The Truth in this Art with CEO & Founder of audaCITY Tours Crystal Wamalwa

And welcome back to the Truth in His Arts. Thank you for joining me for my conversations bridging arts, culture and community. I am your host, Rob Lee. And before we get started, I'd like to remind you to leave a review on your favorite podcast platform, Apple, YouTube, Spotify. Let us know what you think.

5 stars is great, but let us know what you think about this podcast. Thank you. So today, we have a special guest for a special conversation. My guest is the CEO and founder of Audacity, a company dedicated to promoting and celebrating black art and artists. My guest's work aims to provide a platform for emerging black artists to showcase their talents in various forms, including painting, music, literature, comedy, performance, all of those those different areas.

Please welcome, Crystal Wamalwa. Welcome to the podcast.

Yes, absolutely. I'm so excited to be here. Thank you so much for having me.

Thank you. And as as I'm one to do. Right? You know, especially when, you know, I I gotta do it right. I gotta do it right.

I almost forgot. Yes. Thank you for wearing your glasses. That's the thing. It's a running bit.

It's a running bit. Mhmm. So thank you for wearing glasses. And before we get started, Crystal, I would like to give you the space to to introduce yourself. Tell us a bit about Audacity tours and, a memorable experience because you're, you know, you're a Baltimore baby and all of that stuff.

So give us the give us the details.

Come on. Here's the t. Here's the t. Yeah. So, Crystal, born and raised in Baltimore, well, Baltimore for the homie for the homies.

Listen. But for me, Audacity Tours started as a passion project in 2019. So I really just wanted to host events, do fashion shows, bring in different singers and different things like that. No real business model. And then fast forward to me wanting to set up for my 3rd show, moved out of Pittsburgh once the world shut down in 2020, wasn't able to do that 3rd show.

And then fast forward again, 2023, I'm back in the professional space, working in higher education, HR, you know, back in my big girl era. And, and I walked away from my first big paying jobs. I I was getting paid 60,000 that, like, my husband and I, we were over the a 100,000 threshold. Like, we were living large. I stayed at that job for 23 days, stayed at that job for 23 days, my husband, and it was 5 months after my daughter had been born.

And so my husband was like, you know what, you have the time, go back and do the thing that you love the most, which was hosting these events. But I wanted to host these events and not just say, oh, I'm just putting together shows and, you know, no real mission and vision. So, that's where Audacity came to be. My husband actually came up with the name Audacity. I give him all credit for that name.

And so really building out this business, this empire, this vision of what Audacity is, where we are a traveling immersive art experience. And so we work with all mediums in one space and really allowing our attendees to engage with authentic raw art, but also building an artist community for our artists who want to engage with Audacity on and off the stage. And so it's really a ecosystem of artists where we're building community, collaboration and working together to really bring a voice to local black artistry that may not have access to the mainstreams.

Thank you. Thank you. And thank you for having the audacity to pursue. That was that was corny. I know it was

It was corny, but I love it. It's okay.

And thank you for that. I, you know, I think, you know, having an explanation and definitely you're you're making my job a little easier because that touches on a few of my my later questions, but, I'd be remiss if I didn't ask this. Mhmm. So, you know, we we're going back to 2019. Right?

Yes. This podcast started in 2019, and I think it was that that sort of point where

Mhmm.

Folks were like, I need to figure out my lane. I need to figure out my thing. And at that point, I'd already been a podcaster for about 10 years. Okay. So it was like, what is the shift?

What do I wanna do? And having conversations and trying to enrich this community,

whether it

be the community locality as far as Baltimore or the community of folks that look like you and I. That's what the intent was upfront. So was there an experience that you look back at as that was something that you saw, that you're like, I wanna do that if the opportunity presents itself that may have laid sort of the foundation or planted the seeds for Audacity?

Yeah. Absolutely. So my first event was really where the seed was planted.

Sure.

Hosted my first event, 30 tickets. I only did 30 tickets for $10 because, you know, in Baltimore, when they say tickets for only $10, only $10 So, you know, put on my first event. I asked my mom to be my decorator, I asked my dad to set up my PA system, my cousins were my models, really bringing in my family. And even if they weren't participating in the show, they purchased a ticket, family and friends. And that moment really cemented how I felt and how I want other other people to feel when it comes to art.

