Olay & Friends

This week on Olay & Friends, we get into the real reasons Black men aren’t going to college — beyond the tired talking points and finger-pointing. We break down the economic barriers, the cultural pressures, the failures of our school systems, and the narratives that push Black boys toward work, sports, or survival instead of higher education. We talk policy, community, masculinity, and the structural obstacles nobody wants to name. It’s a conversation about patterns, not blame — and what it will actually take to change them.Chapters:0:00 Intro1:16 Hello!/The System That Creates the Lack15:09 "It's Not For Me"23:41 The Blame Being Put on Black Women, & How It Actually Puts Us All At Fault41:25 Brief History of Decolonized Education50:42 Some Stories1:12:19 The Argument for Being Anti-Sport1:25:26 Education for Existence Sake, Not for Educations Sake

Zaid Tabani, a media and culture analyst, discusses the current controversy surrounding The Breakfast Club, highlighting issues of misogyny and the challenges faced by female hosts. The conversation dives into systemic oppression and internalized misogyny among women in media, stressing the need for solidarity and better representation. They also critique the sensationalism in today’s media landscape and reflect on personal media consumption habits, mixing humor with critical insights while emphasizing the importance of accountability in hostile work environments.

This week on Olay & Friends, we dig into hip-hop’s culture-vulture problem — and the way people like Adam22, DJ Vlad, and Trap Lore Ross have built entire platforms off Black pain, Black stories, and Black creativity without being accountable to the culture they profit from. We break down how these outsiders position themselves as historians or journalists while exploiting violence, stirring controversy, and monetizing trauma.

This week on Olay & Friends, we get into Tyra Banks’ recent speech and the fact that she still isn’t sorry for her behavior on America’s Next Top Model. We break down the gaslighting, the revisionist history, and why she keeps dodging accountability for a show that humiliated young women for entertainment. We talk exploitation, power, and why the internet refuses to let her rebrand her way out of the mess she created.

Khadija Mbowe, renowned for her insights on family dynamics, joins Rebecca Azor, who shares her journey relating to absent fathers, and Foreign Man, known for his sharp commentary. They delve into the emotional fallout of fatherhood, specifically the impact of Dr. Umar's absence on his daughter. The trio discusses the contradictions between public personas and personal responsibilities, exploring broader themes of Black masculinity and family struggles. They emphasize the importance of accountability, emotional support, and meaningful dialogue amid societal pressures.

This week on Olay & Friends, we dig into the Target boycott and make the case for why these actions actually matter. We talk about how coordinated consumer pressure can force corporations to respond, why people underestimate the power of collective refusal, and what this boycott revealed about the public’s willingness to push back.

This week on Olay & Friends, we talk about Joy-Ann Reid’s firing and what it signals about the broader assault on progressive media. We break down why outspoken Black voices are always the first on the chopping block, how right-wing pressure campaigns shape newsroom decisions, and what this means for honest political commentary going forward. This episode is about censorship, power, and the shrinking space for truth-telling in mainstream media.

This week on Olay & Friends, we get into Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy wins and how they officially sealed his victory over Drake — not just musically, but culturally, critically, and in every metric that matters. We break down the performances, the politics, the public response, and why this moment cemented Kendrick as the artist with the real legacy, while Drake’s era continues to spiral.

This week on Olay & Friends, we talk about Beyoncé finally winning Album of the Year at the Grammys — a historic moment the industry has owed her for decades. We break down why this win matters, how long the Recording Academy dragged its feet, and what it means for Black women in pop and R&B who rarely get their due. 

This week on Olay & Friends, we break down the viral discourse around Akademiks’ bizarre behavior on stream with a 15-year-old boy — and why so many people found the whole interaction unsettling. We get into the pattern of inappropriate, attention-seeking antics he pulls for views, the lack of boundaries in his online persona, and why the internet keeps enabling this type of content. It’s a conversation about accountability, platform culture, and the lines grown men should not be crossing for clout.