April 13, 2025 • 66 mins
What you are about to hear is a raw, unfiltered offering—part love letter, part battle cry, part spiritual reckoning. In this powerful prelude to Kings Unchained, Blakkmomba returns from hiatus, not by plan, but by divine pull. What poured out was over 9,000 words of truth, pain, poetry, and purpose—dedicated entirely to Black men.
This monologue is the heartbeat of Chapter 3 of Momba Raw and Unfiltered. It is the “why” behind Kings Unchained. It is the smoke signal. The code blue. The moment where silence ends, and authentic storytelling begins.
You’ll hear a voice full of reverence, urgency, and love—a voice that refuses to let the world continue to overlook the power, pain, and possibility in Black men.
In this episode, you’ll experience: The spiritual and creative spark that birthed Kings Unchained, a poetic free thought, 9,000-word monologue honoring Black masculinity in all its complexity, a call to witness, protect, and elevate the emotional truth of Black men, the foundation and soul mission behind this season, and a reminder that these conversations are for everyone, not just Black men.
This season is for the brothers who’ve been misjudged, mislabeled, misunderstood.
It’s also for the people who love them, learn from them, raise them, and walk beside them.
Because when Black kings rise, we all rise.
Momba Raw and Unfiltered is available on all digital streaming platforms.
Please subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.
Let’s flood the algorithm with something that heals.
Let’s unchain these Kings and their stories—one conversation at a time.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Blakkmomba (00:24):
Hello kings and queens.
It's your favorite girl, BlakkMomba, and I am back from hiatus
sooner than I expected, to behonest.
But for those who've beenrocking with me these past few
years, you probably already knowwhy my spirit moved me to come
back.
I can't explain what exactlytriggered it.
(00:45):
Maybe it was divine timing,maybe it was alignment.
All I know is something told medrop everything and dedicate an
entire season to black men.
And I listened.
And when I say this cametogether fast, I mean fast.
in two days flat.
(01:05):
The concept, the visuals, thepromos I was in a state of hyper
focus.
All of it poured out of me likea creative fugue.
I've been doing my absolutebest to honor black men.
I love y'all so much,everything about you your skin,
your smiles, your stature, theway you walk, the way you talk,
(01:29):
the style, the swag, the soul.
There is nothing on this earthlike a black man and no matter
how many times I've been hurt,harmed or disappointed, nothing
has ever been strong enough tokill my love for you.
I'll never stop loving Blackmen.
This is my offering, myexpression, my way of wrapping
(01:54):
my arms around every single oneof you, even though they aren't
big enough.
All I have is this voice, and Ipray that it's enough.
Before we dive fully into theseason, I want to share the why
behind Kings Unchained themission, the vision, the purpose
(02:15):
, the endgame.
I've written over 9,000 wordstoday, free thought, free
expression, complete soul work,and it just flowed out of me.
I had to force myself to stopand I want you to hear it before
I start this new chapter,because knowing the why can
(02:37):
shift everything.
So I thank you.
Thank you for giving me yourear, your time, your attention
today.
Thank you so much for tappingin with me on my Baran
Unfiltered, for diving downrabbit holes with me and
trusting me to navigate you tothe other side.
This is one long rabbit hole,but I promise, if you stay
(03:02):
locked in, you're going towitness conversations that are
transformative, conversationsthat are necessary,
conversations that are longoverdue.
So, without further ado, allowme to officially introduce Kings
Unchained, chapter 3.
Are you ready?
Sit back, relax and prepare tojump down the rabbit hole with
(03:27):
your girl.
I'll see you on the other side.
Peace.
They put you in a trap and callit the hood.
(03:49):
The hood, a place, a word, astigma.
It's the image of blacknessthat has been formed for you.
But what does it really mean tolive there?
The word itself holds so muchweight, not just physically but
mentally.
The hood is a place that's beenused to confine and restrict,
(04:16):
to stereotype and label.
It's a trap, not just ingeography but in the mind, a
trap of limited expectations,limited dreams and limited
access to the world.
Outside of that box, it becomesa mental state.
More than a place, it's a label, and that label is meant to
keep you small, keep youthinking that this is all you're
(04:40):
supposed to be.
But the truth is there's somuch more to you.
Your essence isn't defined bywhere you come from.
Your value is not determined bythe environment you're raised
in or the challenges you face.
You are more than yoursurroundings, more than your
(05:00):
circumstances, more than the boxthe world tries to put you in.
You were born with a purposethat stretches far beyond the
label of hood and it's time toreclaim that power.
Religion became a cage disguisedas salvation.
Religion can be a beautifulthing when it connects you to a
(05:22):
higher purpose, but too oftenit's used as a tool to control.
It's fed to you with stringsattached, used to bind you in a
way that keeps you in that sameloop.
It teaches you to obey, but notnecessarily to question.
It teaches you humility, butnot always self-love.
(05:43):
It teaches sacrifice, but oftenwithout teaching you to also
honor your worth.
Religion should never be achain.
It should never teach you todeny yourself or silence your
pain.
It should never hold you backfrom your true potential.
Faith should lift you up, nothold you down.
(06:06):
We need a faith that empowersus to rise, to break chains, to
step into our divine purpose.
Loyalty turned into a leashdisguised as love.
Loyalty is supposed to be aboutstanding by those who stand
with you, but too often loyaltybecomes an expectation, a burden
(06:28):
that weighs on your heart, andit's easy to get caught in
loyalty to the wrong things orpeople who don't have your best
interest at heart.
Loyalty becomes a trap when itforces you to stay small, to
compromise your worth or to bendfor people who don't bend for
you.
Loyalty should never come atthe cost of your peace, your
(06:51):
dignity or your growth.
Loyalty starts with yourself.
If you can't be loyal to whoyou truly are, to your dreams,
to your value, then how can yoube loyal to anyone else?
They taught you silence withstrength and numbness, survival.
This is one of the mostdangerous traps, because when
(07:14):
you stop feeling, when you stopacknowledging your emotions, you
stop being human.
You become a robot, a machineprogrammed to endure and to
carry out without everprocessing or reflecting.
They teach you not to cry, notto show weakness.
They tell you don't express,don't let them see you hurt.
(07:37):
But where is the strength inhiding yourself?
Where is the power inpretending to be something
you're not?
Emotions are a part of you.
They are not a weakness, theyare your truth.
When you embrace your emotions,you embrace your humanity.
Yet they tell you to shut upand keep moving.
(07:59):
They tell you that emotions area distraction.
They tell you that feelings arethe enemy.
Do you know that every time youswallow that pain, it becomes a
part of you not to heal but torot?
What if those feelings that pain, those very emotions we try so
(08:22):
hard to bury, are the key to ourfreedom?
What if embracing them is theway out of the trap?
What if your emotions, thoseraw and real parts of you, were
the answers to the questionsyou've been asking your entire
life?
What if the man you've beenwaiting for, strong life?
(08:49):
What if the man you've beenwaiting for strong, whole,
healed and authentic is alreadyinside of you, just waiting for
you to give him space to rise?
They make you feel like you haveto be all things at once
Provider, protector, leader.
And sure you can do all of that.
But what they don't tell you isthat in order to provide,
protect and lead, you first haveto be whole.
(09:11):
You have to be healed, you haveto be in touch with yourself,
because if you're broken, youcan only give pieces of yourself
.
If you're hurt, you can onlyprotect parts of others.
And if you're not being true toyourself, you can't truly lead
anyone.
You can't inspire anyone, youcan't make a real impact.
(09:35):
And that's the game they'vebeen playing.
They want you to play the part,but they don't want you to
realize that the part is a lie.
They don't want you to see thatthe trap is an illusion, a
system designed to keep you busy, distracted, tired and numb.
And when you're numb, you stopquestioning, you stop asking for
(10:00):
more, you stop dreaming.
What would it look like if youtook off the armor and let
yourself breathe?
What would it look like if youstop holding it all in, if you
stop trying to save everyoneelse first and allow yourself to
heal.
What if you allowed your scarsto show, ours to show?
(10:29):
What if you wore them withpride instead of shame?
Imagine the freedom, imaginethe peace, imagine the
possibilities, because you,brother, are meant for more than
survival.
You were born for greatness.
Not the over-polished,over-filtered, media-sanitized
version of you, not thevillainized, feared,
misunderstood version either.
But you, the real you, thelaughing you, the grieving you,
(10:55):
the healed you, the broken you,the raw you, the divine you, the
little boy in you, the god inyou.
Real power comes fromself-awareness, from knowing
when to stand firm and when tobend, from knowing when to be
strong and when to be tender.
(11:17):
Strength is not just about whatyou can hold on to.
It's also about what you canlet go of.
Your emotions are the toolsthat guide you through that
journey.
So don't hide from them, don'tbury them.
Let them help you heal.
But what does that even meanwhen you've never seen a man
love out loud, when you've neverseen a man heal in public, when
(11:42):
you've never seen a man affirmanother without feeling
threatened?
What does it mean when you'veonly seen men escape?
Escape through women, escapethrough work, escape through war
, escape through worship, escapethrough the weekend, escape
through 2K, cod or Madden.
(12:02):
Escape through trucking, escapethrough drug, alcohol and sex
addiction.
Escape through suicide.
The trap is louder than thetruth.
And yet here you are stillstanding, breathing, building,
trying.
(12:22):
You were never supposed tosurvive, but you did.
You still are.
You don't need to be perfect tobe powerful.
You don't need to be silent tobe strong.
You don't need to be cold to berespected.
You don't need to numbeverything just to get through
(12:42):
the day.
You don't have to be defined bywhat broke you.
You don't have to carry painjust to prove you're still a man
.
Who are you outside thestruggle?
What do you want beyond thedrama?
When was the last time you sawyourself not just as a fighter,
(13:04):
but as a dreamer, a lover, acreator, a king?
They teach you how to trap pain,not process it.
They teach you how to performstrength, not embody it.
They teach you how to show upfor others, not for yourself.
They call you angry but you'regrieving.
(13:27):
They call you aggressive butyou're aching.
They say you're dangerous, butyou're divine.
You are touch-starved,affection-deprived boys who
learn love through punishmentand power through violence.
(13:48):
You are not your past.
You are not a statistic.
You are a story still unfolding, a soul that deserves peace.
You are a king unchained.
This space is for you, A placewhere we remember what was
(14:19):
stolen, reclaim what was lostand redefine what it means to be
a black man in a world thatonly fears your reflection.
Welcome to the unlearning,welcome to the remembering,
welcome to the healing, welcometo Kings Unchained.
This season is for the brotherswho've been unseen, unheard,
unloved.
Kings I'll never know but feeldeeply connected to.
They are out there.
(14:40):
That realization hits me like atidal wave.
There, that realization hits melike a tidal wave.
There are countless souls over8 billion of them in this world.
Sometimes that vast numbermakes me feel like an NPC in a
simulation, like I'm mentallyliving in a virtual reality
where purpose and possibilityare hidden until they reveal
(15:01):
themselves like an easter egg.
We don't know what we don't knowuntil we know it, and that is
why we need more storytellerslending power through their
voice, and not just anystorytellers, but those who
aren't afraid to speak up forwhat's uncomfortable, what's
unseen and what'sunderrepresented.
(15:22):
We need to hear your story.
Even if the world may neverlisten to it, someone, somewhere
, will hear it and it willchange them.
And when that happens, you'llnever know how far your story
will travel, how many lives itwill impact or who it will set
free.
That's the power of your voice.
(15:46):
I don't take it lightly thatthere are people in 23 countries
and countless cities tapping into hear me talk Like what?
And still I ask myself who arethese people listening to me
talk about pain, purpose andlife as I see it?
Because I can talk, and I tellpeople every day that this is
(16:09):
why I started a podcast, so Ican talk as much as I want to.
I may come off jokingly when Isay I talk a lot and that's why
I started a podcast, buttruthfully, this podcast became
my vessel, a space to transformpain and purpose into something
that not only can be felt, butheard and remembered in a world
(16:32):
that silences truth.
And who's going to stop me?
Anyway, you can mute me, youcan turn me off right now, and I
won't even know.
And guess what?
That's perfectly okay.