Right? And so with the first show, I was excited because I had really started getting into sewing. So I used to do custom tutus and t shirts, under my business, Crystal Tutus Paradise, which was named after my niece. And so, you know, wanting to share the tutus that I made and everything like that. I was like, you know what?

I wanna put together a show where I'm showing fashion, where there's a singer, there's a poet, someone's the host, and really just trying to like bring everybody together just to have a good time. We have food, we had a visual artist who had her paintings as the backdrop. And the theme was presenting my tutu collection and my t shirt collection for the My Hair is Done. As someone who has been natural since 2011, 12. Really stepping into that, my hair is done when it's in a fro, when it's in bantu knots.

And so really wanting to push that narrative. Granted the t shirt line was a little flop, but, you know, we'll we'll come back to that. You know, but, how I felt in that moment, bringing all these different arts together in one space, I really was just like, wow, I really wanna capture this again. And it really was the first high, you know? And so that was really the first moment when I was like, dang, I wanna do this again.

And, thankfully, I was able to do it again a couple months later. Sure. But now being able to do it in multiple cities, because this is that's the component that's different. But, yeah, that first show in March of 29 in February of 2019 really cemented that, like, I was really made to do that.

And I dig it. That's and and we're definitely gonna dive into, a little bit later into sort of, like, the the Torah aspect of where we're at now.

Yeah.

And, yeah, I I think when we get to those stages where we we get that that first high, we get you know, they said first one free. No. It's good. You you get that initial high. And, you know, like I'm, and I said it yesterday.

I was teaching a class yesterday. I was sharing with you before we got started, and I said more than one time. I was like, I am shy. They're like, no, you're not. I was like, I'm super shy.

I understand.

And but it's one of those things where I'm an Aquarius. I activate to and, you know, put me in front of some folks. I'm able to do my thing. So to the point of it being a high. Right.

Yeah.

I really enjoy movie reviews, and I enjoy organizing things. So for about a year, I did monthly movie reviews for movies that were filmed in Baltimore. And it was something that was a bit different, but it still had that DNA and that framework of what I've done in the past, and it was tapping into that artistic community. So I definitely relate to the high. And the first movie the first move we did was meteor man.

And people like, you know, I was filming here, and I was like, yeah, Pull up. Come through.

Fuck it up though. Yeah. I love that. I mean, yeah. Because with the first show, it really was at that time, I didn't know what was being built.

I didn't know what groundwork was being laid. I just was like, I just wanna put on the show. Like I just loved because at that point in time, you know, I have worked with various artists in the community like Sir Alex, Keisha Linus, Tyce and like going to their events, working the doors for them, getting to meet the artists that they're working with behind the scenes, and seeing that behind the scenes, I was just like, Dang, you know, you have the comedy poetry mash up, you know, you have the poetry music, and then, you know, you got a little bit of rap in there every so often. But as time went on, I was like, there's really nothing that's kinda like a fusion of all these things. Right?

Because with Audacity, we have a film that we're gonna be showcasing. We had a double dutch team here in Pittsburgh. And so it's just like, you know, really bringing together as many art mediums as possible in one space and making it an experience Yeah. Is really where I felt Audacity was just kind of growing over the last couple of years. And so, am I sad that my 3rd show got canceled?

Yes. But I'm glad because it allowed me the time to, like, sit and reminisce and just really think and build on my team and the mission of what we wanted to

do. Yeah. It's it's sort of having that time to take a break from it and not be in it where you're able to sort of build out things. And the reason why I mentioned the the thing that I was doing, because I literally just talked about this, the movie thing on Tuesday about sort of this one because I have one that was canceled as well. You know, you know, it happened.

And I was like, yo, look, I want to do a screening of this movie Good Time, and she and my friend is like, go on. Tell me more about it.

Uh-huh.

But look, there's LSD and, like, a bottle of Sprite in the movie. It's a plot point. And she was like, go on. I was like, I wanna have a cocktail that relates to the movie that's on there. It's Sprite, and it looks purple.

And she was like, you're just gonna be making lean? I was like, I'm not. But the point is Yeah. Of having a cocktail full experience, not just come to a movie, but the full experience, the full vision Yeah. Folks get the full thing.

