The Cutting Up: A Kiki with Connie & Lina

Kevin Aviance on Black Queer Legacy, Beyoncé, and Club Kid History

• Pride House Media • Season 1 • Episode 125

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0:00 | 50:35

It’s a birthday episode and we are celebrating all month, Sugar and we’re setting intentions.

Connie and Lena kick things off with a mystical little “circle of three” blessing before summoning the icon, the legend, the voice you definitely know — Kevin Aviance — for the ultimate backstage Kiki.

We get into why our work is political (yes, even the glam), how assimilation has dulled parts of LGBTQ+ culture, and why movements that centered white gay men too often erased Black and trans pioneers like Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson. We talk about how Black Lives Matter shifted the coalition model — and what real solidarity actually looks like.

Then? We time‑travel to peak NYC nightlife chaos.
✨ Limelight
 ✨ Sound Factory
 ✨ Tunnel
 ✨ Pat Fields fashion madness
 ✨ Swirl at Crowbar
 ✨ DC & Miami party circuits

And yes… the legendary wheelbarrow moment makes an appearance.

Kevin serves nostalgia, wisdom, and unfiltered truth about old‑school club culture — when creativity was currency and looks were lethal.

Then we get into the Beyoncé of it all.Kevin shares how Queen Bey kept his original vocal sample, made sure he was properly credited under his real name, and paid correctly. (As she should.) We talk about ownership, credits, and why Black artists deserve their flowers — loudly and on time.

This episode is queer nightlife history, cultural commentary, music industry tea, and community realness all rolled into one.
Icons only.

For more about Kevin:
@KevinAvianceOfficial
Click here for his new album HIPPOPOTAMUS!
You Can find us on:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cutting-up-a-kiki-with-connie-lina/id1849020008
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/200MOk48TaLRPLQvzx2UK0?si=6499dd094f704a10
iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1333-the-cutting-up-a-kiki-wit-303161901 

Write to us at Kiki@TheCuttingUp.com

And follow us on instagram:
@TheLinaBradford
@TheRealConnieGirl
@PrideHouseMedia

The Cutting Up: A Kiki with Connie & Lina is a Pride House Media production.
Producers: Josh Rosenzweig & Matthew Breen.
Graphic Design by Daryl Raymond.
Original Music by 808 BEACH (John “J-C” Carr & Bill Coleman), courtesy of Peace Bisquit. 
 Production Design by Darryl Dickens. 
Our very special thanks to Jason Kanner for all your support.

The Cutting Up: A Kiki with Connie and Lina,” a new weekly podcast hosted by DJ/activist Lina Bradford and fashion legend Connie Fleming, the show offers unprecedented access to the icons, secrets, and untold stories that shaped queer culture. Lina and Connie are both trailblazing women of transgender experience, with deep backgrounds hosting and performing in NYC’s most storied clubs—and pioneering on fashion runways. They bring their knowledge, stories, and relationships to “The Cutting Up,” offering audiences a backstage pass to authentic conversations that can only happen between true friends and industry legends. “The Cutting Up” goes deep on fashion, music, activism, and identity.


SPEAKER_00

You're gonna get it, honey. Are you ready? It's time for the cutting out. A Kiki with Connie and Lena. This is your backstage pass to all the dish trish. And that's the truth, Ruth. Come on now. Get into it. Con, we're blind. Hi, Lena. How are you? Special, special girl. What do you mean? Is today your born day? I just woke up. I didn't have anything to wear. Happy also for our birthday girl. Happy birthday for you. Thank you, baby. Yeah, I heard a voice. Is there a spirit in this house? I don't know. I feel like it sounds like some legendary spirit. Who could it possibly Kevin I'll be on?

unknown

David Girl!

SPEAKER_02

Hi, Jamie. Hi.

SPEAKER_00

The circle of three. Oh, you're gonna get three. We'll put it into the universe like this. Okay, there we go. Circle of three. Have a great show. All of our love and light. Love and energy. Hello it. Let's get in. Slay, bitches. Okay, so Dream Guest.

SPEAKER_01

First of all, I can't believe I'm here. I am so fucking excited. Listen, I live with the show. It's absolutely over. All the blackness, all the drama, all the TV, the now, give me this. Everything she's at girl, you know I live.

SPEAKER_00

Let's move on. Baby, when we were putting this show together, we had Dream Guests, and you know you'd been at the top of the tier. That tried with the dollhouse, getting you on the doll house or whatever. So I was like, bitch, we're locking her down for the cutting up in the KKI. That's what we need. We need your energy. Absolutely. Your energy is what is sustaining and will uh get us through this time of tribulation and bullshit.

SPEAKER_01

You know, it's uh what we do is political, right? Yes. For these girls that just come in being political, it's a it's a laugh. Yeah, it is a laugh. It's a kiki. You know what I mean? It's like it's like how dare you, and I mean kiki in the proper way. Um it's it uh upsets me so much that we don't have the army we should have because of of course the things they're not people right here anymore with them. Because if we had that army now, things would be a different story. They would, I don't think they would come for us because we had it. Right, with the Sylvias and the and the um Marcia and all that stuff. It's just like I I wonder what they're saying right now. Do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, because with there there's a lot of us that is uh listen, there's always gonna be some good work and us all doing our part to keep the collective alive and doing, but a lot of it is a fucking joke.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, it really is, and I think we we deserve better. I think we've got we deserve better, but I think we just got so complacent also and lazy when you have children and da-da-da, and we want to be like a straight counterpart. Exactly. And we forgot our music, we forgot our clubs, we've got our clubs. And taking care of each other. Take care of each other, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

You're right, it's become so divided.

SPEAKER_01

Right, right, right.

SPEAKER_00

Because it it it was the want to conform when conforming was never the goal. That's right. Right. The goal was equality and and for you to accept uh as is. Yes, exactly. Not not not for us. Like us because we're like you, but we are married to a man or a woman. Yeah. But we didn't want to be like, that's what I'm saying. Yeah, we're not gonna be able to do that. They're saying like us, yeah, because we have your same um um ideas and values or whatever. But we're gay. But your values were bullshit, and we knew that. Thank you. And and and that hello, and that was the basis of the fight. We know that that this is some bullshit. Yeah, and it wasn't dealt with back then. So that's why we're here. Yes, now it's coming to slap us on in uh slap us in the face.

