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April King’s “Keeping It Green” podcast blends green cuisine, wellness, and Afrofuturism. For Juneteenth, she explores how food sovereignty equals health freedom, linking liberation to nourishing bodies against systemic issues like food deserts. She argues that what we consume is a revolutionary act, breaking cycles of disease caused by processed foods. Emphasizing that music, food, and freedom are frequencies, April encourages listeners to reclaim their power through intentional eating and holistic healing. This isn’t medical advice but an invitation to view self-care as essential for collective Black liberation and spiritual sovereignty. Welcome to Keeping It Green with April King, the number one green culture podcast, where green cuisine meets real wellness, superfoods meet freestyles, and every episode is repping green culture for a green world. I'm your host, April King, mama, artist, flexitarian food alchemist, and your ultimate green lifestyle guide. This isn't just a podcast, it's a movement. We're talking truth, taste, and transformation. This is green innovation. And yes, we've got an original soundtrack curated just for you. Are you ready to live your best green life? Let's go. I play the green game cause I'm a green girl. Keep track of green trends cause it's a green world. Keep making green friends so that my green grows. My green never ends. I'm in the green zone. I love good food. Take pleasure in life. I'm in a good mood cause I eat what's right. Green cuisine in my kitchen. Green lights is my vision. To be a green generation is my mission. We could all buy stock in green commodities. This is green culture doing green properly. I like my yerba mate from yerba madre. Check Amazon for my acai. Get my chi straight with my yogi tea. Vitamin C, acerola cherry, raw vegan bling. This is April King. Yeah, we keep it green. Hey. Welcome back, my beloved. Happy Juneteenth. Yes indeed, happy Juneteenth. It's Juneteenth this week. That's what's up. We're talking about liberation. We're talking about totally vegan. We're talking about Afrofuturism. That's what's happening today. Yeah. Afrofuturism, I look at it as the place where Black liberation, spiritual sovereignty, and non-linear time converge in that spot where liberation for all is possible. Because we are all connected. We are all connected in the one mind, one consciousness, in quantum reality. And so collective freedom, collective freedom is where it's at. And today, today I want to explore the question, what does liberation taste like? What does it taste like? We're going to get into it. And before I continue, I just want to let y'all know I am not a nutritionist or a doctor or a health practitioner. But I will share with you my experiences, my opinions. I will give you information that you can take to your health team, to your doctor, to decide, do I want to try this supplement? Do I want to cut sugar out of my diet? Do I want to own food sovereignty as a space that I am operating in in my life? It's your decision. It's your body. It's your freedom. It's your health freedom. So full disclaimer, I'm not giving any advice. But if you like, if you like what you hear and you want to check it out, please do. Okay, so I got to really dive into what I really think about food sovereignty, Afrofuturism, and Black liberation. You know, what we put in our bodies, knowing what we put in our bodies, it is a revolutionary act of liberation that can break through socioeconomic racism, socioeconomic racism, that shows up as food deserts and health crisis and type two diabetes and heart disease and cancer. And I want to talk about it, why food sovereignty is health sovereignty. And why Juneteenth is the perfect time to talk about this, because how can we have, how can we have collective freedom if we have brain fog? And how can we have collective liberation if our elders and our communities and our youth aren't having access to the knowledge that they need to not have brain fog, to be healthy, to not have inflammation running rampant through their mind, body, spirit, creating imbalances that manifest as illness and disease and sickness and lack of energy. How can we, how can we truly be free if we are not taking care of ourselves, our mind, body, and spirit? So that's why I got to talk about it, because we need green culture for a green planet. I want green culture for a green world to spread like hip hop, you know? And even in, in hip hop, you know, the glorification of gangster rap and music that degrades women and degrades the culture, it, it was, it was glorified with the intention of stealing the power of our ancestors and our expression by popularizing what keeps us numb and disconnected from our power. But the truth is, music is frequency. Food is frequency. Freedom is frequency. And our words, our culture, what we put in our bodies, that's our weapons and our sacred technology and our tools to be used in all ways at all times, not to fight oppression, but to live free in spite of oppression. To live free in honor of our true selves, in honor of our ancestors, in honor of the futures of our families and the futures of our communities, what we all deserve. That's what I'm talking about, you know? So to me, Juneteenth is a portal, a vibration, a reminder that, you know, freedom delayed is still ours to claim, is always ours to claim. You can't keep our freedom from us. We, it, we will find our way to it. It will find its way to us because free, freedom is a frequency that is our birthright, okay? It's our birthright. Our system, this global system that we live in, it, it's crazy how our choices have been controlled through institutionalism, through poverty, through food deserts. What's a food desert? It's, you know, there are places, there are neighborhoods that are typically BIPOC neighborhoods. Why is this? Where you can't, you can't find healthy foods. You can't find a healthy restaurant. You can't find organic produce. But there are people, there are people on the ground making things happen, making community gardens happen, making farmers markets happen, creating access to the wealth, the health that is organic produce, that is fresh produce, and having choices of what you put in your body more than chain food and processed food. You know what I'm saying? Um, the sugar, the salt, the seed