
podcast
Why Yung Miami's 'Caresha Please' Has Some Fans Calling Her The New Oprah
A series of viral clips came across my Twitter timeline recently of rappers Megan Thee Stallion and Caresha — also known as Yung Miami of City Girls — on the latter's new talk show Caresha Please on REVOLT. In each video, the ladies were flirty, giggly, and relaxed as they bounced from topic to topic, like their thoughts on lesbian sex, their attempt at Megan’s signature tongue pose, and their thoughts on the plight of Black women.
Since its June premiere, Caresha has sat down with rapper Kevin Gates who opened up about all his salacious fantasies including being a fan of … um… let’s say sexual water sports. In the first episode, she spoke with REVOLT founder and hip-hop mogul Diddy with whom she is in a relationship of some sort. The interview was the first time since going public with their courting last year, that the pair decided to satiate the public’s curiosity about their relationship. She playfully presses him about fatherhood, why he’s never gotten married, and their relationship status which led to Caresha saying that they go together “real bad.”
Caresha Please comes during a fraught time in hip-hop media when the genre has been overrun by washed male rappers and radio personalities who have made a name for themselves by being antagonistic toward Black women.
Which made the conversation with Caresha and Megan all the more special. It was a lovely reprieve to see Megan be so comfortable in an interview, especially considering the many times she’s been objectified by interviewers, hosts, and bloggers in the short time that she’s called out on numerous occasions, including when she once tweeted, “Don’t blogs/ journalists have to have accurate/ credible sources before going with a story? Or is it just like a new I got paid to post this or I heard out from my home girl type policy these days.”
Caresha Please isn’t a cure to the ills of hip-hop media but it certainly comes as a much-needed balm to watch a show with a young Black woman at the helm and not have to feel on guard for potential sexist attacks.
On social media, some fans have even gone as far as to jokingly called Caresha 'the new Oprah' (I mean, sure, Oprah might not have never talked so candidly about her technique when it comes to performing fellatio that made even JT go “oh wow.”) But regardless, Caresha Please leans into all the things that make the City Girl wonderful.
If you aren’t tuned into Caresha Please, then you definitely need to fix that.
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Featured image by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Yung Miami Says She’s Living Life On Her Own Terms After Confirming Diddy Dating Rumors
Yung Miami doesn’t care what anyone says because she’s living her best life. The City Girls’ rapper, born Caresha Brownlee, hopped on Instagram following the premiere of her REVOLT TV podcast Caresha Please to thank fans for tuning in and also address the criticism surrounding her relationship with Sean “Diddy” Combs. Prior to the REVOLT founder’s appearance on her show, Diddy, 52, and Miami, 28, have been fueling dating rumors after they were spotted out together on more than one occasion.
The “Top Notch” artist has even teased a few intimate moments between the two of them on social media. During the June 9th episode, they both confirmed the rumors that they were dating. The Monday after, the mother of two responded to some of the negativity. “Y’all always gonna come and say ‘don’t do this and don’t do that,’” Miami said. “Don’t tell me what the f— to do because I’m living my best motherf—ing life. I don’t need no relationship advice from nobody, ’cause y’all bi—es ain’t married neither. Y’all bi—es ain’t been together with y’all men. Like, please. I don’t need no relationship advice from nobody.”
Prince Williams/Wireimage
She also lets it be known that she isn’t being played and that she’s in control of her dating life. “I don’t need relationship advice from nobody on the Internet. I’m good. I’m having a good time. I know how to keep a man,” she continued. “If I wanted to have a man, I know how to keep one. I don’t need no relationship advice from y’all. Y’all bi—es ain’t married. Y’all bi—es is baby mamas. Shut the f— up. Ain’t no n—a walking me, ain’t no n—a treating me no type of way. Bi—, I get princess treatment.”
In the words of the City Girls “Period.”
In the podcast episode, Miami asked Diddy the infamous question when dating, “what we is?”
He responded, “We date. We’re dating. … We go have dates. We’re friends. We go to exotic locations. We have great times. We go to strip clubs, church. Imma take you to church.”
Both clarified that they were single but enjoy spending time with one another.
The premiere episode reportedly broke viewership records for the network with nearly two million viewers and one billion impressions.
