The guys kick off the pod with Bang bringing up a hilarious question on hoeing at particular times, the guys then discuss Drake striking out on his first lawsuit & why he hasn't broken off into non music business, Hov is suing his accuser, Diddy's lawyer drops out the case, what's some white people sh*t & the guys talk about their favorite TV show theme songs of all time.
On this week's episode of RAOP we chop it about why we think ageism in Hip Hop is corny, Steve Smith Sr being milk man of the century, Williams Banks breaking out of prison, Twitch streamers being too horny and more.
On the Monday edition of the show the local hour kicks off with Robert Mays of The Athletic Football Show joining Scott, Bang & Courtney to talk how the Bears should approach free agency & the draft. The crew recaps the past weekend in culture, why the Bulls hate their fans, the "overpaid" theory in football free agency, could the Bears be getting close to announcing a site for the new stadium & are the Bears really interested in Heisman candidate Ashton Jenty? In hour 2 rumors of a NY Giants plan of signing Aaron Rodgers & trading up for Cam Ward? did the Commanders get a washed version of Deebo Samuel? a silent bidding war for Justin Fields, The Lakers hot streak continues as they grab the 2nd seed in the west & much more!
Chapters
0:00 - Intro
4:47 - The Local Hour
5:05 - Bears Draft/FA talk with Robert Mays
22:38 - Sparking water shame
25:55 - RIP Angie Stone
37:44 - Oscars 2025 Recap
53:15 - Drake settles lawsuit
56:00 - Cena Turns Heel
1:03:47 - Bears new stadium news
1:13:28 - The Bulls hate their fans
1:17:15 - Is FA overpaying a thing?
1:27:29 - Ashton Jeanty to Bears?
1:34:17 - Barber’s Chair Shop Ad
1:35:17 - Aaron Rodgers/Cam Ward to Giants?
1:47:19 - DMV Deebo
1:54:22 - Justin Fields bidding war?
2:03:27 - Suns/KD summer trade
2:09:19 - Cavs a legit threat to Celtics?
2:15:29 - Lakers take the 2 seed
2:18:57 - Outro
John Cena has finally turned “Heel”
In wrestling, a "heel" refers to a villainous or antagonistic character. Heels are the "bad guys" in the storyline, often engaging in underhanded tactics, cheating, or trash-talking to provoke the audience and their opponents. People have wondered if John Cena would ever “turn heel” but we no longer have to wait because at Elimination Chamber Toronto, Cena shocked the world winning the Elimination Chamber match, beating up Cody Rhodes and aligning with The Final Boss, The Rock. With Drake in the building!
What does this mean for WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas?
We break down the PLE and new road to WrestleMania on this episode of The First Black Champ Podcast
Rate, Like, Subscribe, and Download the First Black Champ Podcast on Apple Podcasts & Spotify. Search #theFBCPod for all episodes and follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @theFBCPod!
On the Friday edition of the show Pavy joins Scott & Bang in Hour 1 to talk all things NBA, Scott & Bang then go over some of the top non Bears stories coming out of the NFL Combine. In the Local Hour we talk about the Combine Bears vibe, how the Bears should pivot from Trey Smith & the homies from The 108 join to talk some White Sox baseball.
Chapters
0:00 - Intro
6:51 - TV reviews with Scott & Bang
14:13 - J.Cole scared of Freddie Gibbs?
27:23 - LeBron’s face of the league comments
45:42 - Retire Joel Embiid
53:48 - Pistons on fire
57:44 - Luka’s revenge
1:00:54 - KD’s next move
1:09:31 - The NBA’s 2nd apron
1:15:20 - Scott’s NBA title contender tiers
1:26:55 - NFL Combine news
1:48:41 - The Local Hour
1:49:56 - Ryan Poles & Ben Johnson speak
2:05:05 - How Bears pivot from Trey Smith
2:12:24 - White Sox talk with The 108
2:46:03 - Outro
Pierce Rob and Chris preview this Saturday's Elimination Chamber show, plus that weird promo between The Rock and Cody Rhodes, and other musings around professional wrestling.
