- 5 hours ago
This week on ESSENCE Live: We talk to Tichina Arnold about Survivor's Remorse, Martin and the rise of African American women in television, Jessie T. Usher shows us his skills with a Will Smith impersonation, Bridget Kelly, and Eva Marcille join us f
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00:00Coming up, one of my favorite funny gals, Tashina Arnold, joins us live in studio, plus heartthrob Jesse T. Usher to chat a little Survivor's Remorse.
00:10Eva Marcelle joins us for Slate or Shade. We're going to chat up a little Meek Mill, Nicki Minaj, Drake, you know the whole drama, in Slate or Shade.
00:17And I'm just going to leave you with this special message from one of our guests.
00:21Hey, I'm Jesse T. Usher and Essence Live starts right now.
00:30Well, you heard what Jesse said. Welcome to Essence Live. I'm Dana Blair. Thank you so much for joining us this week.
00:40It's very important that you get in on the conversation, so please don't forget to use the hashtag Essence Live.
00:45If you want to chat with me, any of our Slate or Shade guests, or you want to chime in on, you know, any of our hot topics for the week.
00:51So, summer is starting to round to a close, and I'm sure you've spent it with brunches, rooftop parties, out barbecuing, having a great time, trying to meet a new booze, something along those lines.
01:02But, were you cute or corny while you were doing it?
01:05I ask this because earlier today, I took a challenge, if you will, a dance challenge to our Essence staffers to see what's the hottest summer dance.
01:13Because, quite frankly, I just wanted to, you know, make them uncomfortable in the workplace.
01:17Check out what they had to do.
01:21What's up, Essence Live? I'm Dana Blair.
01:26Here at the Essence office with my trusty Samsung tablet.
01:29I want to see what our Essence staff thinks is the hottest dance of the summer.
01:33Let's see if people disrupt their day, maybe do a nae nae.
01:37Essence is really cool, and he's not.
01:45First and foremost, if you want to be cool like the cool kids, you've got to start with the interns.
01:49Let's see what they're doing.
01:51Hello.
01:54Hi.
01:55I know y'all aren't really working.
01:56If I play some music, can y'all show us what's the hottest?
01:59You can play the picture from New York City.
02:00All right.
02:01Say your name, baby, where you from?
02:28Hi, I'm Cory, I'm from Atlanta.
02:30And what did somebody tell you about the stanky leg?
02:32They told me that if you spell your name in cursive with your toe.
02:36They lied to you, Cory from Atlanta.
02:38They lied, lied, lied to you.
02:41Oh, you are.
02:43Dang, dang.
02:44Boom.
02:46It helps if you do the one, two step in a fabulous G.
02:55It's her birthday, by the way.
02:57I don't know what that is.
03:06Remember when we had like the snake and the cabbage patch and the wap, like real dances?
03:10They're not about to dance life.
03:12Get it.
03:14Oh, yeah.
03:16Well, there you have at Essence Live our staffers attempting emphasis on attempting the summer's
03:23hottest dance move.
03:24Keep it locked right here on Essence Live.
03:26What's up, Essence Live?
03:37Joining me now is a super talented actress, singer and my favorite funny gal, Miss Tashina Arnold.
03:43How are you?
03:44That would be me, girl.
03:45That would be me.
03:46That would be me.
03:47How are you?
03:48A complete 360 of everything.
03:49I feel like sometimes people don't recognize enough that you're like what I call a full-bodied
03:54artist.
03:55You do it all.
03:56Gosh, I try to.
03:57I try to.
03:58You are doing it.
03:59I like to keep myself occupied.
04:00How are things?
04:01Things are wonderful.
04:02I have not one complaint.
04:03Good, good, good.
04:04Not one complaint.
04:05Other than being perimenopausal, I'm okay.
04:06And it's okay.
04:07And it's okay.
04:08It's all good.
04:09Congratulations.
04:10Bring it in.
04:11Congratulations on season two of Survivor's Remorse.
04:14The school launches on Starz August 22nd.
04:16Yes, August 22nd.
04:17So tell me about your role, Cassie.
04:18How did you pick this character?
04:19Because you select characters where it's not just a character.
04:24We feel like you're our best friend from Pam and to everybody.
04:27So what made you say, yeah, Cassie's something I want to take on?
04:30Cassie, I was kind of hesitant at first because it's like, oh, God, do I want to play another
04:34mother again?
04:35And you know, playing a mother of older kids now as well.
04:38So it's like, oh, I don't want to age myself too much.
04:40But Cassie really worked out well for me because it's a completely different character than
04:45it is from Rochelle.
04:47And then, you know, so having that evolution going from Pam to Rochelle to Cassie, it's
04:51almost like, you know, my audience could take the ride with me.
04:54I love playing Cassie because it allows me to do a lot of things on the show.
04:59Right.
05:00And having adult kids, there's more adult content, so I get to have a potty mouth.
05:04Y'all cycle some pretty heavy-hitting issues there.
05:06We actually really try to hit on honesty, you know, to hit on organic things and not
05:13try to, you know, feed our audience bull crap.
05:15We want to, you know, share real-life stories, real things with the audience.
05:18So it's been going really great.
05:20We have a great cast.
05:21Like, it's just an amazing show.
05:22I was about to say, your cast and with Mike Epps, y'all have to laugh constantly.
05:24Yes.
05:25Oh, my God.
05:26Mike, he's nonstop.
05:27Nonstop.
05:28I mean, you know, he was just, and Mike has such a natural sensibility.
