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Speaker 1: Hello Sunshine.

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Speaker 2: Hey fam Today on the bright Side, a Hollywood legend

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Speaker 2: is in the house. Y'all. She's a woman who needs

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Speaker 2: no introduction, but we'll give you a little bit.

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Speaker 3: Anyways, We've got the.

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Speaker 2: Co creator and star of Insecure, Esa Ray here with

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Speaker 2: us today and we're talking about her hilarious new film

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Speaker 2: One of Them Days, plus why Shall Forever be an

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Speaker 2: Awkward Black Girl.

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Speaker 1: It's Thursday, January sixteenth.

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Speaker 2: I'm Danielle Robe, I'm Simone Boyce, and this is the

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Speaker 2: bright Side from Hello Sunshine.

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Speaker 1: Issa Ray is here today, Simone. She's such a powerhouse.

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Speaker 1: I mean, from starting on YouTube to becoming a major

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Speaker 1: force in Hollywood, I feel like ESA's really made her mark.

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Speaker 1: She's the creative mind behind the hit show Insecure that

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Speaker 1: I loved. She starred in three Oscar nominated films, and

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Speaker 1: she even took on the role of president in Barbie.

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Speaker 3: Do you remember that? Yes, she's my president? Yes, oh

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Speaker 3: my god. Well, okay.

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Speaker 1: The fact that she started on YouTube is wild to

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Speaker 1: me because she's leveraged her web series Awkward Black Girl

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Speaker 1: to build a platform for underrepresented voices, and now her

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Speaker 1: latest endeavor involves the development of a new studio campus

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Speaker 1: in South Los Angeles.

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Speaker 3: Like, is Esta going to be the head of a

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Speaker 3: studio that is iconic?

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Speaker 1: I feel like her success has paved the way for

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Speaker 1: a new generation of creators, really showing Hollywood that there's

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Speaker 1: a vast, engaged audience for stories outside of the traditional mold.

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Speaker 1: We've always known that, but Esa proved it. I really

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Speaker 1: think that's a shift that she helped catalyze.

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Speaker 2: You mentioned her series Awkward Black Girl, and I wonder

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Speaker 2: how many people out there know about that series and

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Speaker 2: what it actually took to become insecure. I mean, she

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Speaker 2: really bet on herself in a huge way, and she

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Speaker 2: was bootstrapping that series and you know, paying for it

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Speaker 2: herself and begging for favors from friends, and just takes

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Speaker 2: a lot of faith in yourself and in your time

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Speaker 2: talents to do that and put so much on the line.

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Speaker 2: I mean, she she literally quit a job in order

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Speaker 2: to make that dream a reality, and it did become

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Speaker 2: a reality. And what came out of Awkward Black Girl

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Speaker 2: is Insecure, one of the most successful shows that Max

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Speaker 2: has ever seen. So she is such a huge inspiration

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Speaker 2: in that way, and I just find I find Issa

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Speaker 2: the person to be so inspiring too. Like all of

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Speaker 2: her interviews and sound bites, there's one that comes to

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Speaker 2: mind when she talks about the value of networking across

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Speaker 2: and not just networking above, not just thinking about how

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Speaker 2: to make relationships with people who are more powerful than you,

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Speaker 2: but thinking about how can I how can I partner

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Speaker 2: up with peers who I admire, and how can we

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Speaker 2: rise together?

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Speaker 3: I love that perspective.

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Speaker 1: It's interesting you mentioned that one because a few of

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Speaker 1: our guests on the show have quoted her. They've cited

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Speaker 1: that quote. She just has the knack or saying it

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Speaker 1: like it is and getting a laugh like I think.

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Speaker 1: Her work seamlessly blends humor with social commentary, tackling issues

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Speaker 1: like race and gender and systemic inequities while remaining entertaining

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Speaker 1: and accessible. I'm so bummed I missed this interview. I

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Speaker 1: can't wait to hear it.

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Speaker 3: Simon.

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Speaker 2: I know I wanted you to be there so we

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Speaker 2: could sing broken Pussy together.

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Speaker 3: Oh my God.

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Speaker 2: For anyone who doesn't know, broken Pussy is the name

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Speaker 2: of a song that Isa sings in the pilot of Insecure,

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Speaker 2: and it's hilarious.

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Speaker 3: You have to go watch it if you haven't seen it.

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Speaker 2: I got to sit down with Isa while she was

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Speaker 2: promoting her new movie One of Them Days. It's a

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Speaker 2: really cool story behind it. She really shepherded the writer

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Speaker 2: of this film, Serita Singleton, and this is just what

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Speaker 2: Isara does. She finds creators of color and she embraces

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Speaker 2: them and nurtures them. And Serta worked with her on

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Speaker 2: Insecure and now there may this movie together and it's

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Speaker 2: also starring Keiki Palmer and Sizza. So cool to see

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Speaker 2: Sissa in an acting capacity for the first time. I

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Speaker 2: think this is the first of many iconic acting roles

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Speaker 2: for her. But this film is all about two best

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Speaker 2: friends and roommates who are on a mission to get

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Speaker 2: their rent in on time or else they'll get evicted.

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Speaker 2: And of course, you know in South Los Angeles, hijinks ensue,

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Speaker 2: hilarity ensues. But I love that this is a film

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Speaker 2: about friendship because at the end of the day, that

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Speaker 2: is that's one of our themes that we love to

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Speaker 2: talk about on the bright side so much.

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Speaker 1: Absolutely, it was kind of being marketed as this like

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Speaker 1: female buddy cop movie, which it's interesting that it was

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Speaker 1: female buddy cop because that means that the regular buddy

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Speaker 1: cop movie is default male. But this film was really

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Speaker 1: inspired by some of these classic movies like Baps, which

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Speaker 1: came out in nineteen ninety seven. It was starring Halle

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Speaker 1: Berry and Natalie decel. It was inspired by nineteen ninety

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Speaker 1: five's Friday and I know this it's funny, but Bapps.

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Speaker 1: I actually just saw it for the first time this year.

