Her Take by Laila Jean Yu Says

Black Artists Created the Blueprint… So Why Were They Pushed Out?

In this episode of Her Take by Laila Jean Yu Says, Laila breaks down the patterns behind the rise and shift of 80s and 90s boy bands, inspired by the documentary Boy Band Confidential.
 
From New Edition and Boyz II Men to NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, and 98 Degrees, this conversation explores how Black R&B groups helped shape the modern boy band blueprint — and how the industry shifted its focus as pop music became more commercially global.
 
Laila also unpacks documentary-reported industry moments involving Motown, songwriting decisions like “Invisible Man,” and the structural differences in how Black artists and white pop groups were marketed, supported, and sustained.
 
This episode examines:
 
How Black artists influenced the foundation of modern pop and boy band culture
Why visibility and industry support shifted in the late 1990s
How labels, radio, and marketing shaped who became “mainstream”
The difference between cultural creation and cultural recognition
The emotional toll on artists navigating industry transitions
 
This is not about erasing anyone’s talent or success — it’s about questioning the systems that decide who gets centered, who gets pushed forward, and who gets quietly moved out of the spotlight.
 
Because Black artists didn’t just participate in the culture — they helped build the blueprint.
 
And the question remains: why are they not always the ones who get to stay at the center of it?
 

She Didn’t Fumble. She Chose Herself: Main Character Energy and Why That Threatens Everything

She did not fumble. She chose herself.
 
When Lori Harvey ended her relationship with Michael B Jordan the internet called it a fumble. They said she threw away the perfect man. They said she was for the streets. They said she would regret it.
 
But what if she did not fumble? What if she looked at that relationship and decided that dimming her spotlight for someone else’s story was not worth it? What if she chose herself — her identity, her freedom, her own spotlight — over a narrative the world had written for her?
 
In this episode Laila Jean Yu breaks down the concept of main character energy and what it actually means to own your spotlight as a woman. She talks about why that idea — a woman refusing to be a supporting character in someone else’s story — makes so many people so deeply uncomfortable. She gets into the parasocial problem and why the world felt entitled to have opinions about Lori Harvey’s personal choices. And she talks about what it means specifically as a Black woman to claim your own spotlight and refuse to dim it for anyone.
 
Because you are the main character of your own life. Period. And nobody gets to write your story but you.

A King Among Us: The Legacy of Chadwick Boseman

Chadwick Boseman was more than an actor. He was a symbol. A protector. A representation of what Black excellence looks like when it is given the space to be fully itself.
In this episode Laila Jean Yu breaks down the cultural impact of Black Panther and what T’Challa meant to Black men and boys who finally saw themselves as kings on the biggest screen in the world. She talks about Chadwick Boseman’s extraordinary body of work — from Jackie Robinson to James Brown to Thurgood Marshall — and why his performances were consistently among the greatest in Hollywood history.
She also gets into the secret he kept. Four years of chemotherapy and surgeries while filming some of the most iconic movies of our generation. He gave us his absolute best while going through his absolute worst.
And then there is the conversation nobody wants to have — the Oscar snubs, the posthumous recognition, and the pattern of an industry that overlooks Black excellence while it is alive and celebrates it only after it is gone.
This is the episode Chadwick Boseman deserved.
Wakanda Forever. 🖤

They Love Our Culture, But Not Our Wins

Hollywood loves Black culture—the music, the slang, the aesthetics—but when it comes to truly celebrating Black wins, the support gets real quiet. In this episode, I break down how Hollywood continues to tokenize Black actors and directors while refusing to see us as fully human. From limiting roles that box us into slaves, drug dealers, and hyper sexualized stereotypes, to the unspoken demand for white validation, this industry thrives on our creativity but resists our elevation. I also highlight disruptors like Ryan Coogler, who are changing the game by refusing to conform to Hollywood’s racist frameworks and instead centering Black stories with power, depth, and dignity. This is a conversation about systemic racism, representation, and why our wins are still treated as threats.
 
