Hey, y'all. It's your girl, Shakyra Maybone.
Jada:Jada Vassar.
Anthony:And Anthony Brinson, and this is All Shade of Chocolate where we bring
Shakyra:The sweetest.
Jada:The hottest Black
Anthony:culture to MSU. So shout out Mallory. She's brought a wonderful guest on aboard for our podcast today. Oh. Shikara, if you wanna, introduce, our guest and have her introduce herself.
Shakyra:This is Angel Brooks. Angel or you be, you know, nice to introduce yourself. Like, what do you do?
Angel:Hi, guys. I go by the name of Angel v. I am an Around the Way girl. I would like to say I'm a pillar AT. I'm AT.
Angel:I'm AT not the
Anthony:little one. Yeah. You're right.
Angel:I'm AT. So, I am a former radio personality, podcast host, event host, hustler. You name it. Okay? Angel makes some shake b.
Angel:I could set a water to a fish.
Shakyra:Come on now.
Shakyra:Yes. Yes.
Angel:So I am getting ready to start nursing school. I just completed a class over the summer. So, I put the mic down for a little bit, which I was so excited. You guys reached out to me to have me today. So you guys are gonna get my brain going.
Shakyra:Okay. Well, thank you for being on here today. Absolutely.
Angel:And I wanna say I'm proud of you guys. Like, I just met you, and I just love this dynamic. Allstate is chocolate. Come on.
Shakyra:Love it. Thank you.
Anthony:Host to another. At least I and I can imagine they agree. So grateful for that. Like, just the, short time we've had this podcast and this platform, just it's allowed me personally to have some type of platform to even share my thoughts, and I feel like I'm making some bit of change, especially do always big them up damn damn near every episode. And every time we record, just there was initially their idea when they, thought I'll shave the chocolate and to now be sharing, like, a table with 3 powerful black women.
Anthony:Like, it means I'm grateful.
Angel:Absolutely.
Anthony:And with, me saying that, I don't wanna ask with your transition from, being on mic, being podcast, and now trying to get in nursing school, what would you say you've been able to take with you in that previous career trying to transition to another one?
Angel:My personality. So nursing school was never on the floor for me. It was it was always radio. Live, breathe, radio. Radio is something I wanted to do.
Angel:It's something that I did do, and it's something that I'm okay stepping away from knowing that I could come back to it at any time. I believe that I put in that groundwork. I've made connections, and connections are very important, guys. You know? Never burn a bridge unless you know you don't gotta cross it
Shakyra:in. Mhmm.
Angel:So for me, it's it's taking my personality and my kindness and my work ethic. I know I personally think there's nothing harder than radio. So that's giving me the confidence that I need to get through nursing school. Am I nervous? Yeah.
Anthony:That's why I'm so nervous on my day because we're not supposed to.
Angel:Okay, girl.
Anthony:Yeah. I
Angel:don't say nothing like that, but you might get a little you
Shakyra:might get a little.
Angel:You might, you know Listen. I because every fool
Shakyra:who wanna spark a nerve. So
Angel:Yeah. But no. I know how to get in that mode because you can't cuss on the radio. Mhmm. You can't cuss on the radio.
Shakyra:Yeah.
Angel:So for me, it's taking my personality. When I had to do clinicals and I went into the nursing home, that's when my personality really kicked in because you want these people you're taking care of to feel comfortable. I do not want them to feel like a patient. I'm treating them how I would want my family members to be treated. Mhmm.
Angel:You know? So making them laugh and just being my witty, goofy self is really I was like, oh my gosh. Like, I'm really just taking taking my radio career with me. Mhmm. You know?
Angel:Because I've always been a personality. Mhmm. So
Anthony:So being that big personality and going from, one field where you're really communicating to where now you're more communicating on a bigger scale and interacting with people, how do you sort of how do you flip that switch on the
Shakyra:bad days of and sometimes you
Anthony:may not wanna, be bubbly or be interactive. And when if you have those more harder moments, how do you flip the switch and, like
Shakyra:you said, try
Anthony:and make somebody smile if you're maybe not smiling on the inside or just in general?
Angel:So for me, I've always been one of those people where I know how to take my emotions off at work when there's money on the floor.
Shakyra:Mhmm. Okay. I can
Angel:have it. Yes. I know how to hang up that coat, and leave work at work and home at home. Mhmm. So but nobody's perfect.
Angel:Working in the nursing home, it tugs at my heartstrings. You know? Like, I'm super emotional.
Shakyra:Wait. Super emotional. Sorry. Sorry. No.
Shakyra:What's your sign?
Angel:I'm cancer. Okay. Got it. I'm a cancer y'all. I'm so every time
Anthony:that happens, I'm so sorry. What does that mean? Because I'm not a zodiac person. What is that? Oh, you're a can what does that mean?
Angel:Cancers are crybabies, but I cry on my own time. I'm a cry in the car. Okay. Alright. I'm
Shakyra:gonna cry in
Angel:the car. Yeah. I'm gonna say You're
Anthony:not gonna let nobody see, but I'm a get
Shakyra:this done.
Angel:Oh, yeah.
Shakyra:I gotta
Angel:I gotta get this off of me. Yeah. I'm a I'm a empath. Yeah. I'm a empath.
Angel:It sucks being an empath though because, like, I could walk in this room and feel everybody's emotion.
Shakyra:Yeah.
Angel:So then I have to choose to be the positive person
Shakyra:Mhmm.
Angel:And to, like, steer this ship because we still have a job to do. You know? Mhmm. You gotta show up. I'm one of those people, like, you you have to show up.
Angel:It's okay to have a moment, but that's why I'm such a great team player. You know? If I recognize hey. You're having a day. How can I how can I help you?