SPEAKER_01

So then I gag when the RKR people are putting up this uh orange thing and and and like black and gay, or whatever, you know, giving them all this praise, and I'm like, I don't understand what's going on.

SPEAKER_00

Step and fetch it. Yeah, fuck and shuffle. That's right. It's really sad. It is sad. It is. But again, this is their time to wake up. We've been awake. We have no choice than to wake up every day when we wake up and we walk out of our house. Like you said, every day we wake up and we go out is a protest. Right. You know what I'm saying? And then also, too, if you uh uh uh connect that with your consciousness of just who we are being of Mocha uh ancestry, right? Baby, that's in our DNA. Yes.

SPEAKER_01

Yes.

SPEAKER_00

We write, we we walk right with our black bone.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, black bone. Definitely, definitely.

SPEAKER_00

Because um the the movements of the past they concentrated on them. Gay men, well, white gay men. That was just about ready to say, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Um that took the lead in our we weren't invited to be in those clubs. No, no, no, no. This is like this, it was 60s, 70s, yes. Exactly, yeah. We weren't mingling yet with each other yet. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00

And and and and also the the the um the civil rights movement. Yeah, it was like black, you know, family, right, family values, we we we are Christians, yada yada yada.

SPEAKER_01

And they black flag that was writing that, too.

SPEAKER_00

And and and you had a gay man writing all the speeches and and organizing, but you were like, sit to the ballot because you are not what they want to see them, yes, which is the same thing of us with the white community and the gay community. Right, you know what I'm saying? They were the ones that you were, you know, going out there being the faces like the Harvey Milks and whatnot, and and and and being the politicians, but yet we were the ones actually getting the punches and taking the hurt. Yes. You know what I'm saying? Because if you guys remember, it wasn't too long ago, especially before this whole internet thing, which is not even what, 30 years old. Okay, we were the last on the uh the the totem pole. And I'm not even talking about trans, I'm talking about black. Yeah, yeah. They were not acknowledging Sylvia Rivera, they were not acknowledging Marshall. They did not, and I remember in the parade. No, exactly. And the white queens forever didn't want to acknowledge that as a part of Stonewall. But now all of a sudden, yeah it's oh, the praise, the praise, the praise. But then again, where are you with our black and brown sisters are being killed?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, now murdered today. You can't even you can't even put it on TV. Yeah, yeah, but exactly.

SPEAKER_00

So it's like, you know, all of those movements failed, and it was a way to get in and to crack and to dissipate. So I was really happy with Black Lives Matter because Black Lives Matter was everything. Everything and everybody, yeah. Everyone. And I think that's what we needed to get back to. Yes, and and and and that is the framework that we have to sort of move forward with in the gay community. Because our community, period, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Well, the gay community was actually kind of gone. Yeah. Until until trans, trans the trans girls were like doing their thing. They assimilated. And then it was like, oh, the gay, the gay boys were like feeling very like, oh, um, you know, well, they're part of us. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, not now. No, you can't do that now. You all made that possible. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

No. Now you can't do that now. No. You know what I mean? Exactly. We're not gonna do that.

SPEAKER_01

The stories are different, girl. Yeah, exactly. Way different. But you know, you can't do that to them. You can't do that to it. Now you want to be gay, and you know, you've let that go. Yeah, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Because you wanted you wanted a child and child. Mommy dear. You wanted to be married and have a big child. When Amber Crawley Fitch broke. Yes. Um, yeah. Um, you know, what what what's her name on Leave It to Beaver? June. June Cleaver. Yeah. Bitch, you're not. That's right. June Cleaver was drunk for most of that fucking show. So guess what? I guess it's not too far. Beaver! Wait, you can see my beaver. Beyond Brazilian video.

SPEAKER_01

Baldwin.

SPEAKER_00

Marcus, I'm not wearing any pants. Bald serious. Kevin, I mean, first of all, we got a million places to go, girls. No. What was we going a circle? Your first time meeting, and then we're gonna do our first time meeting.

SPEAKER_01

So I was obsessed with her before coming to New York. Okay. Who wasn't so and I didn't think she was real. So she wasn't. So between she turned to the side, there was no way. Right. So I knew her when I finally went to, I remember going to limelight, and there was a fashion show. And this thing had a white cat suit on that opened up and had a zipper, and it zippered all the way down. You gotta remember. Zippered all the way down. It was for Pat Fields, zippered over down, and it opened up like a dinosaur, like a like filled wings. And I remember screaming so loud because I said, Oh my god. Yeah, yeah, exactly. All I knew is all kind of girl of you know, Mugler of Cali Girl being. You're like, is she real? And then just seeing this bitch on stage, like she's not real, but Darval. Yeah, yeah. I knew Darvell because I used to flip the papers off the out of the paper magazine and put it in my little book and the same thing with this one. So I was like this going, oh my god, dude. What? Yeah, it's not cutning girl. They're like, what are you going through? Stop. I'm like, you know, because you know I gag.

SPEAKER_00

I love when you gag, because it's rare. It's rare. No, you did isn't it? Because he's a 10 song. Con. Do you remember this? Sort of. Sorta. A dozen months.

SPEAKER_01

She was the but now. They're like, they had like 10 outfits. It was a lot of outfits.

SPEAKER_00

But it was it was a Patricia Fields.

SPEAKER_01

Patricia Fields, but 10 outfits came out. So it was like bodysuits or catsuits. What year? Oh girl. I got there in 92. So this had to be like 93.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, like 93. Disco 2000? Sunday nights. Oh, so disco 2000. Disco 2000. Yes, yes, Wednesday night.

SPEAKER_00

Were there Martine? Um I remember that one. I thought that was there. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yes. Wow. Oh my god. Okay, Con your slime light days. Yeah. Oh, geez. Con yours too, Kevin.