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Speaker 1: It is hilarious. It's like the original Rome and Michelle's

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Speaker 1: high school reunion. And I just love like friendship is

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Speaker 1: at the heart of all of these movies.

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Speaker 3: You know, Lisa is a girl's girl.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, there's a reason why friendship, and specifically black female

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Speaker 2: friendship comes up so much in the projects that she does,

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Speaker 2: and we love to see it.

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Speaker 1: She has this knack for displaying friendships in a real

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Speaker 1: way too, you know, like it's not sort of this

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Speaker 1: idealized version.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, exactly.

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Speaker 2: It's really honest and raw and she gets She's not

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Speaker 2: afraid to get into the messy parts of friendship.

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Speaker 1: Okay, well, enough of us, let's get to this interview.

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Speaker 3: That's right after the break. Stay with us, Lisa Ray,

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Speaker 3: Welcome to the bright Side. Thank you so much.

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Speaker 2: We are so thrilled to have you. Congratulations on one

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Speaker 2: of them days. It's Giving Friday, it's giving baps, it's

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Speaker 2: even giving a little super bad Let's go right, and

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Speaker 2: it chronicles this hilariously bad day through the eyes of

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Speaker 2: two best friends. So I'm coming out the gate hot.

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Speaker 2: I'm not gonna lie, okay at me. If your friends

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Speaker 2: had to make a movie about a terrible day that

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Speaker 2: you had, what would the title be?

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Speaker 3: And why?

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Speaker 4: Oh man, that is hot out the gate? Probably what's

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Speaker 4: wrong with You? Yeah, it would be that get I

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Speaker 4: get asked that a lot by my friend group, where

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Speaker 4: it's just like either I could have done something better

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Speaker 4: or like in an easier way, or I might say

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Speaker 4: something ridiculous, or I might have said something to get

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Speaker 4: it meet myself in a situation.

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Speaker 3: So what's wrong with she would for sure be the title.

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Speaker 2: I feel like that just sums it all up. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: you know, it's a really strong title.

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Speaker 3: It's very victim blame me, but I accept it. Okay.

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Speaker 2: So Kiki Palmer and says a star in this film,

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Speaker 2: they are the dynamic deal that we didn't know where needed.

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Speaker 4: They really are. They're like a matchmat and comedic heavin. Yeah,

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Speaker 4: have amazing chemistry. They're so dang funny together.

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Speaker 2: Kekey plays Drew, who's kind of meticulous and ambitious, and

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Speaker 2: then Sissa plays Alyssa, who's this aloof artist with a

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Speaker 2: heart of gold.

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Speaker 3: So are you more of a Drew or an Alyssa.

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Speaker 4: I'm definitely more of a Drew, but my Alyssa comes

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Speaker 4: out on my like impulsive side, So I say I'm

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Speaker 4: Drew by day Alyssa by night in some ways, because

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Speaker 4: I get.

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Speaker 3: You know, Alyssa, She's just an artist. She just wants

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Speaker 3: to be free.

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Speaker 4: She's very like spiritually in tune, and sometimes when I

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Speaker 4: want to be irresponsible, I channel Alyssa.

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Speaker 2: Okay, it feels like we're witnessing the birth of an

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Speaker 2: acting career with Sizza.

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Speaker 3: Out so right, yes, tell her that? Did she is?

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Speaker 3: She fighting?

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Speaker 4: That she's this is her first, you know, feature film,

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Speaker 4: and she's incredib and Scissor wears her heart on her sleeve.

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Speaker 4: She's very vulnerable and she's also a perfectionist. She displays

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Speaker 4: this via her music and so she's very much in

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Speaker 4: her head about like this entire thing. But she killed it.

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Speaker 4: She should be in more things.

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Speaker 2: Well, we all loved watching her on us and ol

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Speaker 2: I mean I'm still singing, big boy.

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Speaker 3: What surprised you most about her performance in one of

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Speaker 3: them days.

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Speaker 4: Her improv skills, Just how funny she is on her feet,

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Speaker 4: and you know, Kiki is an improv master.

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Speaker 3: She's just so hilarious, and for her.

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Speaker 4: To be able to go toe to toe with her

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Speaker 4: in like responding and saying just off the wall hilarious

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Speaker 4: things like somebody the lines of the movie on Siss's

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Speaker 4: side are and both of their sides are improv.

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Speaker 3: I heard that. To bring in that sense of authenticity,

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Speaker 3: y'all even invited like some members of the community to

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Speaker 3: be part of the production for sure.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean shooting in La, it was important to

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Speaker 4: make sure that with the movie set in LA, that

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Speaker 4: we were featuring the actual neighborhoods represented, and so on

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Speaker 4: top of that, having background actors that were living in

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Speaker 4: the neighborhoods to give it that extra dose of authenticity.

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Speaker 3: Was you know Lawrence's idea.

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Speaker 2: That also adds an unexpected element to those right, Like,

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Speaker 2: were there any funny encounters that y'all had during production?

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Speaker 3: We had a lot of encounters. Honestly. You know, there

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Speaker 3: are some street rules in LA and we follow all codes.

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Speaker 1: We have.

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Speaker 3: We we asked the proper permission.

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Speaker 4: But when you're shooting on streets like Crenshaw, when you're

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Speaker 4: shooting in the jungles, like a lot of things go down.

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Speaker 4: So we may have had some set incidents where we

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Speaker 4: may have had to shut down early. We had a

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Speaker 4: couple of misunderstandings, but that just comes with the territory

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Speaker 4: of being in la and again being in the neighborhoods

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Speaker 4: that were reflecting.

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Speaker 3: Did the streets show love?

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Speaker 4: Though the streets showed love after the fact, after that, oh,

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Speaker 4: y'all good. We thought you didn't ask permission, but y'all good,

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Speaker 4: y'all good, respect love. And then neighborhoods, like when we

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Speaker 4: were shooting one of the scenes where versus a climbs

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Speaker 4: an electrical poll that was in a neighborhood and people

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Speaker 4: were coming out of their houses, you know, excited filming

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Speaker 4: like and Kat Williams was there, so they were excited

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Speaker 4: to see him, and it was just it was.

