The controversy surrounding Maverick City Music and the capital gains in the spiritual realm have me triggered! But that's not all we'll discuss in this episode. Episode 8 of The Black Belt Belle covers plenty of musical topics and so much more!

Black Representation
AI, Digital Blackface, and Black Women- 2:35
T.S. Madison, Trans Women, and Dark-Skinned Women- 15:12

Bookish Talk
Silver Elite and How it Exposes Racism in Publishing- 27:13
Why I Don't "Review" Black Books-39:39
Anti-Intellectualism in Bookish Spaces and Youth- 42:11

Politics
The New York Mayoral Race and Black Folks Hate Socialism?- 45:19

Music
Cowboy Carter- 58:59
Regional Rap Rises Again?- 1:17:49
The Carter 6- 1:22:29
Protest Music- 1:33:33
Maverick City Music, CCM, and Gospel- 1:51:39
The Bible and Beowulf- 2:28:10

Random Thoughts
Blondeness and Blush- 2:39:52
Republican Makeup and Suzanne Lambert- 2:45:34
Having Babies Over 40- 2:46:30
Chloe Bailey- 2:49:26

Snape is Black. I couldn't be more thrilled. Now, if you make Hermione mixed, you have the right portion to fix some of Rowling's mistakes.

Listen in as we go on a journey to discover 1) why retconning is ok and authorial intent always rules the day, 2) how a Black Snape and a Mixed-Race Hermione can address the lack of race in a racist society, and 3) the failure of S.P.E.W. We touch on everything from Gone With the Wind, Tolkien and the Hobbit, transphobia, elevating Black stories, the lack of character depth, to Rowling's neoliberalism. Harry Potter isn't a perfect story, but the potential in it is endless...

Hop on your broomstick and come along!...

Na'Ziyah Harris was a 13-year-old girl who was groomed, raped, and murdered by Jarvis Butts, a 42-year-old repeatedly convicted monster. Unfortunately, her story is not unique, but it is teachable tragedy in the ways that community, colorism, adultification, and generational curses all combined and contributed to this horrific act.

Trigger warnings: Sexual assault, rape, grooming, murder, domestic abuse

January is lasting 6 months, I'm snowed in, and Trump's in office. Needless to say, there's a lot going on...

Tune in for my rant about Southerners and Snow days, observations of the first 5 days of Trump's presidency, and specific suggestions for where we go from here. I had some whiskey while recording it...I'd suggest you'd get a drink too...

Conservatives, Straight hair, and Self-hate OH MY! The natural hair movement has been stalled for a while now, but is the new political order the final bell's toll? On this episode, I discuss my observations about the rise of the straight-hair naturals, The "Gotta Be Me" Podcast controversy, the Red Pill manosphere's challenge to (Black) women, Tignon Laws, and so much more! Grab and drink and listen on wash day :)

I'm fast approaching forty, and I still have days where I'm questioning whether my outfit looks too masculine. I have spent years questioning what is femininity, and specifically, what is BLACK femininity and why does it look and feel so different from White femininity? Listen as I discuss a few pivotal moments in my childhood that molded and shifted my view of my own femininity. Along the way, we'll discuss Janet Jackson, The Stingettes, Sojourner Truth, and Sarah Baartman (The Hottentot Venus).

I watched the Beyonce Bowl, and like most of the Beyhive, I have thoughts and theories. Tune in for my rambling string of consciousness as I focus on two things that really incited me to chorus.

This "Unbuttoned" version of the Black Belt Belle pairs well with Episode 1 entitled "No Beyoncé, the Music Isn't Enough: We Need the Visuals"...and your favorite beverage of course!

Beyoncé told us "Shut the hell up about the visuals," and I am distraught! Follow along as I explore and expound on the missed opportunity for Afro Futurism and the BIGGEST criticism I have of Cowboy Carter that she could have fixed with a visual album.

In this episode, I discuss how I use Beyoncé in my African American Studies course, and why I had such a vested interest in seeing the album visually. In the process, I discuss Octavia Butler, why Beyoncé's Blackbirds deserve justice, and why Afro-futurism needs a resurgence in popular American culture.