Do you hate New Year’s resolutions?

What if choosing one powerful word could guide you through your entire year instead?

In Episode 60 of Messy Truths, Azar, Mar, and Nesha dive into the growing practice of choosing a Word of the Year—a wonderful alternative to New Year's resolutions that focuses on alignment, intention and personal growth.

We unpack:

• The origins of New Year’s resolutions
• The concept of Word of the Year
• How choosing a Word of the Year can create focus
• Practical ways to embody your word
• Our past personal experiences putting this into practice
• Our personal Words of the Year for 2026 and what they reveal about where we’re headed

This episode is honest and relatable—perfect for anyone navigating personal growth, healing or purpose in 2026.

Listen in and discover how a word might just change your year ahead.

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Episode Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro

01:48 – What is a Word of the Year?

04:12 – The origins of New Year's resolutions

05:16 – Azar's personal experience with Word of the Year

08:07 – Mar's first encounter with Word of the Year

11:20 – Nesha's take on the practice of New Year's resolutions and choosing a word

18:38 - The importance of looking back on 2025

19:30 - Tools for choosing a Word of the Year

22:42 - Azar's relationship with the word 'Boundless'

26:00 - Azar reveals her word for 2026

27:28 - Nesha unveils her Word of the Year

30:45 - Mar discloses how she intends to embody her word for 2026

32:26 – Final thoughts & takeaways

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Connect with us!

Website: www.messytruthspodcast.com

IG: @messytruthspodcast

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#MessyTruthsPodcast #WordoftheYear #genxpodcast #millennialpodcast #personalgrowth #2026Goals

The year 2025 delivered one of the most high-quality years of hip-hop in recent memory, and in episode 59 of Messy Truths, Azar, Mar and Nesha break down how the culture may have experienced a hip-hop algorithm reset — led by the veterans.

We discuss projects from seasoned artists who continue to set the bar, including Raekwon’s The Emperor’s New Clothes, Ghostface Killah’s long-awaited Supreme Clientele 2, and Clipse’s powerful return with Let God Sort Em Out. We also discuss The Alchemist’s prolific 2025 run, highlighted by Alfredo 2 with Freddie Gibbs, and Life Is Beautiful alongside 2 Chainz and Larry June. Of course, no conversation about this year is complete without touching on new music from the ever-consistent Nas and Lupe Fiasco.

From production choices to lyrical maturity, we explore why these "old heads" didn’t just keep up — they reclaimed the spotlight and reminded everyone of how to deliver timeless hip-hop sounds.

Make sure to follow and subscribe to the Messy Truths podcast on your favorite platform so you don’t miss future episodes.

00:00:00 - Intro and hip-hop's resilience in 2025

00:13:52 - Azar gives her heartfelt impressions of De La Soul's new album

00:18:42 - Mar shares her impressions of Life is Beautiful and Let God Sort Em Out

00:25:12 - Nesha admits bias in her hip-hop tastes + love for Raekwon and Ghostface

00:32:27 - Opinions about skits on albums

00:35:28 - Mobb Deep's comeback

00:43:08 - Mar's take on Alfredo 2 + Lupe Fiasco's latest release

00:50:30 - Nesha's undying love for Raekwon

01:00:20 - A nod to Chance the Rapper's Star Line album

01:01:20 - Signing off

Don’t forget to share your thoughts on Instagram @messytruthspodcast. You can also visit the website at www.messytruthspodcast.com

#OldHeadsNewMusic #HipHop2025 #MessyTruthsPodcast #Raekwon #GhostfaceKillah #Clipse #TheAlchemist #FreddieGibbs #2Chainz #LarryJune #Nas #LupeFiasco #RapDiscussion

Note: This episode was recorded in October and released a little later than expected — thanks for your patience.

In this soulful and reflective episode of Messy Truths, Mar, Nesha, and Azar come together to honor the legendary voices we've lost over the past couple of years—musicians whose music shaped generations and shifted culture.

Nesha opens the tribute by remembering the legendary singer and pianist, Roberta Flack, celebrating her timeless voice and the vulnerability she brought to every note.

This episode was sparked by the heartbreaking passing of D’Angelo. The trio dives deep into the legacy he leaves behind and the seismic influence he had on Neosoul, R&B, and the culture at large. Naturally, the conversation also turns to the incomparable Angie Stone, whose imprint on music remains undeniable.

Together, the hosts pay homage to other musical giants we’ve lost, including malletKat Pro vibraphone master Roy Ayers, visionary producer and composer Quincy Jones, and D’Wayne Wiggins, co-founding member of Tony! Toni! Toné!, whose artistry helped define the R&B sound of Oakland, California and beyond the Bay Area.

Join us as we reflect on the artists whose music raised and moved us.

Don't forget to share your thoughts on Instagram @messytruthspodcast . You can also visit the website at www.messytruthspodcast.com .

#robertaflack #dangelo #angiestone #royayers #quincyjones #podcasts #nycpodcasts #montrealpodcasts