Meet Kai aka Shorty-G. She is currently an Arts Leadership graduate student at the prestigious USC Thornton school of music. Hailing from The Town (aka Oakland, CA), she brings her own style of Bay Area hip hop into her lyrical genius. In closing this week’s double-header, she dissects her craft for us, introducing us into the ways she breaks down the way she lays out her tracks and how she prepares to get her mind right for free styling. She also talks about the business of hip hop and how her degree has helped her merge academics and her passion for hip hop music.

Tim is currently a third-year Ph.D .student in the Higher Education & Organizational Change program at UCLA where his research centers on governance, culture, and student success. Along with being a doctoral student, Tim engages in community work with his mentorship organization & alumni associations, along with serving as a creative consultant in the areas of mentorship, culture, and student success.

Episode 16 merges with our latest series, G'z on Beatz ©, to bring you a special episode with a West Coast Hip Hop artist who has since moved on from music to serve the community.

Chase Griffin is a star quarterback for the NCAA Top 25-ranked UCLA football program. Born in Los Angeles, CA and raised in Texas, Chase would eventually become a Gatorade Texas Athlete of the Year before committing to UCLA. After earning his degree is Public Affairs, he is now expected to graduate with his M.Ed. from the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies in Spring 2023 with his sights on beginning his Master of Legal Studies in the next academic year.

Amanda Finzi is a woman of many hats whose journey spans the Bronx, Miami, and Jamaica before setting foot in Los Angeles, CA. She is a renowned leader in the community who is recognized in the UCLA Bruin network for leading the development of UCLA's first-ever Black Bruin Resource Center. She holds a B.A. in Hospitality Management and an M.Ed. in Higher Education from Florida International University.

On the side, she also does freelance work for BET.

This episode explores Amanda's Miami and Jamaican roots and how her event planning experience began, eventually leading to seemingly "random" opportunities in higher education and the entertainment space. As her story unfolds, it is evident that her limitless talent and trials and tribulations have forged her into the leader and business woman she is today.

Fun Fact: Amanda is also a member of Divine 9 sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha.

The extraordinary story of triumph for NCAA Women’s Basketball Champion Angel Reese sets the tone for what may be the beginning of sport’s next great rivalry with lights-out sharpshooter Caitlin Clark.

Both women have showed nothing but love and respect for each other’s competitive drive, perhaps displaying the epitome of sportsmanship and class from both sides.

But fans and the sports world at large have had clearly distinct perspectives on each woman’s celebratory gestures, particularly using it as fuel to pin one against the other in a controversy that has been riddled with America’s favorite pastime: RACISM (and let’s just add in SEXISM for the fun of it 😎).

For Episode 13, intercollegiate athletics researchers Briana Savage, M.Ed. and Dr. Ezinne Ofoegbu weigh in on this social media spectacle that has been living rent-free in our heads for the past few weeks.

Sonya Brook's story is nothing short of inspirational and extraordinary (despite what she may tell you). Get to know the woman whose story and roots began in Oakland, CA. Also known as "The Town," Oakland has a rich history in Black culture, giving rise to the Black Panther party and having helped spur the careers of rappers Too $hort, the late Tupac Shakur, R&B group En Vogue, and many more.

The full G'd Up squad makes its debut together on set. To start off the Spring season/academic term, we talk about preparing for the next steps after graduating. Whether you are trying to pace yourself through the quarter system, know how to network and communicate with graduate programs and/or employers, G'd Up's got you covered! This episode leads into some of the issues revolving around the racial wealth gap, which will be continued in a future episode. Don't blink!

To kick off Women's History Month, we decided to bring in a good friend, China Lovelace, writer/host of TheShadeRoom Live Radio Show and owner of AlwaysRelevantTV. Before becoming the media personality she is today, China was a Mass Communications major at Virginia State University, an HBCU. As a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, she highlights the importance of sisterhood, friendship, and networking. Listen to find out more about China and her success story in this special episode that is full of gems and free game for those seeking to pursue a career in entertainment (and all other industries). 

Please follow and support @china_lovelace @alwaysrelevanttv @theshaderoom (Live Radio Show)

Meet Dr. Brandon "Handsome Harris:" LA Native, husband, father, college professor, musical genius 🎤, member of Phi Beta Sigma, and 1/3 of G'd Up University.

Dr. Harris received his Doctor of Education from California State University, Fullerton. Starting his career with graphic design and serving youth, Dr. Harris' early work include graphic design work for Snoop Dogg and his wife, Shante. His preppy taste for fashion dates back to the mid 90's, and he recalls his time being on set of 2Pac's To Live and Die in LA music video at the Crenshaw Mall wearing a preppy polo shirt. Watch to learn more.