On this weeks episode of RAOP we chop it about the backlash from this past NBA All Star Weekend, is the NBA in safe hands when Lebron retires, A$ap Rocky being God's favorite human and more.
The Rock Wants Cody's Soul?
The Rock made waves on SmackDown by going full heel, declaring his demand for Cody Rhodes' soul. With The Rock set to appear at Elimination Chamber, the tension escalates. This leads to an interesting question—will Cody emulate the "Cena Effect" and do whatever it takes to retain his title dreams?
Who Should Turn Heel—John Cena or Cody Rhodes?
The episode debates whether Cena, who nearly went heel during his feud with The Rock, should make the shift now—or if Cody Rhodes is better suited for the dark side. Who would be the most compelling antagonist?
Elimination Chamber Predictions
The hosts break down the stacked card, featuring matches like:
Tiffany Stratton & Trish Stratus vs. Nia Jax & Candice LeRae
Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens in an Unsanctioned Match
A star-studded women's chamber match with Liv Morgan, Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss, Bayley, Naomi, and Roxanne Perez.
A high-stakes men's chamber match featuring John Cena, CM Punk, Drew McIntyre, Logan Paul, Damian Priest, and Seth "Freakin" Rollins.
Quick Hits:
Melo Don't Miz? Can The Miz help Carmelo Hayes reach the next level, and how does his tag team history factor in?
Samantha Irvin’s Take: The former WWE ring announcer reflects on Vince McMahon's influence and teases her future in the wrestling world, emphasizing her passion and commitment to staying in the industry.
Everyone is pissed about how NBA All-Star Weekend went. Mac McClung made White History, Wemby, and Chris Paul made a mockery of the Skills Challenge, and the actual game had fans and NBA players upset. How can this be fixed?
More importantly, where did things go wrong?
Also, did Mike listen to the new PartyNextDoor and Drake album? Bang didn't do it so somebody had to.
This week on Summer Sessions Scott, Merk & Bang kick off the pod going over the best TV shows they're currently watching, a review of Drake & PND's latest effort & what exactly Drake needs to do the next 12 months to get his crown back, the guys then rank the top 5 individual years in rap history which leads to a convo over who had the best years in Chicago rap history plus ASAP Rocky is a free man, the NBA All Star game is cooked & with Jigga's name cleared why isn't there enough coverage?
On this weeks episode we give Kendrick Lamar his flowers for his performance at the Super Bowl, our thoughts on the game, the news reporter that died trying to buy coochie, Josh Allens DEI MVP and a ton more.
The Fatu part of the Anoa’i family has become the focus of Mania season. Jey chose his Wrestlemania opponent while tension is building between Jacob Fatu and Solo Sikoa.
What will the Fatu Family do on the road to WrestleMania?
Charlotte Flair has made up her mind and will face TiffanyStratton. Will Charlotte reign, or will she put over someone at the BigShow? And did we finally find out who jumped Jade Cargill?
Rate,Like, Subscribe,and Download the First Black Champ Podcast on Apple Podcasts & Spotify.
Search #theFBCPod for all episodes and follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @theFBCPod!
Shoutout royalty free images
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Hold on, that’s not who I am.”
“Well, no, I think you misunderstood what I was trying to say.”
I have spent a lifetime trying to better explain the man that I am. A minor miscommunication with a colleague turns into an afternoon of self-reflection and guilt. A week of pondering the ontology of yourself and years of trying to piece together a presentation of yourself so that the miscommunication doesn’t happen again. For some of you, that sentiment probably resonates. That feeling of being "misunderstood." You know who you are. You have a strong sense of self, a core belief system, and an internal logic that usually guides you well—until it doesn’t. All it takes is one misinterpretation, one moment where someone sees you differently than you see yourself, triggering a crisis of consciousness. As I write this article, I’m feeling the weight and pressure of trying to bridge a gap between who I think I am and who I am purported to be. The questions in my mind are rapidly circling my focus:
Who am I, really?
What do I really want?
Is this who I come off as?
Is this who I’m becoming?
Every human who has the privilege of living life as an adult will ask themselves one of these questions. It’s a journey a lot of people take in high school or college. You experience new feelings and events and take the time to categorize them into a way that resonates with your personhood. For some of us, however, we’ve wrestled with that question constantly. It becomes a source of angst and obsession. Your mind will fixate on it for a period of time that can be long or short. Then, your mind will find something else to obsess over.
For those of us who have experienced this and have wrestled with these questions for years, a good chunk of it all comes back to a four-letter acronym: ADHD.
For my friends and family, this is nothing new. The Joe they know is loud, eccentric, forgetful, random, overwhelming, and easily distractible. Traits that, while I don’t personally resonate with, describe what I deal with. I am one of hundreds of millions of human beings who live with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, better known as ADHD. ADHD is categorized into three subtypes: hyperactivity, inattention, or a combination of both. I fall into the inattentive category. A good chunk of people, especially teachers, will have experience with hyperactivity. It’s a student who moves around constantly, one who struggles to sit still in their seat and constantly has a question to give. For myself, the hyperactivity takes place inside my mind. What this means is that my brain doesn’t operate in a linear, easily controlled manner. It locks onto ideas, topics, or people with an almost obsessive intensity, only to let go just as quickly when something new captures my attention. I could spend weeks obsessively researching the causes of World War I and become so focused on it that my homework, grading, and responsibilities take a backseat. It’s never a conscious decision either—it’s just how my mind works. After spending a week on that, I might become a model employee at work and a model student in school. Whatever my mind finds exciting enough will cause the dopamine to rush into my body, and when it does, I’m locked in (hyperfocused). And when the world misunderstands this, it creates friction in me. It creates a weight that can become hard to bear and hard to cope with.
For people who also live with ADHD, we’ll often hear things like, "You overthink too much," or "You take things too personally." And sure, maybe that’s true in a conventional sense. But in reality, our minds process information differently. We don’t just hear words; we dissect them. We don’t just experience emotions; we feel them at full volume. And when we engage, we go all in. If there were a lever to decide how people engage with new ideas and experiences, most people would have several levels. Perhaps the first is “disengagement,” the second is mild interest, the third is interest, and the final is: “go all in!” For a good number of people, you’d do well to avoid this final level until the appropriate moment approaches. You go from the first, second, third, and finally to the fourth when the moment arises. For myself and people who live with ADHD, our lever would only have two levels: either completely uninterested or “give 110% of your full mind, body, and soul.” For the average viewer, this is probably unfathomable, and that is where the misunderstanding begins. When we hyperfocus on a topic, a person, or a project, it can come across as "too much." We don’t mean to overwhelm; we’re just naturally wired to be deeply engaged with the things that capture our interest. That intensity can be mistaken for arrogance, elitism, or even obsession, when really, it’s just how our minds function. And when the center of who you are is mistaken for one of them, it becomes heartbreaking to experience because, in the end, all we wish for is for people to see the person we look at in the mirror daily.
This misunderstanding is particularly frustrating in relationships. Whether they be platonic friendships, dating, or family dynamics—all of them are impacted. I’ve had moments where I felt a deep connection with a colleague, where my enthusiasm was genuine, my energy was real, and my investment was complete—only for the other person to back away randomly. And in those moments, I felt defective. What did I do wrong, or how did I come across?
I asked myself: What am I doing wrong? Why do I keep hearing the same feedback? Why do I care so much when others can so easily let go?
