In addition to the expansive world that is his Power Universe, 50 Cent took a slight side-step in the crime-drama world with the premiere of BMF (Black Mafia Family) back in the fall of 2021. The show is based on the true story of brothers Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory (played by Demetrius “Lil Meech” Flenory Jr.) and Terry “Southwest T” Flenory (played by Da’Vinchi) who founded the Black Mafia Family in Detroit back in 1985. By the early 2000s, BMF established a boisterous drug distribution network throughout the United States with help from a Los Angeles-based drug source and direct links to the Mexican drug cartel. Their empire came crashing down in 2005 when the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) indicted members of BMF, including Demetrius and Terry who were sentenced to 30 years in prison. Terry was released to home confinement on May 5, 2020, after he was granted a compassionate release due to the COVID pandemic. Flenory attempted to obtain the same release, but it was denied by a judge.
In season one of BMF, viewers watched Meech and T build up their drug empire as members of The 50 Boyz crew in Detroit. The 50 Boyz’s rise conflicts with other crews in the Detroit area. This leads to harsh and life-altering decisions from Meech and T to elevate their status, as well as repercussions that impact them just as much. Season one of BMF also examined the romantical relationships that Meech and T have, their relationships (or lack thereof) with their parents, and the unity and breaking points within their crew.
Season two of BMF is less than a month away, so here’s everything that you need to know about it before the series makes its return.
Release Date
Season two of BMF will premiere on January 6 on STARZ. The first of ten episodes in season two will be available to watch on the STARZ app at 12 AM EST and it will air on the STARZ channel at 8 PM EST. The season two premiere comes almost two years after season one concluded with a wild episode that saw Meech and T get arrested, the introduction of the Black Mafia Family name, and a plot by The 50 Boys members to kill Meech.
Cast
The cast in season two of BMF includes the following main cast members: Demetrius Flenory Jr. as Demetrius “Meech” Flenory, Da’Vinchi as Terry “Southwest T” Flenory, Russell Hornsby as Charles Flenory (Meech’s father), Michole Briana White as Lucille Flenory (Meech’s mother), Myles Truitt as B-Mickie, Steve Harris as Detective Bryant, La La Anthony as Markaisha Taylor, and Kelly Hu and Detective Veronica Jin. Anthony and Hu recently are the only new members of the main cast of BMF as they joined the crew for season two.
Additional new members that will have recurring roles in season two of BMF include Snoop Dogg as Pastor Swift, Leslie Jones as Federal Agent Tracy Chambers, City Girls’ Yung Miami as Deanna Washington, Mo’Nique as Goldie, and Jalen Rose as himself.
Plot
Here is the official plot overview for season two of BMF:
BMF returns for a second hit season as it dramatizes the inspiring true story of two brothers, Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory (Demetrius Flenory, Jr.) and Terry “Southwest T” Flenory (Da’Vinchi), who rose from the decaying streets of southwest Detroit in the late ’80s and gave birth to one of the most influential crime families in the country: Black Mafia Family.
BMF, told with grit, heart, and humor, continues to humanize the choices of the brothers and their pursuit of the American Dream. Rooted in family, loyalty, and brotherhood, the series explores the brothers’ complex relationships with their parents, Charles Flenory (Russell Hornsby) and Lucille Flenory (Michole Briana White), who seek counsel from their spiritual advisor, Pastor Swift (Snoop Dogg).
With every character fighting temptation all around them, we parachute into the season with Meech and Terry at odds. Meech wants to expand the business beyond Detroit, while Terry is focused on school and launching a legitimate car-ride service with his Pops. But as the season unfolds, the streets implode and the brothers reunite. Our heroes risk losing everything as they seek to become stronger than ever and strategically execute a new vision for themselves and their business.
Along the way, they form an alliance with Goldie (Oscar-winner Mo’Nique), a sophisticated Atlanta strip club owner, who helps Meech lay the groundwork for his future. Expanding beyond Detroit to Lansing, Ohio and even the South, the brothers face nearly insurmountable obstacles, are confronted with a shocking discovery about a member of their own crew and battle for every inch of territory.
