Let me tell you right at the beginning, Bernie Uche  & Chimdi Egbuna and I spend a good amount of time talking about music. But there’s a reason for that.  I think for many people, you can associate places, faces and time with songs you heard on the radio, concerts you’ve attended or just whatever you happened to have on your playlist at the time.  

So it makes sense that music was a big part of this conversation, because it is a great jumping point for the cross-cultural experiences both of these men have had.  Bernie was raised in a Nigerian family who lived in  Malaysia, the Netherlands and Oman.   And  it was at a  Nigerian boarding school where he met Chimdi  and  where they formed a friendship that has clearly lasted to present day.   When you listen to this episode, you will see how much Western pop culture was part of their childhood experiences.

In this episode, Bernie (Toronto) and Chimdi (Houston) share the influences that shaped their identity and friendships within  both Nigerian society and abroad.  We discuss how music played a key role in their memories. Bernie and Chimdi also describe their initial reaction and response to the aftermath surrounding racial activism that was triggered in the summer of 2020.  And as new parents, they discuss the similarities and the differences between how they are raising their young children from their own parents.

So believe it or not, there is some seriousness mixed in with what I consider a worthy debate on Beyonce, Usher and Aaliyah. 

I first met these two dudes last year  when I was on their  podcast, the Talk Shop discussing black identity, international life..and a questionable argument on what constitutes as the best jollof rice around.  And  now they returned the favor to continue the conversation on being navigating between West African and Western cultures.