Part of the reason I struggle with being misunderstood is that I don’t regulate interest the way a neurotypical person does. When my attention is caught, I pour it on. If I find something fascinating, I engage deeply. It’s not a strategy; it’s instinctive. But not everyone operates at that same speed, and that can create tension. ADHD isn’t just about attention—it’s about regulation. My brain struggles to regulate interest, focus, and even emotions. When something excites me, I can dive into it for hours, hyperfocused, oblivious to everything else around me. But when something doesn’t grab my attention, even if it’s important, it feels impossible to engage. In my upbringing, I’ve often been labeled as inconsistent or unreliable, but the reality is that I am battling a brain that doesn’t always cooperate with my specific wants and desires. The worst part is the frustration I feel when I try to convey what I mean. How can I explain to someone that I can feel so passionate about one thing while struggling to complete another task that seems simple to everyone else? The hardest part? Knowing that no matter how much effort I put into explaining this, some people still won’t get it.
At the end of the day, I can’t control how others perceive me. I can’t force understanding where there is none, and I can’t reshape my mind into something it was never meant to be. What I can do is embrace the person God created me to be—flaws, quirks, and all. The purpose and plan that is for me will happen whether I attempt to create it or not. My faith has always been my anchor in these moments of doubt. When I wrestle with the weight of being misunderstood, I remember that my worth isn’t determined by human validation but by the grace of God. He made me with intention. The same brain that struggles to regulate is the same brain that sees beauty in complexity, that moves with intensity, that chases knowledge with passion. Let us all, whether we struggle or not, move forward with the truth and belief in the one who made us. And as long as I continue to learn, grow, and lean into who I truly am, I know I am walking the right path. Not a path of perfection, but one of purpose. For anyone else who feels the weight of being misunderstood—whether because of ADHD, neurodivergence, or simply the way your mind works differently—know that you are not alone. Your experiences are real. Your struggles are valid. And your uniqueness is not a flaw; it’s a gift. Peace
Kendrick Lamar's Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show has created a lot of Social Media conversation. How does Some Dude feel about the show and the Super Bowl?
Was Pat Mahomes being called the Goat premature? How was Mike's trip to the Royal Rumble and our mental health check.
This week on the first live edition of the Summer Sessions Scott recaps his week in New Orleans for Super Bowl 59 and thoughts on the actual game. Scott, Bang, Pav & Merk give their thoughts on Kendrick's halftime show performance, rumors are swirling of a GNX deluxe dropping on Drake/PND release day, the guys pay their respects to Irv Gotti & their thoughts on 50's response plus Diddy docuseries thoughts & more!
Who should Jey Uso face at WrestleMania? Gunther, Cody Rhodes or someone else? Time is ticking on Jey’s big decision, however, should his choice dictate how has the final match of the weekend?
Speaking of Cody Rhodes, both he and Sami Sayn were taken out by Kevin Owens and Solo Sikoa disrespectfully. Are we tired of these foes fighting? We preview Elimination Chamber, the latest WWE releases and predict Super Bowl LIX on today’s episode of #theFBCPod
Rate, Like, Subscribe, and Download the First Black Champ Podcast on Apple Podcasts & Spotify. Search #theFBCPod for all episodes and follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @theFBCPod!
On this weeks episode of RAOP we talk about the Bikini Bean Gooneral, people trying to strip away Patrick Mahomes blackness, which Fictional characters we would get deported, the stoning of DJ Akademiks and a ton more.
Jey Uso finally got the big one (or at least the prelude to the big one) by winning the 2025 Royal Rumble. Now he heads to WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas. Who should Jey face in the Main Event of the biggest stage in Wrestling?
John Cena fell short but strongly commented about his future and what's next. What can we expect at Elimination Chamber? Roman Reigns Seth "Freakin" Rollins and CM Punk's feud reached a fever pitch. Is a Triple threat next?
We recap what may go down as the greatest WWE Royal Rumble of all time in this episode of First Black Champ on Barber's Chair Network.
Scott, Bang, Merk & Pav kick off the pod reminiscing on old video games & how the rules differed back in the day which leads to a conversation about who were the guys favorite random athletes growing up. Scott gives his predictions for what he feels will be Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl set, was Snoop wrong for associating his self with Trump, the Mayor of Dolton is wildin again & more.
