“Brown Girl Blues”

Kawasi and Andre sit down with Aspiring Actress McKenzie Paige and creative powerhouse Alexis “Lexi” Auguste for a raw, revealing conversation about what it means to look white/fair skinned in a world where your lineage is anything but.

This episode dives into the complex privilege of passing, the tension between appearance and ancestry, and the emotional weight of navigating a world that treats you one way while your roots tell a different story.

Together, we explore:

• The unspoken advantages of appearing white/ fair skinned 
• The cultural erasure that comes with “looking the part”
• The guilt, confusion, and identity conflict that often follows
• How colorism shapes opportunity, belonging, and self‑perception
• What it means to honor your heritage when the world doesn’t see it


This is an honest, layered, and necessary conversation about identity, privilege, and the politics of appearance — told through the voices of two women whose stories challenge everything we think we know about colorism.

We also have a jaw dropping performance by the legend in the making ​⁠ !! Performing “Get Yo A$$ Out Yo Seat,” for the us LIVE!

✨ New episodes every Sunday at noon.
✨ Subscribe to join the conversation.

Contact us: 
Alexis “Lexi” Auguste : @lexi_bamf 
McKenzie Paige: @mckenzie.paige 
Roll n Sip LA: @roll_n_sipla

Live video available on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AMouthFullExperience 

Kawasi, @kawasiofficial [Singer, Songwriter, Executive Producer]
Andrew Wells, @iamandremonroe [Writer, Actor, Executive Producer]

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:25

I got a lot to say. Hey, what's up, everybody? I'm Quasey. And I'm Andre. And this is a Mouth of Yo. So we've seen your DMs, we've seen your text, we've seen the tweets, we've seen everything. And now we're back. Season two, Bigger and Bolder Than Ever. And we're in downtown LA. Andre, where are we today?

SPEAKER_04 0:45

We are at the wine station located in the Hope and Flower building.

SPEAKER_02 0:49

Yes. And shout out to Tebow and the staff. You guys have just opened the doors for us and made this very incredible. We have some very, very special guests with us today. Introduce yourself for us.

SPEAKER_00 1:00

Hi, I'm McKenzie. I'm an aspiring actress and you know, sister of a very special somebody.

SPEAKER_02 1:07

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, she's family guys. Who are you, lovely?

SPEAKER_06 1:11

I'm Lexi. Um, I'm just you, just a close personal friend on the cast here.

SPEAKER_02 1:17

She's amazing. They're amazing. And uh today we're gonna be uh discussing a very, very special topic that a lot of us really don't speak about. And I felt like these ladies were perfect to do it. Andre, can you tell us a little bit about it?

SPEAKER_04 1:28

Exactly. So in the forefront, especially with certain shows like The Real Housewives of Potomac, uh something that has gone into it, which is more layered into uh racism, is actually colorism. Yes, and for those who don't know, it's pretty much uh having pre-judgments or stereotypes or preferential treatment based upon the tone of your skin color. And this is something that's not just in the African-American community either. No, it's in so many other communities, the Asian community and the Latino community, especially in the Latino community.

SPEAKER_02 1:56

And I even understand uh when I made a mistake and called someone from um El Salvador, Mexican, they get very offended, you know what I'm saying? Or Puerto Rican, and they say, No, I'm not that dark. Yeah, I'm not that dark, or whatever the case may be. Um, and then you so I want to start this off. Tell us your ethnicity.

SPEAKER_00 2:14

Yeah, um, my family's from Argentina, so they are Italian, very I mean, look at me, very white, but uh they're from Argentina, they speak Spanish. If you ask them, depending on who you're talking to, especially the older family members, they would say that they're from Argentina, but that they're white.

SPEAKER_02 2:33

Yeah, okay. But what about you, Lexi?

SPEAKER_06 2:35

Um, I'm not sure. Um I've been called an Oreo, half black, half white. Um, more specifically, my dad is from Haiti. Um, I was adopted and my mom is white.

SPEAKER_02 2:49

Wow.

SPEAKER_06 2:50

So both sides.

SPEAKER_02 2:51

What about you, Andre? What? What's your ethnicity? I'm black. You're black.