Trailer
You can view the official season two trailer for BMF below:
After knocking off the then-21-5 Boston Celtics on Saturday evening, the Golden State Warriors began a six-game road trip with another game against a recent NBA Finals participant. Late in the first quarter of Tuesday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Wesley Matthews made contact with Stephen Curry on a pull-up three. Curry drilled the shot and backpedaled to the ground, and as he got up, he gestured and spoke to the referee, hoping for a foul.
Nothing was called, so he continued to press the official after Milwaukee scored before ultimately receiving a technical. Head coach Steve Kerr was similarly frustrated and animated by the lack of a call for his superstar point guard and engaged in his own shouting match with the referee. Soon, he too earned a technical foul. His anger was not extinguished by the tech and he persisted with his frustrations. The championship-winning duo clearly felt quite slighted by the refs swallowing their whistle on the play.
Steph Curry and Steve Kerr both pick up techs after Steph doesn’t get a foul call on this 3 pic.twitter.com/QUW4mzkXve
Months removed from his first Finals MVP and fourth title, Curry is averaging 30 points on 67 percent true shooting. He’s played like an MVP through a third of the 2022-23 season. The Warriors, however, are sitting just a game above .500 at 14-13 before Tuesday’s result. They’ve been playing better lately, going 6-3 over their past nine games. But none of that mattered to Curry or Kerr in the moment. They’ve now added a tech to their ledger to show for it, too.
After shocking the world with the recent announcement that he would have his seventh child, Diddy set social media abuzz, with fans wondering who the mother of the Harlem entrepreneur’s baby girl, Love Sean Combs was.
TMZ reports that the Diddy secret baby momma is a 28-year-old cybersecurity specialist named Dana Tran.
Tran, who also goes by Dana Tee online, social media presence has been absent for some time now. So far, the only information available about the woman is her occupation and that she is a native of the Southern California area. Diddy and his team have not shared the status of his relationship with Tran nor the extent of their relationship.
“I’m so blessed to welcome my baby girl Love Sean Combs to the world,” he wrote on Twitter Sunday (December 11). “Mama Combs, Quincy, Justin, Christian, Chance, D’Lila, Jessie, and myself all love you so much! God is the Greatest!”
I’m so blessed to welcome my baby girl Love Sean Combs to the world. Mama Combs, Quincy, Justin, Christian, Chance, D’Lila, Jessie and myself all love you so much! God is the Greatest!
Miami has yet to make a public statement about Diddy’s recent announcement, but she has been embroiled in a nasty spat with DJ Akademiks online, where he referred to Miami as Diddy’s “side chick,” which obviously didn’t go over too well.
“I’M NOBODY SIDE B*TCH LETS JUST MAKE THIS CLEAR ON THIS GOOD MONDAY! I don’t come 2nd to no b*tch!” the rapper tweeted on Monday (December 12). She followed up her statements by saying, “Akademiks, my name ain’t d*ck, so keep it out your mouth!!! You the type of N**** my uncle doing life sentences for B*TCH ASS N****!!!!!”
I’M NOBODY SIDE BITCH LETS JUST MAKE THIS CLEAR ON THIS GOOD MONDAY! I don’t come 2nd to no bitch!
Miami continued directing shots at the social media personality and alleged that Akademiks was “harassing” her online, writing, “It’s cool for a MAN to constantly harass me online that I don’t know! he did the same sh*t when my car got shot up he laughed when I almost lost my life find somebody else to play with! I can react how tf I want to!”
It’s cool for a MAN to constantly harass me online that I don’t know! he did the same shit when my car got shot up he laughed when I almost lost my life find somebody else to play with! I can react how tf I want to!
Making friends as an adult is definitely not like making friends as a kid.
Remember how easy it was to make a new friend when you were young? Five minutes sharing a slide and suddenly you’re bonded for life.
But as we grow older, making friends can become much harder. So hard, in fact, that some people equate having a large group of close friends to a miracle.
Friendships are an important part of life at any age.