SPEAKER_01

I was looking for you too. I was looking for you, like trying to find she's gonna have to be here. She's hiding on the stage. Yeah, like this. I met Swanye for the first time there, and I was so like, I can't find her where you have it. I can't find her. Searching for the Easter egg.

SPEAKER_00

And it's fucking everything, Kevin. Yeah. That's a good story. Yeah. And what's your memory of meeting this one? At Sound Factory? Uh huh. Or tunnel.

SPEAKER_01

I think so. Sound factory. It was Sound Factory.

SPEAKER_00

And I heard your voice. And it was it was familiar. It was home. Work. And it had such a resonance to it. Yeah, it does. And when I turned around, it was some white girl. And I'm like, that did not come out of you. She ducked out real quick. But then I remember going up a ramp or a stairs. The ramp with a rap. And then I heard the voice again, and then the visuals met me. Okay. And I was like, oh, this is something.

SPEAKER_01

This is so that I remember this night, actually. Why? Because I'm meeting Jay for the first time.

SPEAKER_00

Jay, uh Miss Jay.

SPEAKER_01

Miss Jay for the first time. Who was very I didn't even know how to take her. Yeah. And she would run around me like this.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Yeah. You have the face down there. She evaluates. She is evaluating. She's definitely evaluating.

SPEAKER_01

She's like this. Uh-huh. Mm-hmm. Like, mm-hmm. Perched lip. And you like clapped. I'm like, who's this bitch? Girl. Girl, this, I was like, Girl, I could barely see you, though. Don't give me too much. Okay.

SPEAKER_00

Hello. You like that bitch?

SPEAKER_01

The next week, the next week. She's like, and finally she was just like, hello, Miss Kevin.

SPEAKER_00

You are, you are, you have entered into the shit. Oh, I love old school shade. Oh.

SPEAKER_01

She's like, Yeah, that's her. Oh my god, that is everything. She was not, she was never, she Jay was always like, that skin was always like perfect. Look at the dry, it was the wet, it was just like skin.

SPEAKER_00

Skin moist. One even, one evening shade. Yeah, she's always had that shade.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And you know it's very hard with that particular type of black, too, honey. Yeah, and it's dark in there, girl.

SPEAKER_01

And it's dark in there.

SPEAKER_00

You know what I mean? There's different shades. Everybody's just one color, honey, because if your father's black and your mother's black, that makes you pitch black.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And she was brown. Oh, she was, yeah. Hello. She was a cocoa. She was like cocoa brown. Yeah, yeah. That is true. Cocoa brown. Not poopoo brown. No, cocoa. Cocoa brown. Yeah, exactly. Like a toffee.

SPEAKER_01

It's true.

SPEAKER_00

With a little bit of extra mocha. It's true. But I can I can't. No, not red. No, no, no. She wasn't red. No, no, no. It's a blue undertone. Yeah, it's a blue undertone. She definitely has some blue. But the looking look. I remember the looking and and the look. I was like, this is this is Lee Bowry. Yeah, yes, this is that grandfather. Yeah, yeah. And I was like, oh, okay. Yeah. I will see you later. That's right. I will see you later. And I did. I love this. Can I tell you? Gorgeous. So the last couple of episodes, just because I'm here and I'm watching, like when Khan's talking to somebody. So, you know, regardless if we've got a guest on or not, like, and I've told you in other episodes, I love the fact that, and I still love to fangirl out that we're sisters and we're doing this together. But then when I sit here and I look at this type of situation, like I think I did with Alvaro and and um Joey. Exactly. Joey and Diamond, I'm just like this.

unknown

Wow.

SPEAKER_00

I'm having that moment right now. So thank you both for just being fucking hideous.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, I got a hideous moment for you, Daniel.

SPEAKER_00

Okay.

SPEAKER_01

So right.

SPEAKER_00

It is my friend to be nice, Jacob.

SPEAKER_01

It is so the divine moment. I don't know who I'm saying. When you introduce me to the bitch. But this one. Oh my god. So many iterations. So obsessed, so many obsessions, so many living, living, living, living, living, living, living. The party. Seven nice a week. Gagging. I was a faithful, favorable fan. Anyway, the one that gagged me the most was her on 8th Street in a wheelbarrow.

SPEAKER_00

Oh! Bitch! You remember that? I have goosebumps. Wearing it? And it was flexible. Wearing it?

SPEAKER_01

Look at it was crackled. Little things down in her hair like this. Never seen her like this before. Never seen her like this before. And she's just like, and she's in a wheelbarrow. Oh dying street. I'm like this. Who is that? Please tell me a second.

SPEAKER_00

Please.

SPEAKER_02

Kevin.

SPEAKER_00

Kevin, I remember this. And I hate that I do. Why do a wheelbarrow? 399.

SPEAKER_01

Why the character in a wheelband? I was very accepted. This is not this is racially not right. And she's living.

SPEAKER_00

She is carrying. It was the kiki and the getting out piggy. Yeah. Her bear. Like going. Oh. I'm like, wow. That voice did carry. Nothing's really changed. Oh, I am dead. So what was that for? Who knows?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, it was like I don't know where the wheelbarrow came from.

SPEAKER_00

Me either. Oh wheelbarrow.

SPEAKER_01

A wheelbarrow. A wheelbarrow. With overalls. Overalls. But like same time, like, you know, like, yeah, a girl. Pick a ninny? No, she wasn't. It wasn't picking, it was, it was picking New York y. Okay. You know. New York. New York inny. Very like, you know. Oh my God. Oh. Little Boogie Wonderland. Little Boogie Winna Land. But it was it was a moment that was very like, you'll never forget this. Yes. No. One day we'll talk about it. Here we are.

SPEAKER_00

Many moons later.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Like.

SPEAKER_00

But that wasn't the first time you saw me. No, not the first time you saw me. No, that was just a story. First time I saw you. Anything crap. I saw it within a wheel barrel.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, the wheel bear story. But uh the first time I see this one is well, I live in DC and Yeah, when we met, yeah. You came with Kansas or you came with the Cup Kids or something like that.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, oh, that was the fuck NYC parties that we did. Yeah, that was the first time.

SPEAKER_01

That was for kindergarten. Yeah. That was my party.

SPEAKER_00

That's right. Kindergarten was kindergarten.

SPEAKER_01

We had all these kids up from New York for our party called We Had Kindergarten.

SPEAKER_00

And then we had Fuck NYC after that. Right, right. We would go to different cities, yeah. And uh it would be like, you know, uh uh performers, DJs, everybody, basically a New York experience in Ohio or Boston or Montreal. This particular traveling circus. Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_01

This particular night we had the old McDonald had a farm party, and the whole club was covered covered in hay.

SPEAKER_00

Oh my god, that's right. I remember that.

SPEAKER_01

See, now that's when I should have had the wheelbarrel.

SPEAKER_00

Love a theme night.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, okay. Hay in a nightclub. Think about it. There could have been a fire.

SPEAKER_00

And the club was an old bank. It was a bank, yeah. And the club was an old ball. Yes, and that's so it was very contained. Yes, very contained. Yeah, it was fierce. It could blow up. Yeah, it could blow up. It was huge. Yeah, it was huge. Huge, huge, yeah. Yeah. Oh shit. Oh shit. Yeah. Y'all put that down like that?

SPEAKER_01

I was gonna be in Miami. Went to Miami, and they were bringing Candace and Gorlena up for um.

SPEAKER_00

Uh, what was the party that Jody McDonald?

SPEAKER_01

John and were just doing the tea dance parties.

SPEAKER_00

Those were fun. You were on that bus on top of the bus.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Doug also in the makeup for it.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And that particular night, that means that that Sunday, Doug had me dressed as uh Daniel Ross.

SPEAKER_00

I remember. I had pictures. I had pictures, I had pictures. You had the pink.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, pink with the with a big frost.

SPEAKER_00

And so the performance was on top of a bus on the beach. Oh, everything. Yeah. Sand and everything. Heels never. So when we saw each other, we're like, I was like, that's right.

SPEAKER_01

They all were like, That's right.

SPEAKER_00

Where are y'all talking about that? I said, what do you think was gonna happen? They're like because people always want to try to pin each other. Especially if you're both a girls or whatever. Or you bitch. No, no, we know each other. Soldiers in the fight. That's right, exactly.

SPEAKER_01

I was going to Sound Tiger from DC every weekend. Yeah. And um that didn't see her the lights and everything like that.

SPEAKER_02

So yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, that was it. Literally, you have exactly the same timeline that I have.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I remembered our first time in DC, and then I remember in uh uh in my jammy, and then of course, but wait, no, no, no, hold on a second. I think there might be a correction. That's just I actually think, Kevin, I actually think that the first time we actually I remember seeing you, I think, was at factory, and then it was DC. Yes, yes, I saw you on the dance floor at factory first. Right. That's what it was because I remember us when we were we both acknowledged each other, and I was like, work, and you were like, work. And I was amazed. That's what I was that corner, the corner. That corner, the runway corner. Oh my flashlights. Yeah, that was us. That was because you could see the flashlight. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yes, yes, yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was. But that's what I remember. And then I think then when we saw each other into sea, we already had like a familiarity. Yes. But it was like, like you said, what I especially when you hear the voice to go with this situation, there is a warmthness, there is a come hither, right, which also comes in your music. You know what I mean? You really bring people together, you know what I mean, before you even speak. But then when that mouth opens, bitch. It is a call to all morale. Oh, I'm just saying. But this is the moment that you know you are in your tribe when you meet these people. Yeah, when you see them. Like when I when I first time I saw ConCon, when I saw you, I'm just like, yeah. And the fact that we all get to grow up together in a city when there were not these fucking devices, everything.

SPEAKER_01

Everybody had their own lane.

SPEAKER_00

Everybody did. And you appreciated it. Yes, you appreciate it, and you loved it. And you got it? You lived, you lived. I and I couldn't be calling it. No, no, no. And nobody was hitting, and nobody was doing the same songs. Nobody was like, none of this. Yeah, where are they why? I'm sorry. It was supposed to bring the carpenter drop. No, exactly. You you got me if any of these bitches today mop my bag, okay? If you mop my bag or my shoes, I couldn't pick any of these. But I'm just saying, I couldn't pick you out in the lineup. They all carved the same, they pad the same. There's no individuality, and they're all doing the same song. You would wait to go and see one of your girlfriends. What if she's gonna go into the fucking crates to find? We wanted to outdo each other because we wanted to impress each other. Yes. And that's the thing. And there was a situation where also, girl, this track might be amazing for you. There was a love, there was a camaraderie. But you said we were in the trenches, and to go back to what we were talking about politics, if we kept on that trajectory, bitch, nobody would have been coming for us now. The strength was everywhere. Oh bitch. So I waited to see the song she's gonna do. Yeah, but registered by the record. Yeah, yeah. No, it's true. Because I was getting it from all of my DJ friends. And then I remember when you finally moved to New York, I had you on Swirl. And so Swirl was this party that I used to do at Crowbar. Um, and how it started off in the very beginning was I was a model who left New York and I was going through Paris. And so each week it uh it continued with a soap opera. So every time I would have somebody come on, I would have taken them into the studio, we'd be doing voiceovers, so we'd listen literally be lip syncing to the dialogue that I put together. Yes, and then they would go into their song. Yeah, and that's how we it was fun. Yeah, and it looks like creative people were creativity. Creativity. I'm like, bitch, you gotta wait to learn this darn. Oh, I did, man. Hello. I was it's a wonder I'm not in a walker.

SPEAKER_01

No, but it was I was telling.

