Louisiana Unfiltered with Shika Denise

About Louisiana Unfiltered with Shika Denise

Bayou and Bullshyt is a storytelling podcast uncovering Louisiana’s wildest history — from notorious crimes and voodoo queens to corrupt politicians and long-buried family secrets. Each episode blends deep research with bold commentary, humor, and zero filter. Hosted with Southern attitude and real talk, this show brings the past to life in a way school never did. Expect true crime, cultural deep dives, messy scandals, and unforgettable characters straight out of the bayou. If it’s Louisiana, legendary, and a little unhinged — we’re talking about it. New episodes drop regularly. Pull up a chair and sip the sweet tea. ☕🐊

Publisher

Shika Denise

Category

history

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

16 Aug 2024

Latest episode

30 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

21 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   30 Sept 2026

   EP. 17| BUDDY BOLDEN: THE KING WE CAN’T HEAR

   Before jazz had a name, Charles “Buddy” Bolden was already making New Orleans move. Known as King Bolden, he became one of the most important figures in the story of early jazz — yet there is no known surviving recording of him, no interview, and only one known photograph. In this episode of Bayou and Bullshyt, I’m digging into Buddy’s life in New Orleans: Central City, brass bands, parades, dance halls, Funky Butt Hall, the musicians around him, and the stories about a cornet so powerful people claimed it could be heard from blocks away. We also get into the darker part of his story — his decline beginning around 1906, his commitment to the state institution at Jackson in 1907, and the historical theory that pellagra, a severe niacin deficiency once common in the South, may have contributed to some of the symptoms attributed to mental illness. That theory is not presented as fact. I compare the historical record with what we now know about pellagra so you can see why historians have continued to debate it. And while Buddy remained in Jackson, jazz moved out into the world without him. No recording. No interview. One known photograph. An unmarked grave. And somehow, we still know his name. This is Buddy Bolden: The King We Can’t Hear. Follow me: Instagram & TikTok: @ShikaFromTheBayou Everything Bayou and Bullshyt: https://linktr.ee/shikadenise (https://linktr.ee/shikadenise) Support the show: Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/bayouandbullsht (https://buymeacoffee.com/bayouandbullsht) Like, follow, subscribe, comment, and share the episode with somebody who likes their Louisiana history with a little bullshyt mixed in. FULL SOURCE LIST • Donald M. Marquis — In Search of Buddy Bolden: First Man of Jazz • National Park Service — Charles “Buddy” Bolden • National Park Service — A New Orleans Jazz History • National Park Service — Jazz Neighborhoods • Library of Congress — The Elusive Buddy Bolden • The Historic New Orleans Collection — Rhythm of Storyville • 64 Parishes — Buddy Bolden • 64 Parishes — Buddy Bolden’s Blues • A Closer Walk NOLA — Buddy Bolden’s House • A Closer Walk NOLA — Fisk School • A Closer Walk NOLA — Lincoln and Johnson Parks • A Closer Walk NOLA — Holt Cemetery • Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans • NCBI / National Academies — Niacin and Pellagra medical background • Chronicling America / Library of Congress newspaper archives STAY CURIOUS. STAY A LITTLE RATCHET. KEEP CHECKING THE SOURCES. Louisiana history ain’t never just history. It is always somebody’s business, somebody’s secret, and somebody’s bullshyt. WELCOME TO THE BULLSHYT MAFIA.

2. 

   4 Sept 2026

   EP. 16| STORYVILLE: SEX, JAZZ, MONEY & THE CITY THAT PUT VICE ON A MAP

   New Orleans didn’t just have a red-light district — the city created one. From 1897 to 1917, Storyville became one of the most infamous neighborhoods in America. But behind the fancy brothels, Basin Street balconies, liquor, gambling, and jazz was a whole system built around money, race, politics, exploitation, and power. In this episode, we’re getting into the Blue Books that listed women by name, address, and racial classification, the rise of legendary madams Josie Arlington and Lulu White, the story of Black Storyville, and the musicians who worked in the saloons, dance halls, cabarets, and parlors while early New Orleans jazz was taking shape. We’re also talking about the politicians and businessmen who benefited from the district, the women whose names never became legendary, the federal pressure that helped shut Storyville down in 1917, and what happened to the neighborhood after the lights went out. Because Storyville was never just sex and jazz. It was business. Politics. Race. Survival. Music. Money. And a whole lotta bullshyt. 🎙️ Bayou & Bullshyt with Shika Denise Louisiana history told like the neighborhood story time it really is. 📲 Follow: @shikafromthebayou ☕ Support the show: buymeacoffee.com/bayouandbullsht Content note: This episode discusses prostitution, racial segregation, exploitation, and other mature historical topics.

3. 