Angel:You know what I mean? Mhmm.
Shakyra:So Come on. Team player?
Angel:Yes. And
Anthony:just even, feeling that energy of just that, like, hey. What's going on? How can we move forward? That's important whether it's emotionally or just like you were mentioning, just trying to get a job done.
Angel:Absolutely.
Anthony:And I'd wanna transition it over to, as I call her, doctor Vassar. As you may ask that sometimes I call her to just sort of just go ahead and take the floor just because as much as I joke, I, tell both these young ladies, especially Jada, that I see a lot in her to wear that doctor title. I don't just say it just to be funny. And so when I mentioned, like, powerful black woman on the table, like, as much as I feel like I'm grateful to be here, I want you guys to have a good portion of conversation.
Jada:Yeah. Because I definitely have a question. So I guess I kinda have 2 questions. So my first question would be, how do you navigate as a black woman as a powerful black woman? How do you navigate entering yourself in those conversations where you have to talk to people that don't understand you?
Jada:I know. It's a heavy question, but I'd love an answer. I love your answer.
Angel:So me and Mallory, we used to work at this place. I won't say the company's name, but,
Anthony:real I'm so sorry to cut you off. Due to the, things that we talk about on this platform and the things that we may express, the things of this platform are of our own thoughts and our guest thoughts and not of the state news. They are thoughts of Anthony Brinson, Jada Vassar, and Shakira Mabon, and our special guest today.
Shakyra:I love y'all. It's just
Shakyra:I have
Anthony:to do that for a reason.
Shakyra:So yeah.
Angel:Yeah. I like that. Mhmm. So me and Madeline, we work for this place. We to sum it up, we were debt collectors.
Angel:So I learned the toughest skin. I got the toughest skin between being a debt collector and my grandmother. Mhmm. So That part, you were
Shakyra:worried about your grandmother too?
Angel:My grandmother was a heavy hitter in my life. Heavy. My granny,
Shakyra:she's the one
Angel:that named me Angel. Oh. So my granny was a heavy hitter. I'm a grandma's baby. Everybody's like mama's girls, daddy's girl.
Angel:I was a granny's girl. She was so tough on me, but now I know why.
Shakyra:Yeah.
Angel:Because I wanna be who I am. But so me and Mallory were debt collectors. And She made the most money y'all. I had to I love Mallory. Yeah.
Angel:But Mallory I had to be I just feel like Mallory, come on, girl. They got it. We just we just make them just make them give it. Just make them give it. So That's true.
Angel:When it comes when it comes to talking to people and I know it's not what you say, it's
Shakyra:how you say it. So I personally know how to word
Angel:things to get them on my page. Personally know how to word things to get them on my page. Mhmm. And I have a lot of patience. So that helps me.
Angel:Mhmm. Now every day is different. And my level of patience may be tested in a different way. But so, basically, to sum up my answer, it was my previous career my previous career as a debt collector. Okay.
Angel:What was your second question?
Jada:Oh, yeah. My second question is, I kinda wanna take it back. Like, what's your origin story? How did you know I you talked about a little bit off the mic, but how did you know you wanted to do radio? And what would you say your biggest challenge was when you did radio?
Angel:Okay. So I know I wanted to do radio when I was a little girl, and, I was playing with a radio. I was playing with a radio and I accidentally recorded myself.
Shakyra:Yes. You know, I'm the opposite. We have, like, 3 d s's.
Shakyra:I know I used to
Shakyra:make, like, voice messages.
Angel:Oh, girl.
Shakyra:Hey, y'all. This is Shakara today. And I still do this to this very day. So My
Angel:age is showing. Oh. Girl look good. Yeah.
Shakyra:Oh, thank
Shakyra:you so much. Y'all if
Angel:I told y'all how old I was, I don't think y'all would believe this.
Shakyra:I still don't know. Yeah. I'm a call you
Angel:Elijah for saying TV because you're probably gonna be past one of our Thank you all so much. So I accidentally recorded myself, and I played it back, and I was like, oh my gosh. Is that me? Is that that is so cool. So I'm just like, this is a radio.
Angel:And, you know, back then, before we had cell phones and stuff like that, like, people really love the radio. When you think of the house parties or the family get togethers or even cooking, like, our families are listening to the radio. So to know that somebody could listen to my voice and just be cooking, cleaning, having a bad day, or in traffic, I was like, this is something I wanna do. Mhmm. So as I got older, it's always been the radio, but my dream dream was to host 106 in Park.
Angel:Yay. Oh, no. Oh, no. Not to Park.
Shakyra:I always said that. I was like, we need to bring that back.
Anthony:We do.
Shakyra:Like, so so much. Do.
Shakyra:She must be And when
Shakyra:they do,
Angel:I'm ready.
Anthony:To just lob it over because she not exaggerating. Yeah. And then we talk about that to just lob it over to Shakira and y'all just to off segue real quick. I'm a be honest, expose myself a little bit. Not the most hip to 106 in Park.
Anthony:I know what it is.
Shakyra:That was the greatest show all the time. You Not even necessary. Culture time. Put a culture. Sorry.
Shakyra:Culture.
Anthony:Based on and I've since I'm my, nonculturinist, I've done a little research about it, and it seems like a, seemed like a pretty, eventful show. With that and having the aspirations of wanting to host it and then doing similar career paths, both of you, I'd wanna ask, if you had the opportunity to make your own 106 in South Park, like, you can't call it that. You can't be that. Or 106. Yeah.
Jada:Yeah. My bad. I thought I said one
Anthony:in my phone, but just, how how would you create your own platform that how how would you create your
Shakyra:own platform
Anthony:that delivers the same idea of a 106 in park but also makes it your own? Like, a Shakira version and a angel version.