Yeah.

You know, and and seeing how that can expand. And with sort of time removed, you're you're thinking about sort of who should be involved, who I have in the network, and all of these different things

Mhmm.

Versus, well, this is available. Let me just do it.

Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. It changes the narrative very quickly when you immediately go to, okay, I like this, but how can I expand it? You know, like, how can I grow?

Like, who who can I trust to bring it on the ground up? Who can I trust to share this? Because the thing is, you learn very quickly. You can't tell everybody your mission, your vision. You can't share everything with everybody.

Yeah. So when I made that first phone call to the first two people on the Audacity team, it was a no brainer. Because I knew once I called them, it wasn't gonna be like, oh, posting on Facebook, you know, calling their homegirl, talking trash. Like, I knew those people were gonna be so it's it's it's really good that you were able to share that concept with a friend knowing that you went into that conversation, that it was gonna be a conversational piece and not a think piece that she had read about later. Like, I just can't stand when people wanna do this.

And it's that subliminal posting, and it's like, girl, grow up.

Because I think when we have these visions, we're the only us's. And that's that came out weird, but it is you know, it's just more of

a I get it. I get it.

We're the only us's. So when we have that, and we're from here. You're you're based in Pittsburgh now, but you're definitely a Baltimorean.

Yes.

And, you know, when I think of Baltimore, and I wanna get your take on this, I think about and I'll sound real bougie when I say this, our culture discernment. I think that we have really good taste here. We know what's good. We know what's kinda wack. We know what's so Yeah.

In the funk. And I think having that sensibility and then having sort of a vision, those things come together. That's what I'm hearing in what you do. That's what I aspire in what I do. But what's your take in that area?

No. Absolutely. I really feel I miss home. Like, I miss home. There will as much as as many places that I may move in the future and different things, home will always be there.

Baltimore for me, once I moved out of my parents' house and I was able to begin exploring Baltimore from my own perspective and not my parents', it really allowed me to take in the small things like graffiti alley, you know, the small cultural moments of Lexington Market, getting that frozen cup from such and such on the block, you know, like and then when my family moved into the city because we're in Park Heights now, I say we as if I'm still there but like we're in Park Heights now and so Baltimore for me really is the essence. I feel like what I'm trying to constantly capture while on the road, but realizing that I can't take Baltimore everywhere with me, but realistically I can. And so really wanting to build that sense of community that I experienced in Baltimore, the artists that I worked with, the shows that I went to, the the people that I will go to support, it really is no other place. Baltimore's art space is diverse and is a collaborative space and you tend if you go to the same events, you tend to see the same group of people, but within that group of people, whenever one person makes it out of that group, they put everybody on.

Yes. You

know? And that's the one thing I do appreciate. Like, once you have your group of people, once I eat, we all about to eat. You know? Because comedians, once they have access to, like, a Marlon Wayans or, you know, these different artists, they bring their homeboys and say, yo, come with me to this event that I'm opening for.

I'm gonna be backstage. I want you to meet this person. And I think with the art scene in Baltimore, it continues to allow a collaborative space to grow and really be loved, in that space. Because the thing is with Baltimore, once you show you're serious about it, they'll take you in. And I think that's the thing that I, I love the most.

It'll they won't just throw you out there to the wolves. They'll they'll let you hang out with them a little bit, but being very intentional on how you present yourself on that stage is very important.

Yeah. And, you know, as we got connected through sort of that referral piece, right, where, you know, I I do this. I'm one of the few that are here that do this. Technically, doing it on my own, own steam, own, you know, own Yeah. And it's it's that.

And Yeah. You know, when I'm able to get some of these really high ranking people and some of these, like, other people that don't have sort of the clout and the name recognition, but are doing Yeah. Work. It's like, those are the ones that matter so much because it's like, you got taste. Like, yeah, I see you, man.

But the higher, it it just has that vibe of you're trying to get in because you see what things are. You see where things are.

Exactly. Yeah. No. Absolutely. That connection definitely came from me having the audacity.

Yeah. Because I called the office of that individual, and I was just like, hey. You know, I've been trying to get in touch with someone, and they're like, oh, well, you know, we'll email you. I said, no, I'm 5 minutes away. I'll see you shortly.

And I just walked on up in there, and my mom was able to help get me in the building. But my mom was able to see me, have the audacity to talk to someone to, like, advocate for myself and having her see that moment was such a fun experience for me because it's like she got to see me elevate myself in that moment, though inside I was screaming, maybe when I tell you I was screaming, I was like I don't know you. You don't know me You walked he literally was an innocent bystander at this point. Like, walked out of his office on the way to something else. And but it just goes to show, like, that collaborative effort that does exist in Baltimore.

But the thing is you just have to move about it the right way because people wanna help people move up. I really wanna help people get away from that narrative, like the the crabs in a barrel mentality when they talk about the Baltimore art scene. Like, people wanna help. They just wanna make sure you're not gonna tear them down in a negative way because that's all they wanna do.

My my thing is always, it's like when I go out, I just go say, oh, wow. Yo, I'll show your ass now. It's it's I turn into a dad. I'm not a I don't have any kids, but I turn into that. Listen.

Don't embarrass me in front of these people.

Yes.

Act like you got some home training.

Right.

Right? Listen.

So there's one more thing I wanna say before I move into sort of the tour portion. Uh-huh. I had a very similar thing, the Audacity, and this was, you know, out of state. I I went down I went down into, to DC, to connect with the dude, and he was supposed to be on his podcast, like, years ago. And he had, like, an interesting story why he couldn't make it 3 years ago.

So I literally went down and went to the the building. I had to get the almost TSA situation. I was like, this is like government building. Okay. Yeah.

Oh, here. So I go there and he was like, we got it. We got like 30 minutes. What what do you need, man? I was like, I scheduled a meeting with you.

Now we're having like a meeting versus a bunch of text message, email exchange, DMs. And Yeah. For me, I consider what I do serious. I take what I do serious, but I don't take myself too serious. So that is the standard now that I have reach out because there are a lot of folks who are in some of these places who talk about collaboration and see the value maybe in who you talk to and what you do.

Yes. And they don't approach it in the right way. It's a lot of, like, misspelled DMs and so on. Mhmm. Like, let's treat this on an even keel.

You know what I mean?

Exactly. My my thought process is act in the place that you wanna be. And so it's the all about the mentality. And so for me, whenever I have networking events or different things like that, I always dress the part. When I say I wanna walk into that event and I want to be the loudest, brightest wearing thing, like, I want people to be like, you see that girl I walked in with a lime green dress?

And like, I just want that to be my presence because not only do I want you to gravitate to me, but once I start talking about my mission and vision, you're like, okay, everything makes sense. Yeah. And so it's just being very intentional about how I engage with these organizations because the thing is people see audacity and they're like, oh, you're only a year in. And it's like, no. I I have experience in this, but COVID, you know, and but also not using COVID as an excuse.

So I'm very intentional about the way I move about these spaces, the way I try to build these relationships. And I have a lot of things to learn and I'm very transparent with my team and, the people that I work with. You know, I've had some wins and I've had some losses within the last couple of weeks. Yesterday was one of those days as I was listening to your podcast, yesterday was one of those days where I was just like, dang, I really should just go back to my cubicle like she was saying in the episode. I should go back to my cubicle and just mind my business because why did I leave when I was comfortable?

But it was like, this is not my season of being comfortable. And so I'm embracing it. I'm leaning into it. I had some very tough conversations today, but I walked away feeling like, okay. We can make it to the end of the year.

At least at least.

And and be before moving to this this question, it's definitely, as a person who does multiple things and just, you know, having you know, as my one of my friends, she was like, what are you Jamaican? I was like, what do you mean? She was like, you have the day job, you you teach, you do this really busy podcast schedule, you go to the gym like a madman.

Mhmm.

What do you do? And I'm like, look, I do too much is what I do.

Much.

Busiest man in Baltimore, but, but it's it's sort of when you sort of run out of that fuel, run out of energy. I haven't gotten to a stage where it's like the day job is wrapped, but it is it is sort of the main the main funding thing. And Yeah. Because I'm so productive and because I have so many tentacles and I have a system, is really what it is Yeah. That, you know, folks, even the people from my class, it's like, so when you started doing this full time, I was like, oh, no.

No. No. I don't do this full time, baby, at all.

Like, no. Thank you. And it

and it's it's making that distinction and then sort of making the point that if you got a system and if you're putting in that work and if you're driven by sort of that mission authenticity, you'll make it happen. Speak speaking of authenticity, you're sliding back to, you know, hometown, home base. That's coming up very soon. We're recording this on 12th and I'll just make July 20th, I believe is the date. So let's let's talk about it a little bit.

So the tour is coming here. Let's talk about it.

The tour is coming to Baltimore. I am so excited. When we first started having team meetings, our first team meeting was funnily enough, July 27th. Our first team meeting was July 27th and we were just talking about hosting a concept event.

Sure.

But now to say 4 years later, when my original show in Baltimore was supposed to be taking place that I'm doing a 4 city tour and I'm doing a second stop in Baltimore is actually insane. I'm so excited with the people that we have lined up for the show, all the hard work that the team has put into it, the amount of stress that I put myself through, the like my interns that I had today, they are able to see me building everything from the ground up. And so it's just been a whirlwind adventure and this is only city 2, but this is the best city of the whole tour because it's it's home for me. I get to be home for a week. I get to go to Sunny's over east by Morgan.

Nice.

You know what I'm saying? Like, I can't wait. I'm gonna go to, shoot. What's the other one? Dang.

I literally

Go to stucco. Go to sunnies.

Come on, Sunny's. I'm like, you know what? You just remind me of Stucco's. I'm gonna go to Stucco's.

Those are both of my spots. One's around the corner from my crib and I went to Morgan, so gang gang.

I went to Morgan for 1 semester. I think I'm the only person that had a bad experience at Morgan, so I ain't gonna talk too bad. But, yeah, I'm gonna come home. I miss I can't wait. The host actually for the show, he was one of the performers from the very first show.

Nice.

And so he's been with me throughout this whole journey. And now to be able to be like, yo, like, it's legit now, like, come through. He like, cool. I got you. And being able to rebuild this rebrand, has been an amazing experience.

And I just, I can't wait to see a sold out show because I'm speaking it into existence. I can't wait to see a sold out show in my hometown.

And and we definitely we're gonna do the shameless plug piece to tell folks where to get those tickets to make sure it's a sold out show. So it's sort of 2 other questions I wanna include here. Mhmm. So so talking about some of the folks, like, what's in store for folks that are gonna pull up? Like, what are they gonna see and, like, sort of speak to any, like, impact that's there?

Because, you know, it's great to have, like, things to do and places to see, like, just talent. And whenever I go to different cities, I'm like, why don't we have that in Baltimore? And you you're coming back with that. So speak peek on that a bit, please.

Yeah. Absolutely. So with, each city is gonna be different. For this year, I really wanted to take the talent that was located in each city and highlight the heart of art and what it looks like for each city. And so for Baltimore, I'm so excited.

So we have the Be More Than Dance team, the ones that came up with the Park Heights struggle, Bunkie. Yeah. We have an alumni, University of Baltimore alumni. So I went to UB. The featured fashion designer, she's also from UB.

So it was really nice to tap back into that community. And so she'll be showcasing her brand Girl from Venus. We have Nia June who will be showcasing her short film that's currently on display in the Baltimore Museum of Arts. Nice. We have it hosted by Theis.

We have a singer, Nandi. She is a phenomenal singer. I I met Nandi through her husband whom I met while I was going to B Triple C, and she is a beautiful soul and I can't wait to hear her singing one of my favorite songs. And to see her and her husband together again like on the stage, it's just kind of like it's just I'm so excited. We have Psy who is a trumpeter, who I met in 2019, and he was, when I met him, he was, I think he was in high school and I told him in 2019, I'm gonna work with you.

I don't know how. I don't know when, but I'm gonna work with you. And he just so happened to pop up on my timeline and I said, come here. Remember what I said in 2019? Come here.

And to see that he's grown and developed his own group, showcasing his music. I'm just so happy. Oh, we have an actors versus that's gonna be a thing. 2nd time that has been done, never seen before, in the space such as this. And so I partnered with Awesome from the, Actors Academy.

And and so he's coming together because he works with acting with Ramona. And so what they did was, you know, during COVID, when they had those actors when they had those verses on Instagram, we're doing the same thing, except it's gonna be with actors. And so I am so excited to see how that comes into fruition. And then, to top it all off, my homeboy is gonna be our headliner. He's actually gone with us to Pittsburgh and having him in Baltimore.

He's gonna be with us for the whole tour. Kyrie Creek. He is our headlining comedian. And so within that, that's just the stage performances. We're gonna have food by, Angel Soul Food and Catering.

We're gonna have a live painter, the Black Genius Art Show. Brian Robinson, he's gonna be our live painter. We're gonna have, I'm trying to remember everything. The vendors, we're gonna have vending, opportunities. And so our vendors are gonna be, Girl From Venus.

We have Fly Nerd Apparel, which once again, I tell people if you're from Baltimore, you don't know about Fly Nerd, what are you doing? Like, Fly Nerd Apparel is like peak and I love her. She may not remember me, but I bought one of her shirts, like, in 2012 and ever since then I've been a fan, you know? We have the adulty queen and so she's coming to share her podcast and her different things that she has coming up with her brand. And then finally, my favorite, B.

Marie Accessories. She and I have collaborated and we have a big announcement that's gonna announcement that's gonna be coming on the 20th, the day of the show. And so I'm just, every single person, I'm just so excited. I met everybody over the span of the last 10 years, and every single one of them has been an intricate part of Audacity's rebirth. And I'm just so excited because it's more than just me sitting here telling you about the event because that this event is gonna be it's gonna be a moment for me.

There was a point in the Pittsburgh show when they was like, yeah. So we're gonna have the sounder come up, and I just stood up there and I looked out in the audience, and I'm like, dang, it's here. Yeah. And, like, I I told my team, I was like, y'all, if I cry in every city, don't pay me no mind. They say you're gonna cry in every city.

But to have it be with people that was at the very first show to people that I'm just meeting, I'm just I'm so excited to see it all come to fruition. Yeah. I mean, I I can just talk for days about the team and how amazing everyone is. And so, yeah.

That's, that's really great. And, you know, that feeling of and I and I hear it. I feel it. You know, that, you know, one coming back home, it's like, oh, I'm back. We hear it.

And and, you know, as you touched on, it's like, man, it's legit. I'm gonna call in some of the mockers. And, you know, I I feel the same way when, you know, you just have this idea Yeah. Then you're not sure if it's gonna come back. You're making these different choices to follow, you know, your your passion, walk in faith, or what are the things that that people say as to why they may pursue something that seems to be a little outside of the norm.

And then when it comes together and it's your taste dictating it and it's driving it, it's just like, man, this is like fuck you. This is exactly what I wanted.

Exactly. Like, it's just it's it reminds me that the reason and the fire of why I started it never died. It just needed a break. It needed time to reevaluate. It needed time to just sit and marinate and to be able to build out this community, this space, it's not new.

It's just a fusion of what already exists and creating a collaborative space for artists of all different mediums. And so I'm just so excited to be able to bring the silly girl from Baltimore who had a dream, who would just sit in the back of people shows, so wanting to support everybody, building a space where I can continue to support everybody. But now be like, yo, I'm gonna go on the road. You wanna come with me? Like, you know, that's that's that's really what I want.

That's really what I want.

And I and I like the way that you you took that that that that assist that I was throwing out there and you used the marinade. I like that. I peeped that. Uh-huh. I was like barbecue.

It was like, I don't think anybody's gonna get it. You're like, hey, Lynne, I get a little bit.

I picked that. Uh-huh.

Yeah. Uh-huh.

The glasses. It's the glasses.

It's there. And and so so I I wanna move into the the rapid fire portion. You're here. You know, I always give this extra juice and attention to my Baltimore people. Even though people don't think I'm from Baltimore, which is is troubling.

But you say Baltimore.

Look. I'm 30 9. I went to City College. I went to Morgan. I don't know.

Lafayette projects. It's like, I got I got all of the things. Like, I was I was saying this before I moved to the rapid fire. I remember I was at Morgan, there was a dude who was from DC, and he asked, like, where where you from bro? And I was like, I'm from here, here, and here.

I've lived in these different places. He's like, yeah. All the drug spots. And I was like, stamped.

Stamped. Literally.

Right. Look. Deaky land. Whatever, you know, gang.

