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Scottie Beam On Leaving Hot 97, Colliding With Purpose & Becoming Her Own Brand
Scottie Beam is living beyond her wildest dreams. One year since making her most fearless career move yet, the Hot 97 alum sits alongside Joe Budden, Remy Ma, and Brandon "Jinx" Jenkins on Revolt TV's State of the Culture.
The unfiltered show on all things hip-hop was three episodes in, and garnering over one million views, when I met up with the media personality in midtown Manhattan at the dawn of fall. Sporting a JAY-Z 4:44 T-shirt on what she deems a chill day in her schedule, Scottie breaks her stride on 7th Avenue when she runs into a former coworker, who seizes the chance encounter to celebrate her success beyond the building she called home for 10 years.
However, once she and I decided on an impromptu dinner at a Friday's nearby, she cuts no corners to discuss her latest win. She, instead, takes her time revisiting a season in her life that didn't seem to hold much promise at all.
As the daughter of WBLS veteran Shaila Scott, the Bronx native, née Deanii Scott, naturally developed a deep passion for music as a child but resisted patterning her steps after her mother's. "I fought it a bit," she reveals. "I didn't think that my talent was in radio, and I wanted to find something else I was really good at only to come right back around to the radio station."
At 17, she started out as a KISS FM street team member and later joined Hot 97 when the iconic R&B station folded in 2012. At that time, a day in the life looked like setting up tables, grabbing a mic, and giving voice to the audience fueling the station where hip-hop lives. "Now that I think about [it], it was a great time, but back then I hated it," she says, describing the job as both electrifying and exhausting.
While, in retrospect, the street team granted her an opportunity to build the foundation for her rise in the years to come, Scottie entered college unconvinced that she had a future in radio and soon began to sink under the pressure of pinpointing her purpose. "I was drowning," the onetime Clark Atlanta University student explains. "I didn't know exactly what my calling and existence on this earth was. That's how deep it went."
"I didn't know exactly what my calling and existence on this earth was. That's how deep it went."
Miles from her support system at home and unable to find one on campus, Scottie made the decision to drop out of school her junior year. "I hit this dark road where I just quit and locked myself in a room," she tells me. "I was severely depressed. I did not want to be here anymore. I didn't think anything would be missing if I did not exist. That was my darkest time."
In search for the deeper meaning of her life, Scottie returned to New York, and tried her hand at fashion as an employee at Vinnies Styles, all while holding down her spot on Hot 97's street team. "I got in, and then I realized that I was trash at making clothes, so I was like, What exactly am I supposed to do?" she recalls. "I've tried everything – anything that I thought I was good at."
Though Scottie fought to zoom in on what she wanted to do, her work ethic was never called into question. When she landed an unpaid internship at Columbia Records (after concealing her status as a college dropout), she tested her stamina to the extreme. "I'll work until I'm tired. Until I have no more hands, no more feet, or no more voice," she stresses. "Once they eventually found out [that I lied], they kept me around because they knew I worked hard."
Within two summers, Scottie made her presence felt at the label but ultimately discovered she had little interest in the business of music. "I just love music," she emphasizes. "I love the artistry and the way it makes people feel and putting people on to that."
As she inched closer to the essence of her passion, Scottie began to grow weary of staying still at Hot 97. "I think it's important to set time limits on certain things, especially things that you know you don't want to do forever," she says. "I've seen people do 10, 15, 20 years on street team, and I didn't want that to be me."
Since she couldn't muster the funds to travel between New York and her home in Piscataway, New Jersey, Scottie slept at the station many nights. With little money to her name, she also forwent food on several occasions. "I was tired of that kind of struggle," she expresses.
With no desire to abuse her mother's support, Scottie was ready to chart her own path—even if that meant giving up music. After lying on her resume once again, she secured a fashion merchandising job at Adidas. The day she planned to quit street team, however, the universe intercepted with bigger plans: Angie Martinez was interested in Scottie joining her team as a digital producer.
"That's favor. That was God," she says with conviction. "He knew I was going to hang that sh*t up. I was done, but even if you say it's over, it's really not over until God says so. A lot of people will quit on you, but God won't."
Pink Pig Productions
"Even if you say it's over, it's really not over until God says so. A lot of people will quit on you, but God won't."
Under the influence of the Voice of New York, Scottie got a dose of the impact she could one day make behind the mic. "Angie has taught me so much," she reflects. "Seeing how much of a boss she is, how serious she takes this craft, really pushed me to at least mirror some of the things that I learned."
Responsible for generating content on social media, Scottie spotted a gap she wanted to fill. "I don't see a lot of Black women talk about music, unfortunately. Not a lot of Black women have voices, period, in this industry," she explains. "I decided to give it a try."
When Angie Martinez made the decision to join Power 105.1 in 2014, marking the end of an era at Hot 97, Scottie dug deeper into her goal as a digital producer for Ebro In The Morning. "That's when I really started to realize what it is that I wanted to do," she reveals.
Dedicated to amplifying unsigned artists, Scottie curated playlists on her own time and took hold of the chance to produce Hot 97's Who's Next showcase. "Putting people on to new artists was one of my favorite things to do, so having the opportunity to do that every month was a gift," she reminisces.
When I ask when it all became unfulfilling, Scottie notes that the walls of the station began to close in on her as the desire to be limitless blossomed. With no room for growth, the only thing left to do was stare at the ceiling. "It was the biggest honor ever to sit in that building," she assures. "I learned so much, but it was time."
Moved by Nina Simone's musings on freedom, Scottie submitted her two-weeks' notice in May 2017. "I never felt I could exist without [Hot 97]," the former digital producer admits. "I felt like it defined me because I thought that that's what careers were supposed to do: the brand is supposed to define you and when it doesn't anymore, you find another brand. Then, I realized that I was the brand."
Revolt TV
"I realized that I was the brand."
In the months to come, Scottie landed opportunities to work with Revolt TV, HBO, and Nike. She would later host Broccoli City Festival 2018 (marking hosting a first in her career) and narrate Reebok's "Flipping The Game" podcast centered on women in the sneaker industry.
In between her success, she also collided with sheer disappointment. In November 2017, the radio personality landed her own weekend show with New York City's Satori Radio and was promoted to the prime time slot a mere month later. Before the end of January, however, the online station shut down entirely, leaving Scottie in a funk. "It's really the name of the game in radio," she chimes on the harsh reality. "One day you're on air, the next could be your last."
Throughout it all, Scottie spun one verse from J. Cole's "Premeditated Murder" into an affirmation: Keep grinding girl, your life can change in one year. "His music was definitely the reason why I decided to get out of bed some days or why I decided to try again or take an opportunity I wasn't confident about," she shares.
As she navigated wins and losses, Scottie poured into a mounting fan base of Black women tuned into her personal journey as one of five voices behind the Black Girl Podcast. "Ebro had always taught me that when it's your show, you have to be transparent. Nothing is to be left off the mic," she says when discussing the nature of the show.
The ladies of 'Black Girl Podcast'
Pink Pig Productions
The audio series – also hosted by Hot 97 alumni Gia Peppers, Sapphira Martin, Rebecca "Bex" Francois, and Alysha Pamphile – has drawn more than one million downloads since its premiere in December 2016, unlocking a deeper dimension to Scottie's ever-crystallizing destiny. "It helps Black women feel seen, and I didn't know I was that passionate about it until it was happening," she muses.
It's a zeal she carries with her as a panelist on State of the Culture, which she tested for numerous times before gracing YouTube and television screens this past September. "Easily, I'm the most hated," she insists. "I've gotten some crazy, crazy letters."
And yet, whether discussing sexual abuse or double standards attached to women, Scottie has no plans on muting her voice to make others comfortable. "The color of my skin and my gender have already pissed people off, so why stop there?" she says. "My heart is in this work. There is no way that something can be ugly or stomped on when it's made with nothing but love and true intent."
As Scottie and I wrapped up our meal, she reveals she still has no map to guide her on her road to success—but this time, she's perfectly fine with that. "None of this was my vision. I just wanted to create. I just wanted to do stuff that meant something. I wanted to do something that people would remember," she says. "I want one person to feel like if she went through this sh*t and went through a bunch of failures, there'll be a win somewhere. I'm sure I'm not done failing, but I also know I'm not done winning either."
To keep up with Scottie, follow her on Instagram.
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Shanice Davis is a writer from New York, dedicated to illuminating women of color and Caribbean culture with her pen. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter: @alwayshanice.