oils, that, that's not a choice. That's not a choice. And it, um, it does, it can change DNA. It can change how you feel. It can change your access to well-being. It can change your lifespan. It can change being well as you grow older in life or needing care. And, you know, there's just so many things. It affects the bloodline. It affects the children. It affects our connection to our intuition. Some would say it's even spiritual warfare. So that's why food sovereignty is health sovereignty. You have the right to know what you're putting in your body. You have the right to grow your own food. You have the right to cook with intention. You have your right to take a, a holistic approach to healing your gut, your hormones, your whatever, to just having a holistic approach to, to life and to know the true power of food. We can't talk about, can't talk about Juneteenth, about Black freedom without talking about the right to nourish ourselves spiritually, physically, emotionally, politically. It's us. We are the change. Music is frequency. Food is frequency. Freedom is frequency. Afrofuturism. this frequency. And that's why I represent it because it's my birthright. It's my birthright to live free and be part of a global movement in green culture with eco luxury, with holistic lifestyle, with high vibration communities, living clean, with 5D music, with militant positivity. So in this episode, which is by the way our season finale, yes, we have completed with this episode one full season of Keeping It Green with April King. And I want to thank you all who have been on this journey with me. So we're not just vibing today, we're visioning. We're talking about what freedom actually means. We're talking about why what you put in your body is a revolutionary act. And we're talking about why the future of Black liberation is green. That's right. Green culture for a green world. And I got something special for you today. Yes, we have our first guest, revolutionary abolitionist artist Soul Brother Nine. He's helped free over 5,000 incarcerated youth in California. He's redefining what it means to be radical, restorative, and real in every sense of the word. And we have an event. Soul Brother Nine with his studio Three Thirds is powering the Juneteenth Underground 2025 event at Music City SF. And there's an incredible lineup. I'm one of the performers. I'm so excited. It's a wonderful event to be a part of. It supports so many things and there's scholarship fund, there's so much. You're gonna get to hear it all in the interview. That's right. We had to bring you the real, the revolutionary, the abolitionist Soul Brother Nine for our season's finale. And we're gonna be talking about solely vegan. You're gonna hear all about it. But before we get into all of that, I know that I know someone has a question. I know someone has a question that I need to answer. I am so glad you asked. Stevia is like my best friend. Stevia is my favorite, my personal favorite plant to... yeah. I use it in everything. I use stevia instead of sugar. I found it in... honey. Stevia is my go-to. But before I get into all of that, let's talk about what it is. So stevia is a plant. Yeah, it's just a plant that grows sweet leaves. And just like one of my favorite stevia companies, Sweet Leaf, it's got sweet leaves. It's originally from South America where it's been used for centuries as a food and medicine. And it's what's known as a non-nutritive sweetener, which means it has almost no calories or sugar, but it's still incredibly sweet. The magic comes from compounds called steviol glycosides that are up to 300 times sweeter than sugar. And here's the best part. Stevia doesn't spike your blood sugar, doesn't mess with your insulin, and it's actually been shown in studies to help regulate blood pressure and support weight loss. It's diabetic friendly, hormone harmonizing, and basically says you can have sweetness without the crash. But, there's a little bit. Not all stevia is created equal. Some brands add weird fillers, sugar alcohols, or chemically processed junk that gives it a weird aftertaste. So if you had a bad experience with stevia, make sure that you were getting the real thing. Ain't nothing like the real thing, baby. So here are my favorites. Trader Joe's stevia is organic liquid stevia. It's my go-to. It is very economical. It's clean, it's concentrated, and I keep it on my desk, in my studio, in my house. I stay up on my stevia. I don't want to run out of it. And if you like flavored vibes, I really love Sweet Leaf drops. The chocolate a little harder, but the strawberry is so good. French vanilla, absolutely want to taste it. The chocolate, so good. They're really good flavors. So I use the Sweet Leaf drops. Sweeten it. And I mean, I put it in everything. You can put it in yogurt, smoothies, just things that I want sweetened. One of my favorite things is making lemonade and then putting ginger lemonade with Trader Joe's organic stevia. It's delicious. I like to put it in sparkling water too. Like I'm having a sugary soda, but I'm really having sparkling water with stevia. So that's what stevia is. It's a plant, it's a power move, it might be your sweetener soulmate. I will say, I have ordered, just straight up ordered organic stevia that comes in this like green leafy form. She is earthy, okay? She has an aftertaste. She is her own mother vibe. So if you like the more refined, just clear taste, you might want to go with liquid stevia. And look out for erythritol or the other fake sweeteners people mix in. Just make sure it's stevia and not a treat dessert trying to steal a natural biotic plant food experience. So yeah, tea, coffee, cocktails, smoothies, I'm about that stevia life. I'm about it. So good talk. This is Keeping It Green. And now you know that what the... I'm so glad to hear you want to try it. Yeah, I mean, it's wild. Sugar is one of the most addictive things on the planet. It's actually like the biggest drug problem, biggest drug epidemic in the world, you could say. And they put sugar in everything. And the question is why? Why? So many, so many health issues from type 2 diabetes to obesity, heart disease, fatty liver disease, inflammation, early aging, brain fog. I mean, the list goes on and on and on and on of things that are just, I mean, that you don't want any of that. Things that are not good for you are linked to