SPEAKER_00

Well, that's another story. Kevin, you're saying walker. Um, I thought again, we're gonna be jumping around because that's the leapfrog that is the show today, and especially with you. Kevin, I have not given you the proper flowers to physically be in front of you and tell you this because there's always a moment in time. And you and and and regardless of how often we see or speak to one another, you know that love is deep. We're deep. I am so proud of you on so many levels, but to have you be acknowledged for all of the hardware, because we all know, especially being of a cocoa breed, how hard it is to one persevere in this career, in this community, being us. We make it look easy because we don't have a choice. You don't get to see us sweat, you don't get to see us depressed. We'll talk to our sisters behind the scenes, but every day, even though we're getting passed over for other work because of other children who have done less work, when we finally do get it, it's it's everything. It's a win for us all.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

So seeing you get that props and that homage and that love from Beyoncé and just all of the other people, you deserve that bitch. Yes, you deserve that. And I'm so proud of you. But because you you are you carrying a bottle shady. It's my birthday. I'll probably pawn. Oh, Miss Minus look at the bag of the pawns. Sorry, Conn, I didn't mean to interrupt. It's my birthday. No, no, no. I've got to reference, it's totally references. Not true. But because you carried the culture, you carried the culture through through through the tribulations of the 90s. Yep. Sometimes on your shoulders. Yes, yes, yes, yes. And your voice guided and your and your voice empowered, and your voice brought joy.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And it carried. I know, I know, it carried, it carried, and and to see her have like, you know, a a a wide range of experience to choose from. But as we are saying, the voice, the resonance, the power, yeah, I want that. Yes.

SPEAKER_01

You know, it's so funny when um when meeting her the first time. I didn't know anything that he got in the record. I didn't know I didn't know anything about it. And my producer, it's Gerald Black. He's gotta be black. He knew everything, but he didn't have to tell me about it. Right. So I found everything out when I listened to the record. And I did I passed out in my bedroom. Like I when I heard it, heard my voice, I passed out. I was mad, I was angry, I was happy, I was sad. Everything I came to, I didn't know how to take it. I was didn't know what the emotions were, I didn't know what was gonna happen. All I and then finally I just sat in it and just live for it. But it took me a while to like accept it. You know what I mean? Um so wait, did they not reach out to you before you had? Because it wasn't my record, it was always Jarel's record, and strictly rhythm is no more. Right. People they own it in Europe now. So I didn't know anything about it. They just he had the right. I just, you know, when I do my first record, I didn't I was born. It was before everything I wrote it. I remember, yeah, yeah, yeah. So it I didn't get anything for it. You know, like this is my first record, you know what I mean? So Jarel owned everything to it. Jorell owned everything, so but what's curious about Beyonce, what she did was she made sure that I got my credit on there and that check came through. Yeah, writing credit. Even though, even though the initial check I never saw, which is that half of that is my Jarel. I don't know why she won't give it to me or whatever. She said she won't, whatever, that's fine. But all I know is that Beyonce made sure that I got credit on that record and for my real name, everything like that, and she did her, she did the homework. That's what impressed me about her. You know what I mean? And when she told me But she didn't have to do that.

SPEAKER_00

No, she didn't have to do that. We talked bad about her. And most people say things that you exactly.

SPEAKER_01

And she's a witch. There's no way this woman does what she does and being black. And there's no way that when she knows they're bringing you tear her down, but she would not do that.

SPEAKER_00

Well, Kevin, you just said it, black. Yeah, enough said.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, enough said. And and for her to for her to like, when we're meeting her first time, she she said, I know all your music, I know everything that I know every last minute, everything you've done. She said, This song, I know this song more than you think I know. Wow. And little did I know that her uncle must have heard it doing the thing here. Absolutely, yeah. That's why it was resonating with her so much. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then for her to keep the voice in there and not and not well, she kept my vocal, yeah, not the music. Yeah, yeah. And that right there said so much. Said so much. Yeah, absolutely. You know what I mean? Wow. And when you become the bass line now of the whole project.

SPEAKER_00

Of the whole project, it's like then you're like this, whatever, Jarrell. That point, honey, that was you getting your flowers and the big fuck you to trying to try it with me. But what is meant for you is meant for you. Yeah, yes. No one can take it. That's right. Work. And and and and and that transfers, it transfers, but but because you know, she could have gone to and and to oh, I wanna, but but probably because of her, probably because of the uncle.

SPEAKER_01

Absolutely. And that that was so beautiful. And I love how doing that doing that whole tour, and she was she embodied some the girl.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01

She was the girl.

SPEAKER_00

Well, like you said, she had she had references of family that she was able to like it that resonated to. Right. And like you said, her uncle was obviously the one schooling her in all of the situations.

SPEAKER_01

She became the girl. Well, she's been that girl, she's been that kid. She became a doll. Yeah, yeah. She's you know, with the titties and all that all of it, everything and the attitude. Yeah, it was amazing to watch all that transformation where other people had taken our stuff and kicked it to the curb.

SPEAKER_00

That's right. And not paid a proper homage. Never. Use what they wanted and then and then down us while they're at.

unknown

That.

SPEAKER_00

That. You're like absolutely right. Wow. Yeah, yeah, that's fierce. So exactly. Say what you will, but the bitch does her homework and she pays her homage. Yeah. And and that's kind of why they're they're uh they down her. Yeah. Well, of course. Yeah. You're you're a successful black woman. You're a woman, period. But they're black on top of it. And it's just like, like I said, there's always gonna be that stride that we've got to work harder to and never let them see you sweat.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

You know what I mean? What about if I want to have a day where I don't feel the Jordan Ash look? Yeah, I still have to fucking jump up and fucking perform. Or I have to stay home. Yes. There's no middle ground with that. Yeah, you know? Right.

SPEAKER_01

Because they are ready to, they're ready to tear you down before they deliver you. Absolutely. You know? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

That before you came in um on set con, um, when you were in the dressing room getting ready, um, Kevin and I were out here, Kiking or whatever, was playing the new track that you wrote and produced.

SPEAKER_01

I wrote a product. It's fucking fears. Yes, yes, yes, it is yes.

SPEAKER_00

And it'll be out by the time this airs.

SPEAKER_01

Yes.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, really?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, it's for someone else. Khan, you know, it's a couple of things.

SPEAKER_00

You're gonna hear me play it. It's fucking fears.