How This New Bond Repair Line Transformed One Mother's Postpartum Shedding Into The Ultimate Curl Comeback
This article is in partnership with SheaMoisture
For Crystal Obasanya, her wash day woes came shortly after her son did. The beauty and lifestyle content creator had been natural for years, but during postpartum, she quickly learned about one reality many mothers can relate to experiencing: postpartum hair loss. “Sis had thinning hair. Sis had split ends,” she shared about her hair changes in a Reel via xoNecole.
Over a year into her postpartum journey, Crystal explained she also had dry, brittle hair, noting that keeping it hydrated before pregnancy had already been “a task.” The 4C natural recalled going from thick hair during pregnancy to a thin hairline due to postpartum shedding as “devastating.” When it came to strengthening and revitalizing her hair, the new SheaMoisture Bond Repair Collection was just the thing she needed to elevate her damaged coils to revive and thrive status and get them poppin' again.
SheaMoisture is providing us with the cheat code for transforming dry and damaged strands into thriving and deeply nourished crowns. By unveiling their 4-step hair system, the SheaMoisture Bond Repair Collection is equipping you with the tools to reverse signs of hair damage caused by protective styling, heat, and color and is uniquely formulated for Type 3 and 4 hair textures.
The haircare system revives damaged natural hair by repairing and rebuilding broken hair bonds through a game-changing combination of HydroPlex Technology and AminoBlend Complex, a unique blend of fortifying amino acids formulated specifically for curly and coily hair. Scientifically proven to reduce breakage by 84% and make your hair six times stronger (vs. non-conditioning shampoo), the collection infuses your hair with the nourishment it craves and the strength it deserves.
All five products of the SheaMoisture Bond Collection are infused with natural strengthening ingredients like Amla Oil and fair-trade shea butter. The collection consists of the 4-step breakage-fighting Bond Repair system, as well as the Bonding Oil.
“When trying it out, I quickly noticed that my hair felt revived and renewed, and my curls were so hydrated,” Crystal said while using the Amla-infused Bond Repair Leave-In Conditioner. “I also felt my hair strands were stronger.” So much so that the influencer felt brave enough to get her hair braided shortly thereafter. “I can definitely say that I will be keeping it in my hair wash routine,” she added in the caption of her Reel about her positive experience using the products.
SheaMoisture Bond Repair Collection is making bond-building a key player in your wash day routines and the purveyor of life for thirsty manes. Because who doesn't want stronger, shinier, happier hair?
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Rejuvenate your hair with SheaMoisture Bond Repair Shampoo, your go-to solution for luscious locks. Packed with hella hydration power, this shampoo adds moisture by 60% while removing buildup without stripping your strands. This shampoo gently cleanses impurities while significantly enhancing shine, smoothness, and softness.
The Bond Repair Collection Shampoo is the first step in the 4-step Bond Repair system, all of which are powered by the uniquely formulated AminoBlend, and HydroPlex, SheaMoisture’s technology that rebuilds hair strength at its core.
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Tailored to repair styling damage, this creamy conditioner locks in 12x more moisture than standard non-conditioning shampoos, boosting damaged hair strength by 1.5x with significantly less breakage. The creamy SheaMoisture Bond Repair Collection Conditioner deeply hydrates, enhances manageability, and leaves your hair looking healthier and shinier.
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This Ultra Moisturizing reparative masque is a moisture-rich game-changer for those dealing with the aftermath of hair damage caused by styling. The SheaMoisture Bond Repair Collection Masque delivers 13 times more moisture compared to non-conditioning shampoos, ensuring your hair feels nourished and soft. Designed to repair and rejuvenate, this masque significantly strengthens damaged hair — making it twice as strong while reducing breakage.
Step Four: Bond Repair Collection Leave-In Conditioner
Elevate your curl game with SheaMoisture’s Bond Repair Collection Leave-In Conditioner. Lightweight and hydrating, the Bond Repair Leave-In Conditioner provides 12x more moisture than non-conditioning shampoos and tames frizz with 24-hour humidity control. Designed to define curls and coils, the leave-in conditioner enhances softness and shine allowing you to detangle effortlessly.
Bonding Oil
The SheaMoisture Bond Repair Collection Bonding Oil is a multitasking all-in-one formula that acts as a heat protectant and provides the hair with moisture, strength, shine, damage protection, and intense nourishment. This lightweight oil not only offers 24-hour frizz and humidity control but also fortifies your tresses, making them up to 5 times stronger with significantly less breakage.
