I am not a podcast fan. Usually, when there’s a man with a microphone and an audience, there’s not much substance that comes along with it. It has accumulated over 100,000 followers across numerous platforms and has quickly made a believer out of an anti-podcaster.
That is, until “Grits & Eggs Podcast” made its debut in March 2023. Hosted by Deanté Kyle and Cat (Big DJ Ice Cup Cat), the podcast has itself accumulated over 100,000 followers across numerous platforms and has quickly made a believer out of an anti-podcaster such as myself.
The soap-box-like style of talk on topics that range from music to pop culture to politics is refreshing when conversations around us seem regurgitated and censored. The dark humor and cultural jargon that pleases my African-American vernacular speaking tongue make me feel like I’m tuning in to conversations I’ve had with friends and family. And probably why Kyle refers to his listeners as “cousins.” His being an everyday citizen makes the podcast more down-to-earth and necessary.
Who Is Deanté Kyle
It all started with driving an 18-wheeler alone for hours and gaining followers through videos, which led to hundreds of thousands of followers and a hit podcast. Deanté Kyle turned those long hauls into the “Grits & Eggs Podcast.” A defining characteristic of Kyle’s work is his willingness to discuss controversial or uncomfortable topics like the Karmelo Anthony case. His podcast often blends commentary on Black culture, community issues, current events, relationships, economics, and entertainment.
Listeners have described him as thoughtful, curious, and willing to challenge conventional narratives. Some argue that some of his views are inconsistent or provocative, but these hot takes are part of what has helped make him a recognizable figure in online spaces. Furthermore, with our First Amendment rights constantly being up in the air, it’s becoming revolutionary to speak freely and say the quiet parts out loud.
Podcasts Used to Harm
My usual disdain for podcasts comes from the constant bombardment of misinformation, alt-right views, and plain promotion of harm against Black women that are constantly spat out on certain podcasts. Joe Rogan’s The Joe Rogan Experience Podcast, for example, is one of the most listened to podcasts in the world. However, in 2022, a compilation video surfaced showing Rogan using the N-word multiple times across podcast episodes recorded over many years.
He publicly apologized, and Spotify removed dozens of episodes following the controversy. Was the apology sincere? I doubt it. It was the controversy and public outcry that made him and Spotify act. There was also backlash over an older story Rogan told in which he compared being in a predominantly Black neighborhood to the movie Planet of the Apes.
Rogan later described that remark as an “idiotic thing to say” and apologized for it. Apologies without change are performative, and if someone is constantly apologizing for saying racist things, only to make more racist statements…they’re racist, and it’s really not up for debate.
Be The Elephant in the Room
If various podcasts like the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast can exist, then the Grits & Eggs Podcast is absolutely necessary and should remain as unapologetic as it currently is. In a world where UFC fighters are saying First Lady Michelle Obama is a man,
Black people are still being found hung in trees (even though these are often ruled as suicide, many are calling them lynchings), and Black women are being pushed out of the work force more than any other demographic because of patriarchy and white supremacy, is it really that controversial for Deanté Kyle to get on a mic and say, “I don’t like white people” and then give us a thesis as to why? I don’t think so.
