Goldengirl- Leaving a Little Gold Dust on Her Listeners

I was going through our many emails on Myspace when I came across one that was very interesting to me. “When can I get my interview and be featured in your mag?” asked Goldengirl.
Know as the “Chick with the Diamond Whip”, Goldengirl has been heating up the airwaves at Power 99 in Philly for more than 10 years. Her talk show, “Lovetalk & Slowjamz” is one of the sexiest shows in the tri-state area bring listeners seductive and raw conversation about what else... SEX. People call in to comment on topics ranging from making love to your wife, and/or to the outrageous threesomes in the park during the day.

Celebrities from Ice T to Jermaine Dupri have shared themselves with the Black Barbee (another name she is known by). The conversations are raw and real and the show keeps listeners talking at the coffee cooler for days.

Goldengirl has also become very popular for her “Lock Down for Love” segment when callers send shout outs to their loved ones. The show’s popularity increased when Lil Kim served her bid at the Federal Detention Center in Philly. Every night she would tell her to stay strong and keep her head up and according to Lil Kim, “She got me through plenty of nights. I will always love her because she gave me so much support.”

Goldengirl is also very active in her community— always giving back by using her celebrity to inform the youth on the importance of education and safe sex. Her “28 Schools in 28 Days” kicks off for Black History Month.

What caught my attention about Goldengirl is how people feel that they can be open with her about anything no matter how outrageous or troubling the conversation may be. In 2005, Stephen Poaches spoke with her about his then missing girlfriend Latoyia Figueroa. The conversation became very heated. Shortly after, he was captured and is now serving time for her death and the death of their unborn child.

I emailed Goldengirl and told her that I definitely wanted to connect and after several plays of phone tag and schedule changes, we met up at the studio to chat with Philly’s own, as she was doing what she does best.

Never meeting or seeing the her in person, I was surprised that such a big personality came from such a petite lady. We sat and listened to her converse with a caller that said he had a sexual experience involving double penetration. By her response, it was clear why people were drawn to her. She is very down to earth and a great listener. She was showing no judgment making them feel secure while talking so personal on the radio.

During her break, we experienced Goldengirl on a more personal level as she shared herself to us for you.


How did you get the name Goldengirl?
I got the name from my brother Goldenboy who worked at the station forever.

How does Goldengirl fit your persona?
Perfectly! There is no better way to describe me and many others have agreed.

You have been known as the “Chick with the Diamond Whip”, how did that begin?
The whip thing is a moniker that has been with me since I started in VA (Virginia) and it was something that caught on. Initially, it was a sound effect and I was carrying a little tiny whip around and people started getting more interested in it. The whip has grown into a diamond whip, a gold studded whip and other custom made whips.

Tell us about your recent endeavor with your book Sex and Celebrities: The Truth, The Whole Truth, and The Naked Truth. Explain the truth?
Well, Heather it’s exactly that— it is what it is. The truth to me is when you don’t lie. You don’t hold back and add to a story to make it something that it is not.

Explain the whole truth?
There are several parts to the book. There are three parts as I would describe it and one of those parts is the sex and celebrities and that is the story that they told me from their own mouths, therefore the whole truth is what I put in my book. I also share my experiences with the celebrities. Another part is the sex guide and that is as real as I can get and I am not going to lie.

Are you a sexpert?
Yes I am!

What makes you so and what are the responses that people have to your sex expertise?
For the most part, people love the advice that I give them. They are now willing to pay for the advice. I went and got an office so that I could speak with them one on one. The response has been very good.

The book is very interesting and the relationship with you and Ralph Tresvant of New Edition is an eye catcher, how did that begin without giving too many details?
It began in Philly. I wasn’t actually interested in them but my friends were and I had to hook them up so that they could meet them. I was interested in Bobby Brown because he was the man and I was trying to see him (laughter). With Ralph it wasn’t planned.

Were you the woman that he wanted to be “Sensitive” for?
(laughter) You know what—I was probably one of the ladies as far as I know.

What is your relationship today?
We are cordial and everything. I don’t call and talk to him but when he comes to town he calls me. He was a little nervous about my response and if I still felt negative from our past. It also was in regards to when I was going to talk about in the book.
Do you think that your pass has harmed you in anyway?
No, not at all. Where I am now is where I am supposed to be.

How does your family feel about your accomplishments?
My family is very proud of me. Regarding the book, I am not sure how many of them read it and I would not encourage them to do so, but they are proud at how far I have come.

Let get back to you... What is your special gift to the world?
My special gift is to help people and that is children and adults. Empowering is my main talent.

You are very involved in the community and you played a big part in the Latoyia Figueroa case, do you want to elaborate on that?
My next book will be my conversation with a killer. It still boggles my mind why he called me and Latoyia situation really affected my life...

Explain.
Just to give you the reality of it all, I suffered from sleep deprivation a year after. The call from him rang in my head and it still does. It’s hard to explain but I hear about similar stories like Lacy Peterson, and I am reminded of Latoyia. There have been many people that have come to me since then to help them find their kids. I have helped find young runaways that were not dead.

How long have you known you were able to connect with people so intimately?
I didn’t know that I was able to do this. It is a gift and a curse. I have to be careful not to really hurt anyone. I have to be careful not to give a tongue lashing that would hurt people but help. I have to sum it up by saying that God speaks through me.

You seem to be a ray of hope to those doing time why is that?
One of my friends and I started it together. We know that people are depending on those shout outs and we like to keep it going.

What is the relationship between you and Lil Kim since your dedications to her?
She really loves me and we speak often. She is coming to town soon and we will be working together. She really respected what I was doing. She feels that she is forever indebted to me. We are really cool.

What are some of the positive things going on that you’ve heard about?
There are so many things that are going on. Be sure to check out my “28 Schools for 28 Days” where I bring along nationally known speakers and artists that are able to bring hope to the children in the urban community.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Definitely helping my people and doing as television show. Still doing radio of course...

What are the last few words that you would like to leave with the readers?
Keep your faith and anything that you want you can have. Be helpful to each other and we can achieve that together. Remember to B.I.G. Believe in God as he is going to be there always.

Heather Elitou- Interviewer