sugar. And it takes an effort. It really takes an effort and an awareness and label reading and being vigilant and being militantly positive with your own stevia in your stack at all times to stay away from sugar and have sweetness in your life. It's wild that something, in my opinion, was used as a marketing ploy to get people hooked on different things, craving different foods so that companies could sell more and more and be certain that their customers would... And want it and then it's created, you know, decades of disease and illness and has transformed how food is made. And we need to reclaim natural sweetness, let go of the sugar, and get the real, get the real, get a plant, get some honey, use some dates, do anything you can, just put the sugar down, okay? I'm inviting you. I'm inviting everybody listening. This is the finale. Have you ever gone sugar free? Have you ever made sure that you were 100% off of sugar? Have you ever done a sugar cleanse? If you haven't, why not now? What does liberation taste like? It tastes like natural sweetness without sugar. So I'm putting a challenge out there for everyone. How long can you go without sugar? If you want to do a sugar detox, make sure you have some other things to give you that sweetness that you crave, you know, have some fruit, have some stevia, have some delicious things around, but set an intention. Do you want to do a seven day, 21 day, 40 day, 90 day sugar cleanse? Take it out. Take the sugar out of your diet completely and see how you feel. See how you feel. What is your energy like? And then, you know what's going to trip you out? When you want something with sugar in it again, it is going to taste so wild because you'll be resetting your palate. And when you taste it again, you're going to be like, whoa, I ate this all the time? That's insane. So yeah, that's what I'm throwing out there to everyone. Check it out. Tap into your food sovereignty. What's it like to choose a sweet life without sugar? I want y'all to have a sweet life. Sugar, organic sugar. I mean, I have cane sugar or organic sugar, organic brown sugar. Sugar, I guess it's still sugar, isn't it? Okay, okay. I'm going to try it. I'm going to try it for the summer. Sugar free summer. Sugar free summer. I'm going to do it. Who's with me? Who's with me? I need some friends to do this with me. And wow, I can do it. I can do it. We can do it. You can do it. You can have a sugar free summer. Tell me about it. Oh, April, is it time? Is it time for Soul Brother Nine? Is it time for Soul Brother Nine? Almost. The interview is coming up. But before the interview, we've got to talk to you about our superfood superstar. This week's superfood superstar, it's black eyed peas. That's right. The sacred, the delicious, and deceptively powerful black eyed peas. I know you're thinking, isn't that what my auntie cooks on New Year's? Yes. But it's deeper than tradition. It's encoded in our cellular memory. Black eyed peas are not just comfort food. They are a symbol of survival, resilience, abundance. They were brought to the US by African ancestors. I mean, it's amazing. They were grown in freedom gardens during slavery. They were fed to liberation fighters during the Reconstruction. They've been cooked in kitchens where soul meets strategy for centuries. And now they're showing up in your pantry. Like, are you ready to rise? You ready to rise? You going to get all of your abundance, all of your black eyed pea abundance? I do it. I eat black eyed peas every New Year's Day. Do you? It just helps me get my year started right. Nutritionally, they're a total vibe. They're packed with plant based protein. They're high in fiber that supports digestion and blood sugar balance. They're full of iron, folate, magnesium, and potassium. They're naturally low in fat and high in magic. And for all my flexitarians and vegans out there, they're gut happy, blood sugar friendly, and very affordable. They stretch a dollar, hold seasoning like a prayer, and they taste like freedom slow cooked with garlic and a bay leaf. Fun fact, they actually fix nitrogen in the soil, helping regenerate the land. That means when you plant black eyed peas, you're helping to heal the earth and your body. That's sacred reciprocity. That's frequency. So whether you're cooking them and serving them with greens and sweet potatoes and cornbread, or tossing them into a salad, or remixing them in a spicy stew, remember, every bite is resistance. Black eyed peas are what liberation tastes like. Every pot is a prayer. Every meal is a memory and a future. It's soul food, and soul food can be superfood. Black eyed peas, ancestral medicine. Eat them with intention and plant the seeds of liberation. Now get your pot simmering, call up the ancestors, and keep it green, baby. I do love black eyed peas. I do. I'm going to make some. I'm going to make some tonight. Okay, can we dream green? I'm ready. I want to dream green. Yes, let's dream green, Earth Mother lovers. Take a deep breath in. Exhale. Let all the muscles in your face relax. Let your shoulders drop. Relax. Relax all your muscles. Take another deep breath in. Now let it out, like you're exhaling every last bit of grind culture, scarcity mindset, and synthetic nonsense they ever tried to feed you. Breathe in. Breathe out. You're safe here. This is your dream green life. Picture this. You wake up on Juneteenth morning, wrapped in soft organic cotton sheets the color of sun warmed honey. The windows are open. You hear birds, laughter, and the soulful hum of a bass line drifting in from the back field. You're at an eco lux soul family farm. Maybe you're there with your soul family. Maybe you're there with a group of friends. Maybe you took a solo trip to this eco lux farm. It's a Black owned sanctuary passed down through generations, where they've healed the land with regenerative love. And out the window, you see beautiful people, your soul family, chosen family, elders, children. They're all gathering in the courtyard. They're grinning, they're dancing, their auras are glowing. Somebody's two stepping with a mason jar of ginger lemonade, already talking about the sweet potato pies cooling on the porch. They were made with monk fruit, Miyoko's oat milk butter, and coconut milk, with organic sweet potatoes. The soil of the farm, it's dark and rich. It's alive. It's got rows of collard greens, heirloom