Episode 1: The First Episode, No Middleman

[00:00 – 02:00] Welcome & Intention

1.    Launching the first professional episode

·       Why independence matters

·       Releasing during Black History Month

·       Building without a middleman

[02:00 – 06:00] Gatekeeping & Power Dynamics

·       Revisiting America's Next Top Model as an adult

·       Mentorship vs. control

·       Power imbalance in entertainment

·       The shift from traditional gatekeepers to social media access

Key question:
 Are gatekeepers necessary, or are they becoming obsolete?
 [06:00 – 10:00] First Jobs & Foundations

·       Hearing about Wendy’s closing locations

·       First W-2 job at 18

·       Moving neighborhoods and adapting

·       Lessons in discipline and structure

·       How early work shaped creative independence

[10:00 – 13:00] Building the Studio

·       DIY renovation updates

·       Measurement mistakes

·       Buying the wrong magnets

·       Fixing errors instead of quitting

Metaphor:
 Creative ownership means solving your own problems.
 [13:00 – 15:00] Closing Thoughts

·       Independence vs. permission

·       Doing things your way

·       Commitment to consistency

What’s coming next

🔥 Key Themes

·       Independence over permission

·       Mentorship vs. manipulation

·       Gatekeepers in the digital age

·       Early work shaping the discipline

·       Mistakes as part of the build

💬 Join the Conversation

Has social media actually freed creatives — or just made everyone louder?

Share your thoughts and tag the show.

Yore on Smith Street is a weekly culture and commentary podcast hosted by Smith Street. Blending current events, pop culture, and storytelling, each episode connects today’s headlines to the deeper narratives behind them — because every moment has a backstory.

