Pretty Vee's advice on hustling to the top: "Don't forget your gift"

“Black Girl Stuff” is back, and it was quite an interesting episode today (Dec. 7)! From Pretty Vee joining the crew to Jacob Latimore and Ari Fletcher making appearances, plus conversations about job shaming and plenty more, it was a jam-packed episode that you don’t want to miss! As always, hosts Akilah Ffriend, Brii Renee, Demetria Obilor, and Tori Brixx kept it 100 percent real. Resident “BGS” correspondent Kennedy Rue joined the ladies too! Check out our favorite moments below and watch the latest episode here.

1. Job Shaming

To kick things off, the “BGS” crew dove into the comments with Pretty Vee to talk about job shaming and grind culture. Fairybrandmuva_’s tweet — “Job shaming in 2022 is crazy. We have been through too much in the past two years alone for y’all to be talking about where somebody works” — garnered over 22,000 retweets and sparked an intense social media debate. Pretty Vee gave her 2 cents and kept it real about how she’s gotten to where she is: “I think for me, you know, I’ve worked a 9-to-5. I worked at the Marriott Fairfield. I’ve worked doing admin until I got to my purpose. So you got to start somewhere. But don’t forget your gift. If you feel like you have a job that you’re working to pay bills, do that, you know? Nothing’s wrong with working at Shell gas station or wherever… McDonald’s. But don’t forget your gift.”

Ffriend discussed the fear of falling off and how that plays into job shaming as well, saying, “I feel like… a big part of job shaming that we don’t talk about… the idea of ‘falling off’ because people shame me for that. Like, let’s say you used to do something that folks are really not even envious of, but [it] just seemed like this is a very high caliber of you. And then for you to not do that anymore, they would shame you for that because it’s kind of like, ‘Oh, OK, you used to act on this, but now you’re acting work is going direct to YouTube… like, this is not the same.’ So, I think that’s another big aspect of job shaming, too.”

All in all, the ladies agreed that everyone has to start from somewhere. When asked about how she maintains a healthy balance between her spirituality and busy life, Pretty Vee said, “I never leave home without God. I always say… ‘Send your heavenly angels down to protect me,’ you know?”

2. The Kennedy Chronicles

“BGS” resident correspondent Kennedy Rue sat down with the legendary Kirk Franklin and Naturi Naughton ahead of the release of their new movie, Night Before Christmas. When asked about their favorite parts of the holidays, Naughton began by saying, “I made my husband… when we were dating, I was like, ‘Oh, no, I don’t want no fake tree. You better get me a real tree.’ But it’s funny because I love the smell of Christmas, and the real tree, and decorating it. It’s kind of a family tradition. We would, a few nights before Christmas, decorate the tree. My mom makes good hot cocoa, and just really simple things make me happy. I don’t need much.”

In response to the same question, Franklin noted, “Growing up, holidays were not big for me, so the only thing about holidays that really have a big space in my heart really has to do with when I started having children and just being able to do for them everything that I could do for myself. But at the same time, I would go overboard. A lot of times, if I bought them a Go Kart, I’d buy me a Go Kart so that I could have a little play date, you know… and I really enjoyed that. Those were very memorable moments for me, just being a young father and not having a father myself. So, just having the chance to live all that out with them was a very powerful moment for me.” The ladies went on to discuss their favorite parts of the holidays, including the food, family, traditions, and gifts!

Rue also sat down with Black Panther’s Dominique Thorne to talk a bit about the women of Wakanda. She told the “BGS” hosts, “I think since probably around the timing of Comic-Con is when I first started to notice this messaging of, like, ‘the women of Wakanda.’ I think one of the most beautiful parts about that for me is that in the making of this film, I wasn’t thinking about that, and it wasn’t on my mind. And I’m not too sure that anybody really spoke to that or that, that verbiage was there. But to now sort of look at it in reflection and realize, ‘Oh, we’re here,’ I think it’s definitely a testament to every woman in that film that is definitely at the forefront of the form. They’re there simply because they’re the only ones capable of the job.”