tomatoes, okra, watermelon, calendula, spinach. Cabbage, green beans, snap peas, eggplant—all the good things. It smells like earth and hope and garlic frying in the outdoor kitchen. You see someone harvesting purple bush beans. You hear the kids running around. They got their shoes off. They're ripping through sunflower fields. They're blowing bubbles. They're laughing with their whole chest. You step outside and breathe it all in. Mmm, yes. This is what collective freedom tastes like. This is what liberation tastes like. And the headlines today, they're different. Community land trust transfers ten thousand acres of farmland back to Black farmers. Nationwide ban on food deserts as new grocery co-ops open across the country. The Hip Hop Healing Fund launches for artists reclaiming culture and consciousness. A new study finds Afro-Indigenous farming practices reverse climate change faster than carbon credits. Vegan soul food added to national curriculum as a healing art. The green news is good news. You don't rush, you don't hustle, you vibe. This is the future where food sovereignty is the foundation of liberation. Where Black joy is public policy. Where every family reunion is a festival of healing, music, drumming, and delicious, nutrient-rich resistance. And you're not just dreaming it, you're creating it, meal by meal, ritual by ritual, seed by seed. Wherever you are right now, in your car, on your stoop, in your studio, in the tub, in the forest, on a break at work, breathe this in. You deserve a life that feeds your soul and your soil. You deserve this dream green. You deserve to dream green. Let's build it together. Green culture for a green world. Green culture for a green world. All right, Earth Mother lovers, I had to do something special for the first season finale, and I am ecstatic to introduce my guest for today's Juneteenth celebration episode, Soul Brother Nine. He's a revolutionary poet, activist, podcast host, and a true freedom maker. Soul Brother Nine self-transformed during thirty-one years of incarceration, earned his degree, became a spoken word mural artist, and now leads powerful work that has helped free twelve hundred incarcerated youth. Is the host of Cafe Revolution, the podcast, and he also runs Studio Three Thirds, where art, activism, and abolition mix in powerful ways. And you know, I found out he's also a flexitarian like me, and we even hit up Sully Vegan together recently. So I'm just so excited to have him here. Welcome, Soul Brother Nine. Thank you, thank you, April. That was a good introduction. I appreciate that. I mean, hey, I mean, you know, I mean, you're a revolutionary. I got to do it right. And you do, you do. I appreciate you. Ever since I met you, it was an instant connection. I'm so honored to be here. Oh, the honor is all mine. Well, there's so many things I would love to discuss with you, but one of the first questions that I have for you is, how did you get into flexitarian life? What started to connect you to your plant-based journey? That's a good question. I grew up on sugar. And when I say I grew up on sugar, I really mean that white powdery crystallized substance. I put it on fruits and vegetables, I put it on whatever cereal, I put it on, I put sugar on sugar. And I didn't like it in soda, I didn't like it in, you know, a lot of things. I liked that pure cane white sugar. I was addicted. And so one day I woke up as an adult and my teeth was rotten. I said, wow. I said, so I had them fixed and that was so excruciating. My cavities, I had a couple of them had to even be pulled. I said, I got to take care of not only my teeth, but I got to change my diet because no matter how much brushing, if you just keep eating sugar, it's bound to just take its toll and it did. And so yeah, that's when I began to look into more healthier ways to eat because I just didn't have the taste for it. So I had to reset my palate and that was one of the first things I found out how to do. And so I began to eat a lot of sour and sour and what's the other one? But I reset my palate and then it just snowballed into understanding that this human flesh, it's fueled by certain things. And when I was reading online, what even the chart for the diabetes association was the exact chart that we are given that causes us to have diabetes. And I was just like, this is crazy. And then I found out that sugar is one molecule away from being cocaine. And so I understood that this was no accident that my generation, at least my generation, was being fed pure sugar to get us hooked and craving things outside of our natural diet. And so yeah, it woke me up and I started juicing, I started eating more plant-based meals. But you know, I still had a taste for like lamb and I would never stop having a taste for lamb. So every now and then I have some lamb. But it's. . . Being flexitarian, that's what it's about sometimes, you know. Everybody has their own path to finding what works for them. But wow, that's really incredible. I mean, it doesn't surprise me since you know, you created a system where you freed yourself and 1, 200 youth in California. This just blows my mind. So it's no surprise to me that you would also find your own connection with food sovereignty. So many things that I'm curious to interview you about that I'm just blown away by about your history, your life story. I was wondering if you would like to share with us about how you started your journey with liberation and is there a moment that things clicked? Is there anything that you'd like to share with people that are working towards finding their own freedom? Yeah, I think it boils down to the moment in time that I started to just love myself. Before that, I think I just wanted to save myself. I wanted to always, I liked myself, but I wanted to like myself more if I did this or if I had that or if these people accept me. And it wasn't until, you know, probably 45 when I decided to just love myself and not to do anything to myself that would harm me anymore. So I was shooting myself in the foot a lot up until that point. No matter how good I was, I would always find a time to just do. an asinine. And I think that was just like I said it was a cry for love and no one could give it to me except myself first. And then you'll be able to receive love from others. And that's that that turned my life around. And um when you