That simply means that thispodcast isn't for you, and
that's fine.
I know that I'm not everybody'scup of tea, but I am for the
(16:56):
out there.
Tuning in Numbers don't lie.
There is an audience foreverybody, a lane for every
single one of us.
When I first started thispodcast journey, people said
everybody in, they mama's mamagot a podcast or it's just a
trend, and ain't no telling whatthose close to me thought.
(17:17):
But I didn't let that stop me.
I chose to jump down the rabbithole hot and heavy.
Just because it's crowdeddoesn't mean there's no room.
Look at traffic in places likeBoston, chicago or LA it's heavy
right.
Still, people find a way tomove, they merge, they push
(17:38):
through, they create space.
That's exactly what I chose todo Find a way to swerve, take up
space, claim it and create myown lane.
I didn't wait for permission.
I didn't follow any setblueprint.
I didn't let anyone tell me ifI belonged or not.
I did not follow thetraditional rules of podcasting.
(18:00):
I don't have a 10-step plan.
I don't have a six-montheditorial calendar or topics
planned out for the next sixmonths.
I move when my spirit tells meto.
I speak when it hits me.
I record only when my energy isaligned with my voice.
I never know when I'm going torecord or with whom, or even
(18:23):
what I'll talk about, untilsomething moves me deep inside,
like this project did.
There's no true format here,only raw, unfiltered expression,
free thought.
I call myself an unprofessionalprofessional.
My calendar might not alwaysalign, my calendar might not
always align, my studio may notshine with perfection, I'm
(18:47):
forgetful even when I writethings down or set an alarm.
But I am real.
I am a real person just likeyou, a perfect imperfection.
I know my heart, how I move andwhy this platform, my space.
It reflects exactly that.
(19:08):
I let the content speak for mebecause it is me.
My audience is full of realpeople who want to hear real
voices, voices that resonatewith their experiences, their
struggles and their victories.
That is why your voice matters,because through every note of
(19:29):
truth that you share, thenarrative changes, life changes,
the world changes, one story ata time.
It won't be through role modelsor celebrities or entertainers.
Their lives are so far removedfrom mine and I don't begrudge
them that.
But there is a way to elevateyour status in life and stay
(19:53):
humble, but most aren't.
Their lives don't reflect orlook like mine.
Yet we say representationmatters.
Well, where are the people thatlook like me, live like me,
everyday people living the humanexperience just like me?
Your testimony is vital, even ifI never hear it directly.
(20:16):
Someone else will, and whenthey do, they will pay it
forward.
Your words, extracted from thedepths of your experience, give
life to someone who isstruggling to dispel the
distractions and the noise.
They give someone the strengthto break mental shackles,
unchain themselves from cursespassed down through generations
(20:40):
and reclaim their crown inpursuit of their purpose.
That's how we grow.
That's how we change thenarratives, that's how we
rebuild communities and stopallowing the powers at be to
water down our divine DNA.
We grow through meaningfulconnections, relevant
(21:01):
connections, quality connections, light field connections.
We grow when we have steadyaccess to people, places and
things that nourish our soul.
That is what keeps the fireburning when life goes full bar,
when everything seems to spiralinto chaos and has it not?
(21:23):
Do you not see what is happeningin your country and in others
around the world?
Do you not walk outside yourdoor and feel the hostility in
the air?
Everyone is on edge, waitingfor that spark.
Paranoia is embedded in us.
I was blessed to be an 80s babywhere I could ride my bike
(21:44):
across town if I wanted, stayout with friends until the
street light came on.
We didn't need constantsupervision, because the
community was the supervisionWord would get home before you
did about you misbehaving,because somebody was always
watching.
You knew what was up when youheard your first and middle name
(22:05):
when you walked in the house.
Lord, have mercy if a neighborwalks you home, but those days
they're gone.
We don't trust nothing or anyone.
Nobody is safe and anybody canget it.
If you don't see or recognizethis, I can't help you.
It's clear to see and it'seither denial or willful
(22:27):
ignorance.
Either way, I can't work witheither.
The world as we know it has acancer upon it and it has
metastasized, and that's whytransparency and authenticity is
more important than ever, sothat we can get to the root of
things, dig it up and grow up,elevate and start anew.
(22:49):
But the truth is so many of usgo unseen, so many go unheard.
People are suffering life'sattack in silence, with no one
to lean on, no one at home, noone at school, no one in our
immediate circle who can trulyunderstand our pain.
(23:11):
And that kind of silence, thatabandonment, it hurts in your
soul, it leaves a scar that timealone cannot heal.
I believe that someone outthere right now needs your voice
, needs to hear what you have tosay, so that they can find
their own.
That is what it means to be alight, to illuminate a path in
(23:35):
the darkness, even if just for amoment.
It's why I step up to this miceach time.
This is my purpose, my mission,the reason I talk so damn much,
the why, to the why I get so rawwith you all and challenge your
sensibilities.
This is why I'm dedicating thisseason to the fellas, the
(24:00):
brothers in the struggle, to theforgotten kings who often go
unseen, unheard, the ones whoare constantly misrepresented by
narratives that only speak oftheir failures, their pain and
their shortcomings.
I want to help these kingsshine their light, amplify their
voices and shift the narrativeso, instead of being trapped by
(24:23):
negativity, they can reclaimtheir power.
These are kings who have beenshackled by the world's judgment
, kings whose emotions have beenweaponized against them, who've
been forced to wear masks justto survive in a system that
tells them to be nothing morethan a statistic.
And if no one has told youlately, you matter.
(24:47):
Your silence does not make youweak, your vulnerability does
not make you soft.
Your truth is not too much.
You deserve to be heard, youdeserve to be held, you deserve
to be honored.
So this season, I'm passing themic not only so that you can
(25:09):
speak, so that you can be felt,because that is what moves
culture, that is what saveslives.
When your words reach someonewho has been isolated by their
struggles, when your storytouches their heart, that is
when real change starts.
I want to take a moment hereand remind you that every
(25:31):
challenge, every setback, everymoment of silence has led to
this powerful opportunity.
We are connecting throughstories.
We are forming a network ofvoices that break through the
barriers of isolation.
We are the ones who turn paininto purpose and darkness into
(25:52):
light.