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Speaker 3: So much love.

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Speaker 2: I grew up on that man's comedy truly, like his

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Speaker 2: comedy Specials or the soundtrack to My College.

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Speaker 3: Oh my gosh.

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Speaker 2: The story of how this film got made is actually

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Speaker 2: really special. Because it all started when you invited the

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Speaker 2: screenwriter Srita Singleton into your company, Color Creative, which is

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Speaker 2: this talent incubator that you co founded to platform creatives

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Speaker 2: of color. How does it feel to see the fruits

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Speaker 2: of your labor on screen?

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Speaker 3: I mean incredible. This has been such a long journey.

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Speaker 4: You know, this was a six year process from development

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Speaker 4: and probably even longer to be honest. But to be

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Speaker 4: able to have one a first time screenwriter have a

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Speaker 4: theatrical debut in this day and age that gets to

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Speaker 4: be shot in La from her neighborhood, also a first

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Speaker 4: time featured director, and for him to kill it like

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Speaker 4: this is it. It's incredible to be able to like

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Speaker 4: come this far and worth it. And she was also

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Speaker 4: a writer on Insecure as well. She was a writer

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Speaker 4: on Insecure. We have a long working history together. She

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Speaker 4: show ran rap Shit, but this was all in the

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Speaker 4: works during the Insecure kind of run.

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Speaker 2: So between Rap Shit, Insecure and now one of them days.

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Speaker 2: How heavy is it carrying the entire black female friendship

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Speaker 2: genre on your back? I mean, I'm amazed you can

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Speaker 2: even sit up straight right now.

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Speaker 4: That's crazy. I love telling stories about black female friends.

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Speaker 4: I love watching them. There have been a few, like

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Speaker 4: Twenties Harlem, Run the World Rip. You know, there have

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Speaker 4: been a few, and I felt like we're just starving

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Speaker 4: for those sorts of girls trip. Obviously it's huge, but

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Speaker 4: like I could watch these kind of movies all day

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Speaker 4: because none of them are going to be this none

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Speaker 4: of them.

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Speaker 3: Yes, yes, because we're also different. We're also different.

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Speaker 2: So I know that you moved around a lot growing up, right,

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Speaker 2: you lived in Maryland and Senegal.

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Speaker 3: Here in La.

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Speaker 2: I really related to a part of your story, which

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Speaker 2: I haven't met many other people who have experienced this,

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Speaker 2: but you actually moved back to La.

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 2: So I grew up in Miami and then I moved

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Speaker 2: to Memphis, Tennessee when I was in middle school, and

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Speaker 2: then moved back to Miami, and it just it threw

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Speaker 2: me for a loop in terms of searching for belonging.

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Speaker 2: I just didn't know where I fit in. It was

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Speaker 2: so hard to like catch up and find friends. And

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Speaker 2: I was just curious how those experiences of moving around

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Speaker 2: so much shaped the importance of female friendship for you tremendously.

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Speaker 4: I don't know if it was the same for you,

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Speaker 4: but you know, like moving schools, there is a sense

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Speaker 4: of like, oh, I have to start over every single time,

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Speaker 4: and for me sometimes it was like, Ooh, let me

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Speaker 4: try on this new personality. Let me try to be

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Speaker 4: this new person here, to make it like that, to

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Speaker 4: identify I feel.

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Speaker 3: Sometime right now the identity crisis.

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Speaker 4: I have gone through so many identity crisis but I

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Speaker 4: think about, like, I don't think I settled into who

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Speaker 4: I was ironically to high school, because feel like that's

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Speaker 4: also a period of so much doubt. But middle school

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Speaker 4: was freaking terrible for me, and by high school I

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Speaker 4: was like, let me just shut up, calm down, get

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Speaker 4: straight a's, and get out the way. And that's why

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Speaker 4: I kind of found my friend group. And I'm still

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Speaker 4: friends with one of those people from my high school

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Speaker 4: to this day because that's they allowed me to kind

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Speaker 4: of be comfortable being me.

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Speaker 3: And I'll never forget that.

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Speaker 4: And we've also helped each other grow so much, and

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Speaker 4: we take each other to tasks and are super honest

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Speaker 4: with each other, which I love. So I'm here because

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Speaker 4: of my female friendships.

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Speaker 3: Do your friends embrace your awkwardness?

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Speaker 4: They have to, they have no choice. It's like it's

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Speaker 4: to be recivey it is to take that in. So yeah,

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Speaker 4: they do, and and I embraced theirs because they have

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Speaker 4: their moments too.

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Speaker 2: I am just so grateful that you created awkward black

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Speaker 2: girls and secure on behalf of all awkward black girls everywhere.

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Speaker 2: It just felt so powerful to be seen and for

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Speaker 2: like our awkwardness to be normalized. Are you an awkward recovery?

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Speaker 2: Am I an awkward recovery?

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Speaker 4: I was thinking about this the other day actually, because

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Speaker 4: people always ask me like, do you still feel awkward?

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Speaker 3: And I'm like, I will for the rest of my life.

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Speaker 4: But I think the difference is you become just like

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Speaker 4: it's a part of me, like take it, you know.

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Speaker 3: I don't feel like it's a burden for others.

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Speaker 4: There was a time where I'm just like, oh, why

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Speaker 4: do I have to be so uncomfortable because I'm making

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Speaker 4: others uncomfortable?

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Speaker 3: And now I'm like, that's their problem. It is what

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Speaker 3: it is.

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Speaker 4: And there's so much of like getting older where you're

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Speaker 4: just like, these are my flaws and I'm embracing in.

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Speaker 4: They're what make me me and I kind of love them.

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Speaker 3: I have these awkward moments that I just replay in

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Speaker 3: my head of like.

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Speaker 4: Every I still don' I hate living in an awkward loop,

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Speaker 4: like just that cringe loop of like why did I do?

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Speaker 4: Why did I say that? Why did I have if

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Speaker 4: I had just not? You know, that is the worst feeling.

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Speaker 2: There is this scene that lives reck free in my head.