Angel:That is a interesting conversation.
Shakyra:Look at y'all. Honestly, you know, I just, like, show my authentic self, like, my own personality with by being, like, modern. Like, see, that's the thing about, like, being a content creator and a journalist. Like, you have to know, like, what do the people like, you know. And when you, like, research that and basically was like, okay.
Shakyra:Well, I know this is gonna get people to watch it. You you use that in your, you know, in your show and stuff like that, but you also have to say truth to yourself. So I know I don't know. I think I'm pretty funny.
Shakyra:You know,
Shakyra:I think I'm funny.
Anthony:Mhmm. That's true.
Shakyra:Yeah.
Shakyra:That's true. So I just feel like with all of that combined with it, it was just, like, reel people in. So, like you said, like, you know how to get people in. That's what radio personalities have to do. You know?
Shakyra:So yeah.
Angel:Piggyback off what she said, I would definitely be my authentic self. I'm Angel Bee. That's the only person I can be.
Shakyra:I don't
Angel:want to be anybody else. Mhmm. I don't want to have another personality. This personality is big, and it's big for a reason. Like Okay.
Angel:I might be 4 foot 11, but when I tell you yes. I am. You my soul sister. Oh, yeah. When I tell you in my brain, I'm 7 foot 3.
Shakyra:Listen. I
Angel:am 7 foot 3.
Shakyra:I just wanna add on, like, you have to have that, you know, that mindset though because especially in the entertainment industry. They look at us like, mhmm. Mhmm. You know what I'm saying? So it's just, like, it's so important to have, like, that big confidence.
Shakyra:That's why I said, like, you really have to walk with confidence. Like, I remember, a former snoozer here. She was also podcast editor before I came podcast editor, and she was also black. She was like, one thing that you have podcast editor, and she was also black. She was like, one thing that you have to learn from me, you
Shakyra:have to
Shakyra:walk in a room with confidence. And it's just like yeah. You really do, especially in the entertainment industry because it's it's rough out there. So yeah.
Angel:And to Go ahead.
Anthony:I just wanted to ask on that. We've I've had conversations with them, and you could probably attest to the fact that sometimes black women in certain career paths aren't treated the best. Absolutely. You mentioned that you work in media and nursing, and I've had conversations even with them. And my mom also, referenced Hema.
Anthony:She used to work in, nursing, and I would hear these conversations on how they don't take black women seriously, whether it be from the worker's perspective or the person that's getting the nurse treatment. And I'd wanna ask you with you talk about your big personality and you make sure that that's one of your calling cards, but sometimes, unfortunately, depending on the person you're talking to, that's deemed a negative thing. Mhmm. So being a big personality, being who you are, when you carry yourself, how do you do When you carry yourself how you carry yourself and you may walk in a room that isn't as inviting with it, what is the immediate response of the flight or flight flight or fight? Like, how do you deal with it?
Anthony:How do you navigate it as an empath you mentioned? And how do you stay authentic while being in a space that doesn't care for your authenticity?
Angel:The first step to that is I want all y'all to remember this is we may not be someone's cup of tea, but y'all need to be Hennessy straight. Oh. Always.
Anthony:I don't drink. I don't drink. But yeah.
Shakyra:Drink responsibly.
Shakyra:20 1
Shakyra:Yeah. Sorry, though.
Angel:Do you watch P Valley? You know I do.
Shakyra:You know what uncle Cooper said? He said what he said about the cup of tea, it was this quote. He was like, you can't beat everybody cup of tea because you won't have any for yourself. That's right.
Angel:Mhmm. See. And I I live by a few uncle Clifford, quotes. I remember before my transitioning, can we talk about religion a little bit? Yeah.
Shakyra:You talking about it. You want?
Angel:So before my transition, I had did the removal prayer, and you'd be careful when
Anthony:you do this removal prayer. What you
Jada:say on the You
Shakyra:gotta you gotta be
Shakyra:careful when you
Angel:do the removal prayer.
Anthony:It work.
Shakyra:Yes. It it
Angel:really it really does. And I remember uncle Clifford. He said, folks don't understand. It get lonely shining so bright. I'm asking people.
Anthony:Could you repeat it one more time?
Angel:Folks don't understand. It get lonely shining so bright. Mhmm. So with my bigger personality, it can intimidate people. Mhmm.
Angel:You know, it it didn't weeded them out, girl, in the dating life, in the friend life. I would just put them out
Shakyra:there. Don't get me started. In the dating life. I present you know what? Never mind.
Shakyra:We could jump into my car. I just personally feel like people are so scared of bubbly women.
Angel:Yeah. You think so? Yes.
Shakyra:Do you think so? Yes. Because I don't know. In my experience, I feel like whenever I talk to someone and, you know, I'd be like, trying to make them laugh and stuff like because they don't let me listen. They don't make me laugh.
Angel:So I feel like I have
Shakyra:to make somebody laugh. You know? But it's like Well,
Angel:you're funny. You're funny.
Shakyra:Okay. But I just feel like people just don't like that. You know? Like yeah.
Angel:So are y'all dating?
Anthony:I'm in a relationship.
Angel:You are. You are.
Shakyra:I'm not in a relationship. Really?
Anthony:No. I'm I'm a mess with her again. She the relationship guru. 56 years.
Shakyra:Right. 5:6 years. Oh, what's the date?
Jada:What's today? Right. Right. Oh, yeah. Almost.
Anthony:Almost. Right? Where is it, man?
Shakyra:Yes, girl. Congratulations.
Jada:Thank you. Thank you.
Anthony:So how many? 5
Jada:or 6? 5.
Anthony:So I like 5. So
Angel:when I took my intermission from the radio, I know that I prayed to god and I was like, I'm ready for a relationship. Mhmm. And I I that was my prayer. You know? I would have been single for 4 years in dating.