   2 Jun 2026

   EP. 15| EDWIN EDWARDS: CROOKED, CHARMING, AND UNAPOLOGETICALLY LOUISIANA

   EDWIN EDWARDS WASN’T JUST A GOVERNOR — HE WAS A WHOLE LOUISIANA PERFORMANCE. IN THIS EPISODE OF BAYOU AND BULLSHYT, WE’RE GETTING INTO EDWIN WASHINGTON EDWARDS: FOUR-TIME GOVERNOR, CAJUN POLITICAL GENIUS, CONVICTED FELON, SMOOTH-TALKING LAWYER, AND ONE OF THE MOST CHARMING, CROOKED, UNAPOLOGETICALLY LOUISIANA FIGURES TO EVER WALK INTO A PRESS CONFERENCE SMILING. EDWIN EDWARDS ROSE FROM AVOYELLES PARISH TO THE GOVERNOR’S MANSION AND BUILT A POLITICAL CAREER THAT LOUISIANA STILL ARGUES ABOUT. HE WAS SMART, FUNNY, EFFECTIVE, SHAMELESS, AND SOMEHOW ABLE TO MAKE PEOPLE LAUGH RIGHT WHEN THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN ASKING HARDER QUESTIONS. IN THIS EPISODE, WE GET INTO HIS CAJUN ROOTS, HIS LAW CAREER IN CROWLEY, HIS MARRIAGES, HIS CHILDREN, HIS PERSONAL LIFE, HIS FIRST GOVERNOR WIN, THE 1974 LOUISIANA CONSTITUTION, THE JUNGLE PRIMARY, HIS COMEBACKS, THE 1991 RACE AGAINST DAVID DUKE, THE INFAMOUS “VOTE FOR THE CROOK” ERA, THE RIVERBOAT CASINO CORRUPTION CASE, FEDERAL PRISON, TRINA EDWARDS, REALITY TV, HIS LATE-LIFE BABY, AND HIS FINAL ATTEMPT TO GET BACK INTO POLITICS. BECAUSE EDWIN EDWARDS WAS NOT JUST GOOD OR BAD. HE WAS BOTH. AND THAT’S WHAT MAKES HIM SO DAMN LOUISIANA. AND YES — WE’RE TELLING IT THE BAYOU AND BULLSHYT WAY: RAW, REAL, DRAMATIC, FUNNY, AND RESEARCHED. BECAUSE AROUND HERE, WE DON’T JUST DO GOSSIP. WE DO HISTORY WITH RECEIPTS. FOLLOW ME FOR MORE LOUISIANA STORIES, HISTORY, CULTURE, CRIME, FOLKLORE, AND A LITTLE RATCHET WITH THE RESEARCH: INSTAGRAM: @SHIKAFROMTHEBAYOU TIKTOK: @SHIKAFROMTHEBAYOU THREADS: @SHIKAFROMTHEBAYOU LINKTREE: LINKTR.EE/SHIKADENISE ALL SOURCES USED FOR THIS EPISODE ARE LISTED BELOW SO YOU CAN READ BEHIND ME, FACT-CHECK ME, OR GO BE NOSY WITH PURPOSE. 64 PARISHES — “EDWIN EDWARDS” USED FOR EDWIN EDWARDS’ LOUISIANA POLITICAL CAREER, FOUR GOVERNOR TERMS, CAJUN IDENTITY, CORRUPTION LEGACY, AND PLACE IN LATE TWENTIETH-CENTURY LOUISIANA HISTORY. NATIONAL GOVERNORS ASSOCIATION — “GOV. EDWIN WASHINGTON EDWARDS” USED TO CONFIRM EDWARDS’ BIRTHPLACE, MILITARY SERVICE, LSU LAW DEGREE, LAW PRACTICE IN CROWLEY, EARLY PUBLIC OFFICE, AND GOVERNORSHIP BACKGROUND. LOUISIANA SECRETARY OF STATE — “EDWIN W. EDWARDS” USED TO VERIFY EDWARDS’ BIRTH DATE, EDUCATION, RELIGION, PARTY AFFILIATION, CAREER BEFORE OFFICE, AND GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION YEARS. 64 PARISHES — “WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE” USED FOR CONTEXT ON LOUISIANA’S NONPARTISAN BLANKET PRIMARY, ALSO KNOWN AS THE JUNGLE PRIMARY, AND EDWIN EDWARDS’ ROLE IN SHAPING THAT SYSTEM. UNITED STATES V. STEPHEN EDWARDS / FEDERAL APPELLATE COURT RECORDS USED FOR THE 2000 FEDERAL CONVICTION DETAILS, INCLUDING RICO, EXTORTION, FRAUD, CONSPIRACY, AND MONEY-LAUNDERING-RELATED CHARGES CONNECTED TO RIVERBOAT CASINO LICENSING. REUTERS — “FORMER LOUISIANA GOVERNOR EDWIN EDWARDS IS DEAD AT 93” USED FOR EDWARDS’ DEATH, LATER-LIFE CONTEXT, FAMILY DETAILS, AND PUBLIC LEGACY. REUTERS — “EIGHT QUOTES BY AND ABOUT FORMER LOUISIANA GOV. EDWIN EDWARDS” USED FOR CONTEXT ON EDWARDS’ PUBLIC IMAGE AS A QUICK-WITTED, CORRUPTION-TAINTED POLITICAL FIGURE. JURIST — “FORMER LOUISIANA GOVERNOR RELEASED FROM PRISON” USED FOR CONTEXT ON EDWARDS’ 2002 PRISON SENTENCE, FEDERAL RELEASE, AND HOME DETENTION. BALLOTPEDIA — “EDWIN EDWARDS” USED FOR CONTEXT ON EDWARDS’ 2014 CONGRESSIONAL RUN AND LATER POLITICAL ACTIVITY. A&E / THE GOVERNOR’S WIFE MATERIALS AND REPORTING ON EDWIN AND TRINA EDWARDS USED FOR CONTEXT ON EDWARDS’ POST-PRISON PUBLIC LIFE, THIRD MARRIAGE, REALITY TV APPEARANCE, AND LATE-LIFE FAMILY STORY. LOCAL LOUISIANA REPORTING ON ELI WALLACE EDWARDS’ BIRTHUSED FOR CONTEXT ON EDWIN AND TRINA EDWARDS’ SON AND EDWIN’S LATE-LIFE FATHERHOOD. BAYOU AND BULLSHYT IS A STORYTELLING PODCAST, BUT THE RESEARCH IS REAL. SOURCES ARE INCLUDED SO LISTENERS CAN READ MORE, VERIFY DETAILS, AND FOLLOW THE RECEIPTS FOR THEMSELVES.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

9 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 18 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

22

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.