I look back on my own journey,on days when the weight of the
world felt too heavy, when Ifelt like a mere bystander in my
own life.
But even in those moments ofdespair, I found a spark, a
spark that told me to speak, toshare, to not let these wounds
(26:12):
define me.
Every time I step into thisspace, I share not just my
successes but also my scars, sothat others may know that they
are not alone.
My scars so that others mayknow that they are not alone.
That raw honesty, that fearlessvulnerability is what makes us
human and what makes you kings.
(26:33):
I have had moments where Iquestioned the very nature of
reality, feeling like an actorin a play scripted by forces
beyond our control.
Yet each time, I chose toreclaim that stage.
I chose to break free from thedigital chains of a society that
only superficially celebratesconnection.
(26:54):
I choose to remind every personlistening that no system can
ever define.
We live in an era where socialmedia feeds us a stream of
curated images and hollow trends, a constant barrage of content
that numbs us and distracts usfrom the raw, unvarnished truth
(27:18):
of our experience.
It is another system, anothertrap that's layered.
Everything's designed as a trap, from the food you eat to the
music you stream, from the jobsyou don't get to the credit
scores you never asked toinherit Trapdoors on trapdoors,
a digital plantation where itsells connection but feeds
(27:41):
disconnection.
Algorithms disguised ascommunity and kids.
They're growing up in concretejungles, fed on screen time and
rage, desensitized to death andtrained by TikTok.
Numb to love Black boys get setup early.
Schools become cages, homesbecome battlegrounds, streets
(28:04):
become graveyards.
From birth, our boys are borninto systems that were never
meant for their freedom.
They test them in the thirdgrade to see if they should
build them a cell.
They grow up in homes missingfathers, some gone by force,
some gone by pain.
Some of them didn't lose theirfathers.
They never had one, and forthose who did, he might have
(28:29):
been too broken himself to teachyou how to build.
Raised by mothers carrying morethan their share of
generational weight and aninherent inability to raise a
man, creating a toxicenvironment that they take into
their adulthood, that they takeinto their adulthood, there is
(28:49):
no room in this world that givesblack boys the space to simply
be.
They turn to the internetgaming consoles, music videos
and memes for mentorship.
The timeline becomes a teacher,likes and reposts becomes
validation, while healing getsburied beneath hustle, humor and
heartbreak.
(29:10):
Social media, a modern-daypitfall that disguises itself as
a tool for connection andgrowth, but instead it creates
an echo chamber of division.
It amplifies negativestereotypes, pushes rhetoric
that is harmful and conditionsthese young minds to emulate the
worst parts of society, fromTikTok challenges to glorified
(29:33):
violence.
It's all there, broadcasting intheir faces day after day,
while they're bombarded withimages and videos that tell them
who they're supposed to be.
But it's not just the media,it's the education system, it's
the lack of resources, it's thefact that so many of these young
(29:54):
men have never learned how todream beyond survival.
We're not addressing the realroot of the problem the lack of
love, care and concern for theirlives and futures.
And how can we expect them tobe any different when the world
refuses to teach them how to beanything other than victims of a
(30:14):
system that's stacked againstthem?
We've seen how the system keepsyoung black boys locked in a
cycle of poverty, limitededucation and systemic
oppression.
Schools don't provide the toolsfor success and systemic
oppression.
Schools don't provide the toolsfor success.
They provide the tools forfailure.
From the cradle to the streets,they are forced into survival
(30:35):
mode.
The lack of opportunities meansthat the choice for many is
simple Survive or risk beingswallowed up by the very system
that set the trap.
The system doesn't fail them.
Once they're caught in it, itcontinues to tighten its grip,
ensuring that even if they dofind a way out, they are left
(30:56):
with scars that follow themeverywhere forever.
The school-to-prison pipeline isreal.
It's not a myth.
The truth is that it's easierfor young black boys to end up
incarcerated than it is for themto achieve success.
And for those who do make itout of the prison system, the
(31:18):
trauma lingers.
It sticks to them like gluesuffocating any dreams they've
managed to hold on to, and it'sso mentally mind-blowing.
It's tragically unfair, becausethey're just kids, kids who
haven't had a chance to grow, tolearn, to develop without being
burdened by circumstancesbeyond their control.
(31:43):
How many people ever considerthe true impact of growing up
without love, without family,without guidance?
It's this dysfunction, theabsence of healthy connection,
that breeds this cycle ofdestruction.
Then add in the pressure ofbiology, the developmental
(32:04):
changes happening in theirbodies and brains, impulses and
emotions they can't understandor control, and we wonder why
mental health in our communitiesis a crisis.
The problem isn't just onething, it's the entire
environment.
It's the mix of social media,toxic media, bad influences and
(32:26):
a lack of family support thatsets the stage for these kids to
fall prey to destructive paths.
How can we expect children whoare so vulnerable to understand
this on their own?
How can we expect them tothrive in an environment that
actively works against theirwell-being?
(32:47):
The moment a black boy islabeled as trouble, that label
sticks with him for life, fromthe schools to the streets.
The system tells him that he'snot worth much.
He's either a threat to societyor a problem that needs to be
fixed, that mental isolationstarts early, and once he's
caught up in the system, itbecomes even harder to break out
(33:11):
.
And that brings me to anotherpoint isolation.
Whether it's in prison or intheir own communities, isolation
is a killer.
It's been said that babiescannot survive outside the womb
without human touch.
Not survive outside the wombwithout human touch.
(33:33):
The energy, the healing thatcomes from simple touch is
irreplaceable.
But in prison or in manymarginalized communities, that
touch is absent.
These men are stripped of theirhumanity and left to exist in
their most primal form, broken.
Left to exist in their mostprimal form broken, angry, lost.
(33:54):
And when they're released theyreturn to a world that's moved
on without them, where they nolonger recognize the faces of
those they used to know theirlives had been frozen in time
while the world outside keptspinning.
How do you reconcile with that?
How do you return to a societyafter years in a system that's
reduced you to an animalisticstate?
(34:16):
How do you rebuildrelationships, especially when
you've lost touch with everyonewho once mattered?
It's not easy.
