S2 E6 | Shekinah
This week on the “Big Facts” podcast, DJ Scream, Big Bank and Baby Jade sat down with reality tv star, celebrity hairstylist and successful entrepreneur Shekinah Jo. The multi-talented businesswoman stopped by to talk about “The Crying Tour,” past controversies and more.
In 2020, the Atlanta native faced backlash when she appeared to be emotionally torn after seeing individuals looting luxury stores in her hometown while protesting George Floyd’s murder. Floyd, an unarmed Black man, died in police custody when former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck, choking him for roughly eight minutes and 46 seconds. The entire incident was caught on tape. Chauvin was ultimately convicted and sentenced to 22.5 years behind bars.
Shekinah appeared to have taken issue with protesters who allegedly destroyed several retail stores in Atlanta, some of which were located at the famous Lenox Square mall. During her “Big Facts” chat, she opened up about the controversial incident and clarified what made her so upset.
“We want something out the store, we go buy it, my nigga, we don’t have to go in there and steal shit for real, stop,” she insisted. “The white folks busting the windows, but it’s us in there running and stealing. We falling back into the same place they want us to be in … that shit really hurt my feelings.” Seemingly tired of trying to justify her stance, she moved on from that topic and joked about crying over other matters.
Thanks to her online squabbles, the entrepreneur struck an opportunity to profit from a bad situation. Most recently, the former “T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle” castmate has announced “The Crying Tour.” According to Shekinah’s official webpage, the event will be making its first stop in Dallas, TX, where fans are encouraged to “enjoy [an] evening filled with crying to heal, laughter to express joy, and dancing to celebrate us all surviving any and all situations sent to destroy our peace.” Elaborating on the project, the television personality shared her motivation behind hitting the road.
“People thought that it was so funny. I’ve been looking for something to go on and heal people, anyway,” she said about her well-known tendency to cry like nobody’s business. “I was going on tour anyways to help people talk about their lives and things they go through ’cause I feel like that’s what I’m here for — to be a healer. I’m bigger than [just] a hairstylist or reality TV. God got a purpose for me. That’s why he put me here in this way.”
Shekinah continued, “I feel like that’s what he wants me to do — go interact with these people and show people how to love again. We don’t know how to love each other … hating on each other, pulling each other down.”
Elsewhere, Shekinah addressed her viral feud with lifestyle consultant Kevin Samuels, describing the contentious figure as “tired.” In an incident that took place last year (June 2021), Samuels booted the reality star off of his virtual show following a heated discussion, telling her to “kick rocks bitch.”
“He was tired of me ‘cause we all look like monkeys. So, who the fuck is he to even sit up here and judge this or that,” she said, attempting to echo widespread sentiment that Samuels dislikes, and even hates, Black women.
“He just always putting women down,” she added. “I don’t like how people do dark-skinned women. Let me speak on that — you can have a beautiful dark-skinned girl. Our world so fucked up, they’ll overlook her, and I don’t fuck with that shit and I done been standing in rooms and seen that shit and I don’t like it,” the Atlanta native went on to explain.
“You don’t do that to nobody. You don’t know what that lady may be going through,” Shekinah insisted, speaking on one incident in particular that involved Samuels. “He tore her down too bad for me. I couldn’t deal with that as a woman.”
Like always, if you liked what you heard, be sure to stay tuned every week for new episodes of “Big Facts.” Also, don’t forget to watch the latest installment above.