Black in a Box

We're back! This time around, we're joined by an old friend of the pod...king of content, creator, critic, consultant...proper multi-hyphenate tings - it's Scully! As always, we meander through all kinds of topics and start things off with the team's latest and greatest efforts to maintain some kind of athletic, sporting relevance (06:34). With a guest like Scully, you know we had to chat about mu...

A recent study showed that almost half of Black Gen Z feel they can’t be themselves in the workplace. From name-changing, to code-switching, to creating sideline minority work chats, it seems the latest generation in the workforce feels unsupported in their authenticity. Are we surprised? (4:40) We discuss this and the influence of older generations on Gen Z in the workplace and how can we extend...

You know those ones where the mic is hot and you forget you've got a job to do? Yeah, sometimes it be like that. After we've spent 10 minutes bullsh***ing about Oasis tickets and rockstar conspiracy theories, we get into the real talk… Are we all proud to be British (or British residents, in Alahna’s case)? We discuss our best and worst opinions of living on this island (8:24) and ponder, what eve...

It’s Q1 2025 and the crash out threat is already HIGH. Living, working and travelling in London provides a very special level of crash out potential, which the BIAB crew discuss (1:17). So how does one find peace and relief, in these over-stimulating, highly-agitating times? Let’s talk mindfulness, spirituality and general peace-seeking (24:00). Enjoy the episode! Please rate & review! Like. Share...

Cold open on Angelo’s hairline (let’s address the elephant in the room)… from there we discuss Krept & Konan’s latest venture into part-ownership of Saveways, a BAME-centric grocery chain. Why are they getting some backlash within the culture and is it warranted? (7:35) Shifting gears, we clash over the BEST three-track runs on an album (31:18). Do you agree with our choices? Let us know your thou...

Dom, Alahna and Dan are joined by Tales From the Plantation host Tunde to discuss growing into the Auntie/Uncle era, from dancing embarrassingly to growing old (dis)gracefully. After a quick detour into the serious world of gym hygiene and etiquette, they embark on a thoughtful discussion of childhood moments that defined our identities (16:00), before finishing with Dom's take on Paramore (40:30)...

The BIAB end of year special! We dive into the winners (5:39) and losers (19:16) of the year. A Canadian man's annus horribilis is mentioned. In detail. We then go into our tracks of the year (34:20) and give flowers to artists on both sides of the Atlantic before ending with wild predictions for 2025 (41:59) Tune in for the positivity, stay for the dissection of the greatest beef of the century....

This time, we're joined by an old friend of the pod, with Tunde Odufisan from the Tales from the Plantation podcast back in the studio with the gang. We discuss the challenges with gentle parenting (02:21), before looking at the challenges and rewards of parenting as a modern man (05:42). Next, is an honest conversation about having to teach your parents how to interact with their grandchildren an...

When people show you who they are believe them the first time. But this time we are talking about America the nation, not Donald Trump, as the former reality star wins a second term against Kamala Harris. The results of the US Election are in and are we surprised? Now that feelings have been felt, we have a few thoughts about what happened (3:40). We also have a few questions, like ‘What is the US...

We're back with another episode, diving into some of the biggest talking points from the past few weeks. Have you ever seen your heroes up close? The pod discusses some of the times they were lucky enough to bear witness to notable people they'll be telling their grandkids about (01:38). This time, we take a look at Israel and Palestine, just over a year on from the October 7th attacks and the ens...

We're back! The team had a much needed break over the summer, focusing on getting married, having babies, jet-setting and just LIVING, but now we're back on our BS. This time around, Alahna, Angelo and Dom discuss some of their highlights of the hiatus (7:44). There's a discussion on women in rap music and exactly why they are DOMINATING in 2024 (19:05), before we look into the latest trend of rig...

We're back with another episode, diving into some of the biggest talking points from the past few weeks. We had to kick things off with the disgusting, racist comments made by Tory donor, Frank Hester, about Diane Abbott and the horrific handling by the press and UK parliament as a whole (4:52), before a brief discussion on our voting intentions for the upcoming elections (28:26). After Jamaican d...

