00:00Issa Rae, it's so good to see you at the Essence Festival.
00:07Yolanda, it's great to see you.
00:09What's on your itinerary this weekend, performance-wise,
00:12empowerment stage-wise?
00:14Well, I'm trying to go to several of the panels.
00:17I don't know just exactly what yet.
00:20But performance-wise, I am going to see...
00:24I'm going to see Janelle Monae.
00:25I need to see Beyonce.
00:27I'm super excited about a new addition tonight
00:29because I'm an old-school head.
00:30I can't believe it's old-school now, but that's what it is.
00:33Sorry, Bobby.
00:34That's who we are now.
00:35I don't really support that.
00:37I don't like the 90s music.
00:38Like, Sierra's sampling my boo, and that's...
00:41She can sample that now because it's old.
00:44I don't support that.
00:46I love that you said you need to see Beyonce.
00:49You know, my flight is leaving early on Sunday,
00:52but I'm thinking of missing it
00:53because I have tickets to see Beyonce.
00:54Why wouldn't I see her?
00:56And she's amazing.
00:57She's an amazing performer.
00:58So, what do you think is special to you about this festival?
01:01I just love the community.
01:03I love that, like, so many different walks of people are here,
01:07so many different walks of women,
01:09and there's such an amazing community,
01:11and to have it in New Orleans is just the perfect space
01:14because it's such an eclectic space.
01:16So, I'm just really excited about just being a part of the community.
01:20And I know you and I share a special boo together named Maxwell.
01:25I'm here to tell you to let him go.
01:27Are you going to fight me for it?
01:29Like, that's...
01:30As soon as I drop this mic.
01:31That's not very essence-ly.
01:33I guess I should have known that.
01:34You know, we have it on camera.
01:35You threatened me.
01:36So...
01:37I love it.
01:38You know, and you talked about different walks,
01:40women from different walks of life,
01:41and you're on this amazing show called Exhale on Aspire TV.
01:45Can you tell me more about it?
01:46Yes, it's just an amazing experience to be working with,
01:49you know, women that I just instantly bonded with
01:52and connected with, and that's just a testament to,
01:54you know, black women.
01:55We may come in different shapes, sizes,
01:57different walks of life,
01:58but we're just able to come together
02:00and really support and embrace one another.
02:05Is it fair to say that it's like The View?
02:08It's only like The View because there are five women talking.
02:12But no, other than that, there's no studio audience.
02:15We're, you know, in a loft,
02:17like basically someone's living room just talking
02:19about stuff that we talk about with, you know,
02:22our women friends.