It's damn near impossible formost, especially when the world
around you is built to remindyou that you're nothing more
than a statistic.
Once you're out, the obstaclesare far from over.
(34:39):
The system doesn't just releaseyou and expect you to integrate
smoothly into society.
No, they set up barriers.
Barriers housing, employmentand basic human dignity.
If you've been to prison,you're branded, you're a felon,
and those barriers just don't goaway.
If you've got kids, you're hitwith child support obligations
(35:02):
you can't meet because you can'tget a job, and if you can't pay
it, you face even more legalconsequences.
So you say fuck it and go getit by any means necessary to not
be labeled as a deadbeat or abroke-ass nigga.
There's no escape, no room tobreathe.
(35:23):
It's a never-ending cycle andit's designed that way for the
isolation to appear never-ending.
So where do these men go?
Where are the resources to helpthem re-enter society?
Who can they turn to?
Some places offer transitionalprograms, halfway houses, but
(35:46):
many men come out and havenowhere to go, no one to turn to
, no one to trust and noopportunities.
They ask for a hand up and nota hand out, but hands are hiding
in plain sight.
It's a cruel cyclic processdesigned to keep them isolated
and to force them back into thesystem.
(36:08):
Recidivism it has always beenabout recidivism, never about
rehabilitation.
And, when they speak out, cryfor help if they ever do they're
met with.
He's weak, he's soft, he'ssassy.
You better man up, stop cryinglike a little bitch, like a
(36:29):
little girl, stop whining like ababy and be a man.
The truth is, many of theseboys and men have never had a
safe space to unpack whatthey've survived and or are
surviving.
And survival is not weakness,it's wisdom.
But the questions must be asked.
(36:51):
Where are the mentors?
Who's stepping up to help guidethese young men before they
fall too far into the system?
What roles does the communityplay in all of this?
How can we come together toform true fellowship, to support
each other?
Men can learn from other men,but can men form real
(37:15):
connections and help each otherstay sane in environments
designed to break them?
Iron sharpens iron.
That's the phrase we hear sooften.
But what happens when we don'thave the right kind of iron
around us?
What happens when the iron wehear so often?
But what happens when we don'thave the right kind of iron
around us?
What happens when the iron wesurround ourselves with only
sharpens our anger, bitternessand pain?
(37:37):
The truth is, many Black mendon't have the support they need
to grow, they don't havebrothers who are willing to help
them heal.
Too often, the only kind ofbrotherhood we see is based on
toughness, not vulnerability.
It's about who can carry themost weight, who can take the
most hits, who's the strongest.
(37:59):
But strength isn't just aboutmuscle.
It's about being able to breakdown your walls and let someone
help you build them back up.
Too many black men are stuck inthis cycle of competition
instead of collaboration.
They spend years thinking thattheir worth comes from how tough
they are, how hard they canfight or how much they can
(38:21):
endure.
I've actually had men tell meafter receiving prison time that
it wasn't nothing, that theycould handle that bid, that
they'll do that time.
You were not built for cages.
To think that you were built,that you were designed to be in
(38:42):
a cage?
What kind of reality are weliving in?
Iron can dull itself if it'sconstantly banging against the
wrong surface.
It's time for us to redefinewhat it means to sharpen each
other.
Real brotherhood and sisterhoodis about lifting each other up,
not tearing each other down.
(39:03):
Real strength comes from aplace of vulnerability and
empathy.
Black men need to stop seeingvulnerability as a weakness and
start seeing it as thefoundation for growth and
strength.
Brothers should heal together,not just fight together.
These are the questions thatneed answers.
(39:24):
The system isn't just breakingthese men down physically.
It's isolating them mentally,emotionally and spiritually from
the moment they enter the world.
This season, I'm shining a lighton the traps you don't even
know you're walking into Because, like that old board game
Mousetrap, the system is a slick, diabolical setup with traps
(39:46):
within traps within trapsDesigned to break your body,
mind and spirit until you complyor die or simply disappear.
Kings Unchained is a platformwhere I'll showcase those who
embody resilience, rawness andrealness.
These are the brothers who facebattles unseen by the world and
(40:08):
carry burdens others will neverunderstand.
But it's not just about hearingtheir stories.
It's about shifting thenarrative around what it means
to be a black man.
It's about breaking free fromstereotypes and reclaiming space
to express vulnerability,strength, joy and love on their
(40:29):
terms and putting some respectback on the name of Black men.
I'm bringing men who are notjust surviving, but men who are
breaking free from the chainsthat society has put on them.
These men come from all walksof life.
They are fathers, mentors,entrepreneurs, former gang
members turned community leaders, former felons who've turned
(40:53):
their lives around therapists,gamers, activists and more.
They're going to share theirstories, their struggles, their
growth and their healing.
Men who have gone throughtrauma and found a way to rise
above it, who've created theirown lanes and who are
unapologetically building alegacy of greatness.
(41:14):
These men have been through itall and now they're stepping
into their power.
Each guest brings somethingdifferent and no two episodes
will feel the same.
Each episode will dive deepinto a specific theme or issue
that is vital to the Black maleexperience.
We'll talk about fatherhood andwhat it means to be a Black
(41:35):
father in a society that oftendoesn't value Black lives.
We'll discuss mental health,something that too many Black
men avoid talking about.
We'll talk about relationships,how we love and are loved, and
how to navigate the complexdynamics between Black men and
women.
We'll talk about relationships,how we love and are loved, and
how to navigate the complexdynamics between Black men and
women.
We'll talk about success,failure and overcoming obstacles
(41:56):
, from those who have facedprison time to those who have
come out on the other side aspowerful entrepreneurs.
Dysfunctional families, thepsychological warfare of
fatherlessness, the cataclysmicclash between biology and broken
environments, social medias,digital chains designed as
connection, rage with no outlet,skin starvation and spiritual
(42:20):
isolation, the cost of returningto a world that's moved on
without you, and so much more.
I'm digging deep into the roots, into the traps, into the
cracks in the concrete where ourboys grow up without love,
without boundaries, withoutbeing seen as children.
I'm asking them who were youbefore the system got its hands
(42:42):
on you?
Who believed in you?
If anyone did at all?
How do you find peace inisolation when even a simple
human touch becomes a memory?
I want to ask about their ownexperiences growing up.
What were they like before theyfell into these traps?
What were their dreams?
Who was there to mentor them,to show them that there was
(43:05):
another way?
We never get the full story.
We see the outcome but not theorigin.
They label the man, but not theboy who was never allowed to
cry.
They judge the silence butnever ask what it costs to stay
quiet for so damn long.
I'm not just doing this to pointout the flaws in the system.
I'm here to change them.
(43:26):
This is about rebuilding, aboutshowing that there is not just
power in being Black, but thatbeing Black is power itself.
This is about forging a newfuture, one where Black men feel
free to be who they were alwaysmeant to be, no longer bound by
a system that profits off theirpain, their silence and their
(43:50):
suffering.
I'm not doing this tosensationalize pain or glorify
perfection.
I'm doing this to stand witnessto the humanity in Black
masculinity, to sit in virtualrooms where truth can breathe,
where healing can happen, notthrough performative soundbites
and scripted formats, butthrough real conversation.
(44:14):
This is about Black men whosenames we call when it's too late
, and the ones still breathing,still battling, still breaking
cycles in real time.
This is about connection,community conversation.
This is about honoring thevoices that don't fit neatly
into headlines or highlightreels.
(44:36):
It's raw, it's messy, it'shuman.
This is about pulling all ofthat and more to the surface.
It's about unlearning theconditioning.
It's about reminding our kingswho the hell they are.
That's the mission To holdspace for truth, to shine light
(44:58):
in places society tells us toforget To say the names of boys
turned men, locked away beforethey ever had a chance to live.
So this season we unchained thekings, and I'm doing that by
having the conversations theynever wanted us to have, Because
somewhere along the way westopped asking the real
(45:20):
questions.
I'm pulling the veil back onthe system within the system,
diving deep into prisonhierarchies, trauma, bonding the
brotherhood that forms whensurvival is all you've got.
We're talking about the price ofpride, the weight of absence,
the child left behind watchingtheir siblings go off with their
dad while they wait alone.
(45:41):
How that pain grows into anger,rebellion, self-harm or silence
, digital hustle and creativefreedom, accountability and
ancestral healing, brotherhood,betrayal Sexuality, building
legacy, owning your voice andstanding tall in your light.
(46:01):
We will also dive deep intolove and support Not just
romantic love, but the love thatheals, the love that builds,
the love that says you're worthyof everything good in this
world, no matter what anyoneelse says.
But many black men don't knowwhat it's like to experience
unconditional love.
(46:21):
They're taught that love is aweakness, that showing
vulnerability means you're softor less of a man.
The truth is real love isstrength.
Real love is the ability toopen up, to let someone else see
your scars and to trust thatthey will help you heal.
(46:42):
We need to redefine love withinthe black male experience.
Love is not just about sex orreceiving affection.
It's about healing, growing andlifting each other up.
The black community, especiallyblack men, need to be given
permission to love themselvesand each other in ways that
(47:03):
break away from toxicmasculinity.
Real love doesn't just comefrom the people around you.
It starts within.
When you love yourself, you cangive love freely.
And when you're surrounded bylove, healing becomes possible.
The role of Black women in thisis critical.
We must ask how can we supportour men, how can we be more
(47:25):
empathetic, more understandingof the traumas and struggles
they face, especially thosewho've been formerly
incarcerated?
These are the conversationsthat are vital for healing, for
bridging the gap between thepain of the past and the hope
for the future.
I'm a Black woman.
Woman and I know firsthand thehurt, pain and trauma that men
(47:47):
can cause.
I know how they can wound us,how they can leave scars that
sometimes feel impossible toheal.
But despite it all, I'm stillhere speaking to them, black men
, because I see them.
I see their pain, theirresilience, their strength.
I see their potential and Irefuse to let them stay hidden
(48:07):
in the shadows.
Black men, their survival isintertwined with our survival.
We need each other to rise.
This isn't just about themstepping into their power.
This is about us healingtogether.
This is about Black men andBlack women working in tandem to
create a future we both deserve.
(48:29):
They want us to forget that ourbloodlines run through kings,
queens, warriors, geniuses andvisionaries.
And finally, we'll talk aboutpride, the pride of Black men.
Where has it gone?
The pride that stood tall, mademen like Kutukente defy
oppression with nothing butwillpower and spirit?
(48:52):
We need to bring that back.
These traps, these systems aredesigned to rob them of their
pride, but it's still in them.
We just have to help them findit again.
We have to remind them who theyare and we have to remind
ourselves.
Every voice matters.
(49:13):
Every story is valuable, andit's time for Black men to start
sharing their stories, becausetheir experiences, their truths,
are the blueprint for oursurvival.
You're going to hear pain, butalso peace, redemption, rebirth,
real love.
(49:34):
You're going to hear power.
Power is not just something youpossess, but something you are.
This isn't just about talkingabout the struggles.
It's about understanding themand taking active steps to
overcome them.
But here's the thing Eventhough this season honors Black
men, it isn't just for Black men.
(49:57):
It's for everyone to see thatwe all, regardless of gender or
race, have a part to play inshifting the culture and
supporting each other.
It's about acknowledging theirworth, their resilience and the
beauty that lies in theirjourney.
It's about giving them aplatform to share not only their
pain, but their growth, theirhealing and their triumphs.
(50:20):
It's for everyone who believesin the power of community, for
everyone who believes in thepower of community, healing and
authenticity.
It's for those who want tounderstand the complexity of
Black manhood and the strugglesthat come with it, but also the
power and greatness that itholds.
I want to believe that, afterall of this, the message is
(50:40):
clear, but if it still isn't forsome, let me reiterate again I
am here to shine a light onBlack men, to honor them, to
amplify their voices, to givethem their space to speak their
truth, to tell their stories andredefine themselves on their
terms.
And truthfully, I've beensitting with this for a long
(51:04):
time, wondering, praying,reflecting about why now?
Why this moment?
Why do I, a soft, feminineblack woman, feel called to hold
space for black men in thisparticular way?
And the answer?
It's layered, because I've seenthe damage.