SPEAKER_04 2:55

I know that your heritage is I do, okay, because like I do have because my mom is from uh well originally because she's adopted, but her biological family is from Louisiana, so there is a lot of the whole thing with the Creole, so there's a lot of mixture in there. Yeah, but pretty much um because of that, well, uh comparing to my family, I am more lighter complexed than me and my siblings. We are lighter complex than a lot of our cousins and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_02 3:21

And for me, honestly, I am an African-American. I mean that with all due respect. My grandparents are from Cairo on my mother's side, and uh my dad's side, they're from Ghana and um France. So, you know, I'm I guess a true African American. But um, I just want to start this conversation off with Lexi. How does it feel? Um, do you feel like it's a hard time choosing to be white or to be black? Like, is that difficult? And then if so, do you feel like you're just stuck in the middle all the time?

SPEAKER_06 3:55

Um, let me just say I've never identified as white. Um, I don't mean that disrespectfully in any way, but I've just I've never, even though maybe sometimes the flexion in my voice may reflect, you know, otherwise or something like that, and I've been judged maybe based on uh the color of like my lighter complexion or maybe um my hair or something like that. But I personally have never identified with the white side of my family. Like I said, I was adopted. Um, my mom that adopted me, she's from Louisiana, she's a Creole woman, black woman. Yeah, I didn't know that. Creole on both sides, basically. Um but yeah, so I've personally Beyonce up in here. I got you. I do make a mean bowl of gumbo, okay? Okay, we're gonna hold her to the mama too.

SPEAKER_04 4:42

When she gets in the cooking, when she gets in the kitchen, she be cooking, she be cooking. That's how you know that creole is in there.

SPEAKER_02 4:49

Yeah, yeah. What about you, Mackenzie? Like, what do you identify as?

SPEAKER_00 4:53

Oh, white a hundred percent.

SPEAKER_02 4:55

I mean, and my that's okay you say that because I never asked you that before.

SPEAKER_00 5:01

Yeah, no, a hundred percent. I think my last name's Rivero. So I think that people kind of have a hard time. They're like, wow, you look white. Your last name is Hispanic, like what's going on?

SPEAKER_07 5:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:11

I mean, like, I've done like the DNA tests and everything, and I am like so Italian. Yeah, yeah. And so spicy white. Yeah, a little spicy white, I guess.

SPEAKER_02 5:19

You got a little something in there. I know your daddy. That's a whole nother subject. Yeah, that's cool, that's cool. I know you identify as black. Okay, so Andre, do you think that because you're lighter complexion that you have privilege? This is a question for all of you.

SPEAKER_04 5:35

So this is where it's tricky because this is one of those conversations where people have to understand if you are somebody that is lighter complexed, you have to understand that people are gonna perceive you a certain way. Yeah, and I don't necessarily think I have privilege, but I do feel like I get in certain circles when it comes down to socializing and stuff. I feel like people think I'm not as intimidating.

SPEAKER_00 5:59

The judgment is different, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:01

But you you you didn't pledge a black fraternity, right?

SPEAKER_04 6:04

No, I did not, right?

SPEAKER_02 6:05

See, see, and see, for me, I don't understand that.

SPEAKER_04 6:10

I do keep in mind, and I always because the squad, I went to Long Beach State. Yeah, uh, the fraternity systems at Long Beach State is a lot different on the in California than there's other universities. Now, if I would have gone to a different other university, it would have probably been a different story. Yeah, but because of also too, the historical black fraternities at Long Beach at the time, they just weren't, they didn't recruit. And also they looked down upon me. And so that's one of the reasons why I didn't want to join. It's like I'm not gonna go to a place where I'm not gonna feel wanted.

SPEAKER_02 6:37

Yeah, that's the caveat, especially because you articulate, you're very well spoken, right?

SPEAKER_04 6:40

And that shouldn't be a like a that shouldn't even be a thing, but it is apparently it is a thing. Yeah. So I have a question.

SPEAKER_02 6:48

When when when have you have you and when have you taken advantage of the white privilege?

SPEAKER_00 6:54

Oh, I mean, I think I just live my like I'm just living my life, and there's so much privilege in my everyday life. It's something that I've had to take a step back and like really, really think about, like how I show up and how people perceive me is not something you really think about, but when I I mean there's just so much, like when people when someone sees me, they're like, Okay, look at this this white girl, she's no threat. She's intelligent, people perceive me a certain way.

SPEAKER_04 7:21

And I get to look on her.

SPEAKER_02 7:24

Yeah. Not play with Mackenzie, look.

SPEAKER_00 7:29

Um I'm a fighter and a lover. Uh but yeah, people make this automatic assumption about me, and there's so much privilege in that. Like I'm able to like be a voice and like speak, and people don't ever feel like I'm a threat, which is a mistake on their part. But it is, you know. Um so yeah, 100%. I just I think that there's I have so much privileges in my day-to-day life that I don't even like realize or recognize sometimes.