Most everyone wants and needs friends, and research shows that friendships can have a huge effect on our physical and mental health. There’s not much we can do about friendships that diminish and change as we age — people move, start families and new careers, and shift to new social circles — but it’s important to keep forming meaningful, long-lasting connections with people throughout life, whether you’re 25 or 80.
u201cNobody talks about Jesus’ miracle of having 12 close friends in his 30su201d
— LEGO Joseph Smith (@LEGO Joseph Smith) 1521411752
It’s something that affects us all.
“Making friends is hard for everyone,” says Ellen Hendriksen, clinical psychologist and author of “How to Be Yourself,” a guide on learning to tame social anxiety. “It’s not just you.” But knowing you’re not alone isn’t going to get you the friend circle you want.
Here are five tips to getting into the mindset of making friends — and then going out and doing it.
1. Relax (aka the hardest step).
In college, my abnormal psychology professor told us about a guy who wanted to make friends — five friends (because we all seem have an arbitrary number of pals we think is appropriate). He went to a party and met five people he liked and got their numbers. This guy was so excited that he started calling his new friends immediately, asking them to do things and inviting them for coffee nearly every day.
Of course, his overexcitement became clingy, his new acquaintances suddenly started making excuses, and he ended up being a negative example for a group of undergrads learning about problems in human behavior.
“You can’t make friends like a poacher,” Hendriksen says. “Focus on being open and curious and thoughtful. Ask questions, listen when others respond, be friendly, and when you slowly inch into the mix, be intentional.”
Allow yourself to be in the moment and ask questions that come up naturally. If someone says they’re having a hard week at work, ask them about it. If someone tells you they’ve recently been on a trip, commit to asking something more than just “how was it?” Be interested.
2. Repetition is key.
Most articles about how to make friends suggest that people find a hobby, join a group, or volunteer. But Hendriksen says that’s not a fail-safe solution.
Ultimately, it’s not the activity that matters — although it should be something you enjoy — it’s the fact that you’re finding a place where other people can get to know you over time. In fact, since more and more research shows that making friends takes longer than previously thought, it’s important to give it some time; Hendriksen suggests giving it a season.
You don’t have to join an official group or club. Hendriksen once turned an acquaintance into a good friend when the two bonded over their mission to try every Mexican restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The key is to engage in something that allows you to get to know other people and lets them to get to know you.
“You can go to the same dog park every morning,” Hendriksen says. “You can join an Ultimate Frisbee team. You can walk your kids to the bus stop every day and chat with the other parents. Or you can start something with repetition. Have a weekly viewing party for your favorite TV show, start a writer’s group, start a new mom’s playgroup or a boozy book club.”
Really, whatever works for you as long as other people are involved.
3. Disclose, but don’t confess.
Imagine you’re meeting someone for the first time. You ask them how they’re doing, and they say “fine.” There’s not much to work with because the other person hasn’t disclosed anything. What else is there to say?
Now imagine a different person. You ask them how they’re doing and their response is one of sheer distress: “Nothing is going right in my life. Parking was hell, my job kills me, and I’m still not over my ex.” I imagine your response to this diatribe wouldn’t be particularly positive.
And why should it be? These are things you’d tell to a very close friend, not just someone you’ve met at your new book club.
This doesn’t mean we can never say anything negative — after all, we all have bad days. But your goal is to keep the connection on even footing. Sharing a little bit about yourself is fine, but the goal is to lead to further conversation rather than a deep emotional connection right off the bat.
Why doesn’t confession work? Because it’s too much, too soon. The goal of confession can be to foster a sense of kinship, but when that strong emotional connection has new acquaintances wondering whether you’re looking for a friend or a therapist, the relationship is already off balance. You can get closer, but give it time first.
“Don’t let them see all of the mess right away,” Hendriksen says, “but let them see a little peek at the mess. What do you do? How do you spend your time? What do you think about? What are you like? Where are you from? What’s your story?”
She notes that disclosing things about yourself may feel weird and even “selfish” at first, but it’s just because you’re not used to it. Keep trying.