Yung Miami & Diddy Talk Their Relationship Status, Dating, Love Records & More | Caresha Please
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Featured image by Prince Williams/Wireimage
Sonya Curry has been in the headlines as of late after it was announced that she and Dell Curry were getting a divorce after 33 years of marriage. They share three kids together, Stephen Curry, Seth Curry, and Sydel Curry. While their divorce has been plagued with cheating rumors, Sonya is choosing to focus on herself and her new endeavors.
At 55 years old, she is finally stepping out of the shadows of her estranged husband who also played in the NBA, and her famous children to show the world who Sonya really is. The educator was interviewed on the Jemele Hill is Unbothered podcast about her memoir Fierce Love and she opened up about her spirituality and experiencing an identity crisis. Being a young mom and an NBA wife, she went through a period where she felt like she was losing herself and turned to worldly things.
“One day at church I was just sitting there–the pastor just seemed like he’s talking to you,” she said. “There could be 10,000 people in the room and he’s like you. And he talked about if you’re tired of doing the same ole same ole, just give Jesus a try.” She continued, “And I just got up, went to the front and it was just like I can’t do this. I don’t want this anymore so Lord I’ma try you. You’ve said all that you are, let’s see. I’ma go for it.”
She also spoke about going through a depression after Sydel, her youngest child had graduated from school. During that time, Sonya had also retired from the education field. In 1995, she co-founded the Christian Montessori School of Lake Norman in North Carolina with her ex.
“There was a period where I had retired from my school, Sydel had transitioned, graduated and it was just like oh, Lord, now what?” She said. Sonya explained that she didn’t realize that she was depressed and didn’t believe her doctor at first when he suggested it. “They say there are seven things in your life you go through that are really, really tough and life-altering and one of them is retirement.”
She felt like she no longer had a purpose after teaching and raising kids for so long. Everything had come to an end and there was nothing else to look forward to doing next. “I was in my 40s then and a little bit of that mid-life crisis coming in and no more children in the house, Dell and I figuring out this thing as well of just the silence in the house,” she said. “We had grandbabies coming but they got their own stuff with that. It was just Sonya, what’s gonna be your next purpose and mission and project? It was an end of something versus the beginning of something.”
When it comes to her new book, she said that her children are very supportive of her venture. She credited Sydel especially for encouraging her to keep going.
Sonya Curry on Battling a Level of Depression and Writing her Memoir "Fierce Love"
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Content Creators Cam & Vicky Logan Share How They Make Their Modern Arranged Marriage Work
When we imagine arranged marriages in the traditional sense, our minds may trail off into stereotypes that reflect reluctant brides, invasive parents, with two coerced individuals, doomed to suffer in a loveless union. Not so romantic, right? But arranged marriages are not to be confused with forced marriages. See, the former centers the autonomy of choice: with two consenting adults, choosing to pursue one another for a lifetime - even after the allure of their parent's wise counsel fades. This was the case for content creators, Cam and Vicky Logan; who after 7 years of marriage illustrates what can happen when the potential for love is offered and accepted.
Courtesy of Vicky Logan
Cam and Vicky's parents were friends before the two of them ever met. Follow me: Vicky's father was celebrating his 40th birthday and invited Cam's father; it was there that Vicky met Cam's dad. Soon after the party, both sets of parents suggested that the two should meet, so Cam and Vicky started by adding each other on Facebook. Initially, there weren't any sparks that ignited their correspondence. In fact, Vicky shares that she never intended on dating someone who shared the same "Preacher's Kid" background that she grew up in, being that both her mother and grandmother were wives of preachers.
"I wanted a different experience and I knew how much work it would take," she shares. But what she didn't know was how God would use her expert-level background as preparation for the marriage awaiting her, "The joke was on me because since I knew how much it would take, it was just preparing me for doing the work with Cam."
Although reluctant at first, answering the call allowed her to step deeper into her purpose in becoming a helpmeet, which for Cam, was an answered prayer, "Growing up as a preacher's kid, various girlfriends didn't understand my necessity to be at church all the time, it's part of my life. As I got older and matured, I knew I needed someone that was going to understand this life in ministry and when I found out that she was a PK too, things started going off in my head like, 'Oh, this could work.'"