On this episode, we are joined by the inspiring and formidable Iron Empress herself, Donna McConnell… Ironwoman, Triathlete, Hip-Hop OG, Journalist and much more! Donna and Alahna met during Ironman training and Donna shares her journey to becoming an Iron(woman) in her 50s! A journey that includes growing up in West London in the 70’s, the emergence of hip-hop in the 80’s, having a daughter in th...

It's a new year and we're starting with a big one. This time, we welcome two amazing guests to the studio - the collab of all collabs - we're joined by Dope Black Dads founder and BELOVD co-founder, Marvyn Harrison, and we welcome back an old friend of the pod, Tunde Odufisan, from the fantastic Tales from the Plantation Podcast. Dope Black Dads is an incredible community which focuses oncelebrati...

It’s almost a wrap on 2023, but we still have plenty to discuss! Starting with a review of this year in music - what were the vibes, how are people consuming music and where to discover new artists (3:00)? We also address the long-overdue #MeToo movement needed in Hip-hop and whether recent headlines are a sign that the movement is on the horizon (21:31). And finally we talk the politicisation of...

It’s November… UK Black History Month is gone, maybe, for good? Let’s discuss.(1:40) But looking to the future, your hosts grapple with the trials of family-building (Dan & Dom) vs a child-free future (Alahna & Angelo) (26:45). Finally, enough of love! Let’s talk about hate - “hate marches”, specifically. (52:30).

Sometimes world events draw us into difficult conversations. We start by talking about the Israel-Hamas war, discerning the trustworthiness of information being reported as news and the power of language (02:15). Then, in wake of Drake’s latest incel-pandering album, we question how and why have we got here? (27:30). We close with a chat on some of the physical and mental trials and triumphs of th...

First, we’re giving flowers to… drum roll… our own Dan Chirwa for an incredible athletic feat, as well as pre-emptive flowers to Alahna, as she raises money to support two Black Mental Health charities in the UK and USA (donation link below and on our socials). Then we get into the meat of the episode, starting with an argument on Stormzy, Top Boy and other sacred cows (4:00). Then, we discuss the...

Former rugby and NFL star Christian Scotland-Williamson joins us to talk about his accidental but completely intentional journey to the Bar Council via two elite collision sports. We start with his unrewarded origins in rugby (5:06) until the day he answered a chance call at University before a shift at a part time job. "You beat book". Education has always been Christian's thing in sport and his...

Currency, Clout & the Cost of Living In this episode we are joined, once again, by the prolific writer, journalist and friend of the pod Symeon Brown. This time, we are discussing Beyonce, Mizzy, and the cost of living crisis in the UK. How are these things connected? Have a listen and find out. We start with celebrations and critiques of the entity that is Beyonce (4:40), then we segue into discu...

In our latest episode, we have the change-making Tyla Grant chatting with us about neurodiversity, living with autism as Black woman and more. Tyla takes the floor to introduce what neurodiversity means to her and how race and gender played a role in her belated diagnosis (6:00). We discuss some of the challenges people with neurodivergences, especially people of colour, face in school and the wor...

We're back with a bang this time, as the Black in a Box crew sits down with Ade Adepitan MBE. It'll be no surprise to hear this was a dream for us - Ade has been a trailblazer in British broadcasting for over two decades. We talked all about how he got started in the industry, his past as an elite athlete and a whole heap of other things. Oh, and the story of him climbing an active volcano without...

We begin by acknowledging our weakness in having no woman on the pod in Alahna's absence during international women's month. You can head to our Tik Tok and IG Reels for content celebrating a number of Black women changing the world for the better. Our first topic is a discussion on the notion of masculinity within the Black community(3:34)rooted around the much-debated framing of ASAP Rocky (in r...

For whose comfort should Black people be cultivating their conversations? Alahna, Dan, Dom and Gelo negotiate exactly that question, in relation to cinema and conversations within the Black community, as well as the role of trauma porn in indicating the value of black life. We open discussing Kenya Barris and Jonah Hill race rom-com and Guess Who remake “You People” (2:20) and whether it is harmle...

The episode about broken social contracts. We begin our first pod of 2023 with Prince Harry's media blitz about his stripped royal status. He thought he was the Prince who was promised until the reality of falling in love with and marrying a mixed race woman revealed royal status is not unconditional, nor is it afforded equally (4:41). We then discuss the rise and elevation of misogynist huckster...