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

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

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

Further Reading:

* Music Video: Kendrick Lamar - Not Like Us

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Theme Music: “Banjo Beat” - Will Records

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

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

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

Further Reading:

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

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

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

* Your stuff is actually worse now (Vox)

* The ‘Enshittification’ of TikTok (Wired)

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

* Millennial Rebrand Syndrome (Blog Post, Blackbird Spyplane)

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

Theme Music: “Banjo Beat” - Will Records

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

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

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

Further Reading:

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

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

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

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

* Meet My AI Friends (NYT)