3. 2023 GRAMMY Nominations

Social media has been in shambles since the announcement of the 2023 GRAMMY nominations. Many fans are feeling like the annual awards show got it wrong and snubbed some of their favorite artists. Ffriend talked a bit about some other artists who have never won GRAMMYs yet are still celebrated as legends: “I do think it is also interesting to see, and maybe they can have their shine in a different way, especially Nicki [Minaj]. There’s a lot of great timeless acts, timeless musicians that have never won a GRAMMY. Diana Ross has never won a GRAMMY. Brian McKnight, Snoop Dogg. Like, the list literally goes on…”

Obilor threw out her prediction for the winner of Best New Artist: Latto! It’s a fair guess considering the fact that her single “Big Energy” was a huge success this year, even earning a Mariah Carey feature on the remix. The ladies also congratulated rising star GloRilla on earning a nomination!

4. Jacob Latimore Joins the Crew 

Jacob Latimore has been making waves in the entertainment industry for years now! From his early days when he used to tour with Mindless Behavior and Lil Twist to his emergence in the acting world with roles in “The Chi” and House Party, the latter of which is slated for a 2023 release. Due to the cultural significance of the original House Party, it would be understandable for him to feel a sense of pressure when filming, and when asked if he did, Latimore said, “You know what? I think initially, yeah. But once we got on set, I feel like House Party was all about chemistry. You know what I mean? And Tosin [Cole], the other actor, the lead actor, we actually met maybe months prior in Chicago. He was filming a TV show called ’61st Street’ while I was filming ‘The Chi.’ So we had already met. And then D.C. Young Fly, somebody I’ve known in Atlanta. You know, we all know D.C., like, cool, cool as ever. And I’m, like, I know everybody. Rotimi, I did one of my first films with him, so I’m like, ‘I think we can do this.’ And then Calmatic is just an incredible director. He just knows how he wants to view a film.”

When asked about the traits he looks for in a woman, the young star said, “Ambition, personality, someone who has carried themselves in a room. I feel like in the rooms I walk into, I may drift off a little bit. I need you to be able to hold your own conversation a little bit. Somebody who just has goals and plans. You may not have it all figured out because I feel like we are still figuring it out. But if we got a vision, you know, I can probably help have that vision happen.” House Party is set to be released in 2023, along with the sixth season of “The Chi,” and you can catch Latimore in both! His single “Selfish” is also available on all streaming platforms!

5. Ari Fletcher Joins the Panel 

Many know Ari Fletcher from her relationship with Moneybagg Yo or from her Instagram, which has nearly six million followers. She’s also a part of the “The Impact: Atlanta” cast alongside Jayda Cheaves, Arrogant Tae, Dess Dior, and Lakeyah. But long before she became the “it girl” she’s known as today, Fletcher reveals a shift in mindset put her on the right path. When asked about what brought that shift on, she said, “Saying bad stuff to people that I had no [right to]. And I think a lot of times I don’t really care about other people’s feelings, like, the way that other people view things. And I’d be like, ‘[It’s] my way.’ Like, ‘This is how it is.’ How I see it instead of just… taking a step back and realizing how other people view things… It’s okay to be wrong.”

Renee then asked her what brought about that change, and Fletcher said, “Hurting my friends. Everybody thinks it was the Fenty thing. That was just, like, a big thing on the internet. But that, you know, as well. But certain things with my friends… and then it would just be like, ‘You being insensitive.’ Like, ‘It’s not even like that,’ you know? And it’s like, ‘No, but everybody don’t feel how you feel.’ And I think that I hurt one of my close friends once. I was like, ‘Damn, I need to watch what I say’ because I really didn’t mean it like that.”

6. BG Bosses of the Week

Ava DuVernay is one of today’s greatest filmmakers and producers. Some of her most notable works include “When They See Us,” Selma, A Wrinkle In Time, and the OWN series “Queen Sugar.” It’s through “Queen Sugar” that she began a movement for Black farmers. The American Rescue Plan Act now allocates over $550 million to the underserved group, and DuVernay is dedicated to increasing that by two percent. Her efforts have made her our first BG Boss of the Week.

Gabrielle Carter is the co-founder of Tall Grass Food Box, a platform created to support and grow the visibility of Black farmers around the country. Her work with has inspired many, and she is our second BG Boss.

Be sure to tune into this week’s “Black Girl Stuff” episode starring Pretty Vee, Jacob Latimore and more!