This week on Olay & Friends, we unpack Lil Nas X’s arrest and the media circus surrounding it, plus Snoop Dogg’s comments about a so-called “gay agenda.” We get into how quickly conversations about queer artists spiral into moral panic, the double standards in hip-hop, and why these narratives keep resurfacing. It’s a real look at the culture, the backlash, and the myths people cling to when queerness enters the chat.

Chapters:0:00 intro1:30 Hello!/Snoop & Lil Nas X3:44 Old News: Black Queer People are Never Protected13:29 Discerning When Other Services Are Needed Over Law Enforcement18:45 "...That's Just Tuesday" Snoop Dogg & Sexualizing LGBTQIA+ in Media31:02 Not to Protect CHidlren, But to Other Black Queer persons45:14 "Are You Not Tired Yet?"54:13 Some Testimonials, & Recollections of Neglect58:07 "No Queerness, Especially From A Black Man"

This week on Olay & Friends, we dive into the backlash against Ari Lennox after she pointed out the obvious: Martin had a real colorism problem. We break down why her critique was valid, why people get defensive when Black women name colorism in beloved classics, and how nostalgia often protects harmful patterns in Black media. We get into the show, the reaction, and the bigger conversation people keep trying to avoid.

Chapters:0:00 intro1:12 Hello!/ Ari Lennox & The Internet Making A Mountain Again16:48 Dissecting Mayowa's Comedy Methods21:54 The Spectrum of Weight That Weaponized Words Can Hold27:57 Resisting Critiques of Anti Blackness in Martin, & the Myriad of Causes33:37 Comedy That Exposes vs. Engages & Why Not Discerning Either is Harmful54:02 Being Critical About Comedy, & Acknowledging The Harm Caused in Comedy Attempts1:20:01 The Information Gap, The Reactionary Gap1:25:17 The Era of Cross-Dressing for Humor, & "Just Do Drag Already"1:34:31 Closing Thoughts

This week on Olay & Friends, we talk about how Tyla got pulled into nonstop diaspora wars online — and whether that backlash played a role in her low album sales. We break down the way Black artists get caught in cross-cultural fire, how petty internet fights turn into full-blown smear campaigns, and why the conversation around Tyla stopped being about the music altogether. We get into the mess, the motivations, and what this moment says about the state of Black fandom across the diaspora.

Chapters:0:00 intro1:18 Hello!/The Greeting Discourse4:01 Tyla & Xenophobia?13:58 A Question of Proxy, & Transcending American Exceptionalism28:09 Forgetting the Constructs, & Positive Performative Constructs to Be Proud Of44:08 The System Divides & Black People Do Understand the Message Actually57:50 The Left Are NOT Entertaining1:02:22 Cultural Appropiation Example of How to Effectively Educate Directly1:06:08 Teaching Does Not Equal The Whole Class Getting It1:17:18 It All Leads Back to capitalism

This week on Olay & Friends, we get into the uncomfortable truth: the Black community has a real parenting problem, and Nick Cannon is just one high-profile symptom of it. We break down how generational wounds, absent parenting, and performative fatherhood show up in our culture, why calling it out matters, and why people get so defensive when the conversation turns to accountability at home. 

Chapters:0:00 Intro1:07 Hello!/A "litany" of Father/Daughter Problems5:13 Treating Children As Legacy Instead of Individuals14:01 Boys, Girls, & Their Approach to Education17:40 Current Pro-Natalism, & Raising Black Sons Under This New Wave24:57 Not Being Like Your Parents, & Contuining Legacy Not Being the Point32:45 The Safest Generation, & Kids Being Smarter Than Parents Think They Are40:00 The Worldview is Built in Childhood, & How Bad Parent = Bad Person45:14 The Queer Contributions in Communities58:43 PLanning A Framework for Future Community & Child Raising1:06:30 "You Just...Use The Word...Like That?"1:08:49 The Thought Cocktail of the Olurin Family1:17:59 The Enormous Costs & Struggles of Starting A Family Through The Lens of Black Gay Parents1:32:29 Some Final Thoughts on Raising Boys

This week on Olay & Friends, Laverne Cox joins us for a candid conversation about the backlash she faced after revealing she once dated a MAGA cop. We talk accountability, why the outrage hit so hard, and how even well-intentioned choices can contradict the politics we claim to stand on. Laverne shows up openly to unpack the moment, the lessons, and the larger conversation about dating, values, and responsibility in public life.

Chapters:0:00 Intro1:48 Hello!8:00 The TS Madison Interview12:09 The Contrasting Politics with Transformative Love16:44 How Laverne's Story Resonates and "Seeing messy Laverne"24:24 Breif Laverne Read28:04 Conservative men fetishize trans women35:20 It's Not Enough to Just "Be Naive"53:19 Desire & Levels of Accesibility1:10:47 Can Desirability Be Recalibrated???1:21:48 "...It's Never A Black Man"1:43:35 Is It Love When They Don't Know About You?