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Speaker 2: I was at this event in New York and I

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Speaker 2: was meeting these writers that I thought were so cool

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Speaker 2: and I threw up a high five in the middle

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Speaker 2: of the conversation.

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Speaker 3: It was awful. I got so rejected. Isa, Wait, they

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Speaker 3: didn't even take that time. They did not for that. No,

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Speaker 3: they just looked at me, like what was the context?

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Speaker 3: It was just.

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Speaker 2: I was it was a moment of validation of agreement

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Speaker 2: and they're rejected.

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Speaker 4: Their assholes were rejecting you because and how many of

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Speaker 4: them were they They're like you know I do Oh, yes,

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Speaker 4: they're famous, they're in my circle. I don't know if okay,

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Speaker 4: because I would never free with people that would do that,

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Speaker 4: say name them, name them not.

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Speaker 3: I want to have a job. I want to have

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Speaker 3: a job.

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Speaker 2: But honestly, this moment is very redemptive for me. So

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Speaker 2: thank you, okay, So so much of your work is

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Speaker 2: just a love letter to friendship.

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Speaker 3: What are your friendship green flags?

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Speaker 4: Oh, friendship green flags? Women who love other women. I

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Speaker 4: love people who want to go to just dinner and eat.

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Speaker 4: When people want to have like a nighting, you want

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Speaker 4: to just like you, we all have to you know,

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Speaker 4: like that is not let's go out, but like you

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Speaker 4: want to just do something lowkey? That language out, You

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Speaker 4: want to just do something low key.

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Speaker 3: Is my love language.

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Speaker 4: Yes, even just recently, friendship green flag.

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Speaker 3: Oh I'll take care of it. I got you. Oh no,

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Speaker 3: I got friends. Said that to you, not your man, ain't.

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Speaker 3: Might as well have it my man. Like I was like,

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Speaker 3: oh should I get a divorce? Should I? Should? We

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Speaker 3: just do this?

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Speaker 4: Because it was like just so wow, you're so thoughtful.

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Speaker 4: I have a million friendship green flags, and yeah they're there.

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Speaker 3: Is always gonna be women for me. Yeah.

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Speaker 2: I read something about your girl squad. We had Bozmo

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Speaker 2: Saint John on the show recently and she said that

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Speaker 2: y'all are in a group chat or at least you

350
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Speaker 2: were at one point called the West African Voltron.

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Speaker 4: That is I was in that briefly, okay, very briefly

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Speaker 4: because I was like, oh, y'all are way more West

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Speaker 4: African than I am.

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Speaker 3: Oh for real, well yes, because.

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Speaker 4: They're like I have a to the point that you

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Speaker 4: mentioned of the like identity struggles I feel.

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Speaker 3: I love my Senegalese side.

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Speaker 4: I'm Senegalese all day, but I haven't lived spent most

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Speaker 4: of my life there, yeah, as much as those women.

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Speaker 3: And so I was like, oh, y'all got it.

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Speaker 2: I thought you were going to say you left the

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Speaker 2: group chat because you just can't handle group chats.

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Speaker 4: That's what all group chats, all of them are mated.

364
00:17:53,520 --> 00:17:54,920
Speaker 4: Do you meet yours? Do you just leave?

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Speaker 2: I basically don't respond. I'm that friend in the group

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Speaker 2: where like if we're organizing a girls trip, I won't

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Speaker 2: say anything for six months and then a week before

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Speaker 2: I'll be like, all right, where do I need to go?

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Speaker 3: What are the details? I hate you? I alan fair,

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00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:10,440
Speaker 3: that's fair.

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Speaker 4: But if it's like, because I'm like, give me something

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00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:16,600
Speaker 4: to do, get group chat where it's just like haha

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Speaker 4: and you get a million notifications because it's tap bags.

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00:18:19,280 --> 00:18:22,080
Speaker 3: Or whatever, I'm like, mute, mute, mute, I'll join it

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00:18:22,119 --> 00:18:22,840
Speaker 3: and laugh later.

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Speaker 4: I don't need to do this in real time, Like

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Speaker 4: I don't want to just be chatting all day.

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00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:29,200
Speaker 3: Yeah, but if we're doing something and it's details.

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Speaker 4: I hate when my friend is like, Okay, what's the

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00:18:31,840 --> 00:18:34,520
Speaker 4: information and it's like you if you had just been

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Speaker 4: paying attention.

382
00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:38,960
Speaker 3: No, but okay, here's the thing. I can't scroll through

383
00:18:39,080 --> 00:18:41,879
Speaker 3: sixty texts to go back to the information. It's lost.

384
00:18:41,960 --> 00:18:43,360
Speaker 3: It's lost in the canon of the time.

385
00:18:43,359 --> 00:18:45,480
Speaker 4: That's what email is for, Like your group chat, is

386
00:18:45,520 --> 00:18:48,359
Speaker 4: to get the initial planning who's down, and then you

387
00:18:48,440 --> 00:18:50,840
Speaker 4: send an email to be like, these are the details.

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00:18:50,920 --> 00:18:54,680
Speaker 3: So yeah, that's fair. I forgive you. Thank you.

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Speaker 2: This has been a really full circle of healing conversation.

390
00:18:58,200 --> 00:19:00,639
Speaker 2: So in the spirit of one of them, I am

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Speaker 2: dying to know. What is the most chaotic night out

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00:19:03,520 --> 00:19:06,200
Speaker 2: on record that you had with the Insecure cast?

393
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Speaker 3: Oh?

394
00:19:08,440 --> 00:19:11,520
Speaker 4: Oh man, I can't even say it. It's tainted. Can

395
00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:14,399
Speaker 4: you redact certain bills?

396
00:19:14,840 --> 00:19:15,040
Speaker 1: Yeah?

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00:19:15,040 --> 00:19:17,479
Speaker 4: I mean it was all a rat party and we

398
00:19:17,520 --> 00:19:23,080
Speaker 4: went to many other parties afterwards, huh, and a bigger

399
00:19:23,119 --> 00:19:24,919
Speaker 4: party and it was fun.

