For Colored Nerds

Brittany and Eric are comin' for your top five. After weeks of buzz, questions, conspiracies, and callouts, it's safe to say Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers is Kendrick Lamar's most controversial work. With help from Vulture writer Tirhakah Love, the For Colored Nerds crew gives their raw and unfiltered reactions to the album.

This week, Brittany and Eric chat with theologian, writer, and author Candice Marie Benbow about her book, Red Lip Theology: For Church Girls Who've Considered Tithing to the Beauty Supply Store When Sunday Morning Isn't Enough. To say the book challenges every idea of religion that we’ve come to know as gospel is an understatement. Candice refers to God not as He but They/Them, she encourages the need for grace by telling her own story of being ‘the other women,’ and she makes the case that the Bible is a more overtly sexual text than we think. These ideas may come as a shock to most...but what's that old saying? If you scared, go to church!

This week, Brittany chatted with Nicole A. Taylor, writer, master home chef, producer, and cookbook author about her latest cookbook Watermelon and Red Birds: A Cookbook for Juneteenth and Black Celebrations. From rhubarb BBQ sauce to corn dogs there's something in this cookbook for everyone. And, they get into the importance of honoring Juneteenth's origins in Texas.

Have you ever felt bad for critiquing a Black film for fear of "no more being made"? Feeling so-so about this season of ATLANTA? Are you looking for someone, somewhere who can just say what's been sitting on your chest for so long? Look no further. Angelica Jade Bastien, Vulture film & TV critic, joins the show to give her unfiltered, deeply researched, and incisive commentary that we've grown to love in her work. She's written about all your favorite films and TV shows from I May Destroy You to Candyman and she doesn't hold back. Angelica and Eric get into the value of black criticism, reviewing Candyman, and season 3 of Atlanta. You really don't wanna miss this.

From The Slap Heard Around to World to Rihanna's pregnancy, we've heard all the possible takes on our juiciest celebrity gossip. But there's one voice missing from the pack.. the one, the only, Wendy Williams. This week, Brittany, Eric, and Ira Madison III  (Keep It) get into what makes Wendy the shock jock we hate to love, why her absence is so missed, and how the gossip landscape has grown because of her influence. 

What's good, For Colored Nerds fam? Brittany and Eric are back this week with David Dennis Jr. David is a writer, educator, and author of a new memoir, The Movement Made Us. The book recounts the life of David’s father, David Dennis Sr., a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement. It follows David Sr.'s life from his first CORE meeting to the Freedom Rides and more. Through firsthand accounts from David Sr. and letters from his son, we see the ripple effects of his movement work and most of all, his relationship with David Jr.

Today we have a very preview from the Washington Post’s daily show, Post Reports. Every weekday, host Martine Powers walks listeners through the news of the day. In this particular episode, reporter Danielle Douglas-Gabriel talked with Black women about the student loan debt freeze and what they’ve been able to do while their payments remain paused.  

Today we have a very special clip of Well-Read Black Girl, where the host and creator, Glory Edim, talks to actress Gabrielle Union about Bring it On.

This week, Brittany chats with iconic journalist, magazine editor, and novelist, Danyel Smith, about the release of her new book, Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop. From celebrating the enduring impact of Phillis Wheatley's poetry to giving insight into Whitney Houston's relationship with Bobby Brown - there's a little something for everyone. And to top it all off, Danyel's book is not just a love letter to Black women but a memoir of how these Black women in particular have showered her life with love, ambition, and empathy through their gifts. 

In honor of Black Maternal Health Week, the For Colored Nerds crew chats with Gabrielle Horton and Martina Abrahams Ilunga, the hosts of NATAL, a podcast about giving birth while Black. NATAL is in its second season and follows the lives of three Black families in rural America. Stay tuned for a deep dive into reproductive justice, reverse migration, and a special announcement from our very own Eric Eddings.

Verzuz, Issa Rae's empire, and dinner with Jay-Z - oh my! Trapital founder and host Dan Runcie joins the show to talk all things music, culture, and the business that keeps it going. From Pusha T’s Arby’s Spicy Fish diss track to what the future looks like for Gen Z artists – Dan’s got the answers!

This week, Brittany and Eric take on the increase of Black characters in period dramas, a genre that mostly known for its predominantly white casts. From The Gilded Age to Hamilton, they deconstruct what does and doesn't work about these portrayals with the help of Martine Powers, host of The Washington Post's "Post Reports” and period drama superfan. And in the second half of the episode, they chat with executive producer and director of The Gilded Age, Salli Richardson-Whitfield about The Gilded Age, her career and what's to come.

This week, For Colored Nerds brings back RANKED. To honor the 31st anniversary of Robert Townsend's The Five Heartbeats, Brittany and Eric rank the best Black Fictional Music Acts of ALL TIME. This is RANKED: The Faking the Funk Edition. You won't wanna miss this.

In January, New York Magazine published a retrospective on the 10 years since Trayvon Martin’s death and the subsequent birth of Black Lives Matter. Since its evolution from rallying cry to non-profit, questions have been asked about its structure, organization, goals and leadership. NYMag spotlighted two organizations in their coverage - The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation and Campaign Zero. The reporting details the conflict between the hope for change and revolution and the alleged desire for fame and notoriety amongst leaders who arguably became the de facto faces of “the movement.” The stories also raise questions that feel urgent as the movement for Black lives continues to evolve. This week, Brittany and Eric chat with Ernest Owens, journalist and writer of "The Rise and Rupture of Campaign Zero''. In the second half of the show, culture writer and journalist Shamira Ibrahim joins Brittany and Eric to talk about the growing conflict between activism, entertainment, fame and the continuing

Love is Blind, Married at First Sight, Love Island... what do all these shows have in common? Total and absolute chaos for the Black contestants, that's what! This week, Brittany and Eric discuss the fraught experiences of Black people on reality dating shows, and how one show in particular is setting the stage for a better path forward. Then, comedian and host of Ready to Love, Tommy "Nephew Tommy" Miles, joins the show to give his take on dating, love, and accountability. 

This week, Brittany lets Eric (and the world!) know that she's finally mom-curious... but there's a catch. She doesn't just want to be any mom, she wants to be a "bad" mom. More specifically, a "Bad Black Mom."

This week, writer and founder of Well-Read Black Girl, Glory Edim, joins the show to talk about her new podcast: Well-Read Black Girl! The podcast is a "literary kickback" for authors, writers, and readers to find community in written word. Brittany and Eric deep dive into Well-Read Black Girl's origin story, impact on the publishing industry and what Glory has planned for WRBG's future.

If you’ve been on the internet AT ALL you've probably heard the terms: high value man, divine feminine, alpha male, femininity coaching or any combination of those words. If you haven’t… then get ready. Today’s episode will be a deep dive into the relationship/lifestyle rhetoric that constantly has Black Twitter, Instagram and Tiktok in flames.

Janet, "Miss Jackson if You're Nasty," is back with a 4-part documentary about her superstar upbringing, taking control of her career, and the relationships that affected her along the way. This week, Brittany and Eric discuss their reactions to the series and if the special did her iconic legacy justice.

With shows like Harlem, Run the World, and Twenties... we couldn't help but wonder... do all these shows have something in common? Brittany and Eric discuss the recent influx of Black "Girlboss in the City" shows and how the Sex and the City model they imitate may be holding us back.