What if one man's journey could change the lives of countless children across Africa? Join us as we uncover the inspiring story of AfriKick, founded by the determined Omar Idrissa. From the early days of carrying just 80 pairs of shoes to now aiming to collect a million by next year, Omar's mission is filled with heartwarming moments and community-driven success. We introduce new segments like "Slap the Topic" and "Two Truths and a Slap," where we confront tough issues like racial slurs and white immunity with honesty and humor.
SLAP the Power is written and produced by Rick Barrio Dill (@rickbarriodill) and Maiya Sykes (@maiyasykes). Associate Producer Bri Coorey (@bri_beats), with assistance from Larissa Donahue. Audio and Video engineering and studio facilities provided by SLAP Studios LA (@SLAPStudiosLA) with distribution through our collective home for social progress in art and media, SLAP the Network (@SLAPtheNetwork).
If you have ideas for a show you want to hear or see, or you would like to be a guest artist on our show, please email us at info@slapthepower.com
What if one man's journey could change the lives of countless children across Africa? Join us as we uncover the inspiring story of AfriKick, founded by the determined Omar Idrissa. From the early days of carrying just 80 pairs of shoes to now aiming to collect a million by next year, Omar's mission is filled with heartwarming moments and community-driven success. We introduce new segments like "Slap the Topic" and "Two Truths and a Slap," where we confront tough issues like racial slurs and white immunity with honesty and humor.
SLAP the Power is written and produced by Rick Barrio Dill (@rickbarriodill) and Maiya Sykes (@maiyasykes). Associate Producer Bri Coorey (@bri_beats), with assistance from Larissa Donahue. Audio and Video engineering and studio facilities provided by SLAP Studios LA (@SLAPStudiosLA) with distribution through our collective home for social progress in art and media, SLAP the Network (@SLAPtheNetwork).
If you have ideas for a show you want to hear or see, or you would like to be a guest artist on our show, please email us at info@slapthepower.com
So AfriKick is an organization created from nothing to something. It came to America. So going back home I took like 80 pairs of shoes for like my family. So you know, in Africa your neighbor is considered like your family. When you give to your brother and sister then they have friends. You got to give to them.
Speaker 3:Yeah, of course.
Speaker 1:So when I give to some of them, we run out of shoes. And after that, coming back again to LA, I saw so many of my friends have a lot of shoes. I said, yeah, give me all the shoes that you don't use. Then my second trip back, we took about 300 pairs of shoes. Wow, you know. So. Then it still continues improving. Hey, won't we go slap today, Yo, hey won't we go slap today?
Speaker 3:All right, all right, all right. Welcome to Slap the Power hey, the show where we bring together artists who also use their powers for progress. I'm your host, Rick Barrio-Dill.
Speaker 4:And I am Maya Sykes.
Speaker 3:That's right On the show. Today we introduce our season three segment. Slap the Topic and we kick it off with white girls still can't use the N-word mom.
Speaker 4:No, they cannot. No, we also have a new segment we are calling Two Truths and a Slap.
Speaker 3:In our interview today, we interview Omar Adresas from the incredible organization AfriKicks.
Speaker 4:And because of that interview, we are starting a brand new thing called Amazon Affiliates from Slap the Power. So stay tuned to hear how you can get recommendations on our best links.
Speaker 3:Yes, and it is Pride Month all this beautiful month. A deep love, that's right. It is Pride Month all month and we kick it off with our favorite new thing segment, where we get up into yours as well. And first, slap Studios, los Angeles. That's right. We're proud to announce we have moved to new digs. Dun-dun-dun-dun, dun-dun-dun-dun. Check out the new photos and videos at SlapStudiosLAcom. But we also have our first co-production with our new partners and we're over the moon to announce Gambling Mad with Norm Chad on our network.
Speaker 4:You know, I don't know if you know Norm, but he's the reason why no, but I want to know him because I need him to teach me pokers.
Speaker 3:That's what's up. That's what's up. Yeah, he got me into poker. He's part of a lost generation. They don't make him like Norm Chad anymore, so calling every World Series of Poker, he's one of the most famous voices in the game. We're very, very proud to have him. So make sure to check out Gambling Mad with Norm Chad anywhere. You get your podcasts and we got something else going on. Right, there's something.
