the food to carry them on because food helps heal the heartache, right? Food is love.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, it is. You know, I I love that you asked my grandmother's name. Because one of the things that is extremely important to both you and I, and we'd love to welcome our listeners in to participate in this with us, and that's to memorialize those that we love and we've lost. Say their names. Yes. You know, yes, I was came across a quote one time and it says, No one is truly dead until their name is no longer spoken. That's right. So that's right. I agree. How beautiful is it, right, that we get to keep the spirit of our loved ones alive by just saying their names. We keep them alive.
SPEAKER_05:We hope you enjoyed that special preview. For the entire episode, search two mothers, one ashe, a grief dialogue on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcast.
SPEAKER_01:We are Merrick Stewart.
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