manifest things like that, um the creator starts to work in your life in a in a on a whole total different way. And I don't even know if I can explain it very well, but all of a sudden when I started thinking things, it would it would appear, it would come. And I really mean that. So when my when growing up, my mom said, you know, you could do anything you want if you put your mind to it. And I had no idea what that meant because up until that point, no matter what I put my mind to, I would always get distracted by the new shiny things that attracted me. And um it wasn't it was it was at that moment where I realized the power of love can do is to remove a lot of negativity from your life. It removes a lot of weights, um a lot of barriers and challenges. Uh I I I found this this um I can't remember because I studied so many books inside that they it's all a blur. It's like one big ball of knowledge and sometimes I can't remember who told me or what I read. But there's a saying that the solution is in the problem. And when I finally cracked that code, um whenever something happens, I can just stop and look at what is happening as a problem. And inside of it will be the solution. And it was crazy. It was like always uh so true. And so and just for for for the record, like for an example that just happened, uh my security guard the day of the event, which I have to have in order to have the event, two hours before canceled on me and said they were double booked so they couldn't make it. And I panicked a little bit. I made some calls to some friends that might you know that might have been able to assist me. And then that saying like the problem, the solution is in the problem. And something made me drive to um Music City and I started laughing. I drove to the venue. There was no guard, right? There was no security guard while there being thrown over there. And so when I talked to them, you know, I was like, I got a guard, y'all found one. Don't worry about it. And I just got my friend who who does guard work and had him uh stand the door. Because at first they wanted, you know, it has to be from some type of agency and that's your business. I said no, I was like, he's got the guard, he got a guard card, he's gonna watch my door. And that was it. Like when I yeah, I knew that you know this occupation is going to cause you, it's going to force you to think outside the box, you know? So never panic. Uh the problem, uh the solution is always in the problem. And so the problem was solved and we went on and had a great night that night. And uh I just learned how to be a promoter. Just wow, the solution is in the problem. Um thank you so much for sharing um your journey. It's so so beautiful and so energetically sound. It sounds like you activated the frequency of love through self-love and it created the resonance with with your liberation, with your path forward, with all of the incredible gifts that you're bringing to the world and sharing with the world. And yeah, that's what um I call that frequency, the act of being in rhythm with your resonant soul frequency. Soul Brother 9 is frequency people. You need to get on the vibe. That's what is happening over here. And um wow, talking about events and being on the vibe. Um so excited about this Juneteenth Underground event that you have happening uh this Thursday at Music City SS. Um tell me more about it. Tell me about the opportunities people have to support collective liberation and the artists and um how it all came together. I want I want all the juicy details. All the juicy details. Um I I'm not even sure if I finished answering your other first question about the 1200 loving self. So I just want to say real quick, when I did learn to love myself, the creator brought all the things together. I went to law library, I learned about the law, I helped this pro bono law firm who wanted to help me get out. I said, look, let me help you help me. And so I went to law library and I found this word capacity uh jurisdiction. And then first I found capacity and what that meant for a juvenile versus an adult. And I was like, we shouldn't be punished the same way, right? We should have some type of leniency. And uh the bill SB 260 came out and it had no teeth. So I was the first one up and they were like, oh just that was your that was your hearing. It was the same one as an adult hearing. And I knew that I got them. I said, you can't treat a juvenile the same way you treat an adult. You gave me basically the same hearing. And so I created regulations that they should go by. And at first the judges was like, just let him go. And they were like, no. So they kept me in and they said, okay, this time we're going to give him what he asked for. And so I literally in my legal uh action against uh the board of parole hearings, I created legislation that went into the title 15 uh concerning youth offenders and that liberated myself and 1200 at that time. I got out in 2019. And since then, I've heard that over 5,000 people have been liberated from prison based off based off of that law or regulation of uh what capacity is and et cetera, et cetera. And so that I came out of prison with that energy behind me. And some people that appreciated it so much, I would meet early on like men and women when they found out who I was, they would you know, you know, hug me, thank me and you know, whatever. And it was it felt so good, but I knew that the job wasn't finished. And we had to create a parole system out here like we had the parole board to separate the adults from the youth offenders. And so when I went after that challenge, uh the Department of Adult Parole Operations, what they call DAPPO, um they came after me with all guns blazing and tried to destroy me, smear me, smear my name, my character. Uh they did everything under the sun and I just refused to stop. But I wish I kind of would have backed up a little bit. Uh because since then, um I was just like always, I just have an opportunity to be better assisting the community if I wasn't uh creating the the opportunity for the law enforcement to do what they do what they do. So it was just I just didn't have a good strategy, right? Going after them head on, little old me and big old them was just not the brightest idea. But one of the things that it exposed that I wanted to was the lengths they would go to to uh in real time show