Speaker 4:Some new Daz stuff. You know, the new season of Daz is already in production and I'm really excited because Casey has been opening up new topics and we did a cross-collab episode that's really really cool on adultification bias, on Black women. So if you haven't seen that, go check that out. But the season is kicking off with a lot of things that we'll be dealing with this election. We'll be dealing with Black women in the workplace, so there's lots of topics that are really, really fun black women in the workplace. So there's lots of topics that are really really fun and not just indigenous to black women, but a great way to get inside the mindset of what your classic black American female is going through today.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so make sure to check it out. That's it, that's all. Anywhere you get your podcasts and, oh my God, maya, did you see the video of the white girl that used the N-word, was unapologetic about it and then got upset when she got fired from her job?
Speaker 4:The part that makes me hilariously, hilariously giddy is that she didn't think that would happen to her and it's that white emboldened immunity that she thought that she had and I just love that she found out the hard way. You ain't immune girl. You ain't immune girl, you ain't immune.
Speaker 2:So a recent video of mine seems to have upset members of a certain community gold diggers. But that's the exception, I'm the rule. Everybody I know who's married right now. They're married to broke ass and it this, um, all the backlash just really made me, you know, just really do a deep dive like, do a soul search, and after all that I still couldn't find a care.
Speaker 4:First of all, why do you need to Like? Is it necessary? You can live your whole life and not need to go there. I will allow it if you're doing it in a rap song and you're singing it absentmindedly, but even then I'm going to look at you funny. But what I noticed is I feel like, especially given the election climate, you're going to see more videos like Lady with the American Flag, because there's an emboldenedness that is taken over.
Speaker 4:But it also highlights something that I think is really interesting, and that is this there is that dominant belief that I should be exempt from everything, because when she got fired, the first thing she said was guys, just because I said a word and you got me fired. That's sick. And it let me know that what she wanted was white immunity, right, but so she wants a white carte blanche to do whatever she wants, right, but so she wants a white carte blanche to do whatever she wants, but those same people want to make sure that everybody who is not white doesn't have that same immunity.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:So if the situation were reversed, she'd want the person to be fired because we racially slurred her, but she wants the ability to be able to say whatever racial slurs she wants. But if you ever reversed it, like if I went to her house and was like you honky?
Speaker 3:Yeah, no sure, and your terrible budget.
Speaker 4:American flag shirt Right right, right right. There would be controversy.
Speaker 3:Sure sure? No, I you know, I also understand.
Speaker 4:Also, you honky in your very cheap American flag shirt Get it. But okay, fine, if you get to say that you don't care, I'll be like double down on that statement, ma'am. Yeah, so you put this on TikTok because you don't care? Yes, you do, because you wanted them algorithms and them likes. What you thought was that flippant attitude was going to get you so seen and so, you know, co-signed on by your other emboldened whites, and what you didn't expect was a clap back. So, yes, you did care. Yes, you did care, Heffa.
Speaker 3:But they call it, you know, the woke left or whatever.
Speaker 4:And I just think that's insane. You know when you go poking the bear like that, and I think that this is something that liberal whites are just now getting a taste of that every other person of color has known their whole life like we've been getting called names from the jump. Yeah, now that y'all that the liberal whites are being called names, they're like oh my god, people are calling us stuff. I'm like welcome to the club come on, come through.
Speaker 1:This is what we do a cruel place.
Speaker 4:If you're not going with the status quo, you are going to be called some kind of name, so you might as well strap on in.
Speaker 3:Blue. The argument that's going on now is whether or not she should be doxxed. She came back with a responsibility which was like this Now that is, it used to be the equivalent of you know how the right wing, they just wanted liberal tears and they just wanted, oh, snowflakes. And you know all that time. And then they found out that a lot of the left ain't such snowflakes.
Speaker 4:Also, they be killing me with this snowflake thing. Y'all be the snowflakes. Let somebody call you one thing, let somebody take away one ounce of your so-called power. Them tears be hilarious to me. I just want to put them in a cup and drink them, because I feel like they would give me power.
Speaker 3:I feel like they would give me pow-wow. Well, after the break we're going to interview.