400
00:19:25,119 --> 00:19:28,520
Speaker 3: I can't sadly it's a rat. How late did the

401
00:19:28,600 --> 00:19:29,679
Speaker 3: night end? That's all I need to know.

402
00:19:29,840 --> 00:19:31,280
Speaker 4: It didn't end that late, but it was more about

403
00:19:31,280 --> 00:19:33,520
Speaker 4: like we were all together and just having a good time,

404
00:19:33,560 --> 00:19:37,120
Speaker 4: probably like to one or two because I can't I'm

405
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Speaker 4: not a four am, six am girly.

406
00:19:39,200 --> 00:19:42,680
Speaker 3: It really has to be a special occasion. Yeah, but it.

407
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Speaker 4: Was just like I love hanging out with him and

408
00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:50,160
Speaker 4: Jay who plays Lawrence. He rarely goes out, like it's

409
00:19:50,200 --> 00:19:52,960
Speaker 4: such it's like pulling teeth to get him to go out.

410
00:19:53,600 --> 00:19:55,480
Speaker 4: He shut up to mayacht party like the first year

411
00:19:55,480 --> 00:19:59,960
Speaker 4: and then never came. And then in occasionally when he's

412
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Speaker 4: ready to go out, it's like, oh, we got to

413
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Speaker 4: make this an occasion.

414
00:20:03,400 --> 00:20:05,000
Speaker 3: So him being out is exciting.

415
00:20:05,200 --> 00:20:07,040
Speaker 2: And whenever that friend who never comes out comes out,

416
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Speaker 2: it's like, oh.

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Speaker 3: Yes, we're rallying and it has to be a good night,

418
00:20:10,800 --> 00:20:11,000
Speaker 3: you know.

419
00:20:11,520 --> 00:20:13,439
Speaker 2: Okay, I gotta know about these yacht parties. I know

420
00:20:13,480 --> 00:20:15,359
Speaker 2: you just had a big birthday, did you?

421
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Speaker 3: Did you? I'm about to have a big bath.

422
00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:21,399
Speaker 4: You're now schedule because yes, I'm about to have a

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Speaker 4: big birthday.

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Speaker 3: Okay, are you getting drunk on a boat this year?

425
00:20:25,040 --> 00:20:31,000
Speaker 4: I want to, but where I'm going apparently has rough waters.

426
00:20:31,119 --> 00:20:34,199
Speaker 4: And my friend sent me a video of like the

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Speaker 4: Housewives struggling on a boat, and he was like this

428
00:20:37,400 --> 00:20:39,000
Speaker 4: about to be us if you have us on a

429
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Speaker 4: boat on your birthday.

430
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Speaker 3: No, so I guess not.

431
00:20:43,400 --> 00:20:46,359
Speaker 4: I was just on a boat in Greece recently, so

432
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Speaker 4: I kind of got my boat fixed.

433
00:20:48,359 --> 00:20:50,600
Speaker 3: So but I will be by water, that's essential.

434
00:20:50,760 --> 00:20:53,719
Speaker 2: Okay, yes, yeah, I'm catching on to a theme here,

435
00:20:53,840 --> 00:20:54,480
Speaker 2: boats water.

436
00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:58,360
Speaker 3: I love it. That's that's peace. Yeah, I'm gonna get

437
00:20:58,359 --> 00:21:02,640
Speaker 3: real deep for a second. That's cool. Oh god, Okay, sure.

438
00:21:03,240 --> 00:21:05,560
Speaker 2: And then we'll go back to laughing, I promise. So

439
00:21:06,200 --> 00:21:08,919
Speaker 2: I'm rewatching Insecure to prepare for this interview, right, and

440
00:21:08,960 --> 00:21:11,520
Speaker 2: I'm haunted by this one line and the pilot.

441
00:21:11,760 --> 00:21:12,480
Speaker 3: The line is.

442
00:21:12,880 --> 00:21:15,919
Speaker 2: What would life look like if you really went after

443
00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:19,679
Speaker 2: what you wanted? Something like that, And I'm curious what

444
00:21:19,800 --> 00:21:22,720
Speaker 2: was the moment when you decided to really go after

445
00:21:23,040 --> 00:21:23,760
Speaker 2: what you wanted?

446
00:21:25,359 --> 00:21:29,120
Speaker 4: I think, for sure in releasing Awkward Black Girl, because

447
00:21:29,119 --> 00:21:31,919
Speaker 4: that was really scary for me. But even then I

448
00:21:31,920 --> 00:21:35,400
Speaker 4: still had a crunch of other jobs. I think when

449
00:21:35,440 --> 00:21:41,639
Speaker 4: I finally just quit my job to pursue whatever this

450
00:21:41,840 --> 00:21:43,439
Speaker 4: was going to be. I got a manager, I got

451
00:21:43,440 --> 00:21:47,200
Speaker 4: a representation, and I thought that meant like, oh, I'm

452
00:21:47,200 --> 00:21:51,080
Speaker 4: about to be making money because woo, I'm signed and

453
00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:55,159
Speaker 4: so I was like my job and then I was

454
00:21:55,160 --> 00:21:58,000
Speaker 4: not making money and that was really hard for a while.

455
00:21:58,000 --> 00:21:59,720
Speaker 4: But I was like, I'm going full thar, like I'm

456
00:21:59,720 --> 00:22:02,960
Speaker 4: going after this. By that time, we were about five

457
00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:06,399
Speaker 4: episodes in and it was getting traction and I was like,

458
00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:09,320
Speaker 4: I just want to devote my time to making this

459
00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:13,280
Speaker 4: and see where it leads and if I didn't do that.

460
00:22:13,320 --> 00:22:15,119
Speaker 4: At the time, I was also just about to try to,

461
00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:17,639
Speaker 4: like before I released Upper Black Girl, I was going

462
00:22:17,720 --> 00:22:19,320
Speaker 4: to kind of give up on living in LA and

463
00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:22,159
Speaker 4: try to move to Senegal and try to start. Like

464
00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:25,879
Speaker 4: their music videos were always trash, like they didn't have

465
00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:27,919
Speaker 4: good production value. So I was like, well, maybe I

466
00:22:27,920 --> 00:22:30,640
Speaker 4: can go out there and become a director and try

467
00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:32,920
Speaker 4: to like make something in myself out there. And then

468
00:22:33,280 --> 00:22:34,880
Speaker 4: I was like, let me just try this Upper Black

469
00:22:34,880 --> 00:22:36,680
Speaker 4: Girl thing, and that popped off.

