As if they couldn't possibly get any cuter, Russell Wilson and Ciara are back in the headlines for making our hearts jump in the best way possible. The two have been pretty busy with a new baby, careers, and charity work, but for the past five years, that hasn't stopped them from coming together to talk about their love.
Papa Russ joined Cici on the latest episode of Level Up Radio With Ciara, to give us a glimpse of their marriage in a way that we haven't seen before, by each of them giving five songs that remind each other of journey in love. Baby Future and Sienna even joined the festivities to add their fave songs as a cherry on top.
But it was when Russell says that it was none other than the legendary Stevie Wonder who gave him some of the best advice on their union, where I grabbed my tissues and got all my life, y'all.
First, the video opens with Ciara introducing Russ, and saying "he's the only one that can make me nervous."
Level Up Radio With Ciara/YouTube
Ciara said:
"Even though life with my love is amazing and beautiful, it can also be challenging sometimes. We both have our day job, we have our growing family, we have our businesses and businesses that we do together and plus our important non-profit and charity work that we do through our Why Not Youth Foundation--let me just say that we are definitely busy. But that being said, it's very important to us both that family comes first."
She continued:
"And I have to say he has this effect on me that whenever he comes into a room and I have to do something like this and interview my love, he makes me nervous (laughs). By far, he is the only one that can do this to me. It's a good time and I hope you guys enjoy it. Level Up Radio, baby."
Russ joins her and they began listing out their songs of choice, the first being, "September" by Earth, Wind, and Fire.
Level Up Radio With Ciara/YouTube
The two go back and forth listing songs, opening with The Elements. They then tell the story of how the band performed at their wedding and played the classic hit. Ciara explained:
"I think about our wedding, and I think about we were riding in the car in Seattle and we were talking about Earth, Wind, and Fire potentially performing at our wedding, which they ended up doing, and we were singing and jamming out to their whole album. And I also remember at the wedding, dancing and singing to this song while they were singing it."
The duo continue with listing out other songs such as "Always and Forever" by Heatwave, "No Ordinary Love" by Sade, and even some of Ciara's own classics, "Level Up" and "Ride". But it was when Ciara shared "Ribbon in the Sky" by Stevie Wonder that Russell told a story behind hanging with the legend at the White House that stood out most.
"That's a good one, I love Stevie. Ironic story: we were at the White House and Stevie--I'll never forget this--[Stevie} has my arm and he goes, 'Hey Russ, love her the way that God would love her.' I'll never forget that. So that was one of the coolest moments of my lifetime."
Lord, I come to you every time I write about these two...I just...
Sidebar, it's also the way that they look at each other the entire time. Lord, just...please help me...
Level Up Radio With Ciara/YouTube
Any who, the video ends with the two eldest kiddos joining the couple to list their favorite songs, which Sienna goes with Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" and Future choosing Chris Brown's "Go Crazy". Great picks, you two!
Watch the full video below:
You may watch/listen to previous and future Level Up Radio episodes on Apple Music.
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Featured image by Level Up Radio With Ciara/YouTube
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“There's so many different levels, and now, I'm in a space of just integrating all of this good stuff that I've learned just about just being human, you know?” Dreka tells us. “So it's also fun because it's like a journey of self-discovery and self-mastery. That's what I call it. So it's never-ending.”
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If you follow Dreka, then you’re familiar with her holistic lifestyle, as she’s no stranger to promoting wellness, self-care, and holistic living. She even lives part-time on a Mississippi farm, not far from her grandmother and great-grandmother’s farm, where she spent some summers as a child.
While her grandmother and great-grandmother have passed on, Dreka reflects on that time in her life and how having a farm as an adult is her getting back to her roots. “So the farm was purchased back in 2017, and it was like, ah, that'll just be a place where we go when we're not touring or whatever,” she said.
“But COVID hit, and I was there, and I was on the land, and I just started remembering back to going to my grandmother's during the summertime and freaking picking peas and going and eating mulberries off the freaking tree in the bushes.
“And she literally had cotton plants. I know some people feel weird about picking cotton and stuff. She had cotton plants and I would go and pick cotton out of her garden. And she had chickens, and I literally just broke down in tears one day when I was on the farm just doing all the things, and I'm like, ‘Oh my gosh. I'm literally getting back to my roots.”
"I literally just broke down in tears one day when I was on the farm just doing all the things, and I'm like, ‘Oh my gosh. I'm literally getting back to my roots."
You can catch glimpses of Dreka’s farm life on Instagram, which shows her picking fruit and vegetables and loving on her animals like her camel Eessa. Her passion for growing and cultivating led her to try and grow all of her ingredients for her wellness brand, Dreka Wellness. However, she quickly realized that she might be biting off more than she could chew. But that didn’t stop her from fulfilling her vision.
Watch below as Dreka talks more about her business, her wellness tips, breaking toxic cycles, becoming a doula, and more.
