31 chapters across the catalog
The segment focuses on Fred Hampton, the 21-year-old chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party, who was assassinated in a 1969 police raid. Hampton is heard criticizing the "Weathermen" and SDS as "custeristic" and "misguided," while advocating for disciplined political education. The hosts highlight Hampton's oratorical style as a precursor to hip-hop and discuss J. Edgar Hoover's fear of a "Black Messiah" who could unite the street youth.
The tactics used against the Black Panthers and the Proud Boys are compared as examples of counterintelligence and subversion. The hosts suggest that the "Orange People" are being backed into a corner to be eliminated or silenced. They argue that the system wants the "herd" to remain compliant with vaccines and "science" while isolating those who refuse to go along.
Quincy Jones' son, QD3, discusses Tupac Shakur's intellectual depth and his "facade" of being a thug to relate to his audience. He claims Tupac was months away from a "turnaround" into a political leader before his death. The hosts argue that a politically conscious Tupac was a threat to the establishment, leading to his removal from the scene.
A historical clip warns that if a man asks for bread while someone holds a loaf in front of him and refuses to share, the next step is for the man to "knock him upside the head and take the bread." Mo Facts notes the speaker's cadence is similar to Kanye West's and mentions that West's father was a Black Panther. The segment explores the shift from asking for rights to demanding them.
The Smollett siblings were raised by activist parents who were close with Black Panther founders Bobby Seale and Huey Newton. Jurnee Smollett, described as the true star of the family, began her career as a child actor and has been involved in activism since age five. The hosts explore the family's deep roots in radical political movements and Hollywood.
The discussion turns to Tupac's mother, Afeni Shakur, and her role in the "Panther 21" trial. She successfully defended herself against charges of plotting to bomb department stores. It was revealed that undercover police officers had actually driven the plots. The hosts draw parallels between this history of government infiltration and modern political hoaxes.
Malik Shabazz of the New Black Panther Party appears in archival footage from Fox News, demanding a guilty verdict for the Duke players. Even after charges were dropped, Shabazz refused to apologize, citing a historical context of sexual violence against Black women in America. He shifted blame to prosecutor Mike Nifong for "botching" the case rather than admitting the players were innocent.
A historical look at the Black Panthers' armed patrols in 1967 Oakland illustrates how black gun ownership has historically triggered new gun control laws. Mo Facts argues that the black community needs more "Kyle Rittenhouses"—young men willing to protect their own neighborhoods from violence. He emphasizes that the restoration of the black man's right to bear arms is essential for community autonomy and the removal of the police state.
A 1980 interview with former FBI informant Darthard Perry (alias Ed Riggs) details the mechanics of infiltrating radical groups in the 1960s. Perry describes receiving cash payments in vehicles and signing cards to account for the income to the IRS. He expresses remorse for his role in the "undoing" of various groups, providing a historical parallel to modern informants working within the Proud Boys and other contemporary organizations.
Investigative journalist Seth Rosenfeld's research reveals that Richard Aoki, the man who provided the Black Panther Party with its first firearms and weapons training, was an undercover FBI informant. The hosts argue that the FBI purposefully armed the Panthers to create a public image of "scary" armed black men, which was then used to justify the implementation of stricter gun control laws in California.
The Baltimore chapter of the Black Panther Party is revealed to have been started by an army veteran working for the National Security Agency (NSA) as part of a COINTELPRO operation. After establishing the chapter to monitor the national organization, the agent was "lent" to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to serve as an agent provocateur in Canada. The hosts use this to illustrate the long history of international intelligence agencies manufacturing domestic movements.
The hosts analyze the "Great Awakening" and "The Storm" as religious constructs within QAnon, comparing them to the "technocratic religion" of modern science experts. They express shock at the media's use of the word "militant" to describe Babbitt, noting that the term has historically been reserved for black activists like the Black Panthers. They argue this linguistic shift signals a new era of branding political dissent.
A clip from "The Wire" featuring Senator Clay Davis illustrates the intersection of the church, the police, and city politics. This is followed by a historical account of how the FBI and NSA used COINTELPRO tactics to start a Black Panther Party chapter in Baltimore for surveillance purposes. The police department reportedly used this intelligence to undermine Black mayoral candidates in 1971.
The hosts read a letter from a listener who introduced her husband to the show via the "Trapper's Delight" episode. Additional associate executive producers are thanked, including David Kang, William Taylor, and Chef Elvis Rosenberg. The segment covers listener requests for "Mo Karma" and "Wusa" soundbites.
The segment explores a modern "Black Renaissance" driven by social media and independent publishing, where Black men are seeking to define themselves outside of traditional academic or media institutions. The hosts express exhaustion with corporate virtue signaling and "pandering" marketing, such as dedicated "Black-owned business" shelves in grocery stores. They argue that such pity-based marketing is a form of literal racism that assumes inferiority.
A critical analysis of the film *Black Panther* reveals a plot where the protagonist teams up with the CIA to overthrow a leader (Killmonger) who wants to share Wakandan resources with the global Black community. The hosts point out the irony of Disney promoting a "Black Utopia" that relies on Western intelligence agencies to maintain its isolationist status quo. They also discuss the convenient off-screen death of the lead character to facilitate a transition to a female lead.
The history of FBI informant Richard Aoki, who provided weapons to the Black Panther Party, is used to illustrate how the bureau infiltrates and radicalizes groups. The hosts discuss the modern equivalent of this surveillance, including facial recognition technology that can allegedly determine political views. They express suspicion toward conspicuous figures at the Capitol, such as the Viking-garbed protester, suggesting they may have been staged.
The 1967 Mulford Act is discussed as a historical precedent for using a Capitol protest to pass restrictive gun legislation. The Black Panthers' armed march on the California State Capitol led then-Governor Ronald Reagan to sign a bill banning the open carry of loaded firearms. The hosts predict that the January 6th events will be used as a similar catalyst for new federal gun control measures and domestic terror laws.
On Independence Day, the conversation shifts to the Second Amendment, framing the right to bear arms as the primary liberty that secures all other rights, including free speech. The hosts introduce the theme of black gun ownership, questioning why armed black men are often viewed as a polarizing or troubling image by the public.
The Democratic Party is described as being in a difficult position, balancing its traditional gun control platform with a voting base that is increasingly interested in firearm ownership for self-defense. The hosts note that historical civil rights figures, including Martin Luther King Jr., sought armed protection despite the non-violent narrative.
