Kendrick Lamar made waves when he performed at the Super Bowl, the climax of a beef between him and the rapper Drake that started in the spring of 2024. One of the songs he performed was “Not Like Us”, arguably the most well-known song of last year and the diss track that solidified Lamar’s victory in the battle.

Though Lamar did not attacked Drake’s biracial heritage directly, many of the reviews of the work have drawn a strong connection to race and suggested that Drake’s career is built on cultural appropriation.

Carlyn and Elaine use the song as a starting point for their own discussion of biracial identity.

Further Reading:

* Music Video: Kendrick Lamar - Not Like Us

* Superbowl Performance: Kendrick Lamar’s Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show

* Kendrick Lamar "Not Like Us" Lyrical Breakdown (notnewhiphop)

* A complete break down of Kendrick Lamar's fifth diss track 'Not Like Us' (SportsSkeeda)

* Who’s Afraid of Being Black? Not Kamala, Beyoncé or Kendrick. (The New York Times)

* The Number One Song in the Country Is a Diss Track. Is That a Good Thing?(Rolling Stone)

* COMMENTARY: Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ reminds us that culture vultures like Akademiks and DJ Vlad built their platforms by exploiting Black trauma (The TRiiBE)

* Kendrick Lamar’s Wife’s Ethnicity Is a Hot Topic Amid His Feud With Drake (Blavity)

Theme Music: “Banjo Beat” - Will Records

Purchasing products is a reality of our lives; and the associated branding is becoming increasingly omnipresent.

In this episode, Carlyn and Elaine examine how companies use product branding to appeal to customers like them by looking at two emerging terms: “yassificiation” and “enshittification”, which both describe the relationship between an actual product and how they present to a potential consumer.

At a time of increasing economic unsurety and instability, Carlyn and Elaine sit down to talk about these themes and how they shape their own habits.

Further Reading:

* What Does ‘Yassification’ Mean? A Brief History Of The Queer Term (Refinery29)

* What Does It Mean to 'Yassify' Anything? (The New York Times)

* YASSification Is The Biggest Trend Sweeping The Internet (HighSnobiety)

* Your stuff is actually worse now (Vox)

* The ‘Enshittification’ of TikTok (Wired)

* There’s a reason why it feels like the internet has gone bad (MSN)

* Millennial Rebrand Syndrome (Blog Post, Blackbird Spyplane)

* Why does everything look infantilized? (Blog Post, Maryah)

Theme Music: “Banjo Beat” - Will Records

AI is everywhere—from chatbots to self-driving cars—and while some embrace it as an essential tool, others remain skeptical.

In this episode, Carlyn and Elaine explore the ways AI and technology are reshaping personal relationships and social interactions. Carlyn, deeply embedded in the tech world, uses AI regularly, while Elaine has intentionally distanced herself from social media and digital tools, favoring more manual, real-world processes. Together, they examine the growing tension between convenience and authenticity, questioning whether AI is enhancing or eroding human connection.

What does it mean to truly be a friend in the digital age? And as technology continues to evolve, how can we maintain meaningful relationships? Tune in for a thoughtful conversation on the trade-offs of an increasingly AI-driven world.

Further Reading:

* MIT sociologist Sherry Turkle on the psychological impacts of bot relationships (TED)

* She Fell in Love With ChatGPT. Like, Actual Love. With Sex. (NYT)

* Esther Perel on New AI - Artificial Intimacy (Brene Brown)

* “I’m afraid we’re automating this work without really understanding it.” (HBR)

* Meet My AI Friends (NYT)

After our episode on the 4B movement, we wanted to have an additional conversation pertaining to how men might be viewing their own places in society. The Manosphere, which first coalesced on the internet, but has spread beyond, is an anti-feminist movement that has the potential to radicalize men.

How do we understand the appeal of such a space? Join us, and our brother, as we explore the Manosphere.