SPEAKER_02 7:56

Yeah, and and I and I can tell you this, uh, knowing you it's so wild because I don't see the white in you, but I I understand the white in you, right? Uh you know, um in terms of ethnicity-wise. But to me, um you have so much soul and um you you are so aware of your privilege. The the things you say and how you weaponize your privilege for for the voiceless, you'd be going hard.

SPEAKER_00 8:25

Well, 100%.

SPEAKER_02 8:26

You know, so I just want to give you that, you know, if it's any consolation of who you are and how you show up.

SPEAKER_00 8:31

Yeah, I I think the most important thing, like for all the white folk out. And by the way, guys, this food is edible. Oh, perfect. I'm gonna say for all the white folk out there, like learning how the the best thing you can do, like as a white person, in my opinion, is learn how to decenter yourself from situations, recognize your privilege, use your voice, don't overshadow like people of color's voices, just speak the fuck up.

SPEAKER_02 8:50

What about you, Lexi? So when was uh a keen time? Andre, you asked this question.

SPEAKER_04 8:55

All right, yeah. So I because you know it's funny because me and Lexi do have these conversations about this, and like one of her big things is she understands because of her complexion, she's a lot, she's a lot at certain things. Yeah, and she also not understands that for people that are not her complexion, she's one of the most vocal and speaks up against people.

SPEAKER_06 9:15

Yeah, poor people, I shouldn't say against four people, four people, and that's just not even like you know, necessarily color. I mean, it's like you know, we have to speak up for yeah, you do do the right thing. Um, even when no one's watching, you can speak up for those that can't speak up for themselves, like you know, like the the Palestine issue that that you know that is a crazy story the other night.

SPEAKER_02 9:38

Yeah, do you feel like um when okay, I this is a different question.

SPEAKER_06 9:44

When was the first time you realized that loaded, that's loaded.

SPEAKER_02 9:53

And I speak and and and guys, when I say privilege, I don't mean uh monetarily, I don't mean uh socioeconomically. What I mean is that based off of the history of America, uh lighter complexed people, they are allowed in certain spaces, they have certain voices, they have certain privileges. So that's what I mean.

SPEAKER_03 10:16

We gotta break it down to like we say it in the family, it's like you know what house niggas versus fucking field niggas. So it's it's yeah, that's what it is.

SPEAKER_02 10:23

So I just when was when when did you realize that? And how did you respond to that?

SPEAKER_06 10:28

So probably uh right when about when I turned 18 and I had to look for my first job. And I started noticing very early on that if I was the fair skinned of my people in the room, I was always gonna get the job.

SPEAKER_07 10:43

Right.

SPEAKER_06 10:44

Um even after that, I've had jobs where you know I've had bosses that have said inappropriate things like, well, you're not really black, or you're not like them, or you don't talk like them, or whatever. Though those things come up, and they still do to this day. Um in many ways.

SPEAKER_04 11:00

You might kind of want to cuss somebody out.

SPEAKER_06 11:01

And you don't yeah, you have to learn how to respond in those professional situations because you can't say what you're actually thinking, you know, you need a paycheck.

SPEAKER_02 11:08

Yeah, or something that's very it's funny because I know you're in rooms where people think, oh, you're this pasty white girl, and they have no they and you see their true colors, huh?

SPEAKER_00 11:18

You see, oh a hundred percent. It is so insane, and not to cut you off. No, I get it, I got it. No, no, no, no. I just had a little ad lib when people are like, oh, you're white, so you're not gonna care about this foul thing I'm about to say. I have heard the craziest and from people you would never expect I would have never expected. Um, just out of left field, like the most insane, like racist, horrible things. And now I'm like, okay, great, I gotta check like this family member of mine, or I have to check. Yeah, like someone you would never expect to go as crazy. People don't write there and I say that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:52

Have you had to distance yourself from people you care about when it comes to the the tolerance of you know what you would would would accept?

SPEAKER_06 12:03

Um yeah, I can think of a few people that, but then that also ties into you know, those types of people, it's not just race with them, it's also pretty privilege or you know, all sorts of things. And some people associate like the fair skin with the pretty privilege ring. Yeah, the beauty standards and colorism are they're so intertwined.

SPEAKER_04 12:25

And this is one of the things that's within our society. This is something that we got on because I remember on Love and Hip Hop Atlanta, Spice, she was thinking contemplating, and this is something a common practice, bleaching your skin.