4. Don’t fear the follow-through.
All of this meeting new people and sharing interests is leading somewhere, right? You also want to make more lasting connections with some of your new acquaintances.
To do that, you must initiate a plan and then follow through.
Sometimes, you’ll be lucky and someone will ask you to do something first. But most people are a little bit terrified about stepping outside their comfort zone. And that means making the plans and following through can be tricky — for everyone.
The key is to be specific. “Do you want to hang out sometime?” seems like a nice, safe question that gets to whether someone wants to spend more time together, but it doesn’t work. Even if the person says yes, you have no concrete timeline in place. You’ve thrown the ball into their court and are now at the whim of their schedule.
“Do you want to go see a movie on Saturday?” for instance, or “do you want to take a hike with me on Sunday?” are both great options to feel out if someone’s interested in a specific activity on a specific day. If they say yes, then you’re good to go.
If they say no? Well, they might come up with an alternative activity.
5. Allow yourself to be anxious. And then go for it anyway.
We’ve all been there: Someone invites you to an event, and you get excited, but when the day of the event comes, you’d rather be doing anything else. After all, comfort zones are … well, comfortable.
Although the urge to cancel may be strong, recognizing that these feelings are normal is the first step to overcoming them.
Your brain, Hendriksen says, comes up with worst-case scenarios — What if you say something foolish? What if the other person is only doing it to be nice? What if you have nothing in common? — to keep you safe. “But really, it’s a false alarm.”
Remember when you were terrified about that presentation in class or that important meeting you were leading at work? Did it end up going OK, even if it was hard? Then why shouldn’t this? After all, if you don’t try, you’ll never be ready.
Though most of us would rather, as Hendriksen says, cocoon ourselves away and hope that we’ll emerge as beautiful social butterflies, the truth is that experience is the only way we can get there. So keep moving forward. You just have to take the first step.
You might not remember watching the Golden Globes last year, but there’s a good reason for that: They weren’t aired on television. Instead, the awards show was effectively blacklisted over years of unbecoming behavior, including by NBC, the network that has long aired them. They promised to shape up, and after an off-year that unfolded over social media instead of TV, they have. Now things are going back to normal with a telecast scheduled for January 10. But which famous person did they get to host?
The answer is Jerrod Carmichael, the celebrated comic who this year won an Emmy for his special Rathaniel, in which he also came out as gay. (He’s since revealed he uses a photo of himself and Taylor Swift as his Grindr profile pic. Wouldn’t you?)
Carmichael will follow the last hosts to lord over the Globes, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, who emceed the 2021 edition, when the pandemic was still in full swing and vaccines had just started to be jabbed into arms. It was an unusual year, with each host holing up on either coast rather than share the same stage. The year before that was Ricky Gervais’ (probable) last time hosting the show that he made atypically bitchy.
The Golden Globes are set to unspool on Tuesday, January 10 starting at 8pm. The nominations were announced earlier this week.
When Democrats needed to find someone to take on then-incumbent Donald Trump, they could have gone with someone younger, to appeal to younger voters. Instead they went with someone who would become the oldest U.S. president. Joe Biden has fared better than perhaps expected; after a bumpy first year and change, he rallied over the summer, even helping stave off a threatened GOP “red wave.” Still, his age is a big issue, especially as he’d be 86 by the time his potential second term ends. But there’s one person who doesn’t like dwelling on Joe Biden’s age: Joe Biden.
A new piece by Politico (in a bit teased out by Mediaite) examines the “eerily quiet” 2024 presidential race. Perhaps it’s a bit premature to be worried about the noise of an election day that’s still just under two years off. Nevertheless, the GOP already has two candidates: Trump (age: 76) and Kanye West. Neither campaigns are going well, at least not now. Right now, though, the Democrats technically have nobody, as Biden has not yet formally announced whether he was running or paving the way for someone younger.
Still, the age factor has reportedly grated on him, and he’s been known to vent to allies about people pointing out how spectacularly old he’d be by the time he’d start his second term, much less when he ends it. Earlier this year, he allegedly told one ally, “You think I don’t know how f*cking old I am?”