SPEAKER_01

So I um you know, there's there's iterations of performing and everything like that. So I didn't go to school for any of this stuff. I I sat there in the studio and watched everybody do it, and so and so it's just trial and error and doing, and Gome has been such an amazing. Gome has been my. I haven't seen him in forever. He's been my like the first person that ever believed in me to do music and stuff. And so he takes time to teach me and stuff like that. So this time around, so you know, I'm going to do a producer album. Uh-huh. And and so I'm doing putting artists together and writing all the songs and doing this, putting together my concepts and just and just doing it that way. Because at the end of the day, it's like, you know, music is the most universal language in the world. You know what I mean? And it's the only thing that can soothe the bees, and the only thing that's and get you through shit. Yeah, yeah. And so dance music is just the joy of your feet and joy of the of the times and and just so many different types of dance music. So I just and my knowledge of it is so vast. I just I I really feel that I can like you know you're contributing. Do something more than just being the artist. Right, yes. You know, hand it over and her direct, you know what I mean? I love that.

SPEAKER_00

I love that is such a perfect evolution for you, sweetheart. It really is.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I I love it. I really love it. I'm not nice, but you shouldn't be. No, it's just you got to get your point across.

SPEAKER_00

No, it isn't. But you know what the thing is, and I and I feel like one, we have to uncondition ourselves from the conditioning every day, okay? So we just listening to you say that, sweetheart, I'm gonna I'm gonna rewind and I'm gonna bamboozle you back with something. And because I've been guilty of it myself. We've been conditioned to feel like we've got to think that way if we're saying we're not nice because we're being assertive or we're we're we're we're letting you know how we feel. We're supposed to feel a certain type of shame for feeling like we're stepping up and letting you know how we feel because we want something done right. Why? Why? Guess what? That person over there didn't get to make it feel that way. So don't feel that way. If you feel a certain way, baby, feel that fucking way because guess what? It's gonna get done.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Because otherwise, if you try to mute me, it's not gonna get done. You're done.

SPEAKER_01

You're not gonna hear it.

SPEAKER_00

You're not gonna hear it.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

So bitch, scream as loud as you got to be, snap your fingers, pop your neck, do what you got to do, and get it done. Because that's new. That's right. That's your expression. That's right. Your your expression pushes the world. Exactly. And it's like, you know, it's like the the the uh the kids are like, oh, you're doing too much. Because you're gonna do less. I do not enjoy the pleasure of being able to do less.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I cannot do less. Exactly. Yeah, so if you're a lackluster person, then obviously that's what you see. I was brought up in a way that I was always told whatever I wanted, go head.

SPEAKER_01

That's right. You can't get it. Yeah, dad told me, go, it's yours to have. That's right. If you want it, go get it. Just go get it. I was never told I could never have that thing. Like, you wouldn't go do that, be go do it. Let me do it, sign it. Yeah, yeah. And be fierce with it. Yes, do it. That's right.

SPEAKER_00

Sign that ditch. Work. Oh, I'm used to say I live. That's fierce. Sign that ditch. This that's a track, honey. Sign that ditch, honey. Work. But you two done a work list of the candy stripers, honey, from Fashion of Hell, honey. Yeah, yeah. I live. It's so good. The color. I mean, literally, it's like you two coordinated it.

SPEAKER_01

Did you? No. No. No, no. Do we coordinate it with her? Why would we waste each other's time with each other? Are you serious, girl? Bro, I mean You know what do we talk about every time we see each other? What do we talk about? Was the latest black event happened?

SPEAKER_00

That, that, that, that.

SPEAKER_01

No, seriously. We talk we too, when we see each other, I said, girl. Girl. Did you see uh this thing with the foot? She said. It just became coffee talking.

SPEAKER_00

No, no, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_01

That's what we do every time I see Tony Connie.

SPEAKER_00

Jasmine Crockett. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. It's a black event.

SPEAKER_01

It's a black event. Black events. Woo! Did you go see Brandy and Monica from Black Event? I did. I wasn't gonna see that.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, yeah. How was it? Oh, the Brandy and Monica?

SPEAKER_01

I had to go because it was a black event. Well, duh. Yeah, it was cute. It's a black event. I didn't do Cardi. Hello. I didn't do Cardi.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

I was gonna thought I was gonna do Cardi, and I said no. It wasn't black enough. It wasn't black enough. It wasn't black enough.

SPEAKER_00

Was it a black event?

SPEAKER_01

But Brandy and Monica was interesting. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Oh my god, that was us, girl. Remember back in the day.

SPEAKER_01

We did uh who was she just looked real chapped. That's the only thing I didn't like about it. Who? Who? Brandy.

SPEAKER_00

Brandy looked chapp.

SPEAKER_01

Brandy looked chapped. Monica was pressed.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

But Brandy was looking real chapped, girl. I was like this going, Miss King.

SPEAKER_00

Brandy of all people?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, she wore baggy clothes. She never liked showing her body ever. And she had that really chapped wig on. I don't want to do a C brand.

SPEAKER_00

No, bitch, nothing. No, not a shake and go girl.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, shake and go, but it's like, you know. Oh no, but like but but yeah, executed. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But that had to be the leave out. No, but still no leave out. And it was just like, because it was all like this. And it's like all I really want to see is the thing. My thighs are getting pointed. I want to see the three eyeballs.

SPEAKER_00

Wait a minute. No leave out?

SPEAKER_01

No leave out. No leave out. So I want I want to see the three eyeballs. That's the brandy I want. Exactly. You know? Exactly. Exactly. All of it. With the braids. Yeah, with the braids. Yeah, thank you. With the Susan, um, what's her name? I live.

SPEAKER_00

God damn it, Brandy.

SPEAKER_01

Susan from Magazine. I put the braids back here, bro. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00

With the mugs. Yeah, the mug. She's like, bitch, I don't need hair, honey.

SPEAKER_01

What are you catching, girl?

SPEAKER_00

It was too late to catch it.

SPEAKER_01

Bitch, it was already back here.

SPEAKER_00

Hello. Anything like if Kevin put hair back past his ears, honey, that's what she was doing, honey. Holding on, but I lived. But again, she had the mug.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Catching it. It wasn't Shardet. Shardet's a different cat. Shard's a different cat. Different cat.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, she's. I mean, this is your mug.

SPEAKER_01

That's an African cat. If you got mug, you can do that.

SPEAKER_00

Otherwise, just shave it off or get a lace front and put it all the way down to the mirror. And be a Teresa Judah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Oh.