470
00:22:37,920 --> 00:22:41,359
Speaker 3: So that was the beginning of going after what I wanted.

471
00:22:41,880 --> 00:22:44,640
Speaker 2: I actually heard you say once that cutting off your hair,

472
00:22:44,680 --> 00:22:47,040
Speaker 2: like doing the big chop right around that time when

473
00:22:47,080 --> 00:22:51,320
Speaker 2: you launched Awkward Black Girl was really transformative and liberating

474
00:22:51,359 --> 00:22:51,680
Speaker 2: for you.

475
00:22:52,080 --> 00:22:55,000
Speaker 3: Yeah, tell me about that. I recommend that for everyone.

476
00:22:55,080 --> 00:22:57,800
Speaker 2: Well, I'm thinking now about should I maybe I need

477
00:22:57,800 --> 00:22:58,840
Speaker 2: to chop all my hair off.

478
00:22:59,240 --> 00:23:02,320
Speaker 4: Honestly, every person I know that has chopped their hair off,

479
00:23:02,640 --> 00:23:06,679
Speaker 4: their life has changed. It really is just a different energy.

480
00:23:06,760 --> 00:23:12,520
Speaker 4: You just it's a cleansing of sorts. And because you're

481
00:23:13,720 --> 00:23:17,000
Speaker 4: bald or pay whatever you have, like there's a bravery

482
00:23:17,200 --> 00:23:21,880
Speaker 4: to you and it feels like you're dared to be

483
00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:25,919
Speaker 4: a new person and dared to go after what you

484
00:23:25,960 --> 00:23:27,560
Speaker 4: want because it is such a both thing, Like so

485
00:23:27,640 --> 00:23:30,040
Speaker 4: much of our identity is wrapped in our hair, and

486
00:23:30,080 --> 00:23:32,199
Speaker 4: so when you shed that, you're just like, oh, what

487
00:23:32,200 --> 00:23:34,280
Speaker 4: else can I do? What else can I shed? And

488
00:23:34,280 --> 00:23:37,400
Speaker 4: that's been that to me, has been the most encouraging

489
00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:42,160
Speaker 4: part of the head shave. It's just I became who

490
00:23:42,160 --> 00:23:42,760
Speaker 4: I wanted to be.

491
00:23:44,520 --> 00:23:48,879
Speaker 2: There's something really liberating too about not presenting for the

492
00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:49,440
Speaker 2: male gaze.

493
00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:50,879
Speaker 3: You know.

494
00:23:51,080 --> 00:23:53,120
Speaker 4: Yes, I definitely had a boyfriend at the time who

495
00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:58,240
Speaker 4: was like, don't do it. Don't I was like, excuse you,

496
00:23:58,720 --> 00:24:01,920
Speaker 4: I'm about to do this. How many I eventually lived due.

497
00:24:01,920 --> 00:24:05,120
Speaker 2: Yeah, we've got to take a short break, but when

498
00:24:05,119 --> 00:24:14,800
Speaker 2: we come back, we've got more ray and we're back

499
00:24:14,840 --> 00:24:19,440
Speaker 2: with the ray. Isa, you have so many talents and skills.

500
00:24:19,680 --> 00:24:22,080
Speaker 2: What do you think your creative superpower.

501
00:24:21,600 --> 00:24:28,439
Speaker 4: Is My creative superpower, I think is it's a specific POV.

502
00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:29,160
Speaker 3: It's a lens.

503
00:24:29,280 --> 00:24:32,040
Speaker 4: Like I think I'm really good at seeing, like like

504
00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:36,560
Speaker 4: editing in real time and determining how something will play out.

505
00:24:37,200 --> 00:24:41,040
Speaker 4: And yeah, I think that, Like I think I have

506
00:24:41,080 --> 00:24:43,040
Speaker 4: a good comedic sense ability.

507
00:24:44,320 --> 00:24:46,680
Speaker 2: Is there an aspect of your superpower that you feel

508
00:24:46,720 --> 00:24:48,760
Speaker 2: like you haven't tapped into yet or you're looking forward

509
00:24:48,760 --> 00:24:49,320
Speaker 2: to exploring?

510
00:24:49,680 --> 00:24:52,720
Speaker 4: So many like and I don't know that there's superpowers yet.

511
00:24:52,760 --> 00:24:54,320
Speaker 4: I just want to find out. But there's so many

512
00:24:54,320 --> 00:24:56,840
Speaker 4: things that I have not done, Like I haven't really

513
00:24:56,880 --> 00:25:00,240
Speaker 4: explored the drama side of of like the behind the

514
00:25:00,280 --> 00:25:03,680
Speaker 4: scenes work and even creating or producing. There's so many

515
00:25:03,680 --> 00:25:05,800
Speaker 4: different genres and worlds that I want to play in,

516
00:25:06,240 --> 00:25:09,280
Speaker 4: and I just want to know what I'm good at

517
00:25:09,359 --> 00:25:12,560
Speaker 4: and what I'm not good at. And I ideally I

518
00:25:12,680 --> 00:25:14,919
Speaker 4: know that privately, but now I'm at a stage where,

519
00:25:15,359 --> 00:25:17,600
Speaker 4: like so much of what I do is public and

520
00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:20,560
Speaker 4: up for scrutiny, And that's the that's the scary part

521
00:25:20,680 --> 00:25:23,360
Speaker 4: where it's like I can't just do a little web

522
00:25:23,400 --> 00:25:25,880
Speaker 4: series and some people watch it and.

523
00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:28,000
Speaker 3: If it sucks. Nobody will know.

524
00:25:28,080 --> 00:25:31,080
Speaker 4: Now if I try something new, then I'm like held

525
00:25:31,119 --> 00:25:32,400
Speaker 4: to a specific standard.