Speaker 6:Omar Idris from AfriKicks. Gambling is part of the culture of America since even before we were America. I'm Norman Chad. I know gambling. I've played blackjack and poker. I've bet sports and horse races. I've even hit the slot machines at a Pahrump Nevada, 7-eleven. You say gambling, I say gambling. Hit the slot machines at a Pahrump Nevada, 7-eleven. You say gambling, I say Gambling Mad. So join me on Gambling Mad with Norman Chad. Wherever you find your podcasts, follow us on socials, at Gambling Mad Show or at Gambling Mad Norman Chad at YouTube.
Speaker 3:Joining us in the studio today. We are so pleased to have him in-house. He is the CEO and creator of AfriKicks. It's an organization to bring the necessity of shoes to children and young adults all over Africa. Please welcome to Slap the Power, omar Idrissa. Yes, thank you for being on the show. Tell us everything about AfriKicks. It's an incredible organization.
Speaker 1:Thank you for having me here. I really appreciate being here. So my name is Omar Idrissa. I'm from Niger, founder of AfriCake. So AfriCake is an organization created from nothing to something, because I never even dreamed about having a non-profit or stuff like that. I didn't even know what non-profit meant. So, to be honest, so I was. I came to America to going back home, I took like 80 pair of shoes for like my family. So you know, in Africa your neighbor is considered like your family.
Speaker 1:When you give to your brother and sister, then they have friends. You got to give to them.
Speaker 3:Yeah, of course.
Speaker 1:So when I give to some of them, we run out of shoes and I kind of like, oh, give them like $1 each, $1 each just to calm the nerves of the kid. And after that, coming back again to LA, I saw so many of my friends have a lot of shoes. I say, yeah, give me all the shoes that you don't use and I me all shoes that you don't use and I start collecting. You know, I have my team anessa, william, yolanda. They've been with me since day one, so we just got a collecting shoes. We go grab it, go to ross. Then my second trip back, we took about 300 pair of shoes.
Speaker 4:Wow, you know.
Speaker 1:So then you still continue improving yeah then back, uh, back in 2015, when you get the worst news. You got that phone call your dad passed away february 28, 2015. Then I have to fly home. So instead of going empty-handed, we just want to downtown, get a lot of suitcase, put them with about 600 pair of shoes. We went back, we continued to giving to people. So that was my way of grieving, you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so it take me out of so After that then we come back again. You got to continue to do it. You know driving Uber asking my customer, anybody that has a choose.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:To give it to me. Then again, that same year, I have a horrible phone call. My mom passed away and I have to fly back again home. So you know, just continue doing it, giving out the shoes.
Speaker 3:And using that as therapy.
Speaker 2:Yeah using that, you know, because you can go both ways.
Speaker 1:You know, when you lost your parents, it's one of the hardest things to deal with in life. Either you go south or left. So that kind of helped me to be strong. I have like 25 brothers and sisters so I had to be strong for them.
Speaker 1:Goodness and support them, you know. So that's how we started with AfriKick. Then from there, we're collecting shoes, we do shoes drive in LA. I'm going to thank so many people in LA that continue to support us from just everyday, regular people that have shoes, just keep continuing supporting the movement. And next thing, you know, I was standing at a strip club looking for a client. Whatever I was looking, you know. Then I saw a client in parentheses. Yes, yeah, I'm looking for it. Yeah, I saw a client in parentheses. Yes, I'm looking for her. Yeah, I saw a young lady. She's standing by herself. You know her name. I approach her, I talk to her. So she thought I was like hitting on her. I was like how you doing, you know? So I talk to her. Then she tell me where you from. I tell her I'm from, you know, niger. Here's my car. I collect shoes, if you have extra shoes. Then she said, oh, she has 54,000 pairs of shoes in her garage and she used to send shoes to Africa.
Speaker 4:Oh wow, this is what she does.
Speaker 1:Her name is Dionne Farah. Oh, my goodness. Then she said if you can find someone to pay for the shipping, come to my house next week. No, I said I'll come to your house tomorrow. Will you leave? She said you sure? I said yes, I'm sure. By 8 o'clock I pull up in San Pedro at her house in Long Beach. I drove there, opened the garage thousands and thousands of sneakers.