SPEAKER_00

Eyebrows. Boom. Like how short? How do you shard it on the other hand? I thought people that did you and your hair and your hairline is everything. That is the line of life. I live for New York. New York, we need to get you on, honey. Yes. Yes. Alright, y'all. Fish full times. Okay. Pull them all with hands. Oh we gonna come down. Shake it and pull one, baby. Shake it, shake it, shake it and pull out. That's what he said. Uh-huh. Oh. Oh. Heaven. Would you get a walrus? A walrus. How are you doing?

SPEAKER_01

It says. What's your late night bodega snack? Oh, bitch. Not bodega snack. Wow.

SPEAKER_00

Wow, that's so racist.

SPEAKER_01

That's so mean. My late night bodega bodega. Booty snack? My body. My bodega bodetta. My body snack is um uh a um quarter pound Louis cheese burger with um bacon. But they where are they? They have um turkey bacon, uh. And then um with a um with a uh little Debbie um Crap Girl. Little Debbie creep day and an Arizona iced tea. Bitch! That is particularly honey. And two of them. Two of them. So at night I do the cold one and then I heat up the tea so I can have a little book so I go to bed. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00

How are you sleeping after that to me like this? Oh wow, man. That's a five-course meal. That is a fat girl's dream, honey. You better work, Evan. My late night bodé, my bodega. Booty snack. My bodega snack would be a slice of um a slice of uh pizza, um uh uh anchovies.

unknown

Oh are you serious, girl?

SPEAKER_00

I love an anchovy. Anchovy with a glass of milk. Oh damn girl. And the exorcist comes to the room. And if I can't get oh, honey, damn. If if I can't get that, an egg on a roll, mayo and mustard, um anchovies and milk. Yeah. Oh that is very particular. It is, it is. It's pregnant woman. Me, um um uh a Caesar salad with grilled chicken. Okay, another revolution for you because you know, bitch, you and I would be leaving sometimes at the same time. Yeah, you know what we need to be eating. Okay, good. But it's my birthday. I'm going with a salad. In this dress. Okay, y'all. Ready? What is your fun phone call from jail? Kevin! Can you come pick me up, girl? I'm wearing this dress in public and I got arrested. I thought I'm about who's your first who's the who'd be the person you call? If I was in jail. If you were in jail.

SPEAKER_01

Um it would be my mother if she was around. Yeah. If she was around. Blessing. And she goes, I am not Audrey. Stop calling me Audrey. I'm your mother, and why are you in jail? Bitch! I can't.

SPEAKER_00

I thought you were speaking in tongues for a second. And then I was like, wait, no, I don't think she was my channeling mommy.

SPEAKER_01

She was actually my best friend.

SPEAKER_00

We love you, mommy. Yeah, we get that's beautiful. Mommy, we're gonna go get you the first. What about you, Khan? Um you call your mama. She's still here. Don't call her. Um and that's who you're the girl. When when uh the one time that I did get um arrested, I did call my mom. Okay. I did. So it would be my mom, but now it would be a lawyer. Okay, bitch. Yeah, now it would be after be a lawyer, yeah. Legal representation. Um, well, I was in jail twice. Uh, and it's not on my record because it was uh one time. We were being um, yes, that today's sponge. Oh one time me and um a go-go dancer were leaving New York and we were going up to Ottawa, and um the uh we were going uh going through customs and whatever, and they didn't have working papers for us. I mean, this is like the night early 90s, yeah. And you know, you had to have that shit. And so you just say, I'm going up there for, you know, I did, but then when he was going through, he said, Oh, we're going up there to work, and they're like, Well, where are your working papers? Like, wait, what? And then he's like, You two are traveling together? Well, this is their way of detaining us. They put us in a jail cell not too far away, which I've never heard of before, but a jail cell that was near the airport and kept us there until another flight came in and then sent you back. Yeah, so it wasn't like it was like a holding jail cell. It was so weird. Why can't we wait in another area? But that's just how it was. And then the other time was I think a story that you may have known. Um, this is early 90s. There was a club across the street from the old David Barton gym on 23rd Street. I was doing a party there, me and Merritt. And um, me and T Pro when we were doing Milk Mondays, um uh we were going, I took the night off that Monday, and we were going to see Prince. It was me and T Pro, one of the uh security guards, and someone else. Well, this place that me and Merritt were working at, I was about ready to quit because they were these two guys from Connectifuck and they were like just gross. When the first time I met one of the owners, whatever, he tried like going under my skirt. Like they were just gross people. Yeah. So um there was a poster of me that they used a photo of me that they didn't get permission to. So um people knew that, and also that they knew that I was leaving. It was, you know, talking about it to people, whatever. I gotten back from the Prince concert, and there was a voice message on my voicemail on my uh um, you know, when we actually had a physical voicemail, right? An answering machine. Thank you, answering machine. Yeah, I'm listening, and all of a sudden, what the fuck do you think you're doing sending people in to steal this poster? I'm like, what the fuck is going on? What is why is this man yelling at me? So he thought that I sent somebody into the club to steal the poster because when you first walked in and posters of all the people who were working there, yeah, and thought that I sent somebody, I'm like, what is he talking about? I was at the Prince concert. Well, anyway, this motherfucker got shady and went fierce. He had the police come to my house when I lived on um uh Avenue, uh 29th Avenue be above from Save the Robots. Remember that place? And I and this is how the universe had my back. When I lived on 20th Street, remember when I used to live on 20th Street, Detective Rice was actually the guy who came. And and he Was so good to me. I was this is actually right before I was about ready to film Woo. Okay. So I was literally, I had to be um in um this is we filmed first in Toronto, but then I had to fly to LA for more scenes. Um and I was supposed to be flying to LA on a Monday. On Friday, this happened. And me and Mona Foote and Lady Bunny were and and and Ebony Jet were about ready to go do a gig out gig out in Jersey. All of a sudden, Detective Rice calls me. He's like, Lena, um, can I get you to just come to the station and fill?

SPEAKER_02

I was like, okay.