This week on Olay & Friends, we unpack the blatant colorism Chelley and Olandria faced on Love Island — from how they were treated in the villa to the way viewers responded. We dig into the patterns that keep showing up on dating shows, why darker-skinned Black women continue to get the worst of it, and why audiences still pretend it’s “just preference.” This episode is about naming the bias, the harm, and the reality TV culture that refuses to evolve.

Chapters:0:00 Intro1:46 Hello/Love Island8:56 Proximity to Whiteness16:08 Huda's Representation33:12 Chelly's Bisexuality36:47 "Men are MEN"48:33 The Best Guy in the Show???54:21 The Sierra Instagram Post1:00:07 The Sierra, Olandria, & Nick Triangle

This week on Olay & Friends, we talk about how Nicki Minaj, Drake, and Lil Wayne — three icons of an entire era — have all been going out sad. From messy online antics to desperate rollouts and declining public goodwill, we break down how each of them fumbled their legacy in different ways. We get into ego, entitlement, aging in hip-hop, and why watching our former favorites spiral says as much about the culture as it does about them.

Chapters:0:00 Intro1:13 Hello!/Bit of a Slow Media Week7:13 Nicki Going Toe to Toe With MORE Unassuming Parties11:57 Bringing Her Humanity Into All of This15:16 List of Slighted People Around Niki21:34 Did Lil Wayne Feel Slighted???24:25 "It's Dusty!"30:05 No One Else Can Be Successful32:45 Not Legacy, But Simple Relevancy45:56 The Criminal Partner Issue56:26 Kenneth Reacts58:45 Nicki Might Not Be A Fashion Girl1:04:59 "Check It Out" React

This week on Olay & Friends, we break down how Nicki Minaj has actively unraveled her own legacy — not because of the music, but because of the choices, the feuds, and the constant chaos overshadowing her impact. We talk about the decline in public goodwill, the pattern of self-sabotage, and why it’s been hard for longtime fans to watch an icon trade influence for internet drama. This episode is about accountability, evolution, and what it means to watch a legend rewrite her story in real time — for the worse.

Chapters:0:00 Intro7:12 Not the Best One, But The ONLY one12:02 Prime Minister Rating16:36 Back to Nicki's "loss of power"21:07 "...When you don't see yourself as mortal..."23:27 "...Victim & Villan" & Nicki's Long Climb31:39 The Case of Missy Elliot in Contrast to NIcki38:03 Chica, & All Other Black Female Creatives Being Pushed to the Wayside51:00 Lookism & Dissecting the Systemic Treatment of Fat People

This week on Olay & Friends, we break down the Diddy verdict and why so many people were outraged that he beat the more serious charges. We get into what the ruling actually means, how power and influence shaped the outcome, and why the industry enabled him for so long. We talk complicity, accountability, and what this moment reveals about the gap between public perception and the justice system. 

Chapters:0:00 Intro1:04 Hello! So...the Diddy Case...6:36 Cognitive Dissnance Reagarding the Victims11:09 Same Sh*t, Different Sentencing20:21 Intentional Datedness of Law in Regards to R*pe27:11 The Cultural Respect for Women & Children is Regressing41:40 Young Miami and the Midnset When being Actively abused49:52 Diddy Actually had LESS support?56:30 God Forbid Anyone Just Has Morals58:40 Tyler Perry: Master Propogandist, & Media as Records of Representation

This week on Olay & Friends, we get into B. Simone’s messy fallout with her friends, the IG-baddie-to-religious-influencer pipeline, and why Christianity in the Black community remains the giant, problematic elephant in the room nobody wants to talk about. We break down the performative “rebirth” trend, the way religion gets weaponized for clout, and how faith, influence, and hypocrisy keep colliding online.

Chapters:0:00 Intro1:32 Hello!/Maybe Got the Christian Thing Wrong9:28 The Twisting of Christian "Prosperity"15:12 Pt 2: The Church ALSO Twisting It20:27 Plot Twist: She is NOT the Good Friend28:42 Using Christianity to Fill the Uncertainty34:21 The More Systemic Side of the Problem45:42 Where Alt-Right Pipelines Tend to Come In53:43 Friends As Resource1:01:44 The Economic Promise of Christianity1:07:38 The Lack of Challenge Against Christian Practice1:11:49 The Social Argument for Christian Practices1:20 :39 Christian Contradictions when politics arrives1:24:09 Unlearning Christianity (And the Usually Long Road)