I've watched black boys grow upwithout seeing themselves
(51:27):
reflected in a light of truth.
I've seen black men wear masksfor so long that they forgot
their real face underneath, andI've seen black women, too,
learning how to protectthemselves from the unhealed
masculinity, all while cravingits sacred presence but
simultaneously existing in theirmasculine energy, praying for
(51:48):
softness.
I wanted to open up a space thatis healing for the collective,
where we unearth stories thatget buried beneath trauma, ego,
survival and performance, wherewe hear from real voices,
because the world keeps tryingto define black men without them
.
Mass media keeps scriptingtheir story, casting them as
(52:10):
threats or jokes, or stats.
Social media keeps encouragingthem to posture, to flex, to
sell themselves in clips,captions and for a get this
performance bonus.
I wonder if the pun wasintended.
And let me be clear this isn'ta fix.
The black man season.
(52:31):
This is, see, the black manseason.
This is about reminding ourbrothers of their divinity,
their royal ancestral DNA, theirpower to not just survive but
to thrive, to take up space torest, to feel, to be held
(52:53):
without fear or judgment.
So when I think about why I dothis, why I've dedicated this
space, this podcast, this entireseason, to you, my brothers, I
understand.
It's not just for you, it's forall of those who will hear your
voice, who will hear your story.
(53:14):
It's for the ones who will comeacross this message at just the
right moment, when their soulneeds it most.
Maybe they don't have a mentorto guide them, maybe they don't
have anyone who truly sees them,but through this they'll have
you.
They'll have your testimony,your journey, the blueprint, and
(53:35):
, trust me, your journey is notinsignificant.
The quiet battles, the dailywins that no one else sees, the
tears shed in solitude theymatter.
They matter more than yourealize.
Every step, every moment of pain, every small victory you have
(53:56):
is not only a part of your story, but a part of someone else's
survival guide.
You may not think it, you maynot even feel it, but you are
teaching, you are leading.
You are showing someone thatthere's another way to be, a way
to live outside of the trapssociety has set for you, outside
(54:19):
the narrow boxes they want toconfine you in.
You are showing them that blackmen can heal, can love, can
dream.
You are showing them that beinga man doesn't mean being cold,
doesn't mean being silent,doesn't mean being numb.
It means being human, andthat's something the world too
(54:40):
often forgets.
And for those who haven't hadthe chance to step into their
power yet, for those who stillfeel like they're being
swallowed by the weight of theworld.
Let me remind you this is notthe end of your story.
You are still here, you arestill breathing, and every
breath you take is proof thatyou've got more to give, more to
(55:03):
create, more to become.
When I say kings unchained, it'snot just a phrase, it's a call
to action, it's a call to breakfree, to redefine what it means
to be a black man, not based onthe narratives others have
written for them, but based onwho they truly are, in their
(55:24):
fullest, unfiltered,unapologetic humanity.
We are rewriting the script andwe are doing it together, and
so I'll keep coming back, I'llkeep speaking, keep sharing,
keep amplifying the voices thatare too often hushed by the
noise of this world, becausewhen we speak, when we take up
(55:46):
space, when we share our truth,we are creating a ripple that
would carry far beyond our reach.
The mission of Kings Unchainedis about telling a story we've
never fully heard.
These black men have been inthe trenches, some fighting for
survival, some fighting forpeace.
They'll teach us that healingisn't just linear, that black
(56:09):
men can be vulnerable withoutbeing weak, and that it's okay
to show up for yourself evenwhen the world expects you to
just keep moving.
They will challenge you, pushyou and inspire you.
These guests are not going tosugarcoat things.
They're not going to pretendthat everything's perfect.
(56:29):
They're going to tell you thetruth, the hard truth, but
they're also going to tell youhow they found strength in their
struggles.
For centuries we've beencarrying the weight of history
on our backs our fathers,mothers, grandparents and
ancestors.
We've carried the trauma, thegrief, the anger and the pride
(56:51):
of generations before us.
Yet we stand here, resilient,unbroken and still moving
forward.
We have to remember the valueof connection.
In a world that often seeks todivide us, in a world where we
are constantly told to compete,to isolate ourselves, to be
(57:13):
separate from one another, wemust stand firm in the belief
that connection is where truepower lies.
It is in our shared humanityand our shared experiences that
we find the strength to overcomeany challenge.
When we connect, we amplify ourvoices.
I believe in the power of ourvoices.
(57:37):
I believe in the beauty of ourconnections.
I believe that together we canchange the world, but it starts
with us.
It starts with each of uschoosing to speak up, to stand
strong, to challenge the storiesthat have been told about us
and to rewrite the narratives inour own image.
(57:58):
It starts with us creatingspace where everyone is seen,
where everyone is heard andwhere everyone can thrive.
Our voices matter.
I can't say it enough Ourvoices matter.
Know that your voice, yourstory, your struggle is the
(58:20):
light that can guide someone outof their darkness.
I know that the collectivepower of our voices is what will
pave the way for a future whereevery king and queen can stand
tall and unchained.
And if you're hearing this rightnow, I want you to do one thing
Pass it forward.
(58:40):
If you know a brother who'sbeen silent, tell him to tap in.
If you know someone who's beenfighting life alone, send him
this episode.
Let him know there's space forhim here.
And if you know a sister whoneeds her faith restored in
black men, send her here as well.
(59:00):
We don't heal in isolation.
We heal through community.
We heal through isolation.
We heal through community.
We heal through connection.
We heal through storytelling,raw and unfiltered, not watered
down, not edited for thealgorithms.
Stand with me, stand with eachother.
This is your time.
(59:21):
You are worthy of success.
You are worthy of love.
You are worthy of respect.
You are worthy of being theking you were always meant to be
.
I want you to take this momentto commit.
Commit to your healing, committo breaking the chains of trauma
(59:44):
, commit to being the bestversion of yourself For you, for
your family, for your communityand, most importantly, commit
to showing up for other Blackmen, because when Black men show
up for each other, they unlockthe full potential of our
collective greatness.
Iron sharpens iron, remember.
(01:00:06):
I know it's not easy, I knowthe journey feels heavy and
sometimes it feels like you'refighting this battle alone, but
trust me when I say you are notalone.
