Black People Love Paramore

This week, Sequoia and special guest and comedian Ify Nwadiwe celebrate the 20th anniversary of My Chemical Romance’s iconic rock opera concept album, The Black Parade. They unpack the album’s legacy, Gerard Way’s powerful voice, and why its messages about life and death—especially through “The Patient”—still resonate today. Plus, is “Welcome To The Black Parade” the band’s best song? Does “Teenagers” hit differently as you get older? And did The Black Parade help make emo culture mainstream? They also discuss whether Disney rock acts like the Jonas Brothers were a stepping stone to more traditional rock music, what it was like growing up as Black emo kids, and how My Chemical Romance compares to Paramore, Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco, and Green Day. Tune in for a jam-packed episode fit for the album’s 20th anniversary!

This week, Sequoia, Jewel and Ryann celebrate Insecure 10 years after the hit HBO series premiered. They get into the messiness of your late twenties and adult friendships and, of course, Issa and Lawrence’s complicated relationship history. Plus, was Insecure written for Black Twitter? Who was the best match for Issa—Daniel, Nathan, or Lawrence? Was Molly secretly jealous of Issa? And what did the show get right (and wrong) about sex, mental health, and friendship? They also debate whether Los Angeles is a character, where Insecure ranks among other ensemble female comedies, and break out the mirror raps one more time. Tune in for a mega-sized episode fit for the show’s 10th anniversary!

This week, Sequoia and Jewel celebrate Aaliyah, 25 years after her tragic plane crash. They get into her One in a Million reinvention with Missy Elliott and Timbaland, her iconic effortless streetwear style, and her budding acting career. Plus, they debate who the real sons of Aaliyah are, which songs they simply can’t live without, from “Are You That Somebody?” to “Try Again,” and whether Aaliyah was the blueprint for the R&B cool girl. They get into all this, and more!

This week, Sequoia and Ryann revisit Step Up (2006), the dance movie with a banging soundtrack (Ciara's "Get Up”) and that made Channing Tatum a star. They attempt to understand why dance movies were EVERYWHERE in the 2000s, and why Eminem’s popularity fueled the rise of wiggers. Plus, Ryann and Sequoia look at why Black audiences embraced dance movies like Step Up, despite one of their most unfortunate tropes: there’s always a Black kid that has to die. They get into all this, and more!

This week, Sequoia and Jewel take another look at the 2001 hit The Princess Diaries, adapted from Meg Cabot’s book of the same name. In the process, they reminisce about their own high school experiences, and compare those to “movie trope” ones. Plus, how come girls with glasses are always catchin’ strays? And why is it that Mia’s frizzy hair gets straightened when she gets a makeover?