For the record, Biden has been pretty spry for an 80-year-old guy. His gaffes aren’t as voluminous as they could have been, and even that bicycle tumble over the summer wasn’t that bad. You know many seniors who can even ride a bike anymore? Still, even with the semi-recent appearance of “Dark Brandon,” it might be wise to let someone who wasn’t born before three years before microwaves were invented (in 1945, incidentally).
On Tuesday morning, President Biden signed legislation that codified legal same-sex and interracial marriage in America. The Respect For Marriage Act is long overdue and The White House hosted nothing short of a celebration to mark the occasion. Among the guests invited to perform were Cyndi Lauper, Sam Smith, and Joy Oladokun. But before the performances happened on the White House Lawn, Cyndi Lauper — who has long-since championed gay rights — addressed the media as part of the Biden administration’s official press hearing.
Lauper was introduced by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre who called her “an icon,” citing how Lauper, “Has been advocating for LGBTQIA+ for decades; particularly to end youth homelessness.” After she thanked the Biden administration for having her, Lauper issued a powerful statement that was delivered with hard-earned happiness, and a palpable sense of relief.
“For once our families — mine and a lot of my friends and people you know, sometimes your neighbors — we can rest easy tonight because our families are validated,” Lauper said. “And because now we’re allowed to love who we love, which sounds odd to say, but Americans can now love who we love. And bless Joe Biden and all the people that worked on this for allowing people not to worry and their children not to worry about their future. Thank you and thank you for being supportive. And hey, I will sing out to you. Thank you very much.”
Lauper later performed her timeless hit “True Colors.” Sam Smith also delivered an impassioned version of “Stay With Me” where they switched the opening lyrics from “Guess it’s true I’m not good at a one night stand” to “Boy you know I’m no good at a one night stand.”
Watch Cyndi Lauper deliver her statement at The White House above.
If you or someone you know is struggling, know that there are immediate resources available if you’re in a crisis. There are many organizations to become familiar with, including the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline , the Crisis Text Line (text “HOME” to 741741), and the Trevor Project 866-488-7386.
Suicide is one of the hardest topics to discuss.
That’s why so many of us have such a difficult time recognizing signs of suicidality or responding to them.
On World Suicide Prevention Day, an expert took to Reddit to make the conversation just a little bit easier.
Dr. Tyler Black is a child and adolescent psychiatrist and the Medical Director of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Emergency Department at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, where he’s worked with thousands of families during his nine-year tenure.
Aside from the work and research he does at the hospital, Black is passionate about educating others about the science of suicide. And because he knows that the world’s got questions, he set up an “Ask Me Anything” to give people a chance to further their understanding of suicide in order to reduce its rates.
One question makes it clear we need to rethink how we view suicide.
When one user posed the question of what one misconception Black wants others to stop believing, the doctor dropped some real knowledge that does away with the belief that only those with serious mental health issues become suicidal:
Probably the biggest would be that suicide behaviour or thinking is only for people with mental illness. Risk factors and protective factors don’t work like that. Just like all humans are at risk for heart attack (some, very very very low compared to most humans, some very very very high), all of us have various risk factors that push us towards suicidal thinking and protective factors that push us away. Mental illnesses add to our suffering but so do physical illnesses, stressors, bad news, poor sleep, etc etc. There are hundreds of risk and protective factors that all work in different directions to influence suicide risk.
This misconception, Black explained, allows us to ignore risk factors until they’re at crisis levels. It also allows us to not think about suicide until a person shows outward dysfunction. But for many people, suicide isn’t often predated by a long period of mental illness.
That’s why it’s so important for us to be aware of the emotional states of our friends and loved ones, check in on them regularly, and make an effort to be there for anyone we care about.
What can you do to help others? Show up.
One of Black’s most important points is this: Often, we undervalue the impact we have in others’ lives. We think that psychiatrists are the only ones who can help those who may be contemplating suicide, but as Black notes — mental health professionals are just one piece of the puzzle.