Angel:And the radio scene is very hard, especially if somebody is kinda in the same field as
Shakyra:you. Mhmm.
Angel:You know? Because they may want your sauce.
Shakyra:Mhmm.
Angel:And I'm the type of person. I could give you the sauce, but it's not gonna taste the same. Mhmm. I'm a I'm a girl's girl, and I look out for the fellas too. I wanna see us all win.
Angel:However, I can smell BS. I could smell BS, and I can know if somebody is stepping on my toes to try to take my spot. But I got to a point and I was like, there is not another spot. This is mine. You know what I mean?
Angel:Yeah.
Shakyra:So for you is always gonna be
Angel:my Yeah. So. I think guys, they it's not that they don't want a bubbly woman. I think sometimes they get intimidated when you got a good head on your shoulders. I hear that a lot.
Angel:Make me go live. This is
Shakyra:good. And
Anthony:I actually wanna even, piggyback on that because as a guy, I'd, and I talk to them all the time that, sometimes I jokingly say I'm frustrated to share the gender of the same, as men because you get in situations where you have you get the confusion of, like, are they intimidated? Are they, for me? And I guess the creation, the question to create in that, I'm noticed or I'm in this field, I've noticed, and you even mentioned it earlier, that you gotta make relations. And you gotta sometimes they say it's not about what you know. It's who you know.
Anthony:But when we get in these conversations of mistrust and mistreatment, I'd wanna ask in navigating that, that field and even from transitioning over in the nursing field. Because, apparently, I'd be hearing, like, it'd be t in the hospitals. So, like, I say all that I say all that to say or in the whatever. I hear it's tea in the medical world.
Shakyra:Listen. Yeah.
Anthony:And I ask or I say all that to ask, how do you constantly build those relationships while navigating through the snakes in the grass, let's say? And how do you keep those relationships and wanna maintain those relationships even after going through the smelling the BS experiences?
Angel:I'm one of those people. I don't take it personal. Mhmm. I don't take people's actions or attitudes personal. I got to a point in my life where I was like, everybody is having a everybody can have a bad day.
Angel:So at the end of the day, I'm one of those people. My coworker is still my coworker.
Shakyra:Mhmm.
Angel:Whether we whether I like you, you like me, at the end of the day, the day gotta end. Mhmm. And we just try to get some money and go home.
Anthony:I know that's alright.
Angel:You know? I'm not petty. I'm gonna help you if you need help. Mhmm. If you
Shakyra:need some advice or however I could step in to help this day run smoothly, I'm gonna
Angel:do that. I
Shakyra:could step in to help
Angel:this day run smoothly, I'm gonna do that. So no matter how a person treat me, especially with some paper, some money involved. Throw some money. Let some paper involved and chat us some
Anthony:more in. Listen. I'm gonna
Shakyra:get some
Anthony:money. Yeah.
Shakyra:With some
Angel:with some pay when some papers involved, like, their perception of me, can't nobody say Angel's lazy, Angel's not a hard worker. I'm a team player. Okay? Whether you like me or not. So that personal relationship, I can't speak on that.
Angel:But that business relationship, that coworker relationship, outstanding. Always.
Jada:That part.
Angel:That part. So as far as the snakes in the grass, I'm a tell y'all always keep some paperwork on somebody. Mhmm. Did you
Anthony:I think I got you, but could you expound upon that?
Angel:Yeah. Always keep some paperwork on somebody. If you know someone you're working with somebody and they hating on you and they clock and see and they trying to watch what you do, watch what they do.
Anthony:Some would say Yeah. Keep your friends close.
Angel:And your enemies closer. Yeah. Yeah. But as long as you're doing what you're doing, God gonna stay spinning the block for you.
Shakyra:That's what I was gonna say. Like
Angel:God is gonna stay spinning the block for you.
Shakyra:Really? Yeah. I was just like, you know what? They got it.
Angel:You know? Used to be like that. Yeah. I'm still a sweetheart. But when it come to pay, don't hurt me.
Angel:Mhmm. That's
Shakyra:sweet. Mhmm. That's sweet.
Angel:Because I clock
Anthony:out at 9.
Shakyra:Money. Yes. Big money down here. Oh, no.
Anthony:Stop. Y'all we have an assignment.
Angel:Oh, yeah. So I felt
Jada:you because it's like, if we have work that needs to be completed, nothing they know there's nothing stopping the work from getting done. We have to complete the work. Outside of this place Mhmm. That differs. Yeah.
Jada:But the work has to be done because you have a job to do. We got hired here for a reason.
Shakyra:Mhmm. So we
Jada:all have to work to complete this. So, god, I got you. I'm a sweetheart too. I love people.
Anthony:I wanna help
Jada:people. It's like, oh, Bradley, don't do that.
Shakyra:I'm a ask you
Shakyra:I'm a
Angel:ask you a second question. Your second question was, like, the hardest part of navigating the radio? Oh, the so I got into event hosting. Yeah. So I will host events, open houses, club appearances.
Angel:I helped out with Common Ground. And y'all may not be from here. Common Ground is like it used to come to Lansing, and we will have
Shakyra:different artists.
Anthony:Upon what Common Ground is, though.
Angel:Yeah. It's like a festival. Different artists will come to Lansing. We have Ludacris and Dog, Wale,
Shakyra:Nipsey Hussle came for you. Yeah.
Angel:So, Hussle Catboy. Yeah.
Shakyra:So, no. All the people I just
Angel:know you met. You don't even oh my gosh.
Shakyra:I cannot wait. I'm sorry. About Nipsey Hussle. Yeah. I didn't
Shakyra:meet him.