you how they did all other political leaders like Malcolm X and and even down here Ibrahim uh Traore and and uh Burkina Faso. Like they will go to whatever lengths to destroy your image in front of the in front of the population so that when they do what they do to you, you'll go, oh yeah, he deserved it. But no one deserves being falsely accused or being um their voice uh their right of free speech to be filtered through a political uh agency of law enforcement. I mean, if we don't have free speech, then are we really living in the United States of America? But being people saw my tenacity my tenaciousness, you know, my you know, how how hard I went, they was like, here, here's an opportunity to be on the reentry board. Here's an opportunity to be in the uh San Francisco Justice Coalition. Here's an opportunity to be appointed by the supervisors to be on the Sheriff Department Oversight Board. And I was going, whoa, okay. So they obviously see that something is here. And but this doesn't pay my bills. Being a freedom fighter, a liberator, uh abolitionist, it doesn't pay bills and I don't do it for money. So I had to figure out what am I going to do to pay the bills. And I'm an artist, but my art my activism is so entangled, it was the perfect way for me to start uh being an artist. And at first I tried to you know, just do spoken word, get known, do some things. And then I went to managing artists and now I'm promoting. And as you said, this fell into me as well. Um there was a guy driving down the street and he had a car like mine. So I said, hey, you want to join my car club? And he pulled over, we started talking and we sparked a friendship. And he was like, hey, there's this opportunity at Music City and you should you know, here's the number, here you should give the the head cop a call, like the owner. And I was like, wow, can't go wrong there. And the rest is history. like we we talk we like each other and even though I had no idea what I whatever I had no idea what I was doing I've never promoted at a venue like that before in my life I just do yard events inside of prison which we call like event coordinating but it's probably pretty much the same you know so he gave me an opportunity and uh last Saturday I think I knocked it out the park for my first one yeah I have to say so myself well congratulations and it's that divine energy like I tell them that the creator is my friend and when you have a friend like that he just lights up your pathway and I just follow I just follow the leader you know you don't just talk the talk you you walk the talk you are you are an abolitionist how many people can really say that and have lived that and are actively creating liberation in their own mind body and spirit and sharing that with the world I mean can I just say on behalf of all humankind thank you for being who you are thank you for the energy you are creating on our planet we need um we need it amplified to infinity this is this is what the future is about this is what this is what black liberation is about you know uh the theme of today's show is uh what does liberation taste like and I think that um evidently it tastes it tastes like uh revolution cafe uh cafe revolution the 79 podcast serving it up with uh truth justice for all I mean wow bravo bravo thank you for sharing thank you so much for sharing um so yeah you have this incredible history and um really truly a zillion things I would love to talk with you about um tell me more about uh the Juneteenth underground experience and um how how you came up with it and what you're bringing together and how can people get involved how can people taste liberation on a greater scale through through this artivism uh yeah um Juneteenth underground came about because um we just need to get not only the message of freedom and what that was delayed for how that looked when it was delayed for a certain group of people um I want that to be as known and felt and understood and commemorated and celebrated in other people's community just as much as uh St Patrick's Day is in ours um Valentine's Day and Easter and Christmas a holiday that doesn't originate from African Americans we celebrate and promote that just as much so in order for things to really change we have to invite our allies or those who are saying like yeah we believe in freedom and justice for everybody right 25 hosted by Ria I call her Ria the legend uh she hasn't officially adopted the legend title but I see her being one and we have a great lineup with uh Black Sugar is a band that I met in Oakland that is just uh phenomenal uh uh DJ who's the executive director of CYD uh he's going to speak and we have a play by Anthony Jefferson uh sound healing by Afrolistic Malik uh Snapperoo a legendary here in San Francisco and artist going to be unveiling some artwork Kofi J phenomenal rapper executive director of uh of his own hip hop organizations uh and Don P uh a rapper who I've met and of course the one and only uh April Keen with her futuristic sounds as the DJ I just love this uh opportunity to share uh Juneteenth with my friends um but one of the things that we're we're doing is uh what I like to call manifesting consciousness and so we like to talk about things but we never manifest what we want and I believe in in in the latter and by taking the time to uh come to Music City this Juneteenth uh we're going to be able to sit back listen relax and watch history being made because when people are talking we're going to be able to ask questions we're going to be able to deliberate we're going to say what's the next action steps and most times you go to a Juneteenth program you're entertained you're talked to you're you're happy but you may walk away with like okay that was fun but how does that impact uh 364 days of my life right and that's what our celebration should and one of the things that's going to impact our lives is the scholarship uh we are investing in the industry itself in order to influence it and uh influence the demand and the supply of artists and content and we are raising scholarship funds for a $7,000 Music City San Francisco accelerator program that they uh they uh united with uh uh a prior mind which is a renowned school for teaching you everything that you want to know about music behind and in front of the mic and then we have this what I call what we should be getting together