SPEAKER_00

I was like, he knew it's cool. Detective Rice was awesome. I'm like, as long as it doesn't take too long, I went, drove there. They're like, uh, he wants to file charges. The guy came to the fucking station, filed charges against me. They're like, I'm sorry, but we gotta take you. They took me down to Center Street. Yep. Took me down to Center Street, and Detective Rice is like, Don't worry, I'm gonna make this very good and easy for you. I'm so sorry that we have to do this or whatever. He was good. He really had my back because it could have gotten really gross. Mind you, I had a weave down to here because I'm about ready to film a movie. Um, and you know, done looking, you know, love. And I'm about ready to go to a gig. Yeah. So I'm like, you know, done. Done. But like then it's you know, in jeans and a like a button-up. So um the woman's like this, she's like, all right, put her um, and thing you and then he says, she's like, Oh, put her in special. Yeah. So they put me in special. I'm in the cell for the longest time by myself. And then all of a sudden, this is when all the ladies from the night started coming in. And they started bringing them in there. And I'm like, I'm up against the wall and I've got my head down like this or whatever. And you know, they're all key king or whatever. Most of them were Latin, they were fierce. And um this one girl was about ready to sit on the bed, and it's like, and I just said to her, I was like, I wouldn't sit on there. I was like, I said there was something on or whatever. And she's like, oh my gosh, she's like, that's gulina. And and and and then I just started crying, and they all came over and hugged me. They're like, what are you doing in here? You're a celebrity. I was like, I know. But because I was um uh incarcerated before midnight, I was able to get out the next day. So if you get in past midnight, alright. Yeah, yeah. So now it's Saturday morning. They then um bring me up. This motherfucker had the nerve to come up there. No, yes, he had a heart on for me. He was up there. So when I'm up there, they assign me to a uh public defender. Okay, a public defender. That guy is right there. And and so anyway, the judge says this, she's like, so I'm gathering that this is over a poster of you. I'm like, and the guy's like, Yes, can we get it dismissed or whatever? And then the uh their their uh person says, No, we want to file charges. She's like, Okay, well, this is she's basically saying this is stupid. We'll sort of set a date on da-da-da. And I'm just like this. Well, anyway, I then went to the papers and I blew them up. The place got closed. Michael Milsho wrote about it. Yeah, but then um, oh, before it got closed, when people heard what had happened, the poster showed up. So it wasn't me, obviously.

SPEAKER_01

Wow.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So then after all that, and they put me through all that. So I had to keep going to court. Then a friend of mine stepped in very well like four times, and then my Yeah, no, I did, I did. It was it was awful. It was awful. And my friend who was very well like served each other. He then, no, no, I didn't do anything. Okay. My my friend who was very wealthy, he's like, Lena, I'm taking care of this. He got me a fierce lawyer, came in, flushed the toilet, and then that's when we got them shut down. And they had and nothing was on my record ever. Wow. But so I'm sorry, I felt like I had to tell that story. Yeah, I never heard it. It's an exclusive, and it's my birthday. It's your birthday. Who would I call a lawyer? All right, y'all. Listen, we gotta thank our beautiful sistrix, Kevin. I love you so much. Maybe we'll have your handle up where everybody can see you. You guys were here every Thursday.

SPEAKER_01

Um, get that um, I have a new album out.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, yeah, that's my yesterday. Yes, my bad, sorry.

SPEAKER_01

I have a new album called Hippopotamus.

SPEAKER_00

Excuse me. What do you call me?

SPEAKER_01

Nobody's called Hippopotamus. That's what it's called.

SPEAKER_00

Hippopotamus, but the Kevin Mazletov.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, so yeah, it I love the album and I love everything about it.

SPEAKER_00

And uh I can't wait to hear how grossly fierce it is.

SPEAKER_01

My thing is that it really it was just a name because the during the time with people that was the people that helped me do it, they said, Oh, well, you let's call the names, let's call the album like the group, like legendary did it. I said, Oh, I'm calling it hippopotamus.

SPEAKER_00

Hello, I know. So the next day I was like, you know, like that has actually worked for me.

SPEAKER_01

I'm calling you hippopotamus.

SPEAKER_00

You know what's funny? I always think of you and giraffes because you love giraffes.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I do the giraffes. You know how to touch giraffes. I love giraffes, I love giraffes, yeah. But the hippopotamus. But the hippopotamus is that I remember the first time I said it as a child. I remember I couldn't say it. Yeah, and it took me like three or four minutes.

SPEAKER_00

And it's cheeky when you think about the word.

SPEAKER_01

Hippopotamus, Henrietta Hippo. Yeah, Humphrey Hunter Hippo, yeah. But then seeing Steel Steels and Croft. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yeah, yeah, yeah. Fantasia hippo. So I like I love, I just think about hippos, and then I didn't know how fierce they were. Yes, yes. You know how how nasty and like, but they just protect their own and protect those. So it's kind of like a great metaphor. Yeah, I think. I love that. Definitely.

SPEAKER_00

You better work, hippopotamus.

SPEAKER_01

Hippopotamus.

SPEAKER_00

Y'all, like, subscribe. We're here every Thursday. Sending you blessies, love, and always some brown sugar kisses. What you got, girl? I got some loving for my sugar dumplings and kisses, chocolate kisses, and deuces. Deuces. Kevin, what you got this year? Give us a tagline. Mary Hadlow Lamb girl. Hippoponymus. Mary had a little.

SPEAKER_01

Don't do it, but do it well. You went there, and that was your cloud. Don't do it.

SPEAKER_00

We love you guys. Thank you, thank you. Kevin, that was everything. Because you can stay here for another hour easily. Oh, truly. Kevin, thank you, bitch.

SPEAKER_01

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00

Thank you, Hippo. Our show is produced by Josh Rosenswag and Matthew Breen. Our gorgeous graphics are by Daryl Raymond. Our theme music is You Need It. Produced and written and performed by 808 Beach, John J.C. Carr, and Bill Coleman. Courtesy of Peace Biscuit. Our perfect production designer is Daryl Dickens. This season's hair has been done by the heavenly hair goddess herself, Mariah. Our very special thanks to Jason Canner for all your wonderful support. The Cutting Up is a Pride House Media production.