The Envy McKee Show

Shelton and I have been on a wild morning show ride filling in for 900 AM WURD's Bill Anderson. One of our guests on Wellness Wednesday was the author of Pushups in the Prayer Room, Norm Schriever. This dude decided his life at the time sucked just enough that he sold or donated all of his worldly belongings and packed what little he had left into his backpack to embark on a world journey spanning 20 countries and 70,000 miles. In this brief, but meaningful interview he tells us why. He also gives us some insight into the title of his book, whilst I tried to mush myself into his backpack for his next world tour. We covered a lot of ground in this interview, but not enough for my taste. No worries though, Norm impacted my mental space so much, I've invited him to join me for a more in depth one on one encore in the very near future to dig much deeper into his awesome story. In the meantime, enjoy this utterly compelling prequel. Oh! Please pick up Norm's amazing book Pushups in the Prayer Room at www.normschriever.com

My dear friend Shelton Mercer and I had the pleasure and honor to sit in for the vacationing Bill Anderson on his show Wake Up with Bill on 900 AM WURD and have had an amaaaazing time thus far. My other dear friend and Hip Hop Professor Dr. James Peterson came by the studio to chat with Shelton and I about that Sizzle and Fizzle that tends to happen with noteworthy and movement inducing trending headlines: Troy Davis, Trayvon Martin, OWS, and more. We also got to dig in a bit about the importance of our young folk connecting first hand with their African ancestry if only by being aware of what's happening in Africa. This was an awesome interaction of the minds-- not only between the three of us, but also with the WURD listening audience.

I absolutely love GOOD music. But more than loving GOOD music, I love the artistry and the artists who create GOOD music. On top of that, I looooove highlighting new artists who are representative of what I believe good music entails: soul, authenticity, a unique point of view and damn undeniable talent. Noel Gourdin represents all of these things and this interview is just as robust, layered and full of personality as Noel himself. I pulled this interview from the vault, in part as a lesson to up and coming artists about what compelling showmanship sounds like in an interview, but also because the presence of Noel and artists of his talent are sorely missed in music today. Plus, the man is brilliant and brilliance is sorely missed on all fronts. I digress.

It's not every day one gets to hold court with a radio pioneer. In this "from the vault" interview with Dyana Williams, I had a chance to do just that AND talk with her about radio's roots by way of two other radio pioneers-- Petey Green and Duey Hughes. She came On the Real with Envy to talk with the fam about the now classic movie "Talk to Me" starring Don Cheadle and Taraji P. Henson. But we came out of this discussion with so so much more. Dyana is another #Awesome, brilliant, gorgeous woman I adore and her insights are well worth the price of admission.

Madame Sheryl Lee Ralph is probably one of the most charismatic and outspoken women I've ever had the pleasure to know. Not only is she stunningly beautiful, she's talented, brilliant and on a mission. In this interview from the vault, Sheryl and I talked politics, particularly her going on the road as an Obama campaign spokesperson. We also talked about her visit to the set of Flavor of Love, the compellingly low self esteem so many young women have adopted and the possibility of my joining her on the road for my proposed two women show. Let's keep it gully shall we? Sheryl ain't no joke. She is real beyond real and pulls absolutely no punches. Block your neck.

I found this interview waaaaaaay back in the vault. Philly's own Freeway stopped by the studio to share his insight short and sweet like on the violence in Philly and how we portray women in Hip Hop. He also shared his thoughts on what we can do to make some well needed change.

This is my absolute favorite talk given by Dr. Michael Bernard Beckwith. After interviewing him many moons ago, he put my listeners and I onto it and I must admit, the direction of my life was forever changed. To this very day, "the talk" as I affectionately call it, has a prominent place in my iPod rotation. I've listened to it no less than a hundred times over the last 5 years, but I'll tell you what--it never loses its relevance. I referenced it in a recent written blog post only to discover it is no longer available on line. It's such an important voicing of so many ways so many of our lives are evolving and gives direction a bit in managing that deep inner longing we have to have peace of mind and spirit as change happens. I pray you listen with an open mind and heart and that this talk is of as much value to you on your journey as it has been for me. Peace and Blessings... -e- Oh! The song playing underneath my intro is Jason Mraz, Details in the Fabric. #Awesome right?!

You can read the written post I referenced above with the link below:

http://envymckee.com/life/new-diva-guide-the-troll-blocking-your-bridge-is/

I found this interview in the vault. Dr. Beckwith has been a tremendous inspiration for me. And this conversation was just about as close to a hope realized as those things come. Ever since I saw him in the movie "The Secret" many, many moons ago, I wanted to have a chat with him. Little did I know that my late and beloved friend Jerome Carter would introduce us and that we would have that chat. #Awesome dialogue. Enjoy!

Going through the Vault, I found some great, timeless stuff still worthy of a listen, share or two (or a hundred thousand, Jeez). This one was a piece I did about an issue that's still relevant. HIV in the Black Community. You'll be surprised by some of things I've heard. Take a listen...