Angel:I I didn't meet I And when he passed away, she probably said that. Ask her about NFT.
Anthony:Yeah. If I And hold that. If I were to take the, bit of advice from miss Mallory over here, she mentioned a bit of background information about you as a, as a person. 1st of all, to be just serious, she mentioned that you are a great, woman in general, and I can just express that I've been great, blessed to meet Mallory as well and, you as well. Just as I mentioned, in the beginning of the episode, I don't take these sort of conversations for granted.
Anthony:And in one of the things she mentioned about you, she mentioned Nipsey also. Man. So Okay. I can imagine he might be one of your favorite artists if I were to take a while. Yes.
Angel:And it's not it's not just because he's a artist. I loved what Nipsey stood for. Generation of wealth. You know? I remember when he died, mother was like, what's wrong?
Angel:Like, I was so tore up. She cried. Oh. Who who caught my mama? And then
Shakyra:but you would I
Angel:was like Tupac. I love I got a tattoo for Nipsey. Oh, man. But, yeah, like, his his saying was the marathon continues.
Jada:I love Nipsey too.
Angel:Matter what. Oh, man. The marathon will continue.
Anthony:So in that of Nipsey, I wanna ask, are you a would you say you're a music person just in general?
Angel:Absolutely.
Anthony:So, in the radio. I was about to
Angel:say or not, though, girl.
Anthony:Yeah. That and and learning that, it's also been pretty weird to understand, like, they're in that field, but not be in, the music culture. But in hip hop, in talking about it, you mentioned Nipsey Hussle. Who are some of your, other, like, standouts, favorites, anybody that comes to mind?
Angel:My absolute favorite artist, and don't throw no shade in me, y'all, because people be having mixed emotions on my man. Because this is my man, Jermaine Cole.
Shakyra:Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Anthony:Jermaine. They
Shakyra:look like
Jada:the biggest J.
Angel:Cole fan.
Shakyra:Okay. Okay. Yeah.
Angel:What's your favorite song?
Anthony:Jermaine? You you have one. I
Angel:can't You hate.
Jada:I can't we have I got a very
Shakyra:I have
Anthony:a favorite recent one.
Angel:What's your favorite one?
Anthony:To ask you a question, one of my more favorite recent J. Cole, versus is from a song with, battle rapper, daylight, a plate of collard greens. I don't know if you're familiar of it. The rhyme first of all, just that title is a lot in there. But with, J Cole, he's one of my favorite artists, and his writing style more recently, at least the part of his writing style that gets my brain going, like, in a, like, oh my gosh.
Anthony:He's doing this. It's the more internal rhyming of, like, a to b, like and and that's when I go into it in terms of, like, rap and all the hip hop stuff. But did you have a, favorite, like, J. Cole?
Shakyra:I don't have a
Anthony:favorite song.
Jada:I have a favorite album, and I feel like I said
Anthony:it all. I do too. Okay.
Jada:Alright. I got you. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on.
Anthony:I got you. I got you. I got you. Looking, do you have a favorite J.
Angel:Cole song or project? Anything? Yeah. I got 3. Born singer.
Shakyra:I play
Anthony:Born singer. Is that your number one favorite?
Angel:Yes. My
Shakyra:favorite song.
Anthony:Album, or is that your song?
Angel:The song.
Anthony:Oh, I
Shakyra:love the
Anthony:song. That's my favorite album, and I love that song. James, I don't know how to say the guy's last name who features on the vocals on that song, the vocalist, but yeah. I love one sentence.
Angel:Amazing. And then he dropped this, this song with Summer Walker.
Anthony:Call me in the end or, no copyright. Yeah. But yeah. Yeah. That's that job.
Angel:That was different. That was different. And,
Anthony:Love that verse.
Angel:I love Deja Vu. Yeah.
Anthony:From a hit by name. I don't know about
Angel:that. I put a finger in the sky.
Anthony:Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Shakyra:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Anthony:And that's that's my job.
Angel:Yeah. J. Cole, to me, lyrically, ain't nobody messing with Cole.
Anthony:Okay. That's
Angel:why I ain't wearing my Soul Cole.
Anthony:You got me
Jada:Before we get into it, y'all, I just wanna say my favorite J. K. Rowling. I'm waiting
Shakyra:for you to
Jada:2014 Forrest Hill Drive. That's my favorite album. You was
Shakyra:I need
Anthony:them to sit at mix tape. I've never actually, this Yeah. Oh, wait. You I'm thinking about the other one. Yeah.
Anthony:That's awful. Platinum no features? Platinum no features? Mhmm. But to this Get into
Jada:it, bro. You're my to
Anthony:the, Cole. Listen. So before I get into, the better so between I'm a be a little messy for the crowd a little real quick. So you mentioned J Cole, nobody touching J Cole. So would you agree that he's the best of the big three between J Cole, Kendrick, and Drake?
Anthony:So thank you. Alright. So first of all, we oh, you don't? I do. You do?
Anthony:Okay. We cooking. We cooking a little bit.
Shakyra:I'm not
Angel:really a drizzy fan.
Anthony:Oh, damn. See, I I ain't gonna have far.
Jada:You're gonna I ain't got
Shakyra:Drizzy. Oh.
Angel:Drizzy got 3 songs that I listen to, and 2 of them I work out to.
Shakyra:So Oh, what was on?
Angel:Nice For What?
Shakyra:That's how's that joke?
Shakyra:Talking about. You gotta be nice for what? He's gotta teach me how
Angel:to flirt Listen. Drink drink
Anthony:Is that about
Angel:Drink responsibly. Do not Marvin's room and drive.
Jada:Yeah. No. I'm kidding.
Angel:Know where you're gonna end up.
Shakyra:That take care of him was like Yeah.
Anthony:That Perfect. Yeah. But you asked him you said nobody can mess with J. Cole lyrically. You know, I think, you know, number 2 well, him and him and Wayne, even though Lil Wayne's a whole other day.
Angel:Oh, yeah.
Shakyra:I don't know him.
Angel:He he retired. No. Wayne still ain't music. I know. I know.
Angel:But as far as, like, getting out here and doing stuff, I don't see why he ain't doing that.
Anthony:Yeah. And I don't either, and that's a whole another conversation. But, I've they've alluded to my favorite rapper's Eminem. So I'm a big, Eminem fan. And bro.
Anthony:A nice So other than other than Em, you're saying
Jada:Jada, nice
Angel:So other than
Shakyra:other than them, you're saying j
Anthony:the j co
Shakyra:the best, I I don't bad I too unless that man from
Anthony:the drag hey. Listen. That guy. Man, I don't hey. If Eminem Y'all like Big Sean?
Anthony:Yes. I like Sean. Sean fired. Yeah.
Shakyra:1 man
Anthony:could change the world
Angel:world to guard me through some tough times.
Jada:Man, what? That's that song right there,
Angel:man. Yeah.
Anthony:So could you do a, Mount Rushmore greatest hip hop, or rappers of all time?
Angel:I'm not really into rap, guys.
Anthony:Oh, okay. Well, we can give you interest. Okay. What type of music do you prefer?
Angel:Be. Yeah. R and B.
Shakyra:Wait. Who's your favorite R and B artist?
Anthony:Let's see. We can get to some R and B.
Shakyra:Alright. Do you like party next
Angel:to me?
Anthony:Mm-mm. No? Dang.
Angel:I'm old, y'all. Okay. Oh, okay. Yeah. We got a old school.
Shakyra:Yeah. Oh, okay. Okay. Okay. Right.
Shakyra:Okay. So, like, what's your are you a millennial?
Angel:I don't know. Wait. How old is that?
Shakyra:That's a little bit.
Angel:We're Gena
Shakyra:x, I think. No. Gena x. You're, yeah, you're Gen z for sure.
Angel:Are she older than me? How old is your male? 26. Oh, I'm older than her. TV about to be 30 in a year and a half.
Angel:Yeah. You're 30. Okay. Oh, yeah.
Anthony:What? 28,
Angel:I'm about to be 20
Shakyra:They literally your age
Jada:is a black conversation. To my
Anthony:head for this. Y'all sounds
Shakyra:like a
Anthony:smile. I'm
Shakyra:pretty sure. Because
Angel:Cece has twerking on her bad back. Yeah.
Shakyra:It's not playing.
Jada:Wait. Who's your favorite old school artist?
Angel:My favorite old school artist, it's a few of them. How far you wanna go back? Because we we can go back.
Shakyra:Go back. We can go
Angel:we can take it back to uncle Charlie in the gap bed.
Anthony:Okay. We
Shakyra:can go farther than that, though. Okay.
Anthony:Yeah. Now you and her with high school. We don't live every day. Now you and her.
Shakyra:Oh, yeah. Uh-huh.
Angel:When I'm when I'm really when I need to make a decision or, my heart is just feeling heavy, I play Donny Hathaway singing
Shakyra:a song for you.
Angel:Yeah. Singing a song
Shakyra:for me.
Jada:My god.
Angel:And as, as somebody who's older and who has went through therapy, now that I listen to that song, I hear his cry for help.
Shakyra:Mhmm.
Angel:You know, a lot of times people don't understand that these artists in our eyes, they have everything.
Shakyra:Mhmm.
Angel:But in their eyes, they have nothing. Mhmm. You know what I mean? So it just takes me back to my favorite scripture. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world yet lose his soul?
Shakyra:That's it. You know what I mean?
Anthony:Amen. We've had conversations where we talk them in that similar light because like you mentioned, just we think we think they have everything, and they have everything we want. And sometimes we may want the, the notoriety, fame, and, fortune, but when it brings and that's one of the things that sort of, like, it's almost scary to think about when people have so much status and so much success, but their mentality or their mind is such, in a prison, and it doesn't allow people to get out. And it's one of those things I think about when, like, trying to pursue careers and trying to get big and just I'm the type of person where I don't necessarily I don't need to be famous. Like, I don't I'd rather, be stable than famous.
Anthony:And in that sort of journey of just navigating, we talk about music, pop culture, news. When you finally get to a career point where you're, getting money for it and you're making, like, a career and now you've transitioned to another one, was there any like, if there was any anxiety to transition in from one field to the other, how'd you handle it? And, now that you're you said you're comfortable to where now you were, you were at a place where you could leave, the one career field to go there now. Do you have any more, a, how did you deal with the anxiety of transitioning those career fields if there was any? And, b, how long do you plan on being, in the nursing field?
Angel:I am a science person. I'm a big science person. Unfortunately, god have to hit me in the head with stop sign.
Shakyra:Mhmm.
Angel:So for me, hopping into nursing, it was one of those things to where people in my immediate family, nobody is in the nursing field, and my parents are getting older. So I wanna be the one to take that baton and know what I'm doing when I take care of them because I'm not trying to stick my people in a nursing home. Mhmm.
Anthony:You know? Yeah.
Angel:My stepfather passed away of cancer. Really?
Anthony:And I knew
Angel:the business side of things because, I wear many hats, and I was in the corporate world at the time. I was working for Blue Cross Blue of Michigan. So I knew the business side of things, but I had no idea, like, what to do. I wouldn't even know how to change a bandage at that time. So I was like, oh, shoot.
Angel:You know? I need to further educate myself on this. And it's actually something I accidentally fell in love with. Mhmm. Because the radio is my first love.
Angel:But I'm one of those people I'm never satisfied when it comes to money. So hopping in the nursing, this is a bag. She's a goatee. Yeah. This is a bag and
Shakyra:it's something that I love, so
Shakyra:why not
Angel:merge the 2? You know what I mean? So the anxiety for me, I got through it with prayer.
Shakyra:Mhmm. I got through it with prayer. Mhmm. I got
Angel:through it with prayer. Mhmm. I got anxiety for me, I got through it with prayer in a village. Mhmm. You know?
Angel:My village stands behind me in anything I wanna do. My mom knows her child is a little crazy. Whatever I wanna do, my mama gonna stand behind me. If I tell my mom I wanna do a 2 week movie, she gonna be like Actually
Anthony:Try to be to be.
Shakyra:Yeah. Yeah. I know that. I know that. I see you on there.
Shakyra:If I tell my I didn't see you on her side. If I
Angel:tell my mom I wanted to try out for the dirty dish, she gonna stick beside her child. And I grew up in the church, so that's a blessing
Shakyra:to
Angel:have a mother who's nonjudgmental. Mhmm. You know what I mean? But I did have a lot of anxiety. It was so hard for me to be like, okay.
Angel:I have to step away from the radio just for a second. And that's honestly what helps me. I keep telling myself this is just for a second. This is just for a second. This is just for a second.
Angel:Because my program is only a year. Mhmm. You know? So I just gotta don't think like this, but I think like it's just a bid. No.
Angel:No. No. Like, I gotta turn myself in for a year. Mhmm. Just about furtherly educate myself, you know, get a certificate under my belt.
Shakyra:Yeah. Different avenues. Ain't nothing wrong with it. You know?
Angel:Yeah. It's hard though. Especially, like, still being in the 9 to 5 world because you all gotta make sense. You have to take care of yourself. You have to have money coming in when being in the radio is what what I love.
Angel:So it's hard doing what you love and then doing what you don't like. Mhmm. So I know that I I love nursing now and I love helping. So having a 9 to 5 right now, it's not happy.
Anthony:Right. Mhmm.
Angel:I did the radio. I love this. It's not work to me. It's what I love to do. You know?
Angel:Yeah. So going into an environment and you're not happy, like, I will be oh, I could tell y'all this. I will be at my desk searching up radio topics. Mhmm. Creep.
Angel:Doing my show.
Shakyra:Thinking about stuff.
Angel:Yeah. Like, because I don't wanna be here. Mhmm. So
Anthony:And in that, 2 questions I wanna ask. Just you mentioned that sort of unhappiness. Would you have are you someone that live with with with regrets? And you mentioned that you're currently in a position that, yes, you're trying to transition, but you're currently in a position to where, it may not be favorable. And some religions would say that there may be another thing behind the door, and that's why you're in this, you're going through this to get to the next step.
Shakyra:Mhmm.
Anthony:But for some people who may not have that sort of mindset or may not be religious, and I'd also wanna ask about your religion, just being in a position where you're unhappy and like you just expressed, what do you keep in mind other than your show to keep you going?
Angel:When I'm unhappy, I think of god's grace and where I've come from. Mhmm. I know. I used to dream of being becoming this woman that I am. You know, like, she's she's flawed and I'm still going through so much, but it's just like I've turned into the woman that I used to look up to.
Angel:Mhmm. You know? So when I'm unhappy, I think of how far I've come, not how much farther I have to go, but, like, dang, girl. Look how far you've come. Mhmm.
Angel:So that's something that keeps that keeps me grounded, and I try not to be a complainer.
Shakyra:Mhmm.
Angel:You know? Somebody is always worse off. You know? So try to be thankful of what I do have, and I always wake up and I say thank you, god, for the blessings that I have and for the ones I have yet to receive. Mhmm.
Anthony:I don't ask this facetiously because, also, I'm a Christian. I want would want you to, tell your story from this perspective. That's why I'm about to ask this. When, serving your religion and believing in the things you do, sometimes, you know, as a Christian, as a fellow Christian, you hear the song. You know, my god is awesome.
Anthony:Mhmm. So how would, how would you talk about your god, and how would you if some if I were to ask you, why do you believe in god? How does it help you get throughout the day and all that? How would you answer that based on your opinion? Because, again, the things that these platforms are
Shakyra:our own.
Anthony:But in your opinion, why why is it something that keeps you going? Or how is it something that keeps you going?
Angel:I got baptized when I was 4 years old. I grew up in a church, by the Son Holy Spirit Ministries is my grandpa's and my uncle's church. Church is something that's embedded in me. But as I get older, older, church is just a building. Mhmm.
Angel:Church is in your heart. Worship is in
Shakyra:your heart. God is in your heart. So stemming back from what I just said,
Angel:when it comes to god, first of all, he's ahead of my life. He will always be ahead of my life. Mhmm. I know God is real because of things I've been through and the things I faced. Personally,
Shakyra:it's
Angel:nobody but God. Mhmm. You know, it's not me. It's not men. It's God.
Angel:Like, I've literally seen God step in on my behalf multiple times. Mhmm. Even when I didn't have this voice that I have now, god has always been my voice, and he's always, like, turn turned it around. And if it doesn't get turned around, like I said earlier, was for me is for me. You know?
Angel:So part of being a believer is knowing when to walk away. You gotta know when to walk away from a job, from a relationship, from a friendship. You have to know when to walk away because god my god, he know I'm hard headed. When it's time when it's time for Angel b to let something go, if I do not let go, it's gonna hurt me so bad to where I gotta let it go. Mhmm.
Angel:You know what I mean? Like, it's got like, I'm holding on, but he is gonna, like, let it go, girl. Let it go. Let it go. Didn't I say let it go?
Angel:Then I I let it go. But God replaces for me. He replaces what is taken away.
Anthony:So And I'm so I love that answer, and that was so beautiful.
Shakyra:Do you deal with that? Like, again, especially in the entertainment industry, you know, people, they already got big personalities, and you got big personalities in this class. So how do you deal with that? And how do you how did it basically motivate you to keep going to do what you do?
Angel:How do I deal with, aggression or like I said, I'm personally not everybody's cup of tea, but I'm Hennessy straight. You know? So I'm gonna always be me. And it took me a while to get to this point, but I'm at the point now where I know if something isn't gonna work. Whether it's a job, relationship, friendship, I know off of one interaction.
Angel:So I think in the entertainment world, in host hosting entertainment, promoting is too much too much going on, and a lot of people wanna be the head and not really play their position. Everybody wanna be the boss. It can only be 1 boss, and that's completely fine. But people think just because they're not the boss, it's a bad thing. So if I walk into a situation and I'm uncomfortable and I feel like, this a little bit too aggressive for me, I just simply remove myself.
Shakyra:That's right.
Angel:All money is not good money.
Shakyra:That's right.
Angel:So I know we bought our bag, but our money is a good one. You gotta know when to walk away. To
Shakyra:pick and choose, basically.
Angel:Absolutely. Absolutely. And God will pick and choose for you. What's for you will always be for you. And
Shakyra:one
Anthony:of the things I wanna, end off of, I actually wanna pass it right back to Shakira because we were talking a little bit off mic, and, I can't remember if we've mentioned it on this episode yet, but you have your own show or you've had your own show. And I'd wanna, throw it to Shakira or pass it over because we talk all the time of how you have had your own platform, and you've mentioned a little bit as well. So I just want you to talk about it before we get out of here because I know I wish we could, keep you for longer.
Shakyra:Okay. First of all, like, we 6 minutes. You talk about in your show. Like, is it how many, like, what is it?
Angel:I think, naturally, I'm a funny person. That's why. That's why. Exactly. I think, naturally, I'm a funny person.
Angel:Funny person. I talk about anything. If y'all wanna get serious, we could be serious. If y'all wanna crack jokes, laugh, we can do that. If you wanna pray, we could do that.
Angel:Mhmm. So like I said, I wear many hats. I'm one of those people. I like to say I'm a you can place me in any room and I'm a do what needs to be done. I know.
Angel:That's right. So
Shakyra:Yeah. Because my own personal podcast, is called a Project Gotta Show. It's on Spotify. I started it when I was, like, a freshman here. I'm, like, no.
Shakyra:A senior here in college. Yeah. I was, like, wasn't sure, like, how to move forward with that, honestly, because I started off as, like, basically, like, a lifestyle show. Like, I talk about literally anything from traveling to shopping to, like, finances and stuff like that. But I'm into, like, movies and things like that.
Shakyra:So I think I wanted, like, trans, Transition? Yeah. Transition to that. So I was just, like, wondering, do you have, like, any advice for that, personally?
Angel:Just do it. The good thing about podcasting is I don't I used when I was heavy in a podcasting, we would do seasons. But now
Shakyra:Mhmm.
Angel:I don't agree with that. Just keep going. These peep your fan base have fallen in love with you because you're you. So if you wanna talk about men one day and talk about movies the next, just do it. You know?
Angel:Don't don't think too hard. That's the beautiful thing about being a personality is you can be yourself. And when people rock with you, they gonna rock with you through the good, the bad, and the ugly. You know? So don't be scared.
Angel:You just gotta do it. Thank you. You got it.
Anthony:And with that little piece of advice, first of all, I appreciate that as well because it's the sort of same thing in my mind. Also, I also have my own podcast as well called the, what's on your mind podcast. And just when trying to think about, navigating guests and navigating content creation while dealing with other things, I can imagine you could, in a literal sense, understand that it's difficult. And, just one of the last things I wanna ask you about your show and just with all the hats you have, all the careers you've done, just what's one take what's one takeaway if you were to think about from the time that you the time that you started your first position? I don't
Shakyra:know if,
Anthony:if the first job was in radio or was on anything else. But from the different areas of your life, how do you feel looking back on everything?
Angel:Looking back on everything, I am very proud. I'm very proud of the growth, the time, the patience, the blood, sweat, tears that I've put in, and I look forward to keep growing. Like I said, radio is one of those things that is in me. You know? Y'all know I love Nipsey.
Angel:Nipsey Hussle. You know? It's in you. It's not on you. And what's in you, they can't take away.
Angel:So for me, it it's okay for me to step away for a little bit because I know it's it's gonna be there. It's and I built those relationships so I could be like, hey.
Anthony:I'm back.
Angel:It's your girl. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. So that's how I feel, and I want I want y'all to remember that that anything you wanna do, you absolutely can do it.
Angel:Because who's stopping you? It's you versus you, literally. So just always remember that.
Anthony:And I feel that's a beautiful ending, to this episode and just regardless of the show. Just one more, I'd wanna express my gratitude one last time because whether it was that last thing or this entire episode, it made me feel good just hearing it, getting the advice, and just I can attest and agree that your energy is very infectious in a good way. So you.
Shakyra:Thank you
Angel:so much for having me. I'm proud of you guys and what you're doing.
Anthony:No problem at all. We would love to have you back in tears at any other time or any other connections. Listen. We can this a little series when we have Angelo. Okay.
Anthony:And with all of that being said, again, I hate that we have to end this episode, but this has been All Shades of Chocolate, where we've brought
Shakyra:The sweetest. The hottest.
Anthony:Black culture to MSU.
Jada:And remember to stay sweet. Bye.
Angel:I love that.