Recognizing that we have the ability to help others, only if it’s just by listening, is a powerful way to let those we care about know they’re not alone. So if you’ve been thinking about calling a friend who is struggling, or just saying hi to someone you haven’t seen in a while — now’s a good time to reach out. Of course, no one’s expecting us to single-handedly change a person’s entire outlook on life, but making contact can make a huge difference.
Everyone has their holiday traditions. For Tom Cruise, it’s sending a ton of other celebrities a cake. It’s apparently really, really good, too. For some years, at least, it’s been a coconut cake, the recipe of which allegedly made it online. But this year, the cake did not make it to one of its famous recipients in one piece.
That person is Michael Bay, who says he’s been on Cruise’s cake list the last 20 years. Maybe he’s just a big fan of The Rock or Pain & Gain. But this year went amiss: The cake did not survive the trip.
It began promisingly. On Tuesday, Bay posted a video to Instagram of him excitedly opening a mysterious FedEx package. Bay was pretty sure what it was. He teased that it was from a “Famous Actor,” and after cutting it open with a knife, he revealed that said name thespian was no less than the guy who will risk his life even for some CinemaCon intro that won’t even ever play theaters. Bay thought it might be carrot cake, not the esteemed coconut cake.
A few hours later, though, Bay had a tragic update. For one thing, it didn’t look like he sent another the famous cake. It almost looked like donuts or something. Whatever it was, it was destroyed en route, leaving a giant mess that in no way resembled a cake. Bay wondered if it had melted under examination or at some other point during the delivery process.
So bad news for both Cruise and for Bay, though it’s not as though both of them didn’t have a great year. Cruise enjoyed his biggest ever hit this year, over four decades into his career. Bay, meanwhile, didn’t have a theatrical hit with his latest, Ambulance, but the thriller did give him the best reviews of his career, and it has undoubtedly had a sparkling second life on streaming. Still, it’s not a good start to the holidays to have one’s Tom Cruise Holiday Cake turn up looking like it was blown up in one of Bay’s movies.
Dig if you will the picture: you’ve walked into a convenience store, grabbed your favorite drink, and now it’s time to load up on snacks. You do a quick scan of the chip aisle when your eyes lock on Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. A classic! Grab ’em!
BUT WAIT! What’s that right next to them? Takis Fuego?
Now you’re dealing with a dilemma. Do you go for that combination of cheddar and spice or reach for the snack that crackles on your tongue with a zesty blend of citrusy lime and chili powder? Which will it be?
If you’re a person of good taste, you’re going Takis every time. The flavor of Takis Fuego just tastes… more harmonious. The spicy powdery cheddar of Cheetos has its moments, don’t get us wrong, but what Takis offers are flavors that layer together into something more than the sum of its parts. It’s a near-perfect spicy snack that offers legitimate levels of heat, a nice audible crunch, and a zesty semi-sour lift on the backend that seems to almost squeeze the taste buds and leaves your mouth watering for more.
In celebration of all things Takis, we’ve decided to round up every Takis product we could find for the ultimate roundup. From Fuego to Nitro, chips, to nuts, popcorn to meat sticks to… more chips — we’ve tasted every Takis product and ranked them from worst to most delicious.
Made by Cattleman Cuts, these Fuego-flavored meatsticks are absolutely FOUL.
That’s right, we’re busting out the all-caps for this one. This is hands down the worst spicy snack I’ve ever tasted. It’s sour, salty, and spicy in all the worst ways and… it tastes like death. Really, there are no redeeming qualities to this thing, it tastes like the lowest quality jerky you’ll ever eat with a truly awful texture and a smell that makes it difficult to even take a single bite.
I’m not sure if this is an official Takis branded product. It uses all the Takis Fuego marketing but it says on the package “Inspired By The Intesity Of Takis Fuego.” Not “made in collaboration,” or anything like that.
I love Takis, but this is truly the worst thing I’ve ever eaten from a gas station convenience store. That’s saying something.
