Deesha Philyaw, author of "The Secret Life of Church Ladies," joins Damon for a discussion about making money on the heels of Deesha's two-book seven-figure deal. Morgan the Producer then makes her Dear Damon debut talking tipping etiquette. 

Chapters:

00:00 Open

00:32 Introduction

01:39 Welcome Deesha Philyaw 

04:26 Turning her writing into a seven figure book deal

19:37 How the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike is affecting the writer

28:19 Damon Hates

31:07 Dear Damon with Morgan the Producer on tipping

51:05 Outro

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Mitch Jackson, Pulitzer Prize winning author of "Fly: the Big Book of Basketball Fashion," joins Damon to discuss the impact of the NBA on the black community's fashion decisions. He and Damon also share bumps in the road in their own respective fashion journeys. 

Chapters:

[00:00] Open

[00:53] Introduction

[02:06] Mitchell S. Jackson and Damon on forming their personal style

[06:47] How style icons are formed in the NBA 

[14:37] Allen Iverson’s style influenced the game and fashion

[35:48] Are the white NBA players as fly 

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On the NFL’s opening week, best-selling author and MacArthur Genius Kiese Laymon joins Damon for an in-depth conversation on how they can enjoy such a violent, racist sport that profits on the destruction of (primarily Black) bodies. Plus, they find beauty in Black virtuosity and 90s-fine quarterbacks.  

Chapters:

00:00 Open

00:26 Introduction

04:54 Growing up in the deep south as a football fan

08:38 Deion Sanders leaving his HBCU team to coach at a PWI

15:53 Damon roots for Mike Tomlin first, then the Steelers

22:40 Damon and Kiese can admit Jalen Hurts is an attractive man

29:17 The consumption of violence through the NFL

47:54 Outro

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Jeff Jenkins, host of National Geographic’s Travel series Never Say Never, joins Damon for an extremely fun and lively conversation about their own (and some stereotypically Black) anxieties about travel. And then for Dear Damon, the brilliant writer and educator Dr. Bettina Love helps advise a prospective writer, who fears there will be no writing related jobs left when they graduate.

Chapters:

00:00 - Cold Open

00:38 - Show Intro

01:52 - Jeff Jenkins Intro

6:10 - Damon's First International Travel Story

10:40 - Traveling On A Budget

14:30 - Jeff's Travel Hacks

18:58 - Discussing "Never Say Never"

28:15 - Making It As a Travel Influencer

32:00 - Damon Hates

33:59 - Dear Damon with Dr Bettina Love

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On the heels of retired NFL player Michael Oher’s recent lawsuit against the Tuohy family, where he claims that they manipulated him into a conservatorship, University of Boston Professor Saida Grundy returns to help Damon unpack all of the problems with “The Blindside.” Including why the white savior narrative is so seductive (and so dangerous), and how both Michael Lewis (the author of The Blindside) and the Tuohy family have capitalized, for years, on an intentional mischaracterization of Oher possessing severe intellectual disabilities. 

Chapters:

00:00- Cold Open

00:35 - Show Intro

01:58 - Saida Grundy Intro

3:00 - Explaining The Blindside/ Michael Oher Conservatory Saga

12:35 - Film Discussion

18:08 - Who are the Tuohy's

28:00 - Saida's White Savior Identity Theory

34:30 - What Happens Next?

38:55 - Outro

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In the wake of the 50th anniversary of hip hop, Clover Hope, author of "The Motherlode: 100+ Women Who Made Hip-Hop," joins Damon to explore their respective histories and current perspectives on the genre. Then in Dear Damon, NPR music critic Rodney Carmichael helps Damon talk through the differences between different generations of hip hop artists. 

Chapters:

00:00 - Cold Open

00:42 - Show Intro

1:35 - Segment One (Clover Hope) Intro

2:10 - When Did You First Fall In Love With Hip Hop

6:42 - Do You Feel The Same Way Now

12:30 - Dream Hampton Quote of Whether Hip Hop is Revolutionary

16:00 - Female Rappers Impact on the New Generation

26:40 - Damon Hates

29:33 - Dear Damon with Rodney Carmichael

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Morgan the Producer makes her Stuck with Damon Young debut to help unpack the circumstances surrounding the Montgomery River Brawl - or Fade on the Water, as Damon likes to call it Damon and Morgan chronicle the event, its main characters, the potential fallout and even offer what each of them would have done, if they’d been there.

Chapters:

(00:00) Open

(00:28) Introduction

(01:54) Damon and Morgan The Producer break down the riverfront brawl

(05:48) Fade in the water

(13:21) The characters in the fight

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Allen Hughes, director of the Emmy nominated Hulu original documentary "Dear Mama" on the life of legendary rapper Tupac Shakur, joins Damon to discuss his career, personal relationship with Tupac, and experiences directing the recent documentary. Then, author Blaire Kelley joins Damon to advise a black woman who is concerned for the outlook of a new relationship with a black man who has only dated white women.

Chapters:

Show Intro - 00:27

Allen Hughes Intro - 1:35

Hughes definition of "Legend" - 5:10

Hughes Recounting of Being Jumped by Tupac/ Forgiveness - 13:25

A Discussion of Hughes Past Works - 17:55

A Change in Hughes Directing Perspective - 23:55

Damon Hates - 27:40

Dear Damon - 30:30

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Cultural critic Shamira Ibrahim consoles Damon while he laments Pittsburgh's removal from Beyonce's international tour. Nestled deep in the heart of Taylor Swift country, Pittsburgh, or as Damon likes to call it, the Paris of Appalachia is the only stop so far to be struck from the tour. Shamira helps Damon unpack why that may be and quantify the effect of the decision of Pittsburgh's black community. Then on Dear Damon, spoken word poet Kyla Jenee Lacey helps Damon advise a listener who doesn't know how to react when R. Kelly's music plays in public.

Chapters:

00:00-00:36 Open

00:42-01:46 Introduction

01:50 Shamira Ibrahim welcome

02:40 Pittsburgh least livable city for Black people

06:25 Beyonce cancels tour stop in Pittsburgh

21:01 Doja Cat doesn’t love her fans

25:50 Damon Hates cupcakes

28:12 Damon and performing spoken word artist Kyla Jenee Lacey discuss supporting problematic artists

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Joel Anderson, host of Slate's "Slow Burn" podcast, which this season is focused on Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, joins Damon to discuss the origins and driving motivations of one of the most influential, yet problematic, African Americans in our country's history. Then on Dear Damon, Shaniqua McClendon, vice president of politics at Crooked Media, helps advise a listener who is tired of discussing politics.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Show Open

00:37 Intro

01:41 Joel Anderson Introduction

05:45 What Damon’s Dad Thinks of Clarence Thomas

10:30 Clarence Thomas and Anita Hill

20:06 Clarence Thomas is one of the Most Influential Black Figures in History

34:40 Damon Hates

37:18 Dear Damon with Shaniqua McClendon

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