05:32Like, when he is on camera, the camera loves him.
05:35I mean, he's just so organic with his acting and the way he delivers his lines that he's
05:40very riveting.
05:41And I think he's going to do really, really well playing Richard Pryor.
05:45Yes.
05:46I can't wait to see that, actually.
05:47Oh, he's ready.
05:48We're definitely going to cover that here on Essence Live.
05:49Oh, he's...
05:50I think he's going to be awesome.
05:51And I have to ask you, the Emmy nominations came out this year, and it's a record for the
05:55Emmys.
05:56Eighteen nominations for African Americans, whether it's from drama, comedy, across the entire
06:00gamut.
06:01And you started in soap operas and you've done comedy.
06:03Yeah.
06:04Ooh, girl, you did your homework on me, honey.
06:05I did my research.
06:06Hey, honey.
06:07I did my research, because you're my physician Arnold.
06:08And you've really been able to watch this industry evolve and you've been a part, a crucial
06:12part to its evolution.
06:13How do you feel about the Emmys finally recognizing everything that African Americans, male and
06:19female, are doing in television?
06:20Well, I think it's about time.
06:22You know, I think, you know, everything comes full circle.
06:24And unfortunately, as an African American artist, you know, we don't always get the same
06:30opportunities.
06:31But I'm not a complainer.
06:32You know, you just got to work with what you got.
06:36And, you know, to be able to have the opportunity is more comforting for me.
06:41To not have any opportunity, you know, is frustrating.
06:44But being recognized by the Emmys, you know, that's great.
06:47Because you want to be recognized for your good work.
06:49You want somebody to say, wow, we're paying attention.
06:52Right.
06:53Because to me, it's not about stardom.
06:55It's about doing good work.
06:57Creating a legacy of good work.
06:59Great work that people will watch for years to come.
07:02Speaking of great work, will we ever see a one-woman show from you?
07:05I'm working on it, girl.
07:06Are you really?
07:07Listen, you're speaking for it to exist.
07:09Yes.
07:10You know, it's so weird.
07:12Like, I know how to start things, but I'm not a good finisher.
07:15So I finally have a great team put together.
07:18You know, my sister is my manager.
07:20I have a great, you know, agent.
07:22And, you know, I have a great lawyer.
07:24So the last part of my life that's just kind of missing is somebody that I can write with and co-write with.
07:30So I'm actually going to hook up with this gentleman.
07:32And we're going to see how it goes with a one-woman show.
07:34Awesome.
07:35And now that you just said that, everybody's going to be sliding into the DM, emailing you, stalking and running down the street saying,
07:40Send me the material.
07:41Girl, I have a script for you.
07:42I know a segment.
07:43But there's so many talented people out there, you know, so many gifted writers.
07:47Because I'm not a writer.
07:48I love dialogue.
07:50Like, I can write scenes because being an actress for so long, you know, I know how it feels and how those words should flow.
07:58And that timing in that moment.
07:59Yeah.
08:00But as far as, you know, doing the whole arc and stuff, I'm just not good.
08:03So I stay in my lane.
08:04But I love good content.
08:05So, you know, I tell everybody, you know, I'm not a stand-up comedian.
08:08I'm just a comedic actress that brings that black and white to life.
08:12And that's the script.
08:13I love the way you said that.
08:15But I will definitely be the first person to a one-woman show because I know that you also went to LaGuardia Performing Archives.
08:19Yes, girl.
08:20I'm a model.
08:21And that you're just talented all around.
08:23And so I really can't wait to see that.
08:25Nice.
08:26And see that come to life.
08:28I have to ask you about Big Sean's video, Play No Games.
08:30I mean, Martin is a pop culture staple.
08:33Yeah.
08:34Forever it will be.
08:35Forever it will be.
08:36And so his video pays tribute to the opening lineup of Martin.
08:41Have you had a chance to see this?
08:43I saw it.
08:44And the reason why I saw it, my mom, my daughter was like, Mom, did you see this video?
08:48And I'm like, well, what the hell are you doing watching a video?
08:50What do you know about Big Sean?
08:52So I was like, you know, but I trust her.
08:54She, you know, when she, she, she's, you know, very talented.
08:57So I do trust her instincts because we used to watch Family Guy together when she was little
09:01because she got the comedy.
09:02I was like, don't tell people at school that you're watching Family Guy.
09:05But I saw it.
09:06I thought it was a good video.
09:07It was fun.
09:08And, you know, I love Chris Brown.
09:09I love Chris Brown.
09:10And, you know, I'm not really familiar with Big Sean because I, you know, I, my rap, my
09:14rap and hip hop days was like the whole, you know, the biggie days, you know, mob deep.
09:19So I'm kind of a, you know, fuddy-duddy when it comes to the new, you know, style of hip hop.
09:24But, you know, the hip hop culture is, it's a very strong culture.
09:28It's a culture that dictates a lot of things that happens in the industry.
09:31So I try to stay with the times and stuff, but I thought it was a cute video.
09:34Good, good.
09:35It would have been cuter with me in it, but, you know, whatever.
09:37Just saying.
09:38Maybe when y'all come out with the sequel.
09:39I'm just saying.
09:40You know who to call.
09:41And so you're very busy.
09:42You have Survivor's Remorse.
09:43You have your work with the Lupus Foundation.
09:45Yes.
09:46The We Win Foundation.
09:47The We Win Foundation.
09:48You're a busy mom.
09:49I follow you on social media, so I see your daughter has a huge personality.
09:52Oh, my God.
09:53She does the craziest things.
09:55You know, I started, you know, recording her and just posting things on my social media
10:00account of her because, you know, I said, no, maybe I shouldn't do it because I don't
10:04want to expose her life too soon.
10:06But then when I saw the responses that I would get, you know, I got somebody saying, you know,
10:10they would send me posts saying, you know, I woke up on the really bad side of the bed
10:15today.
10:16I wasn't feeling well.
10:17And I saw a video of your daughter and it brightened my day.
10:20Can you please post more?
10:21That's beautiful.
10:22So that's what made me start, you know, posting more videos of her because just watching
10:26her grow, I kind of want people, let people in on my life and just the enjoyment that I
10:31get out of watching her grow and culminate into an amazing individual.
10:35Into an amazing young lady.
10:36And you're still technically kind of a newlywed, right?
10:39Yeah, like three years.
10:40You know, I try to pretend.
10:42You know, my husband, I said, listen, I always make him take me on a date.
10:45I was like, nah, dude, we're going on a date.
10:47Is that how you keep the spark and things?
10:48Yes.
10:49Because that means y'all are both very busy.
10:50He's extremely busy and I love it.
10:52Right, right.
10:53I think that's what makes our marriage, you know, stay together because I'm really busy.
10:57And, you know, it creates a wonderful balance for me.
11:00He loves, breathes and eats, you know, basketball.
11:02That's his life.
11:03Being a basketball coach, that's what he wants to do and that's what he's done.
11:07And, you know, I support him in all that he does and he supports me.
11:11So it's a good even thing for us.
11:14How important do you feel it is in a relationship for both people to have a passion?
11:17Yours being, of course.
11:18It's very important.
11:19When you have one person that's not doing anything, you know, I love you.
11:24If you're not doing anything in my household, I start looking at your side eye.
11:27Like, oh.
11:28I taught my daughter a long time ago.
11:30I said, listen, when I get up, everybody gets up.
11:33Everybody's up.
11:34You're going to work or you're going to school.
11:35I heard that.
11:36But you're getting up.
11:37I don't leave anybody in bed in my house.
11:38I like that.
11:39And I'm loud in the morning time.
11:40Oh, I wake everybody up.
11:42Dogs, everybody.
11:43Y'all get y'all behind it.
11:44Everybody's serving a purpose.
11:45Yes, yes.
11:46But, you know, it's a good thing because I think we as individuals should constantly
11:50be motivated.
11:51We should constantly motivate each other.
11:53And, you know, I just, I'm really into spreading positivity.
11:56You know, I'm older now.
11:58I'm, like, calming down a lot in a lot of ways, you know.
12:01I'm still loud.
12:02I'm still boisterous.
12:03I'm still opinionated.
12:04And that's good.
12:05But I'm just, I've learned and I've been blessed with so many wonderful life experiences
12:09that I like to share them with whoever I can.
12:12And your one-woman show.
12:13Okay.
12:14Hello.
12:15Do you want to stick around and play Slater Shade with us?
12:16Yes, I am.
12:17Awesome.
12:18I'm going to play.
12:19I'm going to do it.
12:20I'm going to play it.
12:21All right.
12:22So, we'll finish giving you all the tea on the topics that we're discussing today.
12:23Yeah, you do.
12:24Thank you so much for joining us.
12:25Thank you for having me.
12:26All right.
12:27And I love the head wrap.
12:28I'm going to start doing the head wrap thing.
12:29Well, thank you.
12:31My bangs.
12:32It's raining outside my bangs, you know.
12:33It's pretty.
12:34Very nice.
12:35Very chic.
12:36Well, thank you.
12:37And coming up next, we're going to interview the man who plays your son in Survivor's Remorse,
12:39Cam Calloway, a.k.a.
12:45Last week, you saw a sneak peek into a day in my life as the host of Essence Live with
12:50my new Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge.
12:52That didn't happen, but I wish it did.
12:53Today, I have the full video to show you how much I'm going to enjoy the hashtag Galaxy
12:58Life.
12:59Check it out a little bit later on in the show right here only on Essence Live.
13:02Don't go anywhere.
13:03Ooh, check out the edge of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge.
13:06It displays colors when your top five contacts call.
13:09The edge of the iPhone 6 displays nothing, but it has a vibrate function.
13:14The GS6 Edge also displays text, news, sports, stocks, weather, Twitter, email.
13:20It's a lot.
13:21While the edge of this guy has some buttons.
13:24When you do the math, it's clear.
13:266 is greater than 6.
13:28The Galaxy S6 Edge.
13:30Not all smartphones are created equal.
13:32Boom.
13:44The Galaxy S6 Edge.
13:45Welcome back to Essence Live.
13:47Joining me now is Jesse T. Usher.
13:49How are you?
13:50I'm fantastic.
13:51How are you?
13:52I was good until you came in the studio and caused a ruckus.
13:54What do you mean?
13:55You gotta put my business all out in the streets.
13:57I'm just saying.
13:58I mean, you know, just talking about it.
13:59Right.
14:00But welcome.
14:01Thank you for joining us.
14:02It's your first time here at Essence.
14:03How's it going so far?
14:04It is.
14:05It's fantastic.
14:06This is on Season 2 of Survivor's Remorse.
14:08Very, very much.
14:09Super excited about that.
14:11It comes out, let's see, August 22nd on Starz.
14:14Saturday night.