The Bottom Line:
Do not eat this under any circumstances. Not fit for human consumption.
Takis Fuego Chippz take a good thing — the Takis Fuego flavor — and apply it to one of the most basic potato chips I’ve ever eaten. It’s not that the Chippz are bad, it’s that they’re so mediocre that almost any other chip option in any other flavor is better than this. The potato chip it’s built on is stale with a dull cardboard texture and a serious lack of flavor. That familiar Fuego burn is there on the backend, but I’m not getting much of the lime and the potato-flavor just makes the whole experience dull on the taste buds.
The Bottom Line:
It’s a fine idea but Takis should stick to what it does best: corn chips.
I have a few friends who swear by this Taki flavor variety but it’s just not working for me. It has a very artificial guacamole flavor, it’s sort of vegetal but lacks that buttery complexity that makes guacamole so special. It’s a little hard for me to eat this without wishing I just had a regular bag of Takis Fuego and an avocado so I could make my own guacamole.
After all, a good guacamole is incredibly easy to make you only need a ripe avocado, some lime, salt, and black pepper. You’re better off making your own than buying this.
The Bottom Line:
Takis and guacamole is a winning combination but this artificial rendition is seriously lacking.
Takis Chippz are straight-up bad but the Waves take things up a step offering a better texture and balance of flavors. The Waves have a more pronounced lime flavor than the Chippz and hold the spicy powder much better, delivering a heavier dose of that familiar Fuego flavor. They’re still a bit stale and could do with a heavier helping of chili powder but these are definitely worth a pick-up if you’re curious.
The Bottom Line:
A fine Ruffles-style chip with that familiar Fuego flavor.
Takis Kettlez line is pretty solid. My main gripe with the Chippz and Waves was the stale potato-chip flavor, by using a kettle cook method Takis remedies that lack of flavor with something that tastes wonderfully caramelized. It has a much thicker cut than the Chippz and Waves but this Jalapeño Typhoon flavor comes across as a bit too weak.
If you can’t handle heat but you want a bit of a burn on your kettle-style chips, this is the pick for you. Alas, as a Takis fan, I know the brand is capable of better.
The Bottom Line:
Takis does kettle-style chips pretty damn well but this is easily the weakest iteration on the form.
Made in collaboration with Popcornopolis, this is a simple Takis Fuego take on popcorn and it works as well as you’d expect it to. It’s light a fluffy with that familiar citrus and spice flavor combination. Unlike most Takis products, the heat hits your tastebuds first with the lime flavor acting as a sort of aftertaste. After the first few bites, it’s going to taste a bit weird, there is something slightly off about the combination of popcorn and lime to my palate… but a few handfuls in, I was sufficiently addicted.
It definitely grows on you once your tastebuds adjust to the idea of lime-spiked popcorn.
The Bottom Line:
The first few tastes of this spicy and citrus-flavored popcorn might taste a bit off but give it time, it grows on you in the best way.
I’m a bit torn on these, on the one hand, I like them a lot, but with a name like “Habanero Fury” I’m expecting a strong level of heat and this just doesn’t have it. It leans much more on the bright flavors of habanero but it doesn’t taste nearly as spicy as Takis stock Fuego flavor. Like the Jalapeño Typhoon, that caramelized potato flavor is delicious, but it leaves me wanting for heat. A bit of a burn develops in the back of the throat after a few chips, but nothing that even the most spicy-averse couldn’t handle.
The Bottom Line:
Tasty, but if you’re expecting intense heat from the use of habanero, it’s just not here.
I’m almost certain that this product was made solely so Takis could call something “Hot Nuts.” It’s a horrifying image but you know what? These tastes pretty f*cking great. The peanuts are coated in a light layer of corn tossed in the Fuego chili powder and result in a more subtle and nutty take on the familiar flavor. Takis could’ve simply dusted some peanuts in chili powder like so many other brands, but by coating them, it presents something that is truly unique to the brand and definitely worth a pickup if you’re a fan of spicy nut snacks.
It may be blasphemous, but I’d totally add some of these into a Spicy Chex Mix for the perfect hybrid snack.