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My journey into enjoying brown spirits began during Megan Thee Stallion's hot girl era in my mid-twenties. Between 2018 and 2019, she had every Black girl I know singing along to "Big Ole Freak" and my personal favorite, "Cognac Queen," while driving the boat. Upon my first taste, I realized that I enjoyed brown spirits much more than tequila, vodka, or gin. Growing up in a household where drinking wasn't encouraged, I didn't try wine until I was 19 and didn't taste hard alcohol until I was 21.
My initial experiences with vodka and whatever tequila was trendy in college felt different from this era; it felt more intentional.
As I entered my thirties, I sought a more refined drinking experience. Still a hot girl, just a refined hot girl with limits. Alongside my newfound love for sustainable Black-owned wine, my go-to drink became a French 75 with D'usse instead of gin. I started serving Hennessy mules at my Christmas parties (I heard Oprah does this, so I did it too, lol), preparing summer sweet teas with Uncle Nearest or Maker's Mark, and topping my homemade southern pecan pie with Grand Marnier-infused whipped cream every Thanksgiving, which has become a dessert that my entire family loves.
When the news of Beyoncé releasing a whisky was announced, I thought, 'Finally, something for the girls who love brown liquor.' Naturally, we know that she loves her D'usse, but whisky was a surprise to me. It felt like a homecoming for the Texas native. Cowboy Carter's release, while meant with much criticism to me, gave Black women permission to own every part of their background, the roots, and upbringing that make them who they are.
So a whisky named in honor of her great-grandfather felt like a reaching forward to a new avenue of entrepreneurship, while further firmly planting herself into her consistent branding of family values, lineage, and purposeful partnerships.
Yasmine Jameelah/xoNecole
Before We Sip: Let's Talk The Sir Davis Breakdown What Is SirDavis?
SirDavis is an Award-winning American whisky founded by Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and crafted in partnership with Moët Hennessy and five-time International Whisky Competition Master Distiller of the Year, Dr. Bill Lumsden, who holds a PhD in biochemistry and has been in the whisky industry for almost 40 years. This tells me the Texas native did her homework and called in the experts to curate something special.
SirDavis also gave me the confidence not to shy away from being a woman who appreciates the rich, complex flavors of brown liquor and leans into my pride in my grandfather's family and his older brothers who sold moonshine in The Carolinas.
Curating My Own SirDavis Tasting
As a meticulous Aries, I pride myself on my attention to detail. Upon conducting thorough research (aka scrolling via TikTok and Twitter), I uncovered that during a private SirDavis tasting, the ambiance exuded a mysterious allure, with an abundance of SirDavis flowing, accompanied by a fact sheet, thoughtfully crafted cocktails, honeycomb, and southern food pairings (My kind of party Bey, where was my invite?!)
In this same vein, with Cowboy Carter in the background, I invited my godsister over, and we savored SirDavis in three distinct manners: warm, over ice, and artfully incorporated into two of their ten suggested cocktails.
Yasmine Jameelah/xoNecole
My Honest Review of SirDavis American Whisky
When I enjoyed SirDavis warm, it was like a smooth, sexy dance on my palate. It felt like something you should sip with your man in the evening after a long day or solo like Bey. I recently purchased a vinyl player, and I could see myself grabbing one of my records, a glass, and sipping slowly, snapping my fingers to the beat, swaying my hips, and letting the evening take me where it needed to.
If I were playing Beyoncé, I’d put on "Be With You," "Superpower," or "Gift From Virgo." That said, for me, enjoying the whisky warm would only be during a sexy night, lol; on a regular night, I'm not at a slowly sipping whisky stage just yet.
Once I added ice, I had another sip and was ready for Davis Old Fashioned, which I tried next. It's a mixture of the desire to sip slowly and needing a bit more sweetness. It was my favorite drink, and I'll add that to the rotation. I didn't always enjoy the drink, I thought I was a little too young for it to be honest.
But a few months ago, I had an Old Fashioned with black lemon bitters, toasted black sesame Averna, kikoi rice whiskey, and bourbon, and I was hooked. The Davis Old Fashioned took me back to that same feeling.
Yasmine Jameelah/xoNecole
Davis Old Fashioned
2 oz SirDavis American Whisky
.25 oz Honey Syrup
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Next, I tried The Honey Bee cocktail. I enjoyed it, but as a fan of the French 75, I would prefer to add some prosecco or champagne to it. My sister really liked the drink, but I wanted a bit of fizz as soon as I tasted the lemon juice. This would be a girls' night cocktail that I’d offer if friends came over, and definitely a bottle I’d request someone bring me as a hostess gift.
The Honey Bee
2 oz SirDavis American Whisky
.75 oz Lemon Juice
.50 oz Honey Syrup
My Honest Takeaway
I'll absolutely keep SirDavis in the rotation. The whisky has an exquisite, refined taste that demands you to savor and appreciate every flavor and aroma, from cloves and tangy Seville oranges to raisins, cinnamon, ginger, demerara sugar, and toffee. It's a drink for those who confidently enjoy dark liquor and for a new generation of ladies. And who knows, maybe I'll even get my mom to try some with me.
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