https://www.smithstreetsounds.com/

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Alright, all right, all right. I done press record. Welcome to the official episode of Yorn's mystery. Y-O-R-E orn's Mystery. Once upon a time, these things happen somewhere in the universe. Okay. Alright. So yeah, I believe this is the first episode, and it's a special one because, well, not only because it's the first episode, but it's also special because it's gonna drop, I believe, during the at the end of Black History Month. If I'm not mistaken, we're gonna drop this out. We're gonna be publishing this joint. Uh so yeah, and that's history. I mean, I happen to be black, black as they get, and uh that's history. I mean, plus, I mean, it's about so many things, it's about independence, it's about consistency, it's about creativity and expression and ownership. Yeah, you know, so yeah, of this month, February, Black History Month 2026. I believe this is gonna be the first official professional, you know, episode. Hoorah! Yes, should throw some um sound effects there. So let me do that. What did we do this week? I watched America's Next Top Model. Okay. On Netflix, the Tyree Banks was a documentary. I guess it was a little docuseries. Boy, a lot of people have things to say. Miss Banks doesn't look like a nice lady. This is what the people are saying, and I then there's some people that are defending her, and I'll give my perspective. I don't think it looks nice at all. I don't know Tyre Banks, but I don't think it looks good. And I'm not gonna sit here and act like I wasn't watching back in the day because I was, but now as an adult, I'm like, what the hell was what was we watching? What is this foolishness? And the contestants were they were treated horribly. Power imbalance, and I know all about that, and it's ugly. Part of the reason why I decided to be so independent because I gotta peek behind the curtain. These people, you know, they're they were replaceable. I don't want to say they didn't matter, but it's like, come on, all the effort and things that these people put in to help build you, and you you don't care. And then towards the end, we found out that Miss J had a stroke, and she says that you know, maybe Tyra reached out, but no visitation. That illusion of mentorship versus control, which is it's it's not nice, you know, and I kind of been on both sides of that where people have looked up to me, and I have been the person that looks up to people. I don't want to treat anybody the way people treat me have treated me. And I'm not gonna say that I've always gotten it right because I've I do have a mean streak, that's right. Twisted. But recognizing it and being able to pinpoint it is the first step to recovery and healing and getting better. You gotta be able to recognize it, you know. And some people they they don't care. That's not what we do over here on Smith Street, okay? Yeah, we're happy that uh the old model is over with the industry. I mean, we want to see it burnt down to the burn down cursing, burn that thing down, okay? Yeah, no gatekeepers, man. Like, and we like that. Is it oversaturated because of that? Absolutely. I do believe that there is something to say for uh consistency, education, and uh passion all working together. Social media has definitely removed the illusion, the smoke and mirrors, so there's no like mystique, everything is there in your face. All people want to know your business, they know the documents, they know how you're feeling, what you look like, where you live. It's good and bad, you know. I personally like a little mystery, you know, to my whole deal. But I'm also not as young as everybody else doing this. So I come from a Michael Jackson time. Like Michael Jackson was the guy when I was around, you know, when I was around, I'm still around. But when I was coming up, you know, when I was a little uh whipper snapper out here, you know, that was the person to look up to Michael Jackson. He was mysterious as a mug, you know, Whitney Houston, you know, you as an old name is the Whitney, you know when it messed up with Whitney that damn reality show. Oh my god, God bless Whitney Houston. It's Black History Month. We're not doing that. The Breakfast Club. What did we uh hear about on the Breakfast Club? We heard that Wendy's is closing 300 locations. What and a little more black history. Did you know? Of course you didn't know, but you're gonna find out that this is Wendy's was my first job. Um, yeah, my first W-2 job because you know I'm just out here hustling for me from a young buck. I was getting the buck, you heard? But um uh yeah, Wendy's was definitely my first W-2 job. I was 18 years old, actually. This is kind of late, right? Um, but I moved to Kenarsi when I was 18. Oh, that's another story. That's another story. How did I move to Knarsi? Because my mom still lived in East Flatbush, and I had to move to Kinarsi to my auntie and uncle's house with my cousins, but that's another play story. We're not gonna go into that. That's off the script. When this was my first job, it was my first, you know, real paycheck. It was it was a time that was a learning process too. They wanted to put me on nine to five. I ain't never heard nobody get a nine to five at a fast food restaurant because I was busting them burgers out. You heard me, and then I got a job at the library. Oh man, those were the times. So let's talk about the renovation. Okay, so I did end up, I believe last time I said I was building the frames, and the frame I had run into some problems because I didn't have the top part of one square, and the beams didn't reach all the way across on the wide side. Actually, the the frame part did didn't reach any end, to be honest. Uh it was you know, it didn't reach the high or the wide part, but I had to build a box around the frame. So I connected a box kind of like to the frame. Then I did not stick to the plan, and I when I was buying the materials, I was supposed to get a specific type of magnet, got the wrong type of magnets, being fast, and I don't know. I knew better than to get the magnets that I got. And then I didn't went and glued them on one side, so now I gotta figure that out. How to like get the right magnets on there? But I believe that once I get the right magnets, it'll be right. The panels will fit on there just fine, and then I'll move on to the painting part of that. I'm ready to get this joint over with because I'm ready to set my room up, and I f I don't feel right setting up everything, bringing all that stuff in here while I'm still painting and stuff, and for the most part, I mean, everything everything's back to be honest, and I'm gonna be on the other side anyway, so I guess I might as well just go ahead and set it up, right? Today I'm using a mic stand, there's more of a balance going on, and that is what's happening on Smith Street, you know. Be getting it together as far as the ambiance, you know. That feng shui gotta be right. Don't let them tell you no different. Oh, this is work, all right. This is creative work. I need the colors and the mood, I need the smell good and all of those things. Argue with your moms, you do yours your way. Okay, I'll do mine mine. Thank you very much. Have a good day, and all those things, you know, I understand everybody has their own way, and what works for you might not work over here on Smith Street, okay, and vice versa. And guess what? We don't need it to. That's the beauty of individuals, yeah no, all right, yeah. So I didn't follow instructions, but I didn't stick to the plan. Kind of like swayed a little bit, and I kind of knew better than that. Cost me a couple of bucks, and it's you know, and a little bit of headache too, because those magnets are glued on, and I used to get really glued to the panel. But I guess, right, it's a magnet, so I'll just put the uh other one under it or over it or whatever. I'll work it out, it'll just be really on there, on that mug. So, yeah, what do we talk about today? Gatekeepers versus independence, the corporate system versus personal growth, the legacy versus new era, mistakes versus adjustments. Alright, and um the next episode, I guess it'll be next week. I mean, the whole idea is consistency. This is I like I enjoy doing this. I, you know, always toyed around with it here and there. I just never like did it consistently. I mean, there was one point where I was doing it consistently consistently because I had like gotten gig, like they was paying me to do it. Of course I was doing it consistently, and that was doing it from home. Like, what? But anyway, oh yeah, I believe y'all, the LA Film School was working with Anne. I don't know. Anyway, that was fun. I got the deal, but that was through United Masters. That's another day story, but we could talk about that next episode, actually. Oh yeah, come around, come around, come around, come around. All right, I think that's it. So we had a good talk today. Um, I had a blast. I hope you did. I'll talk to you at the next time.

unknown 12:41

And our birthday suits vacation. P the only you get a bag.

SPEAKER_01 13:06

Two pieces throwing in the back. Don't you have to say braces?