Courtesy of Vicky Logan
Their friendship grew even as the miles separating them widened, with Vicky finishing school in Texas, and Cam starting his post-grad life in Chicago. The distance between them allowed the space to be filled with what would fortify their relationship in the long run: deep and intentional communication. Still, the two had to get creative for things to work since, even in the early 2010s, technology still hasn't quite reached its peak, "We were recording videos on the back cameras of our iPhone 3s, we were on ooVoo and Skype. We communicated as much as we could to feel connected even though we were 1000 miles away," Cam says. Or as Vicky puts it, "We were definitely doing the most."
But you have to applaud the effort. Especially when you're young and dating at a distance, since, let's be honest, the innate reflex is to jump straight to the physical. Cultivating verbal and non-physical intimacy was fundamental for the two in their early days, "Since we weren't sexually attracted to each other at first, we were able to develop a natural, non-sexual friendship," Cam shares. "We genuinely talked about our interests and desires. It wasn't just, 'Aye girl, what you got on?'"
This approach laid a solid framework for their relationship because they were (and still are) truly friends, "At the end of the day, she's my homey, that's my best friend. Then you add the physical, sexual attraction and it just elevates how deeply we care about each other," Cam tells xoNecole.
"At the end of the day, she's my homey, that's my best friend. Then you add the physical, sexual attraction and it just elevates how deeply we care about each other."
One of the keys to making love work is building a relationship from a solid friendship. You never really know how important that can be until you're facing a difficult time with your partner, like a global pandemic, and realize there are some things that romance and sex just can't fix. As Vicky shares, you have to truly be in like with each other, "People like to ask me, how do we not get bored with one another? Well, we're friends! Do you get bored with your friends?" she shares laughingly.
The authenticity of their companionship not only beams over the phone but also through the camera. For over 10 years, YouTube has served as a digital archive for Vicky to document everything from ever-changing hairstyles, her colorful style hauls, and witty girl talk videos. So when the two got engaged in 2013, it was only natural for them to join forces to create their own vlog channel, Life With the Logans. As both platforms grew, there was one annual video that their community looked forward to the most: their Marriage Q&As.
Only in 2020, things were different. With COVID forcing everyone inside, Cam and Vicky decided to open their YouTube livestreams for their subscribers to ask them all things love and relationships advice. The response was so great, it springboarded their newest collaboration, the Everything is We podcast.
"We had a really good foundation because we spent a lot of time just being friends. Now, when we go through things as a married couple, we have our friendship to fall back on, it's not like our only connection was sexual or romantic. We had a true friendship where we enjoyed hanging out together, doing things together, marking each other laugh, no matter what we're doing, we're enjoying each other's company."
Courtesy of Vicky Logan/Instagram
On their faith-based, relationship-centered podcast, the two speak candidly about a range of topics from sex before marriage, toxic relationships, love languages, and even gender roles and submission. After 7 years of marriage, the two felt confident enough in their experiences to dish advice on their union from a place of transparency to host honest and open dialogue. "We know each other well enough to give people something of substance. This a 'we' thing, not just a 'me' thing," Vicky shares, explaining the origin of the show.
Creating as a "we" continues to add color and vibrancy to the Logans' relationship, with visual documentation being a vital part of how they keep record of their experiences together and connect with their audience. Vicky grew up with home videos and videotapes being essential in logging her childhood memories, so continuing that tradition was a natural progression for her and Cam's story. "I love documenting our relationship because I can always go back and see our memories happening on video. It keeps me grounded because I can see our progression as a couple," Vicky explains.
Courtesy of Vicky Logan
Documenting your life online for yourself and for the world to see comes with its own set of boundaries. For the Logans, that means staying true to their authentic selves and being present in the moments they share together. Cam expresses that who you are online should always match who you are in private. "I saw people that would vlog and become these public figures, and when they turn the cameras off, they're nothing like that. For me, in everything that I do, I want to be consistent."
Staying rooted as a content creator requires a deep level of self-awareness and routine check-ins with yourself. In fact, Vicky recalls a time early in her vlogging career where she found herself swept away in the process of creating a perfect memory, instead of participating in the moment. "When I was heavily into YouTube, I was vlogging so much, I felt like I have to go back and watch those videos to remember what happened because I wasn't present in the moment." She continues, "I was looking at my life through the lens instead of looking at it as my life. I never want to get back to that point. I try to prioritize being in the moment rather than creating content."