As a Black woman, I've seen thetrauma you carry.
I felt it in my bones.
Seen the trauma you carry, Ifelt it in my bones.
(01:00:32):
But here's the thing I stilllove you.
I still see the king in you.
Despite the wounds, despite thehurt, despite everything, I
know that within you is a forcegreater than anything this world
has ever seen.
You, black man, have beenstripped of your birthright, but
it's time to reclaim it.
The crown was never meant to betaken from you.
(01:00:54):
The trauma that has been passeddown through generations, the
wars that have been foughtagainst you, the systematic
efforts to break your spirit andsilence your potential they're
coming to an end.
We will reactivate the KingGene.
And what do I mean when I sayKing Gene?
(01:01:14):
I mean the very essence of whoyou are Innate strength,
resilience, intelligence andpurpose that resides in your DNA
.
It's about reconnecting withthat gene, that deep, ancient
and primal energy that says I ama king, a lion, and I have
(01:01:37):
everything I need to rise.
We will unlock that powertogether and set the stage for
the next generation of Blackkings to build, not just survive
, but thrive.
So if you're ready to change thenarrative, if you're ready to
be a part of something biggerthan yourself, here's what I ask
Stay locked in, subscribe,share, show up, grab the merch
(01:02:04):
that carries message and ifsomething moves, you reach out.
This isn't just for consumption, it's for community.
This is the beginning ofsomething powerful.
The first conversation drops ina few weeks, so stay right here
with me.
Until then, never forget youare seen, you are heard, you are
(01:02:28):
a king.
But if you do, I'll be here toremind you.
Well, kings and queens, aspromised, here we are on the
other side of another rabbithole.
The other side of anotherrabbit hole, safe and sound.
I know it was heavy, I know itwas a lot.
(01:02:49):
So if you hung in with me forits entirety, I see you, I love
you and I thank you.
Thank you for being here, forbeing present, for being
invested in this mission.
I'm not going to keep you longin this outro, especially after
dropping over 9,000 words thatjust poured out of me in
(01:03:11):
preparation for this season.
But I do need to make thisclear Just because these
conversations are honoring Blackmen doesn't mean they're only
for Black men.
These episodes are for everyoneto listen, to learn, to heal,
(01:03:31):
because when kings step intotheir power, we all rise.
That's the mission, that's theassignment.
Kings Unchained Chapter 3, willreturn week after next with our
very first conversation with ablack king and a dope soul.
I'm still deciding who I'lldrop first, but, honestly, every
(01:03:54):
conversation I've recorded sofar and I know the ones that are
still coming are nothing shortof divine.
They're rich, they're real andI'll know they'll resonate.
I'm here to sound the alarm.
I'm sending y'all a smokesignal.
This is my code blue.
(01:04:15):
I need all hands on deck.
I need your support, I needyour love.
I need your ears, your shares,your comments.
This is more than a podcast.
This is a movement.
Let's flood these digitalplantations with content of
substance, content that vibrateshigher, that lifts people up,
(01:04:39):
not tear them down.
If you haven't already, pleasesubscribe, leave a review and
share this episode.
Mamba Ron, unfiltered, isstreaming on all major platforms
for your listening, pleasureand elevation.
Drop your feedback and help mefight a machine that keeps
pushing negativity and divisionday after day, scroll after
(01:05:03):
scroll.
I can't fight this fight alone,so help me, help Black Kings,
help the world by sharing thesestories, by amplifying these
voices, by pushing this contentto the front of the algorithm,
because time is critical and Idon't know how much of it we
(01:05:24):
have left, but what I do know isthat I'll be here doing my best
to stay ready, so we never haveto get ready Until next time.
You know the drill Be good, besafe, stay healthy, stay
dangerous.
I love you.
Oh, and before I go, don'tforget, drink your water.
(01:05:49):
Water is life, peace, love andlight.
Bye.
Hello kings and queens.
It's your favorite girl, BlakkMomba, and I am back from hiatus
sooner than I expected, to behonest.
But for those who've beenrocking with me these past few
years, you probably already knowwhy my spirit moved me to come
back.
I can't explain what exactlytriggered it.
(00:45):
Maybe it was divine timing,maybe it was alignment.
All I know is something told medrop everything and dedicate an
entire season to black men.
And I listened.
And when I say this cametogether fast, I mean fast.
in two days flat.
(01:05):
The concept, the visuals, thepromos I was in a state of hyper
focus.
All of it poured out of me likea creative fugue.
I've been doing my absolutebest to honor black men.
I love y'all so much,everything about you your skin,
your smiles, your stature, theway you walk, the way you talk,
(01:29):
the style, the swag, the soul.
There is nothing on this earthlike a black man and no matter
how many times I've been hurt,harmed or disappointed, nothing
has ever been strong enough tokill my love for you.
I'll never stop loving Blackmen.
This is my offering, myexpression, my way of wrapping
(01:54):
my arms around every single oneof you, even though they aren't
big enough.
All I have is this voice, and Ipray that it's enough.
Before we dive fully into theseason, I want to share the why
behind Kings Unchained themission, the vision, the purpose
(02:15):
, the endgame.
I've written over 9,000 wordstoday, free thought, free
expression, complete soul work,and it just flowed out of me.
I had to force myself to stopand I want you to hear it before
I start this new chapter,because knowing the why can
(02:37):
shift everything.
So I thank you.
Thank you for giving me yourear, your time, your attention
today.
Thank you so much for tappingin with me on my Baran
Unfiltered, for diving downrabbit holes with me and
trusting me to navigate you tothe other side.
This is one long rabbit hole,but I promise, if you stay
(03:02):
locked in, you're going towitness conversations that are
transformative, conversationsthat are necessary,
conversations that are longoverdue.
So, without further ado, allowme to officially introduce Kings
Unchained, chapter 3.
Are you ready?
Sit back, relax and prepare tojump down the rabbit hole with
(03:27):
your girl.
I'll see you on the other side.
Peace.
They put you in a trap and callit the hood.
(03:49):
The hood, a place, a word, astigma.
It's the image of blacknessthat has been formed for you.
But what does it really mean tolive there?
The word itself holds so muchweight, not