blankSLATE with SaVon

Trauma bonding built this friendship, and now it's building a segment. Yassy makes her first crossover onto the Radio side, and before we even touch current events, we're going all the way back — how she actually linked with Akademiks (email, not a tweet, and yes, there's an Applebee's involved), what nobody knows about her radio dreams before blankSLATE, and why LA burned both of us out in almost...

There used to be a line between watching entertainment and being used by it. This episode makes the case that the line is gone and that the audience became the experiment without ever agreeing to it. SaVon and Yassy use Love Island, the Verzuz stage, and the long-running Tyler Perry and 50 Cent debate as entry points into a larger conversation about engineered attention, reaction turned into profi...

There used to be such a thing as monoculture — one moment everyone was tapped into at the same time. Michael Jackson was the last person to truly have it, and this episode makes the case for why the world will never make another. Everybody throws his name around — Kanye, Beyoncé, Chris Brown, Usher, even Taylor Swift — but SaVon and Yassy, joined by Karl aka FilmGawd, break down the seven buckets...

SaVon breaks down exactly when the contract was signed, when payment was due, and why the "life happened" excuse doesn't hold up. This is the full story, for the last time.

The other half of the story, and the part that lingers. SaVon traces what happened after the work was done and the money never came — the silence, an offer that wasn't really an offer, and the question of who answers when the people at the top go quiet. Less about the $20,000 than what the whole thing revealed about Elliott Wilson, Roc Nation, and the business behind them. Become a member of blank...

Full Story available early on Patreon. Join here: https://www.patreon.com/blankslatehq SaVon breaks down the $20,000 he lost on a high-profile podcast season tied to Elliott Wilson and backed by Roc Nation. He left a stable job to bet on himself and carried the risk alone. He was warned before he ever signed — and went anyway. Part 1 is how it started, what made him say yes, and what it ended up c...

The internet found a way to make humiliation pay rent. Deen the Great and Adrien Broner. Adam22 and Lena the Plug. Two arrangements, one machine — and a clipping economy that pays the most for your lowest moment. We pull it apart: where the money actually goes, why you can't escape these people, and what the algorithm is quietly training all of us to become. — Become a member of blankSLATE on Patr...

For the first official episode of blankSLATE, SaVon and Yassy use Jay-Z's Roots Picnic freestyle, Dame Dash's ongoing criticism of his former business partner, Akademiks' interview with Daphne Joy, and the rapid rise of AI as entry points into a larger conversation about celebrity culture, internet narratives, parasocial relationships, and the growing gap between perception and reality. The episod...

Two men built  an empire together and haven't spoken business since 2004. Only one of them can't stop bringing it up. Dame Dash and Jay-Z built Roc-A-Fella together. They haven't done business since 2004. Now one of them won't stop talking about the other. After Jay-Z's Roots Picnic freestyle, Dame responded the way he always does — a camera, a meme, a round of jokes. Everybody ran the same clip....

DJ Akademiks and Charlamagne Tha God have spent years orbiting each other as two of the most influential voices in hip-hop media. Now that relationship appears to be broken. After a private conversation between the two became public, Akademiks launched a sustained public campaign against Charlamagne across multiple streams, posts, and platforms. — Become a member of blankSLATE on Patreon — ad-free...

He spent two months telling everyone beef was killing the culture. Then he took four minutes to answer all of it. Two months ago JAY-Z told GQ that rap beef was taking the culture backwards. On May 30 at Roots Picnic, he stood on stage and answered everybody in four minutes. Drake. Dame Dash. Jaguar Wright. Kanye. Nicki. He even pulled up the Un Rivera stabbing on himself. This one breaks down who...

DJ Hed is in the headlines after editing the West Coast disses out of Drake's "2 Hard 4 The Radio" — and aired the cleaned-up version on his own broadcast. Jeremy Hecht is going at DJ Akademiks, claiming Ak takes money from Truth Social. The receipts pointed to Rumble instead. Both former co-hosts of The Bigger Picture. Both made waves this week. I break down what actually happened on both fronts,...

