The HLS Podcast

Do you actually know where your last name came from? 👀

We usually treat family names like they're these sacred pieces of our identity passed down through generations.

Then Rebel started looking up where surnames actually came from...

And apparently some of y'all are named after blacksmiths, candle makers, arrow makers, slave owners, nobility... and dudes whose literal job was stomping sheep's wool in vats of piss. 😭

This week on The ...

What actually happened at the Alamo, and how much of the story we learned in school was simplified?

After visiting the Alamo with his family, Rebel decides it's time for another edition of HLS history class and walks Electrik and Scrota through the Six Flags of Texas, Mexican Texas, American settlement, the Texas Revolution, the Battle of the Alamo, Goliad, San Jacinto and the eventual Republic of Texas.

The conversation quickly get...

The HLS crew starts with a throwback to the MySpace Top 8 and a simple question: if Top 8 still existed today, who would make your list? Somehow that turns into a much bigger conversation about friendship, loyalty, boundaries, and why building meaningful friendships gets harder as you get older.

Electrik says adults simply don't have enough time. Scrota argues that adulthood removes many of the social structures that made friendshi...

How often should married couples actually be having sex? And is once a month enough?

What starts as a completely unrelated conversation somehow ends with Rebel discovering that some married couples are having sex once a month or less, and he absolutely cannot comprehend it.

The HLS crew debates sexless marriages, intimacy, attraction, aging, communication, stress, and whether a couple that rarely has sex has basically become roommate...

Is being nice the same thing as being fake? And when does supporting your friends turn into enabling their bullshit?

This week, Dino Egg joins the HLS Podcast to talk about fake friends, toxic friendships, loyalty, and why some people continue hanging out with people they openly admit they don't even like.

Dino brings the crew a real-life situation involving EJ, Salad, and TI, a college friend group where everybody seems to know some...

What actually makes a female character well-written?

Longtime HLS listener Ms Info joins Scrota, Rebel, and Electrik for a conversation about women in television and movies, realistic character development, relatability, and why audiences can have completely different reactions to the same character.

The crew discusses characters including Claire Huxtable, Aunt Viv, Rhaenyra Targaryen, Daenerys Targaryen, Skyler White, and Jack Stewa...

What happens when you're making good money but still feel like you got nothing?

This week, Electrik brings longtime friend Geo onto The HLS Podcast for a candid conversation about money, failure, entrepreneurship, debt, mental health, and what it actually means to build wealth.

Geo talks about building a limousine business, watching Uber disrupt his industry, making money while piling up debt, expensive cars and vacations, destroying...

Why do millions of people enjoy watching someone else watch something?

This week on The HLS Podcast, Rebel shows up with a list of discussion topics. The crew makes it through approximately three of them.

What starts as a conversation about reaction videos turns into a debate about fair use, lazy reaction channels, viral content, reality TV, and why an unpolished conversation between real people can sometimes be more entertaining tha...

an Black billionaires really challenge the system—or does becoming a billionaire mean you've already become part of it?

This week, Frank joins Scrota, Rebel, and Electrik for a debate about wealth, power, representation, and what it actually means to “buck the system.”

The conversation starts with Jay-Z, Bad Bunny, Roc Nation, and the NFL. Was putting Bad Bunny on the Super Bowl halftime stage a meaningful cultural ...

It's time for the 2nd Annual Juneteenth Special.

With Scrota, Rebel, and Electrik "too busy celebrating Juneteenth, the World Cup, and the Knicks championship," honorary hosts Ketty Wap and Brizzy B hijack the HLS studio to review the biggest debates, hottest takes, funniest tangents, and most ridiculous arguments from Season 2.

Who actually made the strongest arguments?

Who had the biggest cap?

Who deserves the prestigious Underground...

Who actually owns the internet?

Is it governments?

Big Tech?

Internet providers?

Or is it the algorithms deciding what you see every day?

This week on The HLS Podcast, the crew dives into one of their deepest technology discussions yet, covering internet infrastructure, AI anxiety, social media addiction, online privacy, VPNs, cloud computing, censorship, influencers, and who really controls the digital world.

In this episode we discuss:

Why aren't women's sports as popular as men's?

Is it the level of competition... or is something else going on?

This week on The HLS Podcast, what starts as a conversation about UFC quickly evolves into a surprisingly deep debate about youth sports, competitiveness, gender expectations, marketing, and why women's athletics still struggle to attract the same audiences as men's sports.

In this episode we discuss:

• Why people think wom...

With Scrota out sick, Electrik and Rebel take over for a classic HLS potpourri episode.

The conversation begins with the FIFA World Cup bringing international visitors to America and quickly turns into a discussion about why American food, barbecue, ranch dressing, and oversized portions leave such an impression on first-time visitors.

From there, the hosts discuss improving gut health, eliminating dairy and gluten, and how diet affe...

Anonymous Relationship Questions: Cheating, Dating Advice, Workplace Harassment & Secret Affairs

The HLS Podcast tackles anonymous relationship questions submitted by listeners and Discord communities.

This episode covers:

• A boyfriend trying to dress his girlfriend like his ex

• A workplace harassment situation that gets way more complicated than expected

• A woman realizing she waited too long to find a relationship

• A secret af...

The crew kicks things off discussing sleep apnea and CPAP machines before quickly derailing into a horrifying conversation about flight attendants allegedly washing underwear in hotel coffee makers.

From there, Rebel introduces a new "Facts" segment featuring bizarre phobias, strange scientific discoveries, and random trivia that somehow spirals into discussions about anal tanning, cults, cyanide, antifreeze murders, Walmart's digit...

The crew tackles one of the internet's favorite questions:

"Why don't people just eat less?"

What begins as a discussion about weight-loss medication turns into a deeper exploration of discipline, motivation, depression, accountability, and the invisible barriers people face when trying to improve their lives.

Scrota shares a vulnerable story about losing his sense of identity after moving from California to T...

In this episode of The HLS Podcast, the crew dives into one of the biggest modern culture debates:

Can you separate art from the artist?

We break down celebrity worship, cancel culture, morality, and why people continue supporting famous public figures after serious allegations or criminal behavior.

Topics include:

• R. Kelly and separating music from morality
• Michael Jackson allegations and public perception
• Chris Brown, Ri...

In this episode of The HLS Podcast, the crew takes on the legendary Colbert Questionnaire… and things immediately spiral into chaos.

We somehow go from:

• the best sandwich ever made
• old rappers still dropping music
• why skunks are biological war crimes
• favorite smells
• terrifying animals
• Japanese culture
• action movies
• celebrity encounters
• what happens after death
• and why moose are apparently demons

…all in one episode 😭

The...

In this episode of The HLS Podcast, we dive into one of the oldest relationship questions ever:

Do opposites actually attract?

We talk about:

• dating people who are completely different from you
• relationship compatibility
• marriage and communication
• shared interests vs opposite personalities
• political and religious differences in relationships
• why some couples constantly fight but stay together
• knowing yourself before dating
• whether &ldquo...