We Love The Read Podcast!
OK, this is a post celebrating both my favorite podcast, as well as the biggest sartorial coincidence I’ve ever experienced!
My coworker Courtney and I are both big fans of The Read podcast, and we would often talk about funny things we heard on the latest episode, or share the link when their merch site had restocked (because it keeps selling out!), and stuff like that.
And we unwittingly took it to the next level back in June when we happened to wear the exact same outfit to work, completely unplanned.
I’ll say it again: we 👏 did 👏 not 👏 plan 👏 this.
Not only did we coincidentally rock the exact same shirt (not one of their many designs, but the same one), we also both chose to wear camouflage pants that day.
Unprecedented. I don’t think I’ve ever, in my life, worn the exact same outfit as somebody else without planning to. Not even the same dress.
We both reached for the same shirt AND pants (which technically clash so much with each other that it goes together) and wore them to work.
As work outfits go, we were both rather impressively heedless of whether it was professional or not, lol. We work in a casual environment, but it’s not hugely millennial, like a Google or something. Everyone tends to wear jeans and a graphic tee or polo.
But you know what it really is? Our outfits were black af.
I rarely see anyone besides people of color wearing camo, unless they’re hunting. And POC’s tend to be the only ones ballsy enough to wear it to work, lol.
On top of that, nothing is blacker than The Read, especially since the shirt is a cartoon of their faces. We were black af on that day. And we enjoyed it to the max!
We laughed when we saw each other, hugged, and decided to take pics and videos all around the office, actually discovering other fans of The Read along the way (shout out to Vivian!). 😄
What is The Read?
If you have never heard of The Read podcast, it’s been hosted by two friends named Kid Fury and Crissle West for about six years now with well over 85 million downloads. (Yes, you read that correctly. 85 million as of October 2019. Do know what kind of power that wields? Man.)
The structure of their podcast is broken down into four segments:
Black Excellence shares stories of black people doing great things. It might be Serena Williams winning another title, Tyler Perry opening a movie studio bigger than the five biggest studios combined, or a girl in California who hand-assembles personal care kits for homeless women.
Hot Tops spills tea on pop culture, like what Cardi B is up to, the fact that Boondocks is coming back (!), and anything from The Shade Room that’s worthy of discussion. (As an aside, Kid Fury always introduces the Hot Tops section with some sort of fun reference to queerness; check out this supercut episode of some of his faves.)
Listener Letters answers questions that are emailed to the show, and can range from full messy relationship drama, to questions about the therapy that Kid Fury and Crissle have been through and how it has helped them deal with anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, family drama, and more.
And finally The Read section is their namesake, during which they each vent about something that has gotten on their nerves that week. It could be anything from race relations, the MTA (New York City’s train system) acting a fool, the antics of politicians and elected officials who are looking out for themselves rather than the people they represent, and even people who act like they don’t know what a juggernaut of influence and impact Missy Elliot has been on the culture of music, coolness, and pop culture in general (you have to listen to that episode; skip ahead to minute 1:24:50).
This bit from a recent Vulture article is a great way to sum up what The Read has meant to black culture:
The Read has also had a huge impact on mental health among millennials, encouraging listeners to seek professional help when needed and inspiring people to move towards actual healing, not just living with their trauma.
They show their listeners that you don’t have to live with your shame and issues, or self-medicate in ways that are destructive, or continue to pass on what you may have gone through to your next relationship, next job, or next generation. Kid Fury and Crissle are champions of healing, sort of saying, “it ends with me.”
Their impact spans myriad races, sexes, ethnicities, and sexual orientations, and they’ve enjoyed a lot of success, including recently launching a TV show on Fuse (you can watch the first episode on YouTube). They’ve got a very bright future, and I am here for all of their personal and professional progress!