The Bottom Line:
Spicy corn-coated nuts for those occasions when regular spicy nuts just aren’t enough.
Now, this is what I’m talking about! Takis Nitro combines the bright flavors and strong pronounced spicy kick of habanero peppers and infuses it into the Takis rolled corn chip form factor. It’s incredibly spicy, with a strong almost cough-inducing heat that hits the back of the throat as soon as you take a single bite. Takis Nitro is the flavor for people who want more of what Fuego offers, more heat, more citrus, more EVERYTHING.
Having said that, I think it comes across as a bit too overwhelming. More isn’t always better, and the Takis Nitro is just too much. If for some reason you’re trying to lessen the number of chips you eat this might be a good option because a small handful is enough to satisfy. But if you’re looking to kill a whole bag, this is going to overwhelm you a bit too quickly.
Takis Fajita dials things back for a more subtle flavor than what Nitro offers. The name “Fajita” may lead you to believe this flavor packs some vegetal bell pepper and onion notes, but it doesn’t (what a missed opportunity!), instead, it offers a more subtle take on spicy flavors than what you’d expect out of Fuego. It’s a bit more balanced, spice isn’t the star of the show here, it’s merely a feature of the flavor.
The heat slowly builds here, it never gets to levels that are mouthwatering or uncomfortable, and it totally lacks that spicy finish that Takis is famous for.
The Bottom Line:
A milder and more balanced version of that famous Fuego flavor with less heat and no citrus zest.
There is something seriously disturbing about eating a blue-powdered corn chip, but Takis Blue Heat truly offers something that fans of spicy chips would want: that famous Takis heat without the lime. Crunchy Fajita took out that bright lime finish that makes Takis easy to pick out from a blind line-up but offered a milder flavor, Blue Heat goes the other way, it brings the heat.
Blue Heat comes across as slightly spicier than Takis OG Fuego flavor and is a bit drier on the throat, but I wouldn’t say it’s radically spicier. That dryness makes it a bit less palatable, but if you’re looking for a truly spicy snack that sends you into a coughing fit, this is going to get the job done.
The Bottom Line:
That strong spicy kick of Takis Fuego without the bright citrusy lime finish.
There is a reason most of the Takis products are reinterpretations of the Fuego flavor — it’s the reason Takis are so beloved. The Kettlez Fuego brings the famous combination of intense heat and bright citrus to the kettle chip form factor and it’s delicious. The caramelized potato has an almost onion-esque flavor to it which pairs perfectly with the intense heat of Fuego.
What I desperately want is a Nitro version of this chip so that I can squeeze fresh lime over it for a more natural result. But until that product is made, this is the next best thing.
Maybe I’m ranking this a bit too high but ever since first trying the Takis Stix, which was for this article (I would’ve never tried them otherwise) I’ve been obsessed. The Stix aren’t all that different from regular Takis, they’re made of corn but the distribution of flavors here is totally different. Instead of a pronounced corn chip flavor and texture, the Stix have a very faint corn flavor, allowing the blend of spicy chili powder and lime to take center stage.
Part of me loving this so much is that it’s a subtle change-up of the OG Takis flavor, but it’s different enough that it comes across as exciting for seasoned Takis fans.
The Bottom Line:
If you’ve been passing these up because they seem redundant, I strongly encourage you to give them a try. On some days these are even better than OG Takis Fuego.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone but the best Takis product is the OG Fuego flavor. It just doesn’t get better than this when we’re talking Takis. On first taste, you’re hit with a nice sustained burn on the tongue that builds as you eat chip after chip.
What makes Takis superior to Hot Cheetos is the way the chili pepper powder embeds itself into the rolled tortilla’s folds, offering up an uneven delivery of spicy notes. That sounds like a bad thing but it’s not, it makes each bite a surprise with a shifting balance of spice and zesty lime notes that constantly teeter-totters between the two extremes.
The Bottom Line:
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Takis Fuego is the flavor that started it all for a reason and it remains the best iteration of the Fuego flavor.
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