for on a regular basis but to let our leadership in this country whether it's in San Francisco California or the nation know like where we stand as a group of people and we want to stand with Burkina Faso and state that you know we state to Congress and the White House that you know President Ibrahim Traoré has the right to life and his nation has the right to self-determination and we as Americans should be doing everything we can as civil rights movement uh people human rights movement people uh abolitionist rights movement people Pan-African rights movement people as uh righteous religious spiritual practicing people and say hey if we the people decide our government we're asking our government not to do anything to that country and that president and matter of fact we should be protecting his life and aiding them in their right to self-determination and to take care of their people and so we want to just say publicly and announce like we stand with Burkina Faso and their presidents to do what they need to do for themselves and then last but not least for sure but I think the most important thing during Juneteenth is the unification uh unification is as simple as ABCD and we as the ancestors we as the strength of the nation we as the promise of our future are asking Africans Blacks and Caribbeans in the diaspora in BCD ooh uh to show up and in contributing aid and advocacy work to end the wars in Sudan Ethiopia Congo and beyond uh we should be together uh united in in America to uh uh to unite and set community engagement agreements to develop and nurture healthy relationships between each other's cultures uh spiritual practices et cetera et cetera in business in economic positioning for our collective future and most importantly uh developing a voting block to make sure that our agenda and our needs are addressed on a political level so that we will never be left behind again after the elections so we are the movement we the people have to stand up and say something and we support all of us uh to be empowered with the abundance of liberty we would like uh to join we would like you to join us and to create a movement whose belief is in the beginning so shall it be in the end and uh we were you know the first great civilization uh as known as the Kushites and in the end we're going to be asked to you know purify and and uplift the community uh the civilization so that we can get back to uh a a people that's governed by justice and equality for all people so that's what Juneteenth means for for me and I'm just so grateful that Studio 33rd has the ability to use Music City San Francisco uh to put on this uh great event and I just want to thank our sponsors too not only Music City but uh Cafe Revolution KPLO uh the St John Coltrane Church YCD and of course my main man at the Black Male Journal who helped me with the flyers after I messed them up so wow wow just incredible uh that's right freedom for all people liberation liberation uh what a Juneteenth event uh I'm really excited I'm really honored that um that you invited me to participate uh Excited to share some tracks from uh my upcoming album Life in 5D on the militant positive vibe and to speak about Afrofuturism, Black liberation, uh spiritual sovereignty and how we can continue to create the future that we want, that we are we are the architects. We are the architects of our reality and our future and there's so many opportunities to engage with that. So you heard it here, Earth Mother Lovers. If you want to support global diasporic evolution and liberation, cultural evolution and Black liberation, what you need to do is follow Studio 3/3rds, okay? It's um can you give us your your Insta, your socials? I want to make sure people know how to connect with you when you're posting calls to action of what they can do and how they can show up so people can stay connected and join the movement, not just energetically, not just with intention, but with with action. Yeah, on Instagram you can find me at studio.3.3rds spelled out T-H-I-R-D. Um on TikTok, I think it's the same as well as Soul Brother Nine. On uh Facebook, it's Studio 3/3rds. Uh I have a little page on there under my name William M. Harmon II. Uh but yeah, um and on uh LinkedIn, uh my name again and I talk about, you know, all the things that we we do not only at Studio 3/3rds but at uh my podcast Cafe Revolution. Um so yeah, on Instagram that podcast, uh my podcast is cafe.revolution.podcast. And so, and if you go to uh soulbrothernine, the number nine dot com, um you'll go to the podcast website and if it says that the page is not there, just hit it again. For some reason it's trying to deter people from going. But... Oh my goodness, always something happening. Soulbrothernine.com. That's right. Okay, so soulbrothernine.com, Studio 3/3rds. That's how you connect, that's how you stay a part of this movement. And we should have some footage uh coming up online to share for folks who can't be there in person. This is a one of a kind event at a one of a kind venue. And this is this is amazing, amazing Juneteenth celebration. I would love to see more of this energy um being activated in Juneteenth. This this is this is why you are an artist. Yeah, you're you're bringing all these artists together, you're combining it with action and and the community and uh political support uh across the globe. And that is that is what it's all about. Um freedom for freedom for everyone. Collective liberation. Uh thank you so much, Soul Brother Nine, for your time, for your wisdom, and for your contribution to the evolution of society and for being an abolitionist and for everything that you do uplifting the frequency of planet Earth. Soul Brother Nine, people. Thank you so much, uh April, and uh I can't wait to see you perform for the first time live and uh just witness all of your greatness. Oh, it's been such a pleasure. Well, um oh, we have more to talk about. We didn't we didn't talk about Soully Vegan. We didn't talk about Soully Vegan. Wait, okay, we gotta we gotta let the people know a little bit about Soully Vegan. Um so for those of you who don't know, you need to know there is a vegan soul food restaurant in Oakland, California. And they had moved locations for a while, but but they're back. They're back, okay? And they're having their soft opening on July 5th. Um the founder, the chef, Tamara