Speaker 3:Wow.
Speaker 1:I was off the chain. It was incredible the chain it was incredible, crazy.
Speaker 3:That's angelic, that's why you were supposed to be there, and I see on your website that you have the goal to get to a million shoes by the end of this year.
Speaker 1:By the end of next year.
Speaker 4:By the end of next year.
Speaker 1:Okay, wow, that's a really, really big goal. So how can people help you? So, please, we need your support, your help. Like, especially the big company Nike, adidas, puma was going to help with Nipsey, but when Nipsey died, we never heard back from them.
Speaker 4:And y'all know y'all got some factory shoes, that's right.
Speaker 3:I heard there's some Yeezys that are on the market.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we try to reach out Kanye West. Anyway, you can help, you know, or by doing like, shoes, drive for us for school, like which was, you know, for the Laker game, clipper game. Have like all the fun, bring one pair of shoes that we can raise more shoes and continue to do the movement.
Speaker 4:And what kind of shoes are you looking for? Because I know, I mean, I'm guessing the stripper didn't give five-inch clear heels in her situation.
Speaker 1:At the beginning I say I don't take a heel and stuff like that. But then at one point you know there's something for everybody.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I mean a sensible church heel. I'm not mad, I'm not sure, but like maybe we should leave the clear shoes and all but usually we want tennis shoes, soccer cleats and shoes to help these kids play sport. Okay, you know what?
Speaker 1:I'm saying Because a lot of these kids, especially young girls, you see, you go to classes A 59, student 47 come barefoot in class. Oh, wow, okay, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker 4:Some villages, well, that's something we could do here. We could have a slap shoe drive.
Speaker 3:Are you kidding me? That's great, we can do that.
Speaker 4:So all of our slap folk, get your shoes ready. We need gently worn athletic shoes in various sizes. If you got that new-new, be a good person, that's right. But you know we're not shaming anyone. But we will leave the details of how to get those shoes, uh, to this wonderful gentleman in our show notes. So please, if that's something that you're into, you should be into it because, like, what are you doing? You have too many shoes.
Speaker 3:You know you have too many shoes that's the thing, that's what was so fascinating. You also telling me about how you had gotten a container ship and and oh, wow and that's not your, that's not your first, so we so far.
Speaker 1:We are 13 container. One is just on the way right now. You left, you know so we in nine country, you know not only in af. We were in Belize last October. We talked about 2,000 pairs of shoes in Belize. We were in Cuba, our first trip to Cuba. You know our people in Cuba. They were so lacking over there. They need a lot of support.
Speaker 1:You don't even know until you was there to see, you know how some of the resources they don't have them. Yes, you know so. Anywhere you can help somebody. And then also our homeless community in Skid Row downtown.
Speaker 3:For anybody that's listening it's afrikicksorg, it's A-F-R-I-K-I-C-K-Sorg. What's your favorite thing to do in LA here, in addition to running Afri, africa X and collecting?
Speaker 1:shoes. Yeah, you know, I have my driving service company, you know. So if you need a like SUV, black car, party bus, vip sprinter, just contact me again. Omar Limo Service.
Speaker 4:Okay, because sometimes, real talk, I need to go to the airport and I just want someone to take me to the airport. That's right I don't want to go to that little shuttle thing where they drop me off, because that feels like slavery and I don't want to go.
Speaker 1:Yes, so that's why you call me. That's right, you call Omar, we call, we pick you up on the curbside. We're not going to make you wait 20 to 30 minutes for driver to pull up.
Speaker 4:This man is doing the Lord's work.
Speaker 1:We pull up right away on time and make sure you get there safely, wherever you're going.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah. So, what is the next nearest thing that you have going on here? Are you working on another gala, or what?
Speaker 1:Yeah, we are planning to do African gala this year. We have a venue in Kaima Island.
Speaker 4:Oh, wow.
Speaker 1:So we're thinking about doing the gala November 9th, so if anyone want to be part of it you see, last year gala was awesome, so this year we're thinking about doing a Cayman Island. So thank you, Franklin, for giving us the space and the venue to you know.
Speaker 4:So we're looking forward to get more sponsors, so we need some tickets to the Cayman Islands. Okay, got it, it's going to be a three-day nice trip to Cayman Islands in November.
