For Colored Nerds

Brittany and Eric are comin' for your top five. After weeks of buzz, questions, conspiracies, and callouts, it's safe to say Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers is Kendrick Lamar's most controversial work. With help from Vulture writer Tirhakah Love, the For Colored Nerds crew gives their raw and unfiltered reactions to the album.

This week, Brittany and Eric chat with theologian, writer, and author Candice Marie Benbow about her book, Red Lip Theology: For Church Girls Who've Considered Tithing to the Beauty Supply Store When Sunday Morning Isn't Enough. To say the book challenges every idea of religion that we’ve come to know as gospel is an understatement. Candice refers to God not as He but They/Them, she encourages the need for grace by telling her own story of being ‘the other women,’ and she makes the case that the Bible is a more overtly sexual text than we think. These ideas may come as a shock to most...but what's that old saying? If you scared, go to church!

This week, Brittany chatted with Nicole A. Taylor, writer, master home chef, producer, and cookbook author about her latest cookbook Watermelon and Red Birds: A Cookbook for Juneteenth and Black Celebrations. From rhubarb BBQ sauce to corn dogs there's something in this cookbook for everyone. And, they get into the importance of honoring Juneteenth's origins in Texas.

Have you ever felt bad for critiquing a Black film for fear of "no more being made"? Feeling so-so about this season of ATLANTA? Are you looking for someone, somewhere who can just say what's been sitting on your chest for so long? Look no further. Angelica Jade Bastien, Vulture film & TV critic, joins the show to give her unfiltered, deeply researched, and incisive commentary that we've grown to love in her work. She's written about all your favorite films and TV shows from I May Destroy You to Candyman and she doesn't hold back. Angelica and Eric get into the value of black criticism, reviewing Candyman, and season 3 of Atlanta. You really don't wanna miss this.

From The Slap Heard Around to World to Rihanna's pregnancy, we've heard all the possible takes on our juiciest celebrity gossip. But there's one voice missing from the pack.. the one, the only, Wendy Williams. This week, Brittany, Eric, and Ira Madison III  (Keep It) get into what makes Wendy the shock jock we hate to love, why her absence is so missed, and how the gossip landscape has grown because of her influence. 

What's good, For Colored Nerds fam? Brittany and Eric are back this week with David Dennis Jr. David is a writer, educator, and author of a new memoir, The Movement Made Us. The book recounts the life of David’s father, David Dennis Sr., a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement. It follows David Sr.'s life from his first CORE meeting to the Freedom Rides and more. Through firsthand accounts from David Sr. and letters from his son, we see the ripple effects of his movement work and most of all, his relationship with David Jr.

Today we have a very preview from the Washington Post’s daily show, Post Reports. Every weekday, host Martine Powers walks listeners through the news of the day. In this particular episode, reporter Danielle Douglas-Gabriel talked with Black women about the student loan debt freeze and what they’ve been able to do while their payments remain paused.  

Today we have a very special clip of Well-Read Black Girl, where the host and creator, Glory Edim, talks to actress Gabrielle Union about Bring it On.

This week, Brittany chats with iconic journalist, magazine editor, and novelist, Danyel Smith, about the release of her new book, Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop. From celebrating the enduring impact of Phillis Wheatley's poetry to giving insight into Whitney Houston's relationship with Bobby Brown - there's a little something for everyone. And to top it all off, Danyel's book is not just a love letter to Black women but a memoir of how these Black women in particular have showered her life with love, ambition, and empathy through their gifts. 

In honor of Black Maternal Health Week, the For Colored Nerds crew chats with Gabrielle Horton and Martina Abrahams Ilunga, the hosts of NATAL, a podcast about giving birth while Black. NATAL is in its second season and follows the lives of three Black families in rural America. Stay tuned for a deep dive into reproductive justice, reverse migration, and a special announcement from our very own Eric Eddings.