Tyson, is incredible. She makes just, I mean, all the things. Uh southern fried tofu, barbecue tofu, the greens, uh dessert, black eyed peas, um bomb bomb potato salad. So okay, so what had happened was they were having a special um buffet event that was like a pre-launch event. And um I was like, you know what, you know who I'd like to go to this with? I'm gonna see if Soul Brother Nine is free. And we met we met down at Soully Vegan and it was a feast. It was, I brought my son, uh we were all having a wonderful time. And um yeah, tell me what did you think about the Soully Vegan experience? Well, my experience with Soully Vegan, first of all, anything that has soully in it, uh S-O-U-L-L-Y, so I was like that's good soul food for my soul. But I was going on a date and I was like, oh, I know exactly where we need to go because I had seen it driving by Jack London L going to Yoshi's to listen to Ayo Brown. And I was like, oh yeah, I want to eat there. And I didn't read any sign, I just figured it was open. So when we went on our date and was surprised that it hadn't opened yet, very disappointed. So when you called me, I was like, for sure! And I get to go on day one when it opens, uh this pre-opening. And when I went in there, I was like, they looked at me like, come on in. I was like, oh no, I'm waiting for my my uh my dinner companion to come. And so, uh but I took a look around and I was like, oh yeah, this is going to be great. I've never been to a vegan buffet before and that was awesome. So I got to taste a little bit of everything before I decided what I wanted to uh consume. And it was more, my eyes were bigger than my stomach, unfortunately. Uh but I stuffed as much as I could in and uh can't wait to go again, for sure. Yeah, they have all the classics. Oh, their gumbo was on point. Um uh you you hooked me up with that barbecue tofu potato salad combo. That was um so delicious, so delicious. And then they had a full selection of like mocktails or cocktails, whatever your vibe was. Um we stuck with the lemon water, you know, just um keeping it green over here. But uh Soully Vegan people, if you're in if you're in Oakland, if you're passing through the Bay Area, it's one of those spots you don't want to miss. I I I don't know where else, I hope I hope there's other places, but I don't know where else there is actual vegan soul food, like even in the country. And also, I have to let the people know, the the chef beat Bobby Flay, the only vegan chef to ever do it. Got the got the apron. You know, um big win. Uh they do catering, they do events. I mean, and they have their menu, I mean, I don't know what they're gonna bring back. Oh, we forgot to talk about the Creole mac, that Creole mac and cheese. That was um that was banging. Um some classic, oh yeah, mhm. And no, and their seating arrangement is so unique. Like we sat at a table with complete strangers that and we engaged with them and we just met two new people that we never knew before, right? That's right, yeah. It had a it had a community vibe. They had um they had DJ True Justice up in the building. Um there was, you know, live music happening, there was some uh some dancing going on at one point. And I hear they're gonna be doing um different types of events, you know, with artists and music. They have like a stage area. And yeah, it's right there in uh Jack London Square, right at 101 Broadway. So um you know where it's at. That's where the vegan soul food is happening. Come by, you might see us there. Uh and it was it was just such a wonderful day. We had uh Zayou and I had so much fun uh hanging out with you and um getting into shenanigans around Jack London. It was one of those classic days. Um I will be posting some uh photos, some video from that experience. Uh y'all will be able to check it out on my Insta, April King TV. Uh we keep it green. And um once again, soulbrothernine.com, that's where you can stay connected to the revolutionary abolitionist podcast host, spoken word artist that has graced us with his presence as the first, as the inaugural guest on Keeping It Green with April King. This is how we had to do the finale of our first season. Uh had to had to had to go out with a bang. So uh thank you so much. Thank you, thank you, Soul Brother Nine. We um keep it green, we we appreciate you, we support you. All the time and I support you and that's that's what happens when great minds think alike, they unite uh and create the space to uh... to do phenomenal things. So thank you for having me. Uh, it's an honor and uh, yeah, welcome all your listeners to not only continue listening and subscribing, but to uh, expand the circle and uh, check out Soul Brother Number Nine on Cafe Revolution. That's right. Well, you heard it here, Earth Mother Lovers. Wow. Um, so honored, so honored to be on this journey with you all for Green Culture for a Green World. All right, I got to do shout outs. Shout out to Soul Brother Nine and Studio 33rd. Thank you. Thank you for blessing us with your presence. Thank you for the work you're doing in the world, continuing conscious evolution with abolitionism and collective freedom for all. Yes, this is where it's at. This is where it's at. Shout out to Music City SF. What an incredible venue, hotel, hostel, practice space, recording space. It's just amazing. Floors and floors of musical magic. And we're going to be there live on Juneteenth. Yes, we are. Juneteenth Underground 2025. Uh, shout out to Silly Vegan, Silly Vegan and Tamara Dyson, bringing that banging soul food to the Bay Area. When you're in Oakland, California, you got to check it out. Jack London Square, 101 Broadway. Jack London Square, 101 Broadway. That is where it's at. Shout out to Trader Joe's stevia and Sweet Leaf stevia. Thank you for bringing all of that deliciousness to my life. What would I do without you? Shout out to Black Eyed Peas. So delicious. So delicious. Shout out to all y'all Earth Mother Lovers who have been rocking with me. I'm so excited to catch up with y'all next season. Thank you for your support, for your shares, for your feedback, for your investment in Green Culture for a Green World, in your commitment to activating food sovereignty in your own life. Wishing wellness, peace, happiness, and an abundance of all that good green for all y'all out there. All right, Earth Mother Lovers, until next time, keep it green.