Featured image courtesy
10 New Moms Share What They Wish They Knew About Sex Post-Delivery
Back when I was the teen mom director for the local chapter of a national non-profit organization, I decided to become a doula. One reason was that I couldn’t stand how disrespectfully dismissive a lot of doctors were towards pregnant teenagers (how you gonna pre-schedule C-sections in girls who are in their first trimester?). My second reason was to do some healing from my own past pregnancy choices (check out “Why I Named The Children I Aborted”). Over time, another reason was that when a woman has a child, she needs support for more than just birthing her baby.
Take her sex life, for example. Although some women have a pretty thriving sex life throughout their pregnancy and, after their six-month check-up, they resume having sex relatively smoothly then as well, for other women, their experience is quite different. And because sex, post-delivery, still (amazingly) remains a taboo topic on a lot of levels, other (new) moms suffer in silence because they feel like they are alone.
That, right there, is why I decided to sit down with some mothers to have them share what they wish someone had given them the heads up on when it comes to sex after having a child. If you are a mom who’s having some challenges in the bedroom, hopefully, this will assure you that others get exactly where you are coming from. If you’re not a mom (yet), my goal is that you can get an idea of some things that could possibly happen — so that you can surround yourself with the support that you need (i.e., a girlfriend, some other new moms, even a counselor, if necessary). That way, you can do what needs to be done to get your sex life back (or right) to where you want it to be…in time.
*Middle names are used in this type of content so that people can speak freely*
1. Bevelynn. 28. Mom of a Six-Month-Old Daughter. First Child.
“The weirdest thing for me is there are certain positions that can always make me cum that were super uncomfortable throughout most of my pregnancy. So, it felt like I was having sex for my partner instead of with him. Then, after having the baby, my man was so used to hurrying through sex because that’s how I was while pregnant that he felt self-conscious that I was trying to ‘coach him’ through foreplay like he wasn’t a good lover.
"You know how they say that sex, after abstinence, is like riding a bicycle? The hell you say! There was a lot to relearn that it was almost like having sex for the first time again. Pretty much a year of sex being one way and then adjusting to something else will do that to you. We’re still figuring it out.”
2. Embree. 34. Mom to a 11-Month-Old Son. Third Child.
“I never had postpartum depression, thank God. I did go through a long sex lull. I love my babies, Lord knows that I do, but you don’t really get just how much sex creates them until you have them, if that makes sense. Being a mom is fulfilling and draining — any woman who says otherwise isn’t taking her role as seriously as she should. And when you sit and realize that kids can’t exist without sex, you have moments when you’ll avoid having it at all costs because you don’t want to risk what comes from it — another baby. And that’s just the truth.”
3. Gail. 37. Mom to a Four-Month-Old. Third Child.
“Please don’t give your husband a hard time about getting used to your new body and hormonal changes during sex. It might be popular to act like men shouldn’t have a say in giving birth or what comes with it, but science says otherwise, and while they’re supporting you through your changes, they might end up going months without intimacy — no man wants that. The more talks [that] you have about sexual needs and expectations before getting pregnant, the better. Remember that he is a part of all of this, too.”
4. Quincee. 32. Mom to a One-Year-Old Daughter. First Child.
“I was told that I should get a doula before having my daughter, and I should’ve listened because it makes no sense to push out a baby on your back. My friends who had doula assistance learned positions that were way more helpful. Since I didn’t and my daughter, although I love her dearly, has a really big head, I tore pretty badly. The healing process was borderline hell but, more than anything, I had some PTSD about allowing any — and I do mean anything — from going into my vagina.
"I don’t care if it was a penis, a sex toy, or even a tampon, I was traumatized. Get those perineal massages before giving birth, squat during labor, and get a man who loves oral sex, both ways, so that you both can get through the adjusting. That’s the best advice that I can give on it.”
5. Francis. 30. Mom to a Seven-Month-Old. Second Child.
“You might need to see a sex therapist after having children. It might sound crazy, but no one talks about how having a baby changes everything about you — every single thing. My husband has always been able to please me, and he’s not small in the least, but after having our first child, my vagina never felt the same. That kept me from feeling the same pleasure, which made me want to have sex less and even resent him for not being able to please me like he used to.