SPEAKER_02 12:36

Oh, especially in the Caribbean culture, they'd be bleaching their skin. It's even worse in the Asian culture, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 12:41

And and um, you know, Latin culture, yeah, where they have like this lightning stuff, and it's just one of those things where it's just like, why? And first of all, that damages your skin layer.

SPEAKER_06 12:51

Yeah, thing.

SPEAKER_04 12:51

Yeah, and it's one of those. Um, that's something I want to touch on too, because also too, I know this it's you know, reality TV is one of my things. Uh, there's a show called Southern Hospitality, and so this is actually a really hot topic because this uh little white girl, Emmy, she told the guy Bradley, who's a dark-skinned black guy, who has never once out of anybody in the cast raised his voice at anybody, right? And she said she felt unsafe. And there, keep in mind, they're in the south. These are triggering words. And then I'm like, this is like, yo, you have you ever heard of Emmy Till? You need to realize when you're putting out false or incorrect mistruths or misinformation, sometimes people have mom mentality. Yeah, right. Yet there is another person that's on this cast, his name is Mike uh Mick, I don't know if I got it, but he's uh a light-skinned uh Afro-Latino, yeah, and he is like popping off and he's yelling, and he is also a gay man, too. So I think there's a little bit of ying lien it's but he's like yelling at these people and they don't perceive him as a threat.

SPEAKER_02 13:46

So but we have to we also have to look at society right now and what Trump is doing, you know, with with ice, right? Uh this is, I feel like we're back in fucking, you know, like Germany because he's he's literally profiling people based off the color of their skin. Yeah, based off the way they look, based off of how they present. Um, a friend of mine uh lives in um the state where Renee Good um, you know, was was killed. Yeah, he's Somali. And a lot of I don't know not a lot of people are talking about Somalians and the the persecution of Somalians, you know, in Minnesota. Yeah, because I don't know if you guys have known, but before that Renee Good thing happened, they had already militarized Minnesota. And they're literally camping out at places where these people they are Somali Americans, right? But you can clearly tell a Somalian, you know what I'm saying, you know, from a regular black American. And they're profiled. And so these these white women use their privilege. That's why she was that's why she was killed. She was using her privilege to intervene in between the mistreatment of yeah, yeah, 100%. So and because we hear about you know the brutal murder of her, but we don't hear why she was in the space and who she was protecting.

SPEAKER_00 15:09

Yeah, 100%. And again, it's kind of like in a weird way, like privilege, and it's like we're so f which and it's horrible, horrible murder. That should have never ever happened. Right. And but why? She put her life, she put I mean, she shouldn't have like put her life on the line. She wasn't doing that with the intention of the line. Right, right, right, right. How how did that happen? That should have never happened, it should have never happened. But she was just out there doing what any decent person would be doing, just doing the right thing. What the constitution says that we should have to be able to do that. Yeah, what the constitution yeah, completely legal, completely legal, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:43

So, but I just want to say all that ties into this whole conversation.

SPEAKER_04 15:48

Yeah, you know, well, you know what? I just thought about okay. So remember in the 2020 elections when Biden we had to pick his running mate and pick Kamala Harris, but everybody was actually wanting, and he was talking about Stacey Abrams, yeah. And let's just keep it real, and keep in mind. She wasn't Kamala, but Stacey Abrams delivered Georgia. She has been one of the most vocal activists for black people voting. She's been that person, yeah. And let's just keep it real. Yeah, the reason why she wasn't picked was because babe uh Kamala, yeah. She let me not be one of those people.

SPEAKER_02 16:19

Yeah, well, I'll say it. I'll say it Kamala Harris is a light-skinned black woman, right? And she don't even get me started.

SPEAKER_00 16:31

I mean, uh, you know, even Trump was trying to pretend like she wasn't. I mean, yeah, it's so insane. It's funny that he did that. Yeah, denying her blackness, literally.

SPEAKER_04 16:41

Like, literally, like, I it's in the state of you are from Georgia, and you know what she's done. Listen, she's gotten people to vote, she's gotten people to care, she's gotten social justice and social change. Yeah, but rich to the over two million voters. Like 90%. 100%.

SPEAKER_02 16:56

And and and I just want to re-um introduce myself, guys. I'm from Albany, Georgia. That was that's the only place Martin Luther King was arrested twice. And he always said Albany was gonna be a white man's town. And and and still to this day, Albany, Georgia is surrounded around 47 miles of cotton fields to this day. Till this day. So we're not speaking on um uh uh opinion, these these are facts, right?

SPEAKER_00 17:24

It's these lived experiences.

SPEAKER_02 17:25

The next question I want to ask you what is something that you would tell the 18-year-old Lexi, you know, that that you didn't know about, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 17:36

That's a good one.

SPEAKER_06 17:38

You can think about this question for you too, about what maybe you can do differently to be more, you know, vigilant about how you uh I think uh if I could go back, I think I just I I would have been more vocal on those times where I didn't think that I could speak up. Yeah, um I I just would have been a lot more vocal. I mean, now it takes nothing at the drop of the hat. I'm yeah I'm standing up for whoever I can.

SPEAKER_02 18:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 18:05

Um, I do want to go back to what you said and you brought up Kamala Harris, but um there's also Jasmine Crockett. Oh, come on. Okay, yeah, yeah. And I do want to speak on how she has said a few things in response to how she's been treated, right? She'll respond in the same way that a white woman will uh attack her, yeah, and they call her aggressive, and they call her, you know, or speaks about her eyelashes or her fingernails or ghetto.

SPEAKER_02 18:34

What's the blowing in the anything they can do? And let's be really white women with way more cadet. And they wear more weaves, white women wear more weaves, and and and we're gonna be able to do it.

SPEAKER_04 18:46

They do not know how to put tracks in. You know what? See, if you were smart enough, you would get a perfect we'd be walking me and Lex, we'd be walking at where we work at, and look, we'll be seeing some of these girls with these ratchet ass tracks.

SPEAKER_02 19:02

We gotta still we gotta still talk to everything.

SPEAKER_06 19:06

I just wanted to say when we bring up these like black politicians and and and these women of excellence, we have to remember to like name as many of them as we can. Yeah, and support these women.

SPEAKER_02 19:17

And and I want to say that Kamala Harris is probably the most qualified presidential candidate that we've ever had in history.

SPEAKER_06 19:24

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 19:25

And the what they do is keep pushing her finish line. With black women is in particular, the they keep pushing the finish line. It's never enough. It's never enough. Jasmine Crockett was the most Googled Democrat in 2024, 2025. But when it came for her to get to be the head of the committee, yeah, the the party didn't even back her.

SPEAKER_00 19:49

Well, even with this latest, I believe, Senate Race. Yeah, Senate race. The second, and I'm not saying not anything disparaging towards who she ran against, but the second a white man stepped in, oh my god, all of a sudden.

SPEAKER_06 20:00

Let's just remember to keep like saying their names as much as possible. You are not wrong in a positive light because sometimes we can kind of gloss over it. And so I just want to make sure that like we're saying these are as much as well.

SPEAKER_02 20:11

I appreciate that. And and you know, we have a whole segment on you know, Jasmine and and and you know, just women of color in the political spaces, um, you know, that this season, so guys, stay tuned. Um, but I want to ask you this too. Um, what would you do differently if you could do anything differently?

SPEAKER_00 20:30

Dude, learn how to weaponize my privilege much earlier on. Yeah, vocal. I mean, even I have a Hispanic last name, and I remember like when school just started, or if I had a substitute teacher, yeah. And then they would be like Riveros, because that's kind of a weird name combination, I guess. Uh and they'd be looking around, like, I'm like, oh, I'm here, and they're like questioning me, like in the middle of roll call. Oh, well, are you like that's like Spanish, right? I'm like, yeah, yeah, it is. Do you want me to explain my I'm like five? Do you want me to explain my whole like ethnicity and my heritage and all these things to you right now? So yeah, just learning how to be vocal.

SPEAKER_02 21:11

I never heard it from that aunt because usually is you're not black enough, you're not and then now you ain't even white enough now.

SPEAKER_00 21:18

I know. Like, I'm five. I was like five. I'm like, give me a break, that's crazy. But yeah, just being vocal and like understanding that like I have a voice and it's important for me to use it. And uh, I mean, I've always kind of been outspoken, so you know I'm gl I'm very privileged in that way. Like no one was ever trying to silence me in any way.

SPEAKER_02 21:40

So I appreciate that. Andre, what about you? Like looking back at what you know now, you're probably one of the smartest people I know. Do you feel like you were using your voice the way you could have been using it? And then in those fraternities that weren't so black, do you feel like you just you you were that that that that The house nigga, so to speak.

SPEAKER_04 22:01

No, because I've always used my voice. And can I tell it's like, you know what? The one thing that I can only say is I've always been true to myself. And I even told you the stories of like I literally, when I started, I was the only black member in that fraternity. Yeah. I I think in recorded history, there's one other person in the 90s. And then I just made it an active a point to recruit people that look like myself. I made it an active point. And then, you know, I I ended up I did end up president, and we actually did have a more dice. Breaking the ranks.

SPEAKER_02 22:31

Come on, break the ranks.

SPEAKER_04 22:32

But it was like one of those things where it's just like, you know what? I you you know, when you know what they they say, like you have to take change it from within. I change it from within. I saw, and me, you know, like oh, I'm gonna be honest. I I heard some crazy stuff, but you know, one thing is they would always say, Oh, you're being sensitive. I'm like, oh, I'm being sensitive. I'm like, no, it's because I'm trying to correct you.

SPEAKER_02 22:52

The gaslighting is.

SPEAKER_04 22:52

And I'm like, and then I said, like, because I'm like, and I'm gonna be honest, I'm like, I'm saying it to you nicely. Yeah, you say this around somebody else, they might pop in your lip.

SPEAKER_00 22:59

Yeah, you're like, oh, you want to see sensitive.

SPEAKER_04 23:01

No, I'm just saying, it's like you say it to the wrong person.

SPEAKER_00 23:04

100%.

SPEAKER_02 23:05

Well, I I I don't know. I think uh for me, it's so wild because um growing up in Albany, being very aware of what society, how society treated um people in my family, how society treated me, right? I went to Morehouse and I had this whole black experience, the only all-male college, black all-male college in in the States. And went through that whole process and and like got to LA, uh, became this artist, and then got caught up in the Eurocentrinism of it all. I mean, I was like flat-on in my hair, you know, um I was everything but a nigga from Atlanta. You know, became everything but, you know, who I was, and then, you know, I got to a point in my life where um I felt I started to fall in love with myself and with my features and with my hair and with my experiences. And I I became intentional about raising that flag and and and and giving cheers to my grandmother and you know my my my my dad and my people, right? And not saying that I'm better than anyone, but god damn it, these people made me who I am. And it was a point in my life where because I was uh you know abandoned and raised by my grandmother, there's a lot of shit you deal with, right? But to get to a point now where we we have the power to sit at a table, drink wine, and have these conversations for ourselves. That's a whole 180, baby.

SPEAKER_04 24:45

Because he even said, like, I remember like even during our microaggression episodes where he said somebody, I think that was the thing that kind of set you off, was when somebody said, Oh, you're pretty for a black guy.

SPEAKER_02 24:55

Yeah, oh sheesh.

SPEAKER_04 24:56

And that set you off. And I feel like that's when you started changing, you're like, nah.

SPEAKER_02 25:00

Yeah, look, so shout out to Billy Lee. Um, she has a book about called Why Are You So Sensitive, and uh allowed me to write a passage in there about microaggressions. She's phenomenal. Um she is this incredible trans woman who um wanted to turn being gas lit for things that were strikingly fucking weird and just crazy. She wrote a book about it and she allowed uh people or influence to speak about their experiences, invited us to colleges in to say how we could handle these situations differently. So the book is Why You So Sensitive. Shout out to Billy Lee. We love you. Um but I used to, when I first got to LA and I was playing into the Eurocentronism, they were all people always say, Oh man, you know, you're you're very attracted to be a black guy. Oh you black, but you got something else in you. Like, what else is in there? You know, like it wasn't it wasn't enough to be black, right? For people to say that, it's so fucked up. And and mainly it was these white queer gay men, you know what I'm saying, who uh like like like to fuck around with us, but don't want to take us home to be mama. You know what I'm saying? They they they treat us like uh prizes. Right.

SPEAKER_05 26:11

Everybody wants to be black till it's time to be black.

SPEAKER_06 26:13

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 26:15

Say it again.

SPEAKER_06 26:16

Everybody wants to be black till it's time to be black.

SPEAKER_02 26:18

Ooh, then they walk away. Yeah, because if you're in the bed with me, you're trying to kiss me, you want to hug up on me, you need to be in the streets with me. You need to be marching with me. You know, yeah, come on.

SPEAKER_06 26:29

Everybody wants to be voting with me.

SPEAKER_00 26:30

Yeah, voting, voting, voting, voting, get out and vote. Yes, 100%. Yeah, I know everybody wants to act or dress up or like literally steal culture until it's time for any actionable culture voting.

SPEAKER_02 26:45

And shout out to Kamala Harris, she said something the other day. She said that everything else in the United States in the world is transactional. Our voting needs to be transactional. Absolutely. Oh, 100%. Anytime you're giving something, you should be receiving something. So to all the voters out there, be fucking transactional. Like if you're giving your vote to someone, make sure they're doing something for you. Don't vote for somebody just because they black, they white, they're Jewish, they this, they that.

