The Loose Crew is joined by good friend Julio  (IG: @bigmeechjulio) in a frank discussion on relationships. Julio works for Montgomery County Public Schools and is happily married. He helps the Loose Crew explore the challenges and benefits of intimate relationships, from a male perspective.


00:00:00 Intro music
00:00:25 Hey Ma by Cam'Ron feat. Juelz Santana
00:03:35 What are we drinking?
00:05:06 Julio introduces himself
00:07:57 What's the topic?
00:12:30 Julio talks about marriage
00:18:09 Temptation and other problems in relationships
00:30:21 Complacency
00:32:24 Why get into a relationship?
00:41:40 Views on marriage
00:48:10 Best parts about being in a relationship
01:02:00 Past relationship mistakes
01:16:48 Sex
01:21:20 Gender roles
01:25:25 Advice for young men

In this episode, the Loose Crew discusses the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and why it matters. You'll hear them discuss the history of the Supreme Court, why the nomination process has always been undemocratic, how the Republicans have politicized the entire process and what Democrats can do moving forward.

To learn more about RBG and her historical legacy, you can read this interview here or watch this video tribute created by the National Constitution Center. You may also want to read on how the Republicans stopped Obamas nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court in 2016. You'll hear references to the Federalist Society, the long history of forced sterilizations on women of color (including the recent whistleblower report alleging that ICE continues the practice today) and the disproportional make-up of the Senate. You can read more about those topics by following the links.


00:00:00 The death of RBG
00:03:57 What are we drinking?
00:06:15 History of the Supreme Court and the nomination process
00:07:14 The problem with Senate confirmation hearings
00:16:00 Why RBG's death matters
00:30:36 How long is the nomination process, Merrick Garland
00:34:50 What can the Democrats do?
00:38:00 Should RBG have retired under Obama?
00:48:46 Should the Democrats add more seats to the Supreme Court?
01:00:52 Should we get rid of the Supreme Court?
01:04:00 Final thoughts

It's football season!! Join the Loose Crew as they share some of their predictions for the new season!


00:00:00 Intro
00:02:38 How long until the season gets cancelled?
00:06:30 SuperBowl favorites
00:10:23 Offenses to watch this season
00:11:59 Dak's depression
00:15:12 MVP favorites
00:19:26 Potential dark horses
00:23:09 How many wins will our teams get?
00:25:38 Who will win the NFC East?

The Loose Crew spends some time discussing their 9/11 experiences, the upcoming election, political corruption, identity politics and their feelings about the future direction of this country. After such a rough year, what's the future outlook of this country?

The song at the beginning of the episode is Don Don by Daddy Yankee, Anuel AA & Kendo Kaponi.

The Loose Crew references a book written by Bjorn Lomborg where he argues that the future consequences of climate change are real but exaggerated. You can view him discussing the book with Michael Shermer here.

There is also a reference to the revolving door between big law firms and financial/banking regulatory agencies, which is described in great detail in this video.

The Loose Crew criticizes the film "Cuties" in this episode, which is found on Netflix. You can hear the director of the film, Maimouna Doucoure, respond to her critics (including the Loose Crew) in this op-ed.

There is reference made to the strange, seemingly lax (in some cases even tolerant) attitude toward pedophilia that some of the french intellectual elite have had since the 1960s. You can read more about that here, here and here.

00:00:00 Intro music
00:00:25 Don Don by Daddy Yankee, Anuel AA & Kendo Kaponi
00:02:18 Shoutouts and introductions
00:06:03 What are we drinking?
00:09:07 Javier speaks about experiencing 9/11 in El Salvador
00:13:10 Cisco's 9/11 experience
00:15:57 Doug's 9/11 experience
00:19:30 Freedom of speech
00:24:00 Post 9/11 and the polarization of America
00:26:40 2020 
00:29:10 Elections and Trump
00:32:03 Believe all women?
00:35:50 Joe Biden and the election
00:37:10 Healthcare
00:39:40 Political corruption
00:43:07 Problems with identity politics
00:51:38 Future of the progressive movement
00:56:33 Back to the election
00:58:35 Climate change, boomers and millennials
01:04:44 Netflix's "Cuties"
01:10:02 Drag Queen Story Hour
01:14:09 Closing

The Loose Crew Podcast is joined by the founders of the Kind Monster Clothing brand in an uplifting conversation about the creative process, style and positivity. Kind Monster emphasizes seeing the good in everyone, even supposed monsters!

"Don't judge, be kind."

Join us to see why Kind Monster has chosen to create an entire brand around this message, and what other potential creators could expect to experience when trying to materialize their own thoughts and ideas.

You can check out Kind Monster Clothing over at KindMonsterClothing.com or on their Instagram page. You can also check out the DMV Design Lab for custom projects.

The IPAs we enjoyed while recording this episode can be found at the Cedar Grove Store in Damascus.