526
00:25:32,880 --> 00:25:34,560
Speaker 3: But I kind of have to get over that fear

527
00:25:34,600 --> 00:25:35,400
Speaker 3: and just do it.

528
00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:38,240
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a great point because it's like where's your

529
00:25:38,280 --> 00:25:41,440
Speaker 2: sandbox now? Or where is your place for experimentation?

530
00:25:41,960 --> 00:25:43,760
Speaker 3: It's really just it's all private.

531
00:25:43,960 --> 00:25:48,280
Speaker 4: And I've never really written and shared work except when

532
00:25:48,320 --> 00:25:54,160
Speaker 4: I have to, So it's yeah, I don't have many

533
00:25:54,280 --> 00:25:55,760
Speaker 4: areas for experimentation.

534
00:25:55,880 --> 00:25:58,560
Speaker 3: It all stays in my head. Well why not just

535
00:25:58,560 --> 00:25:59,240
Speaker 3: trust yourself?

536
00:25:59,280 --> 00:26:02,399
Speaker 4: Though I do to a certain extent, but somebody you

537
00:26:02,480 --> 00:26:05,280
Speaker 4: need also resources to make things happen. So like, even

538
00:26:05,320 --> 00:26:08,520
Speaker 4: if I wanted to play in this world, like even

539
00:26:08,560 --> 00:26:12,520
Speaker 4: if I write something, then it still has to get made,

540
00:26:12,600 --> 00:26:14,760
Speaker 4: Like there's certain things. Of course I can fund myself

541
00:26:14,800 --> 00:26:18,600
Speaker 4: if it's on a smaller scale, but yeah, I do

542
00:26:18,640 --> 00:26:23,199
Speaker 4: trust myself to an extent, except if I'm hanging for

543
00:26:23,320 --> 00:26:24,320
Speaker 4: it myself.

544
00:26:25,119 --> 00:26:27,760
Speaker 3: That's more risky. Yeah, totally.

545
00:26:28,560 --> 00:26:32,199
Speaker 2: Well, I think you've got this other superpower, which is

546
00:26:32,240 --> 00:26:36,960
Speaker 2: your entrepreneurial and nonprofit efforts. And I am a native Angelina.

547
00:26:37,040 --> 00:26:39,080
Speaker 2: Even though I grew up in Miami, I was born here,

548
00:26:39,200 --> 00:26:41,560
Speaker 2: spent a lot of time in like Baldwin Hills when

549
00:26:41,560 --> 00:26:44,120
Speaker 2: I was growing up, and so I was really excited

550
00:26:44,119 --> 00:26:46,280
Speaker 2: to talk to you about your real estate development work

551
00:26:46,720 --> 00:26:49,439
Speaker 2: in South LA. And I honestly had no idea how

552
00:26:49,560 --> 00:26:53,600
Speaker 2: much you were investing into infrastructure in black communities. You're

553
00:26:53,640 --> 00:26:56,760
Speaker 2: part of Destination Crenshaw, which is a new hub for

554
00:26:56,920 --> 00:27:00,880
Speaker 2: black culture, community and economic development. You have your ownership

555
00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:04,720
Speaker 2: in Hilltop Cafe, Somerville Restaurant now, which is providing job

556
00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:06,760
Speaker 2: opportunities for folks in the community.

557
00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:08,480
Speaker 3: And I just think about.

558
00:27:08,200 --> 00:27:11,520
Speaker 2: How there are hundreds of well resourced actors in this

559
00:27:11,600 --> 00:27:14,240
Speaker 2: town who don't give back to our city the way

560
00:27:14,280 --> 00:27:14,800
Speaker 2: that you do.

561
00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:18,520
Speaker 3: What is this city given to you? I think, to

562
00:27:18,560 --> 00:27:21,600
Speaker 3: be fair to them, this is like I grew up here.

563
00:27:21,640 --> 00:27:25,040
Speaker 4: So yes, I grew up in Bowen Hills in View

564
00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:28,680
Speaker 4: Park in South LA and spent a lot of time

565
00:27:28,720 --> 00:27:32,359
Speaker 4: at Englewood because my grandparents live there and live there myself,

566
00:27:33,320 --> 00:27:38,160
Speaker 4: and I just love where I'm from, and I think

567
00:27:38,200 --> 00:27:42,479
Speaker 4: there's just it comes from a natural want of these

568
00:27:42,520 --> 00:27:45,800
Speaker 4: spaces in my own communities that I love so much.

569
00:27:46,200 --> 00:27:48,320
Speaker 4: I think if you don't have an attachment to LA

570
00:27:48,400 --> 00:27:50,359
Speaker 4: in that way, then you know, why would you feel

571
00:27:50,400 --> 00:27:54,640
Speaker 4: compelled to invest. But I know of other people doing

572
00:27:54,640 --> 00:27:57,120
Speaker 4: it in their own community, like whether it's in Detroit,

573
00:27:57,119 --> 00:27:58,760
Speaker 4: like I think by Lawrence me and from Detroit and

574
00:27:58,840 --> 00:28:03,640
Speaker 4: all the he's contributed there, And you know, I think

575
00:28:03,640 --> 00:28:05,600
Speaker 4: it just depends on your love of where you're from.

576
00:28:06,440 --> 00:28:08,920
Speaker 3: I will defend LA to the day I die. I'm easily.

577
00:28:08,960 --> 00:28:10,680
Speaker 2: I hate whenever people you know, I'm not even gonna

578
00:28:10,680 --> 00:28:12,760
Speaker 2: say I hate because it doesn't bother me anymore.

579
00:28:12,800 --> 00:28:15,920
Speaker 3: But whenever people trash LA, I'm like, you just don't

580
00:28:15,920 --> 00:28:16,320
Speaker 3: get it.