Speaker 3:So most likely November 9th. That's right, put that in the check.
Speaker 4:Let me get my.
Speaker 1:Cayman.
Speaker 4:Islands fit on.
Speaker 1:Also me going through those villages. I visited nine country, 466 villages. But then I see the woman walking four miles, six miles, to looking for clean water.
Speaker 4:Oh, my goodness, you know what I'm saying, because water is a part of your.
Speaker 1:So when I see that some lady come to me oh, my son, my son, please, we need a water well. So then I ask how much it cost to build that wall. Normally you see nonprofit collecting like 50,000 or 100,000 for a well. No, we did a well for like $8,000, you know, and over 40,000 people benefit from the clean water. It's still there and we just did the last one. Paul Pierce donated $5,000 to Africa, so we just put some more money in there to get another wall. We dedicated it to Paul Pierce. So thank you, paul Pierce, for that donation. It really helped.
Speaker 1:That village is waiting for you to come there. So I can't wait to take you over there. So definitely. So that's the next project we'll be launching. So far, we are 12 water wells in two countries, so we want to continue to do it now. So you know, the more you give you know, the more I think if everyone would come together. We do what we can. That's the only thing we have left in this world, man. Yeah, we do what we can. That's the only thing we have left in this world, man. Yeah, anything you want to do, you've done it. Or you know what I'm saying? The only thing that follows you when you die is what you do for people. Anything else we do here. You can have a whole home. We came from nothing. You can go back to nothing. That's right. So don't be tired on your money. Give them to people right here. You see people, your family, whatever you can help help them.
Speaker 2:Amen.
Speaker 1:You know that's part, and God will reward you yeah.
Speaker 4:Now you were given a very prestigious award by the King of Nigeria. Can you tell us about that?
Speaker 1:Oh yes, you know, oh yeah, there's that I was so.
Speaker 4:I mean humble brag and name drop yeah exactly I.
Speaker 1:I didn't want an award, for sure. But my sister Tina, we've been together, she has to come. I don't do it for like an award, like I don't like to be that. That's why, please don't nobody give me an award, just let me keep doing it. I'm doing it not for you, I'm doing it for God and for afterlife, not for this world right here. So don't give me no award. I'm okay with what I'm doing, you know.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so please. It's funny you say that. That's exactly. I feel we talk about this on stage. That's the offering to God, right?
Speaker 2:As musicians.
Speaker 3:That's just the offering to God, and we tried to create this show where we're kind of making it an offering to God as well, in that you know, talking to people like yourself and lifting up the real thing, which is that is helping people, and you know, and and showing people that it's not hopeless that help does exist good does exist and there's a way to put your resources, your energy, your time, your money behind the good things.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Hope did exist, because if I tell you my back story, you will not believe. Even myself I will not believe. I'm here, you know, because growing up with 25 brother and sister, my dad barely make $50 a month.
Speaker 3:Wow.
Speaker 1:But look, we survive all kind of shit. I don't even know sometimes how I be able to get here, but it's God.
Speaker 1:You know what I'm saying, because when you were a kid, at age 11, I was hustling, working selling water just to get food. You know what I'm saying. The lady give me like $10 a month and two days meal a night. When I get that, you you know I was doing it at 16 I left my country, go to other country. Look for, we were supposed to go to libya. That's the biggest decision I make in my life. I still shake when I thought about it. It's four of us. We get in the bus going to libya. Then I came out. Something just said't go.
Speaker 1:So all the three friends of my dad go, One die One. We never see him.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1:One, he lost his, so that was like the biggest decision. I think it's always when I think about it. I get off that bus.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I said I don't want to go to Libya. Wow, you know what I'm saying? Because we had to take a bus to go to Agadez. Agadez, we crossed the desert, that's a long journey.
Speaker 4:You know what I'm saying. It's a long journey.
Speaker 1:So, thanks God, it never happened to me. I was, like you know, the biggest. I still think about that every day.
Speaker 3:I know you skated the the medal from the president of Niger. You know how was it though, even being around there.
