Jay Raised Us

Song: Public Service Announcement

Album: The Black Album.

Lyrics: https://genius.com/Jay-z-public-service-announcement-lyrics

It's a public service announcement: The Kasasa sisters and Mutima Coffee have arrived and are here to stay. Shelia and Sharon Kasasa are sisters who were born in Ugnada, but spent their formative years in the DC metro area.  In this episode they talk about their early years in Uganda, coming from a long line of entrepreneurs, including a grandmother that had to lie to her parents in order to  attend school and eventually went on to run a construction materials firm during the aftermath of the Idi Amin rule and eviction of foreign businesses.  We learn about how the sisters eventually decided to start a company and how they hope to improve the conditions for entrepreneurs and citizens in their homeland.  This is an episode you will not want to miss.

You can find Mutima Coffee here.

Song: December 4th

Album: The Black Album.

Lyrics: https://genius.com/Jay-z-december-4th-lyrics

Synopsis:

"My gear is in and I'm in the in-crowd

After an intense back and forth about what song to use for this episode, Mos finally convinced Frankie to rock with December 4th, solely because of the above mentioned bar.  Love Jay to death, but is he saying getting a light skinned chic is the epitome of "winning"?  Colorism has always been a huge topic of discussion in not only the black community, but in most communities of people of color.  One only need to look at Telemundo hosts to see that rarely are Latinos of a darker hue showcased.  It goes so much deeper, from the paper bag tests in the African American community, down to the skin bleaching in West Africa and the Caribbean, colorism is a thing that clearly affects many cultures.  Today Mos and Frankie attempt to give their take and shed a little light on this topic, which is back at the forefront of popular culture due to Serena Williams' most recent, lighter hued, Instagram post.

Song: 4:44 

Album: 4:44 

Lyrics: https://genius.com/Jay-z-4-44-lyrics 

Synopsis: 

This week gave us our newest inductee to the Billionaire Divorced Boyz Club with the announcement that Bill and Melinda Gates are ending their marriage of over 20 years.  This got Frankie G and Mos thinking, what does it take to make a marriage actually work, while a lot of people in our generation might think money makes things easier, clearly Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Dr. Dre, and a host of others have shown us that millions and billions of dollars clearly isn't doesn't guarantee a successful marriage.   Given all the divoreces going on, we of course took it to the Jay catalog to see what Young Hov had to say about it, and of course 4:44, the title track from Jay's last solo album.  It's crazy to hear how far Jay has come, when you look back at the lyrics for tracks like Big Pimpin' to the family man you hear on 4:44.  We also give our views on what we think may make a successful marriage based on our observations of our parents, friends and just people in general. Get ready to sit back and hear the thoughts on marriage of two guys who haven't been married but definitely hope to get married one day!

Song: Renegade (ft. Eminem)

Album: The Blueprint

Lyrics: https://genius.com/Jay-z-renegade-lyrics

Synopsis:

What was originally planned to be an episode about President Obama and Bruce Springsteen's current podcast, Renegades: Born In The USA, ended up turning into a discussion about the current podcasting landscape, which is very reminiscent of the early days of blogging.  What was once a niche product that was almost dominated by Apple, has now become a multi-million dollar industry that has attracted major streaming services, copious amounts of corporate ad dollars, and thousands of "renegades" who can self publish their content and get it out the the masses with nothing more than a cell phone. Also discussed is the ever increasing role of minorities in the space and what this means for black content creators.  Needless to say this is an amazing time for the podcasting industry.  

Mentioned in today's episode:

Podcasts/Podcast Networks:

Song: Money, Cash, Hoes (ft. DMX)

Album: Vol. 2...Hard Knock Life

Lyrics: https://genius.com/Jay-z-money-cash-hoes-lyrics

Synopsis:

First off, RIP DMX!!!, RIP Black Rob!!! and RIP Shock G!!!  We found out about Shock G right AFTER we recorded the episode.. WTF, we are losing all our legends.  After a quick spring break Frankie G and The Mighty Mos are back at it again.  In honor of the Dark Man X we had to dig in the crates and pull out one of his legendary tracks with Hov, and this track fit the ethos of this episode so perfectly.

Today we are giving our thoughts on the Snowfall finale, because this season finale was definitely a killer.  We also dive into how money and women can lead to the downfall of dudes, one can say it definitely happened to Franklin this season, money and women almost ended the boy.  Hell, even Warren Buffet and his partner alluded to it. We also get down into the various levels of sugar daddying (more money, cash, hoes) and much more.

Quotables from the episode:

“My partner Charlie says there is only three ways a smart person can go broke: liquor, ladies, and leverage. Now the truth is, the first two he just added because they started with ‘L’ – It’s leverage.”   Warren Buffett

"Same things that motivate you can kill you"  Frankie G

"We don't drive X5's, we give em to baby-mamas"

Movies mentioned:

Spread

Song: Success (Ft. Nas)

Album: American Gangsta

Lyrics: https://genius.com/Jay-z-success-lyrics

Synopsis: The Mighty Mos and Frankie G are back.  Today we are interviewing Kevin Larkai, founder of BlackLeaf Organic Vodka.  In this episode we discuss how Kevin initially met the master distillers of the vodka on a chance encounter in France, and how he convinced the distiller he was the right person to bring the brand to the public.  Kevin also gives insight into how one goes about getting a new liquor brand onto the shelves of stores, and whats next for Kevin and the eventual expansion plans for the brand.

Song: Holy Grail (Ft. Justin Timberlake)

Album: Maga Carta Holy Grail

Lyrics: https://genius.com/Jay-z-holy-grail-lyrics

Synopsis: The Mighty Mos and Frankie G are back at it.  Today we are discussing the historic interview with Oprah, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.  There was definitely a lot to unpack here, especially given the fact that Frankie and Mos are American, they clearly did not understand or realize the implications of The Prince and  Duchess wanting to step down.  We also discuss the parallels between the UKs Royal Family  and The Kardashian Clan (yes there are tremendous parallels).  

For more info on the Royals check out our background research sources:

Song: Brooklyn’s Finest (Ft. The Notorious B.I.G)

Album: Reasonable Doubt.

Lyrics: https://genius.com/Jay-z-brooklyns-finest-lyrics

Synopsis:

The boys are back again after a brief winter break to kick off Season 2.  Recently Netflix released a new documentary about Christopher Wallace aka The Notorious B.I.G: I Got A Story To Tell. This documentary was a lot different from most pieces on Biggie, chock-full of never before seen footage from his closest friends, and interviews with those that knew him best.  A must see for any fan of Biggie and hip hop in general.

Of course Mos, being the huge Biggie fan that he is was super eager to screen the doc.  Initially being a little worried that the story had been told numerous times, Mos was pleasantly surprised, while Frankie was properly introduced to the greatness that was BIG, and we may have created a new Biggie lover!  Today Mos and Frankie discuss the life, impact and foresight of a legend gone way too soon!

We’re Back!

Let's take it to church... or not.

Song:   So Ambitious 

Album: Blueprint 3

Synopsis: In the first interview from the Jay Raised Us Team, we interview Tim Webb, creator of More Than A 9 to 5.  We take a deep dive into Tim's journey to accumulate over 20 properties back in his hometown, and his journey to creating his own lifestyle brand, which promotes realizing our dreams through dedication and entrepreneurship.