14:15Saturday night.
14:16So what sets Survivor's Remorse apart from shows like The Game and Ballers?
14:21Well, we don't really show gameplay on Survivor's Remorse.
14:25It's more so about the lifestyle of being a professional athlete.
14:27Not so much, you know, the in-game aspect of it.
14:30So what you see more of is how being, you know, the number one star in whatever sport
14:36that you're in.
14:37And in this case, it's basketball.
14:38It's more so like what that means to you as a person.
14:41And your family and friends.
14:42And your family, of course.
14:43And, you know, and the people around you is more so what Survivor's Remorse is about.
14:47And you guys have tackled some pretty big issues in Season 1.
14:49There was racism, child abuse, sexual orientation.
14:52Are there any hot button topics that you could share, like any teasers that you're going to address
14:57in Season 2?
14:58Yeah, we touch a little bit on, you know, some like domestic issues that happens, you
15:03know, within the household.
15:05And, of course, now the second season is taking place during the season.
15:09So there's a lot that has to do with the press and, you know, having to deal with people
15:14like, you know, trying to be...
15:15I don't like the way you gesture towards me like people like me.
15:19Because all I did, you know, I just want to come in and like...
15:22That's all I was trying to do.
15:24And, you know, on Survivor's Remorse, you have a lot of strong female characters in this
15:27cast.
15:28I mean, I'm not going to say we're not going to tell anybody because we are on Essence.com.
15:32But who do you think is the strongest female character on Survivor's Remorse?
15:36They're all strong in their own way.
15:37It's like, you know, Tashina has like a very strong comedic presence and so does Erica
15:42Ashe.
15:43But it's like a different, you know, it's a different type of comedy.
15:45And then Tiana comes in and then she brings like what you would expect from a strong woman
15:49in general to her character.
15:50So, I mean, they're all strong in their own way.
15:53So, I couldn't say who's stronger than...
15:56You know what I mean?
15:57Safe.
15:58Smart man.
15:59Of course.
16:00My mom raised me right.
16:01Yes, she did.
16:02And LeBron James produces Survivor's Remorse.
16:04Yes, he does.
16:05Did he give you any inside tips or share any experiences with you that help you bring your
16:09character to life?
16:10Not really.
16:11And I think they did that on purpose because they don't want it to seem like I'm playing LeBron James.
16:16Right.
16:17I mean, I'm playing a character who's very similar to LeBron in a sense.
16:21You know, he's living the same life that LeBron did.
16:24He's like the best basketball player in the league and he's, you know.
16:27You just have to throw out that word, the best.
16:28Right.
16:29And LeBron's also creating a lot of buzz because his production company signed a deal with Warner
16:32Brothers and the possibility of a Space Jam sequel.
16:36I don't even know if that's their thing or if that's just people saying, like, we want
16:40to see LeBron do it.
16:41Would you want to see it?
16:42I would love to see LeBron do Space Jam 2.
16:44It's about that time.
16:45I mean, can we make that?
16:46Can I get into that if that happens?
16:48Look, this is not LinkedIn.
16:50This is not the time for you to pitch for a job, sir.
16:53This is not the time.
16:54I just want to be in a Space Jam movie.
16:57But it's a perfect segue as we talk about sequels.
17:00Uh-huh.
17:01Next summer you have Independence Day Resurgence.
17:03Yes.
17:04Coming out.
17:05It's 20 years later.
17:06And you play the stepson of Will Smith now, 20 years later, grown up.
17:09Do you feel any pressure to, like, to make it another really big success?
17:12Not really.
17:13And I think it's because since that movie came out, Roland Emmerich has done so many fantastic
17:18movies.
17:19He's just, I mean, he's been doing it constantly for 20 years now.
17:21So he kind of diffuses all that.
17:24You know what I mean?
17:25It's not like the last movie he did was Independence Day and now he's coming back and he's like,
17:28okay, I gotta do it again.
17:29Right.
17:30You know what I mean?
17:31At this point it's like down to a science.
17:32It's a formula.
17:33He has his team in there.
17:34Everybody is very helpful and they know what they're doing.
17:38So, you know, us coming in as the new guys is kind of just like, all right, follow suit
17:42and then things will be good.
17:43Okay.
17:44So we have a game for you.
17:45Okay.
17:46We're going to see how well you can deliver some iconic lines from Independence Day as
17:52from Will Smith's character.
17:53Okay.
17:54Are you ready?
17:55I'm ready.
17:56Look into this monitor here, dear sir.
17:57This one?
17:58Yes.
17:59Your first quote.
18:04Welcome to Earth.
18:05Can you do that?
18:06I mean.
18:07I can do it.
18:08Do you need the action too?
18:09I mean, whatever makes you feel good.
18:10Y'all want the punch?
18:11No, no, no, no.
18:12You don't need the punch?
18:13I'm going to be post-punch because like it just hurt a little bit.
18:14It just hurt a little bit.
18:15So, you know.
18:16See, this is real act.
18:17This is method right here.
18:18That's method.
18:19We ready?
18:20Ready.
18:21Okay.
18:22Go for it.
18:23I'm too silly to be doing this.
18:25Okay.
18:26All right.
18:28Welcome to Earth.
18:29No alien is taking you serious right now.
18:34He's going to be like, really?
18:35I'm going to bomb your house.
18:36No alien is taking you serious.
18:37He's going to be like, really?
18:38I'm taking over Earth.
18:39Okay.
18:40This is my home now.