Audios used in the podcast:
⁠https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSabd8mMU/⁠

Michael Jackson: Real Talk — The Man, The Music, The Legacy with special guest Nya

Michael Jackson is one of the greatest artists to ever live. But how well do people actually know him?In this episode Laila and guest star Nya  gives their unfiltered perspective on the new Michael movie, his legendary music career, and the man behind the icon. From his relationships with his siblings, his parents, and the people closest to him — to the media’s role in shaping how the world saw him — this episode goes beyond the surface.And then there are the fans. The real ones who loved him for his artistry and who he was as a human being. And the ones who only showed up when it was convenient.Michael Jackson was a son, a brother, an artist, and a human being who deserved to be seen fully. This is Her Take on all of it.No filters. No apologies.A huge thank you to our guest Nya for joining Her Take. Go follow and support her on Instagram: @iam_nya_⁠https://www.instagram.com/iam_nya__?igsh=MnNvMmxhdDFzbDBr

The Grace Tax: The Unspoken Cost of Being a Black Woman at Work

Every day Black women walk into professional spaces and pay a tax that nobody talks about. The grace tax. The invisible emotional labor of filtering your words, softening your truth, and performing composure in spaces that were never designed to protect you.In this episode Laila gets honest about what it actually feels like to clock in and clock out of your authentic self daily. She breaks down the aggression label, the double standard that gives everyone else permission to be fully human while Black women are expected to be endlessly gracious, and why she created Her Take as a space to finally say the true thing without apology.This one is for every Black woman who has ever swallowed something she needed to say. Your voice matters. Your exhaustion is valid. And you do not owe the world your silence.Her Take. Unbothered. Unfiltered. Unapologetic.

Obsessed or Invested? The Parasocial Effect of Love Island

In this episode, Laila unpacks the blurred lines between admiration and obsession in reality TV fandoms. Using Love Island as the lens, she explores parasocial relationships, toxic fandom culture, and the racial bias behind “editing wars.” Tune in for real talk, reflection, and questions that make you rethink how deeply we connect to people we don’t actually know.Audios used in the podcast: https://www.tiktok.com/@wickdconfections/video/7525618201271553310https://www.tiktok.com/@nothisisntnique/video/7524120122596805901

Black Women Stop Chasing. Start Becoming.

In this episode of Her Take Laila Jean Yu gets honest about the moment she stopped chasing and started becoming.After a toxic relationship in 2018 she had to face some uncomfortable truths about herself. What she was chasing. Why she kept running toward people and validation that were never meant for her. And what it actually took to do the deep inner work and become a woman she would genuinely choose.This episode covers the father wound driving unhealthy dating patterns, what shadow work really looks like beyond the aesthetic journaling, how law of assumption became a game changer, and the powerful question every Black woman needs to ask herself right now.This one is for every woman who has ever popped her own balloon before anyone else got the chance.Would you date yourself right now?Her Take with Laila Jean Yu Says. New episodes dropping regularly. Subscribe so you never miss one.

Naomi vs Tyra: Was It Rivalry — or Projection?

For years, the media framed Naomi Campbell and Tyra Banks as rivals.But was there ever real beef — or was it projection?In this episode of Her Take, we unpack the modeling industry politics of the 90s, the emotional labor expectations placed on Black women, and the difference between feeling unsupported and actually being harmed.We also explore how narratives are created, amplified, and sometimes weaponized — especially when two powerful Black women occupy the same space.Was it competition?Was it misalignment?Or was it emotional projection shaped by a system that thrives on scarcity?This conversation goes deeper than fashion.It’s about power, perception, and the roles we assign people without ever asking them to agree.

Say It With Your Chest: The N-Word, BAFTA, and Why Anti-Blackness Gets a Pass

At the 2026 BAFTA Awards, Tourette’s activist John Davidson involuntarily shouted the N-word while Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan were presenting. The two Black men pushed through professionally. Nobody from BAFTA checked on them afterwards. And the host’s response? “If you feel offended, we apologize.” In this episode of Her Take, Leila breaks down why that response is not good enough, asks the question nobody in mainstream media is asking — why is that word in your vocabulary at all — and addresses the double standard that allows anti-blackness to be dismissed while every other form of prejudice is treated as an emergency. This is not a comfortable episode. It’s not supposed to be. Her Take. Unbothered, unfiltered, unapologetic.Audio clip used:⁠https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSuthLKMe/