Everything is still on fire and nobody’s holding the hose.

Nikki Minaj is out here pretending she’s a foreign policy expert, talking wild about Nigeria, while the Grammys disrespect The Weeknd again for no reason. Zohran Mamdani is ready to show New York City what real leadership looks like, and Paul Pierce might’ve just set a new world record for the dumbest take ever recorded.

Back in Chicago, ICE is terrorizing Little Village, CPD is playing security for the wrong team, and Democrats somehow managed to fumble the government shutdown like they were actively trying to lose. Just another week of America speed-running its own collapse.

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While Trump’s ICE agents are kidnapping people off the streets of Chicago and federal courts fight to keep people fed, Chicago is still holding the line. In this week’s Lakeside Chat, The JAAM sits down with Mayor Brandon Johnson to talk about what real leadership looks like when fascism isn’t just on the news, it’s on your street.

They unpack how the SNAP funding crisis, migrant raids, and national cowardice are testing the limits of city power. Mayor Johnson explains how Chicago is driving down crime without doubling down on police, defending residents from lawless immigration tactics, and preparing Chicago workers and residents for strikes and coordinated protests if Trump’s government grinds the country to a halt again. He also breaks down his plan to treat violence as a public-health issue by investing in mental-health clinics instead of prisons and taxing social-media giants to fund it.

This is not a fireside. It’s a frontline. Chicago is standing tall while America burns, and The JAAM is documenting the resistance. Subscribe and stay ready.

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While millions brace for SNAP benefit cuts and another government shutdown, the people in charge are sipping champagne in a gold-plated ballroom. This week, The JAAM breaks down America’s warped priorities, where there’s always money for war, ICE raids, and photo ops, but never for food, housing, or care.

From billionaires building luxury halls to politicians telling hungry families to “get a job,” this episode tears into how class warfare gets dressed up as fiscal responsibility. It’s the war on the poor in real time, straight from the marble floors of a government that forgot who it serves.

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Stephen A’s back on his bullshit harder than ever. Cool Kicks got greedy for no reason, moving stolen shoes like they weren’t already up millions. Racist grifter Joel Patrick reappears out of nowhere after three years, coming for JJ again after already getting smoked more than once.

The internet’s full of fake confidence this week, but The JAAM’s here to keep it a bean.

The following episode contains discussions of mental health, self-harm, and related topics that might be distressing to some listeners. If you would like to avoid these topics, we advise you to skip from 30 minutes to the 1 hour mark.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, you are not alone, and help is available:

For US listeners, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also chat online at 988lifeline.org.

For international listeners, use findahelpline.com or search online for a local mental health helpline in your country.

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Chicago’s under siege — ICE kicking in doors while the media looks away. White-on-white violence is wildin’ but nobody wanna name it. And the Kyren Lacey tragedy shows what happens when cops lie, the press plays dumb, and fascists pick who gets protected.

Meanwhile, the same creators who fed chaos for clicks (Theo Von, Adin Ross, all them) are scrambling to walk it back and jump ship. It’s too late and The JAAM isn’t letting anything slide.

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The JAAM links up in Atlanta with Deante Kyle, host of the award-winning Grits and Eggs Podcast. His journey runs from the streets to the trucking industry to finally finding his voice behind the mic. He talks about the illusion of “street money,” the grind of warehouse jobs, and how a CDL became a way to provide for his family. We dive into Black history from Wilmington to Chicago, the hidden cost of childcare, and the weight of raising kids while chasing stability. 

Deante also unpacks how fronting, pressure, and performative toughness hurt men more than they help. This one covers damn near everything—sneakers, steaks, gangs, grief, fatherhood, and finding your lane. It feels like JAAM on a whole other level.

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Do the kids gotta CHANCE? We sat down with Chicago’s own Chance the Rapper for a convo that feels less like an interview and more like catching up with family. He breaks down his new album Star Line, why betting on yourself always pays off, and how he built a lane without cosigns or labels calling the shots.

But this sit-down goes deeper than music. Chance talks Chicago history, Harold Washington and coalition politics, the open-mic grind that shaped him, and why the Black church has always been about people not power. He shares lessons on resilience, faith, and community that cut way beyond headlines.

And it’s still cousin energy the whole way through: sneaker talk, a wild Usher story, and Chance’s vision for linking Chicago to Ghana. Funny, unfiltered, and real — straight family table vibes.

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The fallout from Charlie Kirk’s killing shows how “free speech” only matters when the right’s in charge. Empathy only flows one way in America, and the culture keeps proving it. Canelo vs. Crawford split the fight world, NY Fashion Week’s a circus, FaZe Clan collapses in scandal, and the Trey Reed case exposes how selective America’s outrage really is. Power keeps rewriting the rules, and we’re left living inside the contradictions.

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Charlie Kirk has been killed at an event in Utah. His death is not an isolated tragedy. It is the consequence of the violent and dehumanizing culture the right has been building for years. Guns treated like toys. People reduced to enemies. Politics turned into bloodsport.

The JAAM unpacks how empathy has been stripped out of American life, how demonizing communities for clout always comes back around, and why this moment will be used to justify even more chaos. This is not about mourning a single man. It is about confronting the system of hate and violence he helped fuel.

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Connect with the hosts!

JJ: @jwilliamj / https://www.tiktok.com/@jwilliamj.

Abee: @abeetheartist / https://www.instagram.com/abeetheartist/

Matt: @wyomattt / https://www.twitch.tv/wyomatt/

Allen: @SohoStudios / https://www.instagram.com/sohostudios.co/

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Thank you so much for watching #thejaampod !

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