581
00:28:16,400 --> 00:28:19,960
Speaker 4: I have a friend that is from LA but just

582
00:28:20,040 --> 00:28:22,240
Speaker 4: moved to New York and he's just like, New York

583
00:28:22,280 --> 00:28:24,160
Speaker 4: is so much better than La. Oh my god. LA

584
00:28:24,240 --> 00:28:26,400
Speaker 4: has no culture. And I'm like, come dam Like you're

585
00:28:26,440 --> 00:28:29,080
Speaker 4: going through a little New York. You're in New York

586
00:28:29,240 --> 00:28:33,280
Speaker 4: in your thirties, You're like, oh wow, this place is magical,

587
00:28:33,320 --> 00:28:35,280
Speaker 4: and you don't have to do that at the expense

588
00:28:35,359 --> 00:28:37,920
Speaker 4: of LA because LA has all that. You've just never

589
00:28:37,960 --> 00:28:40,880
Speaker 4: been there, you know, you've never been to the right parts.

590
00:28:40,760 --> 00:28:44,160
Speaker 2: Exactly, And good luck being in your thirties and New York.

591
00:28:46,080 --> 00:28:46,720
Speaker 3: Yeah, good luck.

592
00:28:46,760 --> 00:28:52,960
Speaker 2: Good Look that's for your twenties, Okay, I have one

593
00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:57,160
Speaker 2: last question for you. There's ray Irl and then there's

594
00:28:57,200 --> 00:29:00,600
Speaker 2: like on the Internet, and I feel like on the

595
00:29:00,600 --> 00:29:03,080
Speaker 2: Internet is like this larger than my figure because there

596
00:29:03,080 --> 00:29:05,640
Speaker 2: are these trending sounds that you have become known for,

597
00:29:05,720 --> 00:29:08,200
Speaker 2: these iconic sound bites, Like there's one that came into

598
00:29:08,240 --> 00:29:09,800
Speaker 2: my feed the other day. It's the one that goes

599
00:29:09,840 --> 00:29:12,360
Speaker 2: like you wake up at the mirror and you realize

600
00:29:13,760 --> 00:29:16,360
Speaker 2: these other bitches ain't even close. Do you have a

601
00:29:16,400 --> 00:29:21,360
Speaker 2: favorite ray meme or trending sound? I don't know what's sure.

602
00:29:21,480 --> 00:29:22,520
Speaker 2: I don't know what's trending.

603
00:29:22,640 --> 00:29:23,160
Speaker 3: I don't know.

604
00:29:23,640 --> 00:29:25,640
Speaker 4: I know that Me season I was like the only

605
00:29:25,640 --> 00:29:28,200
Speaker 4: thing where I know like, oh this was this became

606
00:29:28,240 --> 00:29:31,240
Speaker 4: a thing and that cracked me up. And even Rihanna

607
00:29:31,320 --> 00:29:33,360
Speaker 4: responded to that because the second half of that was

608
00:29:34,160 --> 00:29:38,880
Speaker 4: like it's me season unless Beyonce and Rihanna released something.

609
00:29:38,880 --> 00:29:40,880
Speaker 4: I was begging them not to release something. So Rihanna

610
00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:43,440
Speaker 4: was like, don't worry about me since I've got released

611
00:29:43,480 --> 00:29:48,719
Speaker 4: in that thing. I was like, yay, but but I

612
00:29:48,760 --> 00:29:52,440
Speaker 4: guess that, yeah, I don't know what else is out there.

613
00:29:53,080 --> 00:29:55,600
Speaker 4: I love that people claim a season as their own.

614
00:29:55,960 --> 00:29:59,280
Speaker 3: Yes, Okay, So as you enter into this big birthday.

615
00:29:59,640 --> 00:30:02,160
Speaker 3: What are you in now? What era are you now?

616
00:30:02,520 --> 00:30:04,560
Speaker 4: I'm trying to be in a fine forties, you know

617
00:30:04,600 --> 00:30:08,440
Speaker 4: what I'm saying. I'm just like, like just that. That's

618
00:30:08,480 --> 00:30:11,640
Speaker 4: what it's about, to be an apologetic, like the aspirational

619
00:30:11,800 --> 00:30:14,080
Speaker 4: version of myself that I want to be. Maybe maybe

620
00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:15,600
Speaker 4: I am going to dress up to go into work.

621
00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:18,720
Speaker 4: Nobody hold me today, but maybe maybe I'm gonna be

622
00:30:19,560 --> 00:30:22,280
Speaker 4: who I envision myself being in my head.

623
00:30:22,600 --> 00:30:24,000
Speaker 3: Wait, what do you normally wear to work?

624
00:30:25,000 --> 00:30:28,480
Speaker 4: Jeans? T shirt, sometimes sweats. If I know nobody's going

625
00:30:28,560 --> 00:30:29,000
Speaker 4: to see me.

626
00:30:29,480 --> 00:30:35,440
Speaker 3: Never change, never change. Thank you so much, so much.

627
00:30:37,320 --> 00:30:40,040
Speaker 2: Isra is the co creator and Starve and Secure and

628
00:30:40,160 --> 00:30:43,840
Speaker 2: creator of rap Shit. Her latest film, One of Them Days,

629
00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:51,840
Speaker 2: hits theaters tomorrow Friday, January seventeenth. That's it for today's show. Tomorrow,

630
00:30:51,880 --> 00:30:54,120
Speaker 2: we're popping off on all the latest pop culture stories

631
00:30:54,280 --> 00:30:59,560
Speaker 2: with comedian and actor Tehran. Join the conversation using hashtag

632
00:30:59,600 --> 00:31:02,280
Speaker 2: the bright Side and connect with us on social media

633
00:31:02,360 --> 00:31:05,560
Speaker 2: at Hello Sunshine on Instagram and at the bright Side

634
00:31:05,600 --> 00:31:08,520
Speaker 2: Pod on TikTok oh, and feel free to tag us

635
00:31:08,600 --> 00:31:11,600
Speaker 2: at Simone Voice and at Danielle robe.

636
00:31:11,720 --> 00:31:14,640
Speaker 1: Listen and follow the bright side on the iHeartRadio app,

637
00:31:14,720 --> 00:31:17,400
Speaker 1: Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

638
00:31:17,800 --> 00:31:22,840
Speaker 2: See you tomorrow, folks, keep looking on the bright side.