"When I was heavily into YouTube, I was vlogging so much, I felt like I have to go back and watch those videos to remember what happened because I wasn't present in the moment. I was looking at my life through the lens instead of looking at it as my life. I never want to get back to that point. I try to prioritize being in the moment rather than creating content."
When you've been with someone through your 20s and into your early 30s like the Logans have, evolution becomes the third wheel. Over the years, the two have seen each other grow and evolve as individuals with callings that stand alone and complement each other's purpose. Arriving at the place in a relationship where everything is truly about the we and not the me takes sacrifice, time, and the process of "dying to yourself" daily. That means pride and self-centeredness have no place. For the Logans, this required taking the time to learn how to truly love each other the way each person needs to be loved, not the way they assumed they needed to be loved. As Vicky puts it, "I think sometimes people come into relationships a little bit prideful and don't want to change."
But if the common goal is longevity, you have to forgo the "that's just the way I am" mentality. "We know that we're different people, but at the same time, we want to operate as a team," Vicky shares. "You have a partner for a reason: to help you."
Courtesy of Vicky Logan/Instagram
If you follow the #CamToria hashtag on Instagram, you'll find that the Logans are far more than your typical "relationship goals", they're the embodiment of steadfastness. A marriage that hasn't rushed through the years or the moments that they've shared together, but has instead made the daily decision to partake in the witnessing of one another's blooming growth. "My life has changed just by being friends with Cam," Vicky reflects, "He truly loves people and I try to be like that more and more every day."
For Cam, experiencing Vicky's growth has been the greatest honor to witness as a husband, "[Vicky's] ability to literally go after her dreams... I don't know if people realize how difficult that is in a society that trains you to do what people tell you to do." He adds, "She's a boss, but remains humble and loving at the end of the day. She's constantly growing and I'm just happy to be married to her."
The freedom in having an unconventional love story is in the license it gives to a couple to tell a story that's never been told before. Although arranged marriages aren't something that's typically highlighted in the Black community, the Logans exemplify what can happen when you follow the wise counsel of your parents, while fostering the "it takes a village" adage. "I think our community could benefit from the fact that our parents are connected with solid people with solid foundations, values, and morals," Cam says. When you're building towards a future legacy, sometimes the best way to know where you're headed to by trusting the wisdom and guidance of those who have been where you're headed. Even if that turns out to be your own parents.
"I know that when we have children, that's definitely something I plan on doing," Cam says.
To stay connected with Cam and Vicky Logan, check out their new podcast Everything is We on YouTube and Spotify. And follow them on IG via @victoriouslogan and @camlogan.
Featured image courtesy of Cam and Vicky
Media Personality Erica 'Comeback' Cobb Schools Us On Ownership & Career Redemption
Nobody really needs yet another reminder that the past year or so has been rough. We have more than enough articles, blogs, podcasts, and social media updates to remind us daily that life can throw you some real curve balls, forcing you to either hit or strike out. But even when you strike out, there's always that next throw—that next chance—when you can always turn things around.
Media personality Erica Cobb has remixed the whole concept of a comeback into a revival of determination where you think, "What loss? Failure? Where?" As co-host of TEGNA's Daily Blast Live, host of her own platform, Comeback.TV, and co-host of podcast Who Cares What They Think, she unapologetically sits in her truth, whether tackling conversations about xenophobia and colorism or chatting with women about their biggest moments of redemption.
Cobb, who has more than 15 years of skin the media game, once faced an almost three-year battle with depression, financial hardship, and employment challenges after losing a very high-profile job. She eventually found a way to take her own career lemons and make them garnish for one hell of a comeback margarita, now hosting a nationally syndicated show and giving voice to women of color who have also beat the odds.
She sat down with xoNecole for an exclusive interview to tell us the how, when and why of that journey, and how you can be the comeback star of your own story:
Image by Kymora Jaxson Photography
xoNecole: You're an experienced media professional who, in addition to your day job, started your own platform, Comeback.TV. You've also continued balancing several projects throughout the pandemic. What has that experience been like?
Erica Cobb: I always like to say [that] the comeback is never over because if you're a growing person, there are obviously going to be some setbacks along the way that you're going to have to, you know, come back from. The interesting thing about just how I started this brand, I was really the antithesis of where everybody else in my life or my peers were. I seemingly was failing when everyone else was really thriving and what I noticed, especially in the beginning of the pandemic, I just sat down. I sat down with my husband, and we had a conversation. I'm like, I know that this is going to be a year of loss and a lot of lack, but I know that this is where I thrive. So, I'm anticipating really growing myself, my career, and this brand over the next year. And that's pretty much what happened.
I ramped up who I was having on my podcast. I made a completely separate social media supplement to the podcast so that people could get it where they were. A lot of my people are on Instagram and Facebook, so I wanted to make sure that I was meeting the moment with them. At the same time, I also had to think about growth and what people were asking for, and what they were really asking for was a voice that would be confident in not only representing them, but representing them as just normal people. So when Lindsey Granger, my co-host, and I were like, 'Hey, we have this time, let's create something,' the first thing I said was, 'If we're going to do this, we're going to see this thing out.' That's when we created [the podcast] Who Cares What We Think. We're almost a year into it now, and that has seen a lot of growth as well.
xoNecole: We're always fascinated with processes and the steps to things. Many of us get stuck because we don't really know the how-to of getting unstuck. So, what's your process in terms of motivating yourself to continue creating your own opportunities and pushing past obstacles.
Erica: Well, I want to be cognizant of not being like, "Well, this is what you should do and [what] everybody should do," [because] obviously not all of these things are going to work for everyone. The genesis of me having my studio and producing comeback was that I had gotten into this pattern where I was laid off about every three years—either my contract wasn't renewed or I just was no longer going to stay with a company.
What I promised to myself was that I was going to find a way to become self-sufficient, because you'll notice when things go left, when things are out of your control —like you're working for someone else and they lay you off, or you're in a situation where there may be one person who can do their job and your job, so now your job becomes obsolete—it's always someone else making those decisions. And six years ago, I decided that no one else was going to make those decisions for me.
When you say that, people generally are like, "OK, but you can't just quit? Are you independently wealthy?" And the answer's no. But when you have to [push through], you always do. So when I had to figure out how I was going to make money as a radio personality who didn't have a radio station to work at, that's when I switched the script. So I always say, look at what your gifts are and look at where your talents lie. What makes you a great candidate to a third party? Why do they want you as a part of their team?
And then really look at that gift for yourself. How can I do what I do best for my own brand and company? There is going to be a niche for you that you can be self-sufficient in. Find your gift that everyone seeks you out for, and then invest in yourself. And when I say invest, that does not mean money. Investing mostly in the beginning is going to mean your time.
xoNecole: So, true! Investing in yourself plays a big part in shifting the plan when there's a major career transition, and you've had several successful ones. What was the common factor that helped you ride through them all?
Erica: I used to own a hair extension company, and it was myself and a partner who was actually in the beauty industry for quite some time. I had decided I was going to do that full-time and take a break from media. So I did that for a couple of years, and we built this store and this brand, and it was something that I was really proud of. It was also the first time that I physically saw something be built from my work, you know. There was an aesthetic piece to it. What I learned from that was there are a lot of elements that certain industries, like health and beauty, [where] they will do these, you know, big conferences and continued education, and anything they needed in order to get new clients or to learn new techniques.
Being in that space made me think about the continuing of education. The truth is, if you're in media, there are so many things that the generation that's coming up behind us know. It's second nature to them—social media marketing, etc. All these things are second nature for them, but for me, it's not. So, it's the idea of always thinking about how you can continue your education and what that means.
The other thing is, I think that people do not give themselves grace, and they expect things to happen overnight.
I stepped away from a job where I had 1.8 million listeners every single morning, but when I started doing content, I was lucky if I got 18 views. And a lot of people made fun of me, and they were like, 'Oh, how the mighty has fallen.' But you know, at the end of the day, I have my own brand, and I was able to increase by 65 percent during a pandemic because I was used to doing this thing consistently and not caring how many people watched it or didn't watch.
So I think that's something that's important, too. Give yourself grace. Don't fall into that 'I'm embarrassed by what's not happening.' Be really proud of what you're able to do because eventually it's all gonna come together.
For more of Erica, follow her on Instagram.
Featured image by Kymora Jaxson Photography