18:41So disrespectful.
18:42Okay.
18:43So here's number two.
18:46That's what I call a close encounter.
18:49Now, see, that one's hard to do because I don't have the, you know, I don't have the cigar.
18:53You have to pull it from here.
18:54If I had it.
18:55Pull it from here.
18:56Okay.
18:57All right.
18:58You're right.
18:59That's what I call a close encounter.
19:02And just so you know, he does not smoke cigars.
19:04That's our PSA to the kids.
19:06PSA to the kids.
19:07Right.
19:08All right.
19:09Number three.
19:10I could have been at a barbecue.
19:12That's actually one of my favorite lines from the movie.
19:14That's one of the best lines of the movie.
19:15That's one of the best lines.
19:16Everybody loves that line.
19:17Oh, y'all ready?
19:18Okay.
19:19Let's do it.
19:20Okay.
19:21Get it.
19:22I could have been in a barbecue.
19:24That's a stellar cast returning with you.
19:26Vivica Fox.
19:27She was in here a little bit earlier.
19:28Oh, she was?
19:29Yeah.
19:30She didn't give us too much of a scoop.
19:31Are you going to give us any scoop?
19:32I mean, I might give you a little bit.
19:33Depends on what you, I can, I'll sprinkle you some.
19:35What can you share?
19:36What can you share with us?
19:37What can I share?
19:38Uh, the sequel is bigger than the first.
19:40I'll say that much on every level.
19:43I mean, that's, that was kind of the thing that really happened.
19:46Kind of the thing that Roland wanted to make sure of if he was going to do a sequel was
19:50that it would be, you know, that people would have a reason to go see a second one because
19:54he hates sequels.
19:55Fair enough.
19:56So it kind of had to feel like a different movie.
19:59Um, I, although I feel like he kept a lot of what we loved about the first one.
20:04He kind of put pieces of that back into the second, into the sequel.
20:07And other than that though, I think it's an entirely new experience that people are going
20:11to really like.
20:12Awesome.
20:13Thank you so very much for stopping by.
20:14Please be sure to check out Jessie T. Usher on Starz, Survivor's Remorse, premiering
20:18Saturday, August 22nd, and next summer in Independence Day Resurgence.
20:22Before we get to Slay to Shade, I want you to check out exclusive behind the scenes footage
20:26of how I, moi, prepare for Essence Live each week and why making the switch to the Samsung
20:31GS6 Edge has helped me keep it all together, honey.
20:35Day in and day out.
20:36Morning to night.
20:37Stay locked in for more Essence Live.
20:39I'm Dana Blair and I'm the host of Essence Live.
20:48I try to start each and every day with a really great workout because I'm training for the
20:54New York City Marathon.
20:55I'm starting to run at least five days out of the week.
20:58I'm not a runner by any stretch of the imagination.
21:01I may jog and do like a mile on the treadmill and keep it cute, but never 26.2 freaking miles.
21:09Approaching something like the New York City Marathon is very intimidating.
21:12It's not like when you're trying to lose a couple pounds to fit into this cute dress.
21:17You're training for something.
21:18You have a long-term goal.
21:19The Samsung S6 Edge keeps me on track with everything.
21:22Calories, distance, heart rate, time, the route that I may have traveled.
21:27So being able to have all of that easily accessible at my fingertips, sent right to my watch,
21:31helps me stay on track and it's made this process a lot easier.
21:34Whenever I can unlock an award, this is your best distance, this is your best time,
21:38I feel like I've accomplished something.
21:40Even though we're adults, we still like gold stars every now and then.
21:43So it makes you feel good.
21:44And then it's always something that you can Instagram and brag on.
21:49My style depends on how I feel when I wake up in the morning.
21:52Sometimes I'm feeling a little bit more flirty.
21:54Sometimes I'm feeling more sporty.
21:55Sometimes I'm feeling more tomboy.
21:57Because, you know, women have moods, you know.
22:01I'll see how I'm feeling and then I'll grab my S6 phone.
22:04I'll look at my calendar, see what I have to prepare for during the day.
22:07I like to be comfortable, but I also like to make a statement.
22:10I like things that express my personality, which is kind of kooky.
22:18I prepare for a show.
22:19First, I speak with Noella.
22:20And I learn who's going to be in that week, what are the hot topics, what's trending.
22:25The S6 Edge just keeps me in the know of everything.
22:27I can browse.
22:28I can have multiple windows open.
22:30I can copy from one item into the next while I'm on the go.
22:33My favorite feature on the phone, you can assign different colors to your favorites.
22:39So my ex-boyfriend is red, obviously.
22:42And so he's calling.
22:44It shines red.
22:45And you don't even have to, like, pick up your phone or interrupt your conversation with anyone.
22:48I just think that's the coolest thing ever.
22:50Not that I'm avoiding anybody's phone calls or anything like that.
22:53Everything is so easy and right there at my fingertips.
22:57I'm always on the move, and it's moving with me.
23:01My favorite part of Essence Live is not knowing what's going to happen.
23:04I love the unknown.
23:05We are live.
23:06You never know what's going to come out of a guest's mouth.
23:08And it's that energy and that anticipation that I enjoy the most.
23:12Plus, I love to talk.
23:13So I love being able to have a platform where I can just chatter about what I love.
23:17Pop culture, news, entertainment, and, of course, style.
23:23This is the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge.
23:29It comes with built-in wireless charging capabilities.
23:32The iPhone 6?
23:33Yeah, no.
23:34Not so much.
23:35Check it out.
23:37The S6 takes wider selfies that fit everybody.
23:40The iPhone 6 just cut off nano.
23:43Nano?
23:44When you do the math, it's clear.
23:466 is greater than 6.
23:48The Galaxy S6 Edge.
23:51Not all smartphones are created equal.
23:55Boom.
23:56Well, welcome back to Essence Live.
24:11We've had a fabulous show thus far.
24:13Jesse T. Usher, some hot summer dances.
24:15But now, it's time for more Slade or Shade.
24:18Our first guest was with us earlier in the show and has played some classic shade-throwing characters.
24:23Ms. Tashina Arnold is back.
24:24Are you ready to throw some Shade?
24:25Oh, girl, I'm ready.
24:26I'm ready.
24:27I'm ready.
24:28On my tablet.
24:29I'm ready.
24:30Next, we have singer-songwriter Bridget Kelly returning.
24:33Welcome to the show again.
24:35How are you?
24:36I'm wonderful.
24:37Thanks for having me.
24:38I heard you're working on some projects and about to drop some new music.
24:39I am.
24:40I actually put a song out today with Mack Wilde.
24:42It's called Act Like That.
24:43Act Like That?
24:44Okay.
24:45Yes, yes, yes.
24:46And the EP Summer of Seventeen is coming next week, so I'm excited.
24:48Awesome.
24:49Awesome.
24:50Please make sure y'all check that out.
24:51And we also have model and actress Eva Marcille.
24:53Welcome.
24:54Yay.
24:55She's new to the Essence family here.
24:57Well, Essence Live, not the family.
24:58Not the family.
24:59Been part of the family for a long time.
25:00Not the family.
25:01You are in Born Again Virgin, premiering August 5th?
25:04Yes, next Wednesday.
25:05Okay, I want to make sure I have that.
25:06If you could describe your character, Tara, in one word, what would that word be?
25:09Tara Johnson, in one word, I would say is fire.
25:12Oh, love that.
25:13I'm going to watch.
25:14Extreme fire.
25:15Well, so is Eva.
25:16Very good.
25:17Exactly.
25:18I see the synergy there.
25:19Fire.
25:20Two snaps.
25:21Exactly.
25:22Nothing wrong with fire.
25:23Okay.
25:24Last, but certainly not least, all of you streaming the show live.
25:27Whether you're at work, well, technically, we're not going to tell anybody that you're
25:30streaming live at work, or at the gym, on the go, thank you so very much for
25:34joining us in this conversation.
25:36Please be sure to use the hashtag Essence Live, because, of course, we want to hear
25:39from you.
25:40So, let's get started.
25:41Number one.
25:42During a performance at the Pan Am Games closing ceremony in Canada, Kanye threw his
25:47mic in the air and walked off stage.
25:49Audio issues allegedly made the rapper upset, and thus he caused the scene.
25:54Pan Am did, however, issue a statement shooting down reports that Kanye abruptly cut his
25:58performance short, but either way, the incident happened.
26:01So, is this a slay?
26:03Because regardless of if the throw and the walk off is part of his set or not, it's Kanye.
26:07What else do we expect from him?
26:08Or, is this shade?
26:10Thumbs down for ending what I'm saying was probably a pretty good performance in that
26:14type of manner.
26:15All right, ladies.
26:16On the count of three.
26:17Slay to shade.
26:18One, two, three.
26:20Oh, we have a shade, a slate, and a shade.
26:22Okay, I'm going to start with you, Tashina.
26:23Why is it a shade?
26:24You know, when you are performing, you must always finish the show.
26:29Always.
26:30Like, I was just, I'm old school, so it's like, no matter how frustrated you get.
26:33So, maybe something else was going on with Kanye that day.
26:35I don't know.
26:36Very well.
26:37When you have people that come see you perform, you have to give a full show.
26:39You have to give a full show.
26:40No matter what.
26:41I understand.
26:42The show always must go on.
26:43That's fine.
26:44Do you have a slay?
26:45I said slay, because you know what?
26:46Here's the thing.
26:47You know what you're going to get with Kanye.
26:49He's a loose cannon.
26:50He shoots from the hip, always.
26:52And I think, as a performer, there's plenty of opportunity to get the audio right.
26:56So, when it doesn't happen, and things go wrong in the middle of the show, you can try
27:00to fix it.
27:01If you can't fix it, then you react.
27:02I've reacted.
27:03I was going to say, would you do it?
27:04Not that way.
27:05She's like, she would.
27:06I would, though.
27:07I would, though.
27:08Here's the thing.
27:09Well, you better get your ass back here on this damn night.
27:11Well, here's the thing.
27:12He didn't throw it at anybody.
27:13He threw it in the air, like, to cause drama.
27:15But he gave up.
27:16That's giving up.
27:17You don't give up.
27:18Listen, if the audio gives out, they paying you a lot of money, but they gotta pay the
27:21audio people to-
27:22Stop dancing.
27:23He was elevated.
27:24We didn't see him up in the air.
27:25He was all the way up.
27:26He was all the way up.
27:27He was all the way up.
27:28Eva, what are your thoughts?
27:29Shade.
27:30Shade, okay.
27:31Maybe because I'm not a musician and I'm an actor, like Tashina said, there's just,
27:34like, do's and don'ts.
27:35And I think that Kanye is such an amazing artist, and I think so many young aspiring artists
27:41look up to him.
27:42So he has to lead by example.