00:00:00 Intro

00:00:20 Ultralight Beam by Kanye West

00:02:40 Shoutouts/Introductions

00:04:00 What are we drinking?

00:07:00 Introducing Kind Monster

00:11:56 What is Kind Monster?

00:18:20 Kind Monster influences

00:24:50 The creative process

00:35:24 Long term goals

00:49:50 Dealing with disagreements and issues

00:53:50 Marketing

00:55:15 Spreading positivity

01:08:28 Entrepreneur mindset/fashion in the DMV

01:13:02 Overcoming the first drop

01:20:40 Future drops

This week the Loose Crew (along with frequent recurring guest Cisco) are joined by the hilarious owner of Buso Cuts, Edwin Arias. Edwin is a barber entrepreneur who grew up in PG County, graduated from the University of Maryland and recently opened his own barbershop after finding quick success as a young independent barber cutting out of his parent’s house. Enter the barbershop with us and enjoy this lively conversation with one of the funniest and most talented barbers in the DMV!

Be sure to set your appointment with Edwin here. You can also follow the other members of the Buso Cuts team, Baby O and Gregg.

The Loose Crew is joined by Daniel Cardenas (and our frequent recurring guest Cisco) to discuss mental health, particularly in black and brown communities. Daniel Cardenas is a licensed clinical professional counselor in Maryland, Virginia, Arizona and Texas. He currently provides mental health services to unaccompanied minors at the border and also to people suffering from natural disasters. As a young Latino man who grew up in the DMV, his insight is uniquely relatable to the members of the Loose Crew and we anticipate that our listeners will feel the same after listening to him.

In this podcast you'll hear references to the following books:

• Lori Gottlieb- Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed
• Russ- It's All In Your Head

Danny also briefly describes how mental health services can be affordable for almost anyone. You can watch his more in-depth video on the subject here.

The song at the beginning of the episode is Do It Myself by Russ.


00:00:00 Intro Music
00:00:23 Do It Myself by Russ
00:02:11 Introductions and shoutouts
00:02:42 What are we drinking?
00:05:05 Who were our role models growing up?
00:08:40 Introducing Danny Cardenas
00:10:25 What is mental health?
00:11:00 Danny's college background, what made him specialize in mental health?
00:15:34 Danny's experience as a latino mental health professional
00:18:14 How can we normalize mental health services for black and brown people?
00:21:19 How has therapy helped the members of the Loose Crew?
00:26:20 How could we overcome the stigma around mental health?
00:27:38 Danny describes his current position
00:30:33 Depression
00:37:50 How to help a friend in need
00:43:06 Who should seek mental health services?
00:45:40 Neurodivergency
00:48:38 Protecting your mental health in this chaotic world
00:52:20 Self-care
00:54:00 Affordability of mental health services
00:56:27 Connection between physical and mental health
01:02:30 How can someone become a mental health professional?
01:04:50 Anxiety and depression in teenagers today/social media
01:10:57 Imposter syndrome
01:14:20 Final thoughts

We are joined in this special bonus episode by Diana (@mujerdeea), Yossi (@adelitaaaaa_), and our frequent recurring guest Cisco. After we recorded Episode 10, Diana explained some basics of astrology to us. She spoke about the differences between rising signs, sun signs and moon signs, how a birth chart is calculated, where this knowledge comes from, and calculating compatibility between different individuals based on their respective signs. These among a few other funny side stories from our hosts and contributors. 

The Loose Crew (joined by Cisco!) sits down to discuss careers after high school. They talk about their own experiences after high school and describe their thoughts on the value of a college education, other routes available for people who don't like school, challenges they encountered finding their own careers and what advice they'd give to young teenagers currently contemplating their futures.

The song at the beginning of the episode is Good Morning by Kanye West.

While recording this episode the Loose Crew enjoyed drinking Teremana Tequila, a new brand of tequila owned by The People's Champion Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. 

00:00:00 Intro Music
00:00:22 Good Morning by Kanye West
00:01:30 Shoutouts and Introductions
00:04:20 What are we drinking?
00:07:15 What are we talking about today?
00:07:40 Doug talks about his college experience
00:12:09 Jessy talks about his experiences after high school
00:27:50 Javier's experiences after high school
00:35:53 Cisco's experiences after high school
00:43:00 Is college forced on kids today?
00:48:30 Loose Crew talks money
00:52:10 Jessy's advice for teenagers 
01:00:02 Jessy talks about his mentality in high school and what he would do differently
01:01:16 Doug and Javier talk about high school
01:07:32 Los talks about his high school experience
01:08:50 Cisco talks about his high school experience
01:13:10 Value in the struggle
01:17:30 Cisco talks about how to get into a trade
01:21:30 The ball seeks motion

After discussing Maryland politics, the Loose Crew (and Cisco) had some fun talking about some of their favorite Reggaeton artists, past and present. Listen in for some laughs, a surprise cameo appearance, and overall shit-talking.