Speaker 1:I mean you had to, no, because you know each country I go I get to meet the first lady, the president, so I ship this container. So the first lady, she say, okay, my son, I need you, I want to honor you, but you have to give me the container to do what I want to do it to distribute. Then I say, auntie, I can't, I tell her I cannot do it. So because I say I cannot do it, they make tax me $11 million, which is like $22,000.
Speaker 4:Jeez, oh wow.
Speaker 1:So I have to call people people, I put whatever, because I'm like stubborn. Yeah, yeah, I will show you, I will get it done, no matter what. I never like wait for somebody, no.
Speaker 6:I don't know nothing about that.
Speaker 5:Yeah, no, no.
Speaker 1:I never wait for someone. I always find a way to make it happen, Even right now, this container. We spent almost $17,000 to get that container there.
Speaker 3:Wow.
Speaker 1:But we did it. You distribute how you want it and where the people that need it, because you don't want to get involved with politics or give it to me this and give me honor.
Speaker 4:You want to be neutral, yeah give me medal.
Speaker 1:No, I don't need a medal, she's fine. You see, they're not in power, no more. So whatever power you have it, go and come. That's why you can't associate yourself with it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know what I'm saying. You go up, you go down.
Speaker 4:That's a wonderful lesson. Whatever power it goes and it comes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no matter how powerful you are, just always be humble, teach people, respect and you know, because God can take everything in one second.
Speaker 3:In a second, so we have to do what you can. I want to stay in touch and figure out how we can, because we know now if you've stumbled into a stripper that had you. How many was it? 50,000 shoes or something like that?
Speaker 1:No, she wasn't a stripper, oh sorry, she was at an establishment. She was at a strip club and she's trying to get the venue to do an event afterwards.
Speaker 4:She was an entrepreneur. Yeah, no, she's a big, she's a wonderful lady Dionne Ferron.
Speaker 1:Thank you, Dionne Ferron again. You know she's been.
Speaker 4:She's a businesswoman, that's right, she's a strong black woman, Very you know strong black woman, so I really give her my props and the fact that she just had shoes and said you know, problem solved.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, thank you, and we want to try and do the same and we'll keep checking in with you. I want to know how the journey's going.
Speaker 4:You had me at curbside pickup.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I got you curbside pickup, don't worry about that one. That one is easy. So thank you.
Speaker 4:And you're giving children shoes. Look it See, I feel annoyed.
Speaker 6:Thank you so much, Omar, for coming in.
Speaker 1:You're welcome.
Speaker 3:It's an absolute pleasure, thank you so much, thank you.
Speaker 5:Hi, I'm Anjali Bhimani and I'm Julia Bianco and we are so excited to be bringing you our new creative baby, the Character Select podcast.
Speaker 6:I've wanted to save the world since I was four.
Speaker 5:There has been no character like him up to that point, and there really hasn't been a character since. Every episode of Character Select is going to be taking fantastic video game performances and talking about what makes them tick, what makes them exciting as players, as performers, as sound designers, as casting directors. That was, I feel like I've been ambushed.
Speaker 5:I was even in a podcast to talk about a video game. So there's a big old love fest here. That's how we start this and you're just gonna have to deal with it. Recognized by the 2013 edition of the Guinness World Book of Records, gamers Edition, as the most prolific female video game voice actor in the world.
Speaker 6:You know it's a special project when you hold on to the people you created it with. Careers are born by being in the right place at the right time. Where you can't control the right time, but you can control the right place.
Speaker 3:Man, that was fun, Omar. What a beautiful dude, what a lovely soul, what a lovely soul. What a great organization. We'll have the links to it in our show notes, but before we get out of here, okay, so the new segment we have today for season three two truths and a slap, slap the face.
Speaker 3:That's right, all right, so now the deal with this is that I'm going to read something, and Maya is completely unaware of any of these. Two of these are truths, and one of them is a slap. It's not true. It's either going to be something where Maya is going to be really sharp on it, or we're going to determine that our world right now is way, way, way worse than any kind of fiction we can come up with. Okay, maya, it really is, though we can come up with.
Speaker 6:Okay, maya, it really is, though.