27:43And I think throwing his mic up and on the ground and, I mean, it just kind of says that
27:47you can throw a tantrum.
27:48And everyone that doesn't have Kanye clout.
27:50That is true.
27:51Everybody is not Kanye West.
27:52So I don't think that's a great example, you know, to set for the young and up-and-coming
27:57guys that really want to be as great as he is.
27:59That's not, like, really cool.
28:00That was a very good point.
28:01In other words, know your lane, people, before you start throwing mics and equipment around.
28:05You can drop the mic, but don't throw it.
28:07But don't throw it.
28:08All right.
28:09And drop it gently depending on whose budget that comes out.
28:10Put it down if you can't afford to pay for it.
28:12If you can't afford to pay for it, just put it down on the ground.
28:14You can hold it.
28:15You can hold it.
28:16You can do that.
28:17I can hold it.
28:18I've had the mic go out on me in the middle of my show.
28:21But you know what?
28:22I make the audience start singing.
28:23There you go.
28:24I'm like, now y'all sing!
28:25Good!
28:26But I forget the words.
28:27I'm like, sing!
28:28Next up, topic number two, Drake dropped not one but two Meek Mill diss tracks as a result of
28:33Meek calling Drake out on Twitter.
28:35In the latest diss track, Back to Back Freestyle, Drake blasts Meek for making less money than his girlfriend Nicki Minaj.
28:41So is this a slay?
28:42Because it was a dope line, one of the hottest in the song, and that's what hip-hop is all about.
28:46Sometimes, you just gotta hit below the belt.
28:48Or are we throwing MAJOR shade to Drake if he's insinuating that it's a bad look that Nicki makes more money than Meek?
28:54All right, ladies.
28:55Count to three.
28:56One, two, three.
28:57Slay to shade.
28:58Oh, we have a slay to shade.
28:59A shalalele.
29:00A shalale?
29:01We shalate.
29:02Okay, I'm gonna go to you first, Bridget.
29:04Why is it shade?
29:05I say shade.
29:06Well, first of all, I'm a girl's girl, so I don't ever want a woman to be brought into a petty man's beef.
29:13I just feel like it's unnecessary.
29:15It is below the belt, especially because I feel like Drake is one of the illest rappers out, so I feel like you can do better than that.
29:21Especially because there's nothing wrong with Meek dating a woman that's a little bit more successful, if we wanna say that, more successful than him.
29:28Or, you know, on the rise.
29:30I think it's kinda cool and sexy that, you know, she's supporting her man and he's a part of her tour.
29:35I think it's great, and I just feel like it's a little weak.
29:39It's a little weak.
29:40It's a little weak to, you know, to say, you know, shout out the boss chicks that wife guys.
29:44It's like...
29:45Hilarious.
29:46I mean, it's cool, but it's also like, eh, we could've, I mean, there's enough you can say about Meek, I'm sure.
29:51Drake is clever and wittier without having to throw shade Nicki's way, so.
29:55Alright, why Shalé the Laid?
29:56It's Shalé the Laid.
29:57Okay.
29:58Come on, Fire.
29:59If you think about it, he's a rapper.
30:01You're supposed to, I mean, hit below the belt, do what you gotta do to get the point across, so I'm not mad at the whole Nicki Minaj situation.
30:08I think that, I mean, in The Art of War, and we're talking about rap, I mean, hit below the belt.
30:14Gotta go.
30:15And your girl does make more money than you, and you are opening up for her act, and she kinda is the boss.
30:19And the fact that he did two diss tracks, not just one, but two, before you could respond, and he did not take to Twitter, he took to what he does, which is rapping, which is what's so flavored to me.
30:31Because, I mean, he could've took to Twitter and get a beef and make memes and all that, but instead he said, I'm Drake because I have an amazing rap game, my rhythm is everything.
30:41So, he showed us, and I think he did an amazing job at it.
30:44Yes!
30:45I mean, I'm sorry.
30:46I love Nicki, that's actually my personal friend, but that was everything.
30:49Alright, Tashina, why you have a Slade girl?
30:51Well, I chose Slade because, you know, and this is with me not hearing all of the rap, but I'm old school, and I love old school hip-hop.
30:59And, you know, that's how we knew what was going on in each other's hoods, you know?
31:03That's where rap came from.
31:05That's how, you know, we in Queens knew what was going on in Brooklyn.
31:08That's how we knew what was going on in the Bronx by the raps and the rappers.
31:12So, I always say I just love a good hip-hop beef.
31:16And as long as it's, like you said, in the song, why not?
31:19I mean, I don't think he was disrespectful.
31:21Like, you know, you call people out.
31:23I love it when they go back and forth because it allows us into their lives a little more.
31:27And even if he doesn't mean it, it still allows us to see, wow, this is what hip-hop really is about.
31:35This is what hip-hop came from.
31:36So, as long as he didn't call Nicki Minaj out of her name.
31:39And Nicki's a great person. I really love her as a person.
31:42But, you know, she's in it.
31:44Like, just like when we're actors and performers, we get criticized.
31:49So, you know, this is our job.
31:51Yeah.
31:52So, slay.
31:53Oh, she's like, slay?
31:54Yeah.
31:55I like it.
31:56Alright, so let's check in on the Twitterverse.
31:57Evangel Wick says, slay because that's just one small part of the disc and Meek gotta be a big boy since he put it out there.
32:03She said, put your big boy pants on.
32:05He did start it.
32:06Did he start it?