There's a Cold War brewing in hip hop media, and nobody's calling it what it is. DJ Akademiks says nobody's off limits. But watch how he moves — the gloves are only really off for two people. Joe Budden, DJ Akademiks and Charlamagne Tha God are on a crash course, and they're not even fighting the same way. Joe Budden fights with his independence and fame. Charlamagne Tha God fights with the media,...

SaVon returns with another installment of blankSLATE Radio — breaking down Drake's codependent relationship with hip hop media, the ecosystem connecting Joe Budden, Akademiks, Mal, and why everybody involved benefits from the cycle. He also dives into the growing war between YouTube and Netflix, paywalls changing podcast visibility, and what independent creator-led media looks like moving forward....

SaVon opens blankSLATE Radio — the reactive lane of blankSLATE, built for the conversation between the deep dives. In this episode: why Radio exists, how the two-lane system works, the three E's the whole thing runs on — entertain, educate, edify (and the fourth nobody says out loud: evergreen) and the proper close on the Need To Know chapter. Multiple drops a week! You're not the audience, you're...

A reintroduction. Past the Headline. Past the Algorithm. Past the Noise. blankSLATE is what comes next for SaVon, a culture and music commentary podcast going past the headline, past the algorithm, past the noise. A different lens on media, music, and everything happening within the culture. Made to outlast whatever's trending this week. Two shows. One name. The main pod drops weekly, long convers...

From the Need to Know Podcast era — the show has officially come to an end. This is part of the archive. Enjoy the guest conversations. A deep conversation with Joe Budden on media, relationships, and the realities behind running one of the most influential podcasts in culture. Joe reflects on the evolution of his platform, navigating public fallout, and the balance between business, friendship, a...

From the Need to Know Podcast era — the show has officially come to an end. This is part of the archive. Enjoy the guest conversations. A wide-ranging conversation with Joe Budden on music, media, and the evolving creator landscape. The group reflects on industry narratives, platform dynamics, and what it takes to sustain relevance over time. Topics include: Media perception vs. reality Streaming,...

This marks the end of The Need to Know Podcast . The show is complete, and everything below this episode is part of the NTK archive — a curated back catalogue from that era. SaVon and Alex reflect on the journey, 2025, and what comes next.

Originally released: July 7, 2025 This is the closing chapter of The Need to Know Podcast . Everything below this is the NTK archive — a curated back catalogue from that era. SaVon and Alex sit down with Mero for a candid, wide-ranging conversation on media, ownership, and building in today's creator landscape. From BX stories to real industry insight, this one blends humor with perspective throug...

Originally released: January 2025 This is the closing chapter of The Need to Know Podcast . Everything below this is the NTK archive — a curated back catalogue from that era. A candid conversation with Elliott Wilson on hip-hop media, independence, and navigating relationships in the industry. From critiques of new media to the evolving landscape of the culture, Elliott shares perspective on legac...

Originally released: October 13, 2025 This is the closing chapter of The Need to Know Podcast . Everything below this is the NTK archive — a curated back catalogue from that era. A wide-ranging conversation with Ish and Yassy on relationships, media narratives, and the realities behind public perception. From transactional culture to industry power dynamics, the discussion also touches on business...

Originally released: March 6, 2025 This is the closing chapter of The Need to Know Podcast . Everything below this is the NTK archive — a curated back catalogue from that era. A wide-ranging conversation with Ian Dunlap on wealth, investing, and navigating the realities of building and maintaining financial leverage. From market outlooks to public perception, the discussion also touches on legacy,...

Originally released: May 16, 2024 This is the closing chapter of The Need to Know Podcast . Everything below this is the NTK archive — a curated back catalogue from that era. A candid conversation with Mandii B on podcasting, public perception, and navigating transitions in media. From creative pressure to industry relationships, Mandii shares insight on building across platforms, handling controv...