Further Reading:

* Swallowing the Red Pill: a journey to the heart of modern misogyny (The Guardian)

* How positive male role models are detoxifying the social media ‘manosphere’ (The Guardian)

* Welcome to the femosphere, the latest dark, toxic corner of the internet… for women (The Guardian)

* Join or Die (Film)

* Are Young Men Really Becoming More Sexist? (Podcast, Good on Paper)

* How social media is luring men into the Manosphere (Podcast, The Guardian)

Theme Music: “Banjo Beat” - Will Records

As we approached Valentine's Day this year, we found ourselves reflecting on a movement that's reshaping how many women view love, relationships, and their place in society. The 4B movement, which emerged in South Korea during the mid-2010s as a reaction to persistent gender inequality, represents four deliberate choices – the four “nos”: bihon "bee-hon" (no marriage), bichulsan (no childbirth), biyeonae (no dating), and bisex (no sex).

4B has started to build momentum in the US following the Trump’s re-election and the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, and it’s not without its complexities and concerns.

Join us as we explore both 4B itself and relate it back to our own experiences with modern love and womanhood.

Futher Reading:

* 4B Movement: What is It and How Did it Start? (The Week)

* As 4B takes the world by storm, South Korea is grappling with a backlash against feminism (The Guardian)

* Here’s What Korean Women Think of the 4B Movement Spreading to the US (Rolling Stone)

* 4B Isn’t Breaking Up With Men — It’s Breaking Up With the System (34 St)

* 4B Movement Reddit Group

Theme Music: “Banjo Beat” - Will Records

2024 was a year! In Elaine’s words: “it was a looong year…” 😂. In today’s episode, we reflect on 2024 and look forward towards 2025. Featuring: Pantone's Color of the Year - Mocha Mousse (Carlyn = "yay", Elaine = "nay"), a brief Chappell Roan discussion, Elaine’s love of trains, our personal highs and lows, a new “Stranger Shout-Out” segment, and more.

Further Reading:

Our respective favorite reads: Not the End of the World by Hannah Ritchie | Playground by Richard Powers

Our respective favorite songs: “Make Your Own Kind of Music” (Cover) - Paloma Faith | “Pink Pony Club” - Chappell Roan

Our favorite TV shows: Flex X Cop (Hulu, Disney+), Happiness (Netflix), Industry (HBO), Love Island USA (Peacock), Traitors USA (Peacock)

Our favorite movies: Will & Harper (Netflix), Wicked

Pantone Color of the Year: https://www.pantone.com/color-of-the-year/2025

Pommel Horse Guy: https://www.npr.org/2024/08/03/g-s1-15241/stephen-nedoroscik-pommel-horse-guy-olympic-bronze

United Healthcare: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/most-americans-blame-insurance-profits-and-coverage-denials-alongside-killer-in-unitedhealthcare-ceo-death-poll-finds

Theme Music: “Banjo Beat” - Will Records; “Maiden Voyage” - Helmet Schenker

‘Tis the season… for Hallmark movies! At this most special time of the year, we talk about the growing holiday movie phenomenon. What defines a “Hallmark Movie”, why are they so appealing to our demographic, and does their rising popularity say anything about the TradWife trend?

Further Reading:

Tis The Season: A Hallmark Christmas Movie Outrated Everything On Cable News Last Week, Forbes.com (https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2023/11/22/tis-the-season-a-hallmark-christmas-movie-outrated-everything-on-cable-news-last-week/)

Just How Formulaic Are Hallmark and Lifetime Holiday Movies? We (Over)analyzed 424 of Them, nytimes.com (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/12/23/upshot/hallmark-lifetime-christmas.html)

Why Women Read More Than Men, Medium.com (https://medium.com/@nada.mo.shawky/why-women-read-more-than-men-1b807f7cb995)

Christmas Is Coming by MaxKoMusic | https://maxkomusic.com/

Introducing our first full RELATED podcast episode. We both recently took so-called "career breaks", and as we near the end of our respective time away from 9-5 corporate, we reflect on what we've learned, general observations and thoughts regarding taking time off, millennial life/work trends, and more.