"We tried to figure it out on our own, but that started to affect his self-esteem, and then we weren’t having much sex. My girlfriends had some of the worst advice, so I spoke with a marriage counselor who referred me to a sex therapist who helped me to understand the transitions of motherhood, sexually. It’s one of the best things that happened to our relationship. My best advice is nothing is fully ever the same after a baby — sex, for me, was on top of that list.”
6. Erda. 25. Mom to a Three-Month-Old Son. First Child.
“Being a mom is hard as sh-t — do you hear me? I am terrified of getting pregnant. I don’t mean any time soon; I’m contemplating being done forever because my pregnancy was difficult, and my son thinks that we all should be up all day and all night long. People keep telling me that this will pass, but until it does, whenever I see my husband’s penis, it’s like ‘enemy #1’ in my eyes. We can do some oral action; I’ve always been about that. But if he wants to put that thing in me, I always want him to put on three condoms — I’m NOT playing.”
Shellie here: As a doula, I’ll be checking back on her in six more months or so. Something tells me that this will have a bit more balance in the narrative. Those first few months can be a mutha, indeed.
7. Laurelle. 39. Mom to a One-Year-Old. Fourth Child.
“Even after having four kids, I never got used to my breasts being available to everyone. Mine, then my husband and mine, and then, for a season, my kids — and then sometimes everyone’s. Our two first children were less than two years apart, so I swear that my husband didn’t get to touch my breasts for like three years straight…and he’s a breast man! I don’t think anyone can fully prepare you for how to be a momand a sexual being at the same time. It’s one of the hardest things about motherhood to date.”
8. Iris. 30. Mom to a One-Year-Old. Second Child.
“Your erogenous zones might change. Mine did. I used to not be a breast person, but I started having orgasms while breastfeeding, which kind of creeped me out but then it made me want my breast played with more than ever during sex with my man. The other thing is my thighs got pulled on a lot during labor, and so, I’m kind of jumpy when my fiancé reaches out for them now — and he’s a thigh man. Having a child isn’t just a miracle because of the baby. Being able to figure out a new normal in the bedroom is a miracle, too, sis.”
Shellie here: If you can relate to what Iris just said about climaxing while breastfeeding, there is no reason to feel embarrassed or guilty.Breastfeeding tends to produce some of the same hormones that come from sexual stimulation — for instance, remember that oxytocin is a bonding chemical.It’s for this same reason that you might produce extra milk when you orgasm after having sex with your partner. It’s natural. It also tends not to last forever. It will usually pass.
9. Hope. 32. Mom to a Four-Month-Old. Second Child.
“The talk about the whole ‘Madonna-Whore’ thing that men may go through — you know, how once you become their wife or mother of their child, they have a hard time seeing you as a sexual being. Some of us go through that, too. I don’t have hang-ups about sex. I’m just not as nasty as I used to be. My body is used for so many different things now, and the fluids get all mixed in together — I dunno. Sometimes, when I’m about to show my porn side, I’m like, ‘Hold up — is this appropriate? I’m a mother now. It’s so complex, honey.”
10. Tateyana. 27. Mom to a Nine-Month-Old. First Child.
“I was told to get a co-sleeper and keep our baby out of our bed. I didn’t listen. I wish I had because now our bedroom is more like a nursery/daycare and it’s harder than ever to keep our son out of our bed — emotionally. My husband is patient; sometimes, he’s the one who wants our son to stay in the bed but we know that sex is an important part of marriage and we certainly didn’t sign up to be co-parents who are roommates. When they say that the bedroom is for sex and sleep only, the sleep part really shouldn’t be your children. They’ve got a room. They’ll be fine in there. We’re trying to wean him off now, so I’m preaching to the choir here. Sex after babies…it’s just so much.”
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Sex after babies…it’s just so much. As you can see, sex, post-delivery can be layered, complex, and sometimes challenging. Still, if you have a partner who is understanding, if you’re patient with yourself throughout your transitions, and if you get that healthy intimacy has a mental, emotional, and spiritual component that can get you through all of the physical “growing pains” that you may be experiencing — sex after having a child can become richer, closer and even better with time.
After all, a new normal? Sometimes, it exceeds what you’ve been accustomed to.
And isn’t that something to look forward to when it comes to post-delivery intimacy? Definitely.
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