Speaker 3:So Donald Trump, in the trials that were going on. There's a headline that says Ivanka utterly abandoned Donald. There is also a headline that says China now has robot dogs armed with rifles in the military. Ha, ha, ha, ha. And there is a headline that says the mayor of Chicago was covered in cicadas on the way to work. So of those three, iv. And there is a headline that says the mayor of Chicago was covered in cicadas on the way to work, okay.
Speaker 3:So of those three, ivanka abandoned her father at trial fully. China now has robot dogs armed with rifles in the military. Or the mayor of Chicago was covered in cicadas on the way to work.
Speaker 4:I feel like I read the thing about Ivanka. Okay, right, and somebody sent me a thing.
Speaker 3:She was busy. She had a nail appointment. Okay, she's booked and blessed? I guess Booked and blessed.
Speaker 4:Okay, and I'm pretty sure that the Chinese thing happened because my friend said and I thought he was playing with me he sent me this thing. He was like did you know? This happened and it was like this little. It looked like okay, remember those dogs, they were like from the 90s that you could buy, and it had like little small commands, that's what the little dog looked like, but then the thing like shoots.
Speaker 2:And I was like that ain't real.
Speaker 4:I was like that is not real. But now that you're telling me that headline, I was like, well, maybe he wasn't kidding, but I think that the cicada thing is the one that ain't real cicada thing is the one that ain't real.
Speaker 3:You are correct, maya. Yeah, the actual reality was there was going to be a record influx of cicadas, but because of Chicago shout out to Asher, one of our PAs who's from Chicago because of Chicago, down all the old trees, they stayed all in the suburbs.
Speaker 4:So the cicadas stayed out in the suburbs. That's hilarious. Did you see that cicada skit that they did on SNL? It's really hilarious Look it up.
Speaker 3:It was really funny. I'll check that out.
Speaker 4:Because they're like. You know how cicadas stay buried when they come out after 10 years. Yeah, so these two cicadas come out and they're talking about what was popular in 2011. It's hilarious.
Speaker 3:Have you checked out Ace of Base? Yeah, they're like.
Speaker 4:Gucci, Gucci, Louie, Louie, Fendi, Fendi, Prada.
Speaker 3:It's hilarious All right and before we get out of here, we're going to do something that we're also opening up to our listeners. Let us know Info at slapthepowercom, let us know what your favorite new thing is and if we dig it, we'll read it on the next episode or we'll read it on the air. But favorite new thing, it is Pride Month, and I actually love all of June for a variety of reasons. But, maya, what's your favorite new thing?
Speaker 4:Okay, so I have been an Ipsy girl for a long time and if you don't know what Ipsy is, it is a cosmetic basically membership club and they send you samples of cosmetics every month.
Speaker 4:They curate samples by your skincare and all that kind of stuff. But during the month of Pride they curate their bag and it has all Pride-based material. So everything that is in your bag is from an LGBTQ provider. So everything in my bag this month had like a Pride theme. But it wasn't just like somebody slapped a pride sticker, because I hate when you go to Target and you're like pride pillows, like no, all these companies are actual LGBTQ companies and they curated all the brands that they're using this month.
Speaker 4:So if you haven't checked out Ipsy, but you've been wanting to, I want to say it's like $14.95 a month. I don't get paid from them, I just like it and I think it's cool. And I think it's cool because it allows you to try out full-size samples of stuff, so you could get a month-long wear out of these things. But then what's also great is they affiliated with BoxyCharm so you can buy full sizes of the products you like at a drastic discount like almost half off of the products you like at a drastic discount, like almost half off.
Speaker 4:So it gives you kind of like the best of both worlds. So if you're into skincare or cosmetics. They also have hair care stuff, Like it's not just for if you're a makeup junkie like myself.
Speaker 3:They also have really great hair care stuff, but anyway, you know you have another two bags of makeup in our office. Yeah, I always do, because I'm her, she's me, I love it, it's me.
Speaker 4:Hey, I am the problem. I am the problem, it's me Anyway. But if you were looking for a way the reason why I brought this up is if you were looking for a way to try some LGBTQ products, this would be a great way to try them out. For this month you could get that pride bag and you know, happy pride y'all.
Speaker 3:Yeah, my new favorite thing is that we're back and we're looking at the rest of this year. There's so many good things we have on deck, and to be back and to be able to sort of talk about the things that we want to get involved in and we want to be part of the conversation and we want to have a broader conversation with you about a lot of important stuff that's coming up. We have some great news that we're dropping actually on climate some partners that we're working with on that. That's actually some amazing work that we have coming up. You know democracy we're going to have to fight this one all together and you know human rights I don't think that on January 21st, that a federal abortion ban will not be top of the list if we get this wrong.
Speaker 3:It's coming, y'all, yeah. So I'm really excited to be back and thank you for listening to our listeners. Thank you for holding out. It took us a while to get in the new studio, but we are super stoked to be back and we're going to have a lot of cool stuff coming that, I think, is hopefully going to shake things up.
Speaker 4:And one of the cool things that we have coming up that we're really excited about is we decided to make an Amazon affiliate link. So I want to tell you a little bit of why we decided to do that. We noticed that, especially when we talked with Omar, that you could get certain products on Amazon that were really really well made. But if they were really well made and fit an algorithm, amazon would dupe that company's product and then they would start to bury them along the search engine to favor their new, copied product. So what we decided to do is we decided each time we have an episode, we're gonna add a new thing to our Amazon affiliate link, and we're only doing small businesses. We're only doing small businesses. We're only doing small businesses and we're only doing small businesses that are dedicated to things like our main evergreen things that we care about climate, social justice and political change. So we're going to specifically feature brands that have small business at their helm. We're going to hopefully showcase those products, but we will definitely have all of the links and we will all be doing something that helps Amazon know that this is not an okay thing to do. We can't escape Amazon, and that's not what I'm advertising, but what we can do is showcase the small businesses that rely on the lifeline of Amazon and make it a little easier for them.
Speaker 4:So one of the first things that we're going to showcase is shoes in line with Omar, and Omar did such a wonderful job of opening our hearts to an issue I didn't even know we could help solve. But we want to look at how we can buy shoes that we could gently recycle in six months time. So we'd love to have brands that also are into that. So we're going to feature a couple of brands that specifically have a recycle program going on globally and are also made responsibly. So stay tuned for that.
Speaker 4:We'll have that link in our show notes, and I just wanted to say that one of the reasons why we wanted to do that is we're community outreach. That's our entire brand, that's our entire platform and we get that from you. So if there is a link that you want to see on our Amazon affiliate link, remember this is your show, so send us your ideas. We can do this together and we want to showcase that change happens by just the smallest increments, and this might seem like a small thing, but if all of our viewers got on this bandwagon. We could change an Amazon algorithm.
Speaker 3:So let's do it. Yeah, yeah, that's what's up. That's why she's got the corner office. It's pro right there. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you guys for listening. You know, thanks to Omar, I'll address it one more time. You know, thanks to the good state of New York for doing, and all the people there, you know, jury of your peers man, thanks to the good state of New York representing, and we're going to see you next time, thanks.
Speaker 4:Slap the Power is written and produced by Rick Bariodil and Maya Sykes. Associate producer Brie Corey, audio and visual engineering and studio facilities provided by Slap Studios LA with distribution through our collective home for social progress in art, slap the Network. If you have any ideas for a show you want to hear or see, or if you would like to be a guest artist on our show, please email us at info at slapthepowercom. Yo hey, won't we go slap?
Speaker 6:today. Ever wonder what a high-stakes private home game looks like this? Is it Real poker, real money, money, real people. It's the boardroom in beverly hills. They win, they lose, they even go broke and they come back. Join amir and jacob as they welcome a cast of dignitaries and degens to the boardroom. Amir is my best friend. We battle to the death.
Speaker 2:With all due respect, our game is much different than your game.
Speaker 6:This ain't a pansy-ass Hollywood home game. These are the rough and tumble streets of Beverly Hills. Can you rank the players here? I don't think it's a good idea. They play big, they play hard. Watch as they make their way to the World Series of Poker. Each will try to turn $10K into half a million dollars at the Big O event June 13th. In to turn 10K into half a million dollars at the Big O event June 13th. In my opinion, some of the guys that play here they should make the final table. For many that 10K might go down the drain in just one hand. Follow it all on socials at Gambling Mad Show or Gambling Mad Norman Chad on YouTube.