Listen. Say what you wanna say. Do what you wanna do. Like, my

parents places exist anymore, by the way.

Yeah. My my parents definitely kept us out of Baltimore City for a little bit, but I ended up going to high school in Cherry Hill. Like, we live in Park Heights. I was like, daddy, I'm sorry. Like, you don't I'm I'm out the county at this point.

And you took me out the county in my formative year, but I love it here. I love it here. Like, I really think us moving into the city for my family, it may have felt like, you know, it was a traumatic time for us moving from the County to the city, but I'm really thankful for us moving into the city because it really allowed me to experience home in a different space, in a different way, because Baltimore City and Baltimore County are 2 very different worlds. And

Be quiet.

I'm just saying. As like a transplant from Baltimore City into Baltimore County, I've I've been able to experience Baltimore in a very different light. And I think moving into the city, it allowed me to appreciate it more. So, yeah, that's my take.

Okay.

Yes.

So, you know, I got I got 3 rapid fire questions for you.

Alright.

1 is related to something you said earlier because I pay attention.

Okay.

And the other 2, we'll just get to the other 2. But like, as I always tell people, don't overthink these.

Okay. All right.

Here's the first one. What is your go to flavor for frozen cup or snowball?

Always gonna be either cherry with marshmallow on top.

That's a quiver in the soul.

Alright.

Back in the back in the project days, we used to sell frozen cups. That's why I was I was asking.

Yeah. Cherry on top with March and the for snowballs, marshmallow on top always. I will always pay that extra 57¢ for it.

I mean, look. I had a flavor that was gonna happen with a partnership. It was gonna be called the wave daddy, one of my aliases. I have a jersey that says it, so it's my name. It was coconut with the marshmallow and egg custard.

Oh. Oh,

yeah. Slaps. Toasted coconut specifically. So Baltimore to Pittsburgh, how does that work during the fall?

It's quite literally insane. I can do I first of all, I drive back and forth to Pittsburgh and Baltimore. I drive to Baltimore like I'm driving to the east side. So we used to say, it's a it's a hop, skip, and a jump for me. But during the winter is when it's, like, harder.

Because going from Pittsburgh to Baltimore, you got the mountains and it's that one middle part 170 where you don't know if it's really snowing or not. So, yeah, I'm going home, but from November to, like, March, I'm staying home. I'm I'm I'm a chill out here. Yeah. But, yeah, I love

I'm trying to see if they converted you yet. That's all. I'm trying to see if they converted you.

Absolutely not.

Okay. Just making sure.

There's a bar. There's a bar out here. It's called Young's Brother.

Okay.

Young Brother's Bar. And inside the bar, they have a plaque on the wall that says, we shoot Ravenst fans. Every single time I know I'm going there, I pull out my Ravens shirt.

As one does.

I have a shirt that was made by, Mia x that says DMV cross out with Baltimore underneath. Yeah. And I put a picture under that sign every single time. You will never make me hate the Ravens. Never.

I'll I'll share this with before I go to the next one. I didn't find one. I had this interview with this with this artist who's based in New York from Baltimore named Desmond Beach. And, we we were talking, and I told him about this time. I went to New Orleans, and, you know, we have the same crabs in New Orleans as Baltimore.

So I'm in a bar and, you know, having, like, jambalaya or something.

Right.

And I'm talking greasy about how better our crabs are than theirs, and they're like the person I'm talking I can't talk to argument about it. It's a fake argument, but I'm like, how is this better? It was wild, Baltimore fried. I'm like, this is where it comes from, and I'm telling you your stuff is trash.

Don't play with us. Listen, I don't eat any. When I do seafood out here, it's very selective places, but they be. I'm not touching y'all crabs out here. Me too.

I'm going home.

Yo.

In fact, after this phone call, I'm a text my cousin and be like, can we get some friends to sleep?

Yes, one does. Okay. So this is the last one. This is the last one. What is an extra points if it's like really weird, but, what's a fun fact about you that most people just don't know?

It's just podcast is about authenticity and just kind of out there.

I'm really an introvert at heart. I really enjoy being home. The space that my husband and I have created in our house with our daughter, it's really my favorite place to be. Because when people see me on social media, I'm outside, you know, I'm doing a networking thing, when I go to these events, I'm like, the the it sounds cocky to say, but like, I'm in the middle of the dance floor, like, I'm I'm running around talking to as many people as I can. But baby, when I come home, it's it's peace for me.

I love it.

Yeah.

I will always come running home to that man and that baby every single time. Every single

time. So you're you have that ability that a lot of folks have, to compartmentalize it and know Mhmm. It's the thing I was getting over to my students. It's like picking the right tool for the rights of circumstance. And, you know, I'm I run bits on a weekend, like, pretty much my, my partners, my audience of 1.

I'm just running bits the entire time with her, but it's not like you know, I'm 64. I'm a giant. So

I need to see this 64 because you said that when I was listening to one of your episodes.

I mean, I've I really take up a lot of space.

It doesn't give 64.

If I if I stand up, you'll probably see my kneecaps.

See, now you gotta come to the show so I can see you face fast because now I need to see.

But it is this thing, right, where Yeah. You know, if it's people who will see me, like, out there in the streets, it's like, oh, yo, that's Rob Lee. Blah zed, blah. Yeah. Hey, man.

I'm I'm just trying to get out of the way.

Just trying to

hide behind this tree.

Yep. I just I just wanna go over here. Yeah. No. Like I yeah.

I'm very much I love being home. I love being in my space. I love just the space that we created. Like just now, just running in the house, my daughter immediately was like, Nah. I'm like, Hold on baby.

But it's just like, because we have this huge beanbag chair in our house. Yeah. All 3 of us can sit in that beanbag chair. And when I tell you that is the one time I am, like, at peace Yeah. Like, it's just it's my it's really my happy place.

I'm really an introvert at heart, but I do what I gotta do when I'm out in public. I'm a act right.

So that's kinda it for the main part. You got off the rapid fire. We got all the questions in. So in these final moments, there's 2 things I would like to do. Mhmm.

1, I wanna thank you for coming on and spending some time with me. And, and 2, I wanna give you the space and opportunity, to tell folks details, where to get tickets, just any of the shameless plug, sort of points in these final moments.

Absolutely. So you all can find us on any social media platform at Audacity Tours, a u d a c I t y, tours, t o u r s. Facebook, Instagram. I'm about to make us a TikTok, you know, and we're on LinkedIn for the professional baddies. And then and then for anything relating to the tour, you'll find on our social media, but you can also go to our website, audacitytours.com, www.audacitytours.com.

Make sure y'all, you know, go check out our website. It has, information from the Pittsburgh show. It has the Audacity News for people that are wanting to donate. We also have a 501c3 where you can donate and have it be a tax write off. All the information is on our website.

And then if you just wanna stay locked in with me, I'm doing my best to share this journey of what it's like to start a business from the ground up. So you can follow me on social media at the because I think I'm Meg Thee Stallion. So thdoublee, Crystal Light, c r y s t a l l I t e. Please don't sue me because it's not the same thing. So at crystal light on Instagram and you know just follow my journey.

I really feel like social media gives a very skewed experience on what it's like to start a business because by the time it's going to social media people are showing you the cars and the pretty things. No baby, I want you to see these hard days. I want you to see these good days. I want you to know that you need to file these taxes, policies, standard operating procedures, the difference between an LLC and a s corp and a c corp. 501c3, 50c4.

I'm just saying. I'm just saying.

Speak on it. Speak.

Yeah. I'm just saying. So I'm doing my best to share my journey on social media. So, yeah, that's where you can find me. Tickets are currently on sale.

We will be on July 20th. We will be at Baltimore Unity Hall, 1505 Utah Place, 21217. Doors open at 6 o'clock. And, you know, get there early because baby, once the show gets started, you don't wanna miss it because I'm just saying.

I'm not gonna

tell you how the lineup is gonna go. But July 20 at 6 o'clock, meet us at Baltimore Unity Hall, tickets are $25 and we have one VIP section left, 250. So do with that what you will.

And there you have it, folks. I wanna again thank Krystal Momawa for coming on to the podcast. Audacity, Audacity tours, Audacity. And definitely pull up on July 20th and, get some tickets. Get some tickets now.

You can get all the information. Isn't this an episode? And for Crystal, I am Rob Lee saying that there's art, culture and community in and around your neck of the woods. You've just got to look for it.