SPEAKER_06 27:10

But also remember your vote counts. Even when you don't think it does, because it counts. You gotta remember that even if you don't believe your vote counts, yeah, not voting is even worse because that is essentially a vote in the other person's pocket.

SPEAKER_04 27:21

Because right now, too, even within the state of California, we're in a jungle primary with the governorship. And like as of right now, there's two Republicans, there's two Republican top holders, and now it's like we need to like we need to pull it together and clean it up. Yeah, clean it up.

SPEAKER_00 27:35

The DNC essentially put out a deadline. April, I'm gonna get the date wrong, but uh that this April, if there's no actionable, like you're not making any difference, you have to drop out of the race.

SPEAKER_04 27:46

And then let's not even go to the the mayor or like uh in Los Angeles. Man this is you know, let me be quiet.

SPEAKER_02 27:54

Yeah, but we we know. I mean, I think, you know, I I just want to give another shout out again uh to the wine station, DTLA, you know, and and T Bow for hosting us. And also there's a it takes a lot of people uh to make what we do happen. Uh shout out to 1050, uh, you know, 10 films, um shout out to Ukray, you know, and everybody behind the scenes. Um Thank that we can get too deep in this. And then I forgot to mention at the end of the show, we have a performance by this incredible female rapper by the name She Real. She's gonna be performing for us today, and uh, we do that every episode. And uh just just thank you. I had to just get that out there, you know, to pay a few bills.

SPEAKER_04 28:39

You know, this like I think we should probably start wrapping it up. So closing thoughts. So to our guests, yes, who we brought.

SPEAKER_02 28:46

What what what what are your closing thoughts about this? And um, you know, what do you feel like you could be doing and that you want people to follow?

SPEAKER_00 28:54

You know, absolutely. I mean, obviously speak out about it. Like, there's so many people I know that don't even know what colorism is. People will think, oh, uh, especially within my experiences like within the Latin America community, so many people think, oh, I can't be racist, I'm a person of color. And it's like colorism is literally racism is just an ugly sister. Yeah. And um yeah, and don't want to talk about it. Oh like your voice. You know, don't sit there thinking like, oh, somebody else is gonna fix it for you.

SPEAKER_02 29:30

Thank you for that. What about you?

SPEAKER_06 29:32

I just want to say I think people should not be afraid to have these conversations with their friends. Sit in your friend group, have the tough conversation, get uncomfortable because that's gonna show you who your real friends are. And I also want to say if someone's not on the right side of history, that is not your friend. Right. And I think we forget and we want to hang on to these friendships because it's like, oh, I've known this person for so long, or you know, whatever. But if this is a person that's not going out and voting, why are you giggling?

SPEAKER_04 29:59

You're referring to somebody something. Uh uh.

SPEAKER_06 30:03

A mouthful is right. Um, that's not what I'm referring to. If we want to do a whole nother episode, we can't.

SPEAKER_02 30:11

He's turning red. Look, he's red as hell.

SPEAKER_06 30:13

No, but I'm saying if if you're friends with someone and they're not actively going out and voting, and if you're if you're out there marching and they're not standing next to you, it sucks. Maybe that's not your friend anymore, and you're gonna miss those those good times. But those that's not who you surround yourself with no agree get comfortable being uncomfortable.

SPEAKER_02 30:29

Yeah, that's great. Andre, what about you?

SPEAKER_04 30:34

Mind my business and drink wine. No, I you know what it's you do anything but no, um, I really don't. I you know what, I think it's one of those things where it's very important in us to understand that we, and I think Zinde said it's best. She said she's here, but she's also gonna uplift people that are not her shade. Yeah, we have to understand that as a community, we have to be there for us, and also too, as a community, those who feel like people that are light-skinned and they think we're better than we're not. But then don't treat us as the enemy, don't treat us as the ops because sometimes that's the case. Yeah, we're here because you know what? Sometimes it's we're all here together. And the only way that we are gonna be together is be getting because when we're divided, that's when we end up with a fucking fat in the office.

SPEAKER_02 31:22

Yeah. And and I just want to say, beware. Um, racism is not how it looks anymore. They don't use white people to be racist no more, they use our own people. And you know, all skin folks ain't kim folks. And it's it's very, very, very prolific to understand that what you do matters. Um, my grandmother once told me, and and I I probably quote her a little too much, right?

SPEAKER_00 31:47

My grandma never and ask.

SPEAKER_02 31:48

No matter what you say, no matter what you do, there's always someone watching you. We know whether it you think they are or not. And I just want to speak to the younger generation because I grew up in a loving environment that accepted me and everything that I am. I know a lot of children don't. It it all starts when you're a child, right? So I just want to encourage the people, the adults that are watching, it's never too early. It's never too early to teach children about different colors, different shades, about different people, different sexes, different lives. It starts now. You know. Um, we love y'all. And uh I have an incredible performance coming up from a legend in the making. She real is in the building. So uh we outside. Alright. Let's toast. Cheers. Cheers. Cheers.

SPEAKER_04 32:41

I still have a little wine left.

SPEAKER_02 32:42

My glasses are no, it's bad luck to share her with a glass.

SPEAKER_04 32:45

Empty glass. We know.

SPEAKER_02 32:47

Thank you to wine station. Thank you. We love y'all.

SPEAKER_06 32:50

Thank you. Shameless plug. Oh, yeah. Hold on. You've been touching my lip all night.

SPEAKER_02 32:56

What is what what you got on your hand? What is that?

SPEAKER_06 32:58

This is my lip baddie. Lil Baddie? This is my lip baddie.

SPEAKER_02 33:01

Shout out to Lil Baddie, y'all. Shout out to Lil Baddie.

SPEAKER_06 33:03

This is my best friend's brand. And uh, you know, I carry this with me everywhere. I think I got like four or five of them every purse. So I know it's a good one. We can find it online.

SPEAKER_02 33:14

Lil Baddie. We can find it online. Okay.

SPEAKER_06 33:15

Uh, I think it's actually one of your musical uh guests that you have.

SPEAKER_02 33:19

Lil Baddie owner. O'Callie's a friend of the show. So y'all, you know, probably seen him, you know, last episode, but we out here. We love y'all. Everybody say bye.

SPEAKER_03 33:29

Bye. Bye.

SPEAKER_02 33:32

Uh-oh, my full crew. Yo, it's only episode two. And I got the legend in the making. She real. Rapping, get your ass up by your seat. From the album I don't rap about my pussy. Listen, you meet a lot of rappers in the world, but you rarely meet female rappers that shape the fucking culture, that don't have to speak about bullshit, that lift up their people, and speak that real shit. Everybody, make some noise for the legend in the making. She fucking real. I love you, girl.

SPEAKER_01 34:05

How you doing, ladies and gentlemen? I go by the name She Real. If you lookin' for me, it's one word spelled exactly how it sounds. She real talk, she real talk. That's my YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, everything rolling to one. She real talk.com. You know what I'm saying? I'm I'm grateful to be here today. You know, let's go, DJ, or sound man. You feel me? I did this for us. Cause I give a fuck about the culture and the mastration of hip-hop. Get your ass ghosty rail. Stay ghosty rail. Stay ghosty real. Get your ass to that, do that, do that, that do that, do that. Fight for every black man stone, that's just my trouble, just like four years told, just what they colour, that's all I know. Through the projects, like this is nonsense. Only thing I see is five both lists of the violence. I gotta fight for every single black mother, the must have this, tryna waste their kids in the world. Tryna program my people on I see. I'm masculine my brothers that shut up, do not do that today, do that today, do it. Do it, not your heads to this, not your heads to this, I listen to music. I get confused with all the pain. Mixing this to which rough, I guess, too profit is the roll of dice. Have a nice dislike to stay the five. Wanna see it, do the lines. Greedy sea fellow stars, the leading like who am I? You feed your family eye. Hello, before they try to find the flat. When a little win, that you can find the fly. Take it to that stuff, don't system it's working. Don't let 'em hurt your heart. Tryna tear apart the future that place to see from the start. System is working, don't let 'em hurt your heart. Tryna tear apart the future that place to see from the buttons gifted for these niggas that don't live with their rot. If you all a bunch of musty, then you'll pick in the start. Must know what head up to the pick in my heart. In the beat is the people, buddy, the feet that people think of the mind to a lot. Just the story is the feet in the slide. If you start to be the people that's just the win the piece of my eyes, cut your buttons whatever come by the baby fly. You took the point in the five when my fingers from the sky. Yeah, still my rise, but not a note. That's why you arise, that's when I demise, like wrecking meals, I'm reckoned. I want to make a follow trends was made to prophesy. Release the bottle from within, I'm just a prophesy. I want to make a follow trends was made to prophesy. Release the problem from within, I'm just a prophesy.