Words have power. Twenty and Mario, the creators of the Appraise The Phrase show on The Underdog Podcast Network dig into the most known and commonly used expressions of all-time to determine the best. Both entertaining and educative, the show explores the history of words while making you laugh along the way.
What is the inspiration behind the launching of Appraise The Phrase?
Mario: It’s a two-part answer. 1. The inspiration comes from a desire to explore the power of language, where it comes from, and how it impacts/shapes our reality without much thought of where these things come from. 2. Turning this desire into a show came after I used ‘benefit of the doubt’ in a conversation and realized I needed to know where the saying came from because it wasn’t sitting right with me haha. Check out the opener to Season 2 Episode 1 for more of that story.
Twenty: The uniqueness. The originality. There isn’t anything like our show out here that I have seen or heard.
Language is considered widely the most powerful tool humans ever created, tell us about your overall mission statement?
Mario: Language is the common thread among us all that creates and shapes our reality. The words we speak are an expression of who we are. To appraise a phrase is to uncover, honor, and challenge the value of depth and commitment to the root source of language in our culture. Appraise The Phrase (ATP) is the platform dedicated to turning the conversation about the words and idioms popularized over time into action that triggers the positive impact of our communities, large or small. Our love for language and community drives our mission to provide insight, education, and history to our viewers and listeners while supporting the change makers, specifically change makers of color, within our community.
The show is both very fun and educational, yet still very grounded. Tell us about the show’s evolution from its origin.
Mario: The show started being a show dedicated to getting the facts out (season 1). As Twenty and I grew as hosts and gathered feedback, the show began becoming more about the people. How guests and listeners feel about the phrases became the focus. Using the facts to allow people to make a conscious decision on how they want to use what they say in their daily lives. We hope to uplift but we leave it up to everyone. ‘To Each Their Own’ so to speak.
Twenty: The show has evolved from the angle of Mario and I’s growth as hosts. As we have gotten better prepared we always try to make the show better and more impactful for us. The more we connect with the show, the more we can spread that to our community.
Tell us about your grading system. What are the parameters?
Mario: The grading system is a simple one. It is the typical A through F scale like school. We grade 3 categories that rely on Twenty and I’s sports background: Power – the impact the phrase has when it is said or heard, Speed – Is it smooth to say and flow off of the tongue?, and guest preference – An overall feeling that the guest feels about the phrase now that they have all the information. To make the rankings, we average the 3 grades then order the phrases based on that.
How did you create the voting system?
Twenty: The voting system actually came organically. Halfway through season one, on the “Keep Your Friends Close And Your Enemies Closer” episode, Twenty mentioned that it would be really interesting to stack up the phrases against one another based on the grades. From there, we dedicated the offseason to engaging with listeners on social media and the GOAT Phrase Tournament was born. Season two is the first year we are accompanying the voting with visual and audio episodes. It’s been fun taking the tournament to another level. The response has been great.
Have you guys ever disagreed with a winning phrase?
Mario: Yes! Twenty was the lone ranger amongst the Expression Appraisal Team, consisting of hosts Twenty and myself as well as regular rotation guests/friends of the show Sgt. Myron, Tiff aka Fave, and Dre, to select Cut To The Chase once it made it to the Final 8 from fan voting. You can actually go back to season two episode one to hear us argue him down. But he stayed true and Cut To The Chase ended up being the Season 1 GOAT Phrase Champion.
One of your goals. Is to connect with other brilliant creatives, educators, and artists through ATP Partners. How does one join your cause?
Mario: (Laughs) They can watch our video on YouTube… But seriously, we are always keeping our eyes and ears open for Black folks doing dope things. We want to prioritize platforming them but anyone who is doing something positive, impactful to their community, and walks it how they talk it, is welcome to connect with us on social media or go to appraisethephrase.com, suggest themselves or someone they know on our ATPartners page.
Lastly, what are your plans for the show in the immediate future?
Mario: First, we want to reflect on Season 2 and think of ways we can give more and be of service through the show. That can be a shift in format or adding elements that make the show better for listeners and viewers. Second, we are planning to get on the ground and host live events with our first one being right before season three starts in 2023. Lastly but probably most importantly, we are ready to take on the youth illiteracy gap head on. We want to partner with educators and change makers to create a genuine interest in literacy, language, and words for young people. The pandemic did a number on children and literacy took a massive hit. If we can spark an interest in research and reading, we have a chance at supporting our young people to be change makers as they grow as well.
Twenty: We are more than just talking about the typical topics from Black men on podcasts…we feel that there are more of us who can talk about things that uplift without it being geared towards relationships and women, how we made it to the top or chasing a bag. We are sparking an interest in research, literacy, and the impact of how things we say truly shape our realities.
Be’n Original