32:07No, he started and he and Drake thoroughly finished because he put two tracks out.
32:12Before he could even respond to one, he did another.
32:15And it was initiated on Twitter.
32:17He started like a Twitter beef and he said, I'm not playing Twitter games with you.
32:21I'm a big boy.
32:22And this is what we're gonna do.
32:23I'm gonna record something and make some money.
32:24The rant was so elaborate.
32:25I love that part.
32:26The money.
32:27The money off of you.
32:28No, it was everything though.
32:29The rant was like he was going off.
32:31I see it worked because we're talking about it.
32:33Absolutely.
32:34So, you're on a world tour.
32:36Oh, I'm sorry.
32:37You open up on your girls tour.
32:38On your girls tour?
32:39Mm.
32:40Not that we're quoting.
32:41But he also said trigger fingers turn to Twitter fingers.
32:46I feel like that's the ultimate.
32:47It's like at the end of the day, you know, you're supposed to be this hard.
32:50Don't be a thumb thug.
32:51Don't be a thumb thug.
32:52Like, you got a tablet.
32:53You could have just gone in the booth.
32:55Like, you wanted to go to the tablet instead.
32:57You gotta go to the tablet.
32:58So, let's go to topic number three.
32:59So, lastly, most people loathe traveling on planes sometimes.
33:02It can be a little uncomfortable.
33:03The seats, long wait, it's bad food.
33:05All you want to do is, once you land, is just get off the doggone plane and then leave the airport.
33:09In a recent survey from FlightView, the question was asked, would you pay more to get off a plane before everyone else?
33:15So, is this a sleigh because anything to make flights more tolerable is worth the money?
33:19Or is this a shade because another unnecessary fee for something else while flying?
33:24Don't airlines make enough money?
33:25I have to pay for water on some of my flights, I'm just saying.
33:27All right.
33:28So, on the count of three, is this a sleigh or a shade?
33:31One, two, three.
33:32Oh, I like how y'all listen to directions.
33:34Shade, shade, shade all around.
33:36Eva, I'm going to start with you.
33:37It's shady because I'm already in first class, so why am I paying more to get off?
33:40I'm already in the first seat.
33:42And what I want to know is, are you now deciding that the people that paid more that are in the 12th seat get to now go in front of me?
33:49Like, what are we saying?
33:50What's happening?
33:51Are we saying sit in your seat until they get off?
33:53Like, what are we saying?
33:54I'm trying to figure out if I'm by the window, do I have to jump over the lady in the middle and be like, excuse me, you didn't pay the charge.
33:58And it's so much easier for her to get out first anyway, so I'm not really understanding that.
34:03I understand that.
34:04I mean, if I'm going to pay for something extra on a plane, I'm going to pay to sit in the section where there's no newborn babies on a red-eye.
34:11That's what I want to pay extra for.
34:13She's like, so choose what you're paying extra for.
34:15I want to choose, like, if I have the option to pay extra, it should be multiple choices.
34:18It should be like, children free.
34:19If it's a red-eye flight and there's a reading section and you want to read, you want to be the one person with the light at 11 p.m., 12 a.m.,
34:25you need to be over there in the, you know what I mean, in the, like, awake library section.
34:29Oh, God.
34:30The exiting first to me is unnecessary.
34:32It's unnecessary.
34:33It just seems really, really frivolous and not something that I would want to pay extra for.
34:36You're already charging me to carry bags, to carry my clothes while I travel, so why would I pay to get out?
34:40Well, you see what happened.
34:41I'm going to give you the final word.
34:42You see what happened when they tried to make those people pay for the bathroom?
34:46Right.
34:47When they tried to do that?
34:48For the bathroom?
34:49Yeah.
34:50Like, what?
34:51Like, you had to pay for the bathroom on the plane.
34:52So it didn't work out, obviously.
34:53You know, I give American Airlines a lot of my money, and they better not come to me saying that somebody else is paying more money to get off first.
34:59Y'all heard that?
35:00Exactly.
35:01I think it's just, you know, if you're in the front, just flow, go with the flow.
35:04And move expeditiously with the focus.
35:05Just do things that make sense.
35:06Or do what Southwest does in Burbank and the plane from the front and the back.
35:10Right.
35:11And the back.
35:12I love that.
35:13They're your last, and it makes things a lot more seamless.
35:15I like that.
35:16Exactly.
35:17Ladies, thank you so very much for joining me.
35:18I love all of this energy and great comments and fabulous fashion.
35:21Thank you, thank you, thank you.
35:23All right.
35:24I would like to thank all of our guests that stopped by, including Jessie T. Usher.
35:26Now, ladies, we have a very special treat for you all next week.
35:30We have the very handsome Jay Ellis stepping into the steam room.
35:33To commemorate the series finale of the game, find out what he would whisper in your ear
35:37to make you feel all hot and bothered.
35:39But first, check out our version of That's My Best Friend, That's My Best Friend, starring
35:43our fabulous Essence interns.
35:45See you next week.
35:46Same place, same time, same fabulous host.
35:48I'm Dana Blair.
35:49Bye-bye.
35:50That's my best friend friend-a.
35:53She finna.
35:54Oh, go best friend.
35:56That's my best friend.
35:57That's my best friend.
35:58Yeah.
35:59Yeah.
36:00You better.
36:01You better.
36:02You better.
36:03That's my best friend-a.
36:04She finna.
36:05Oh, go best friend.
36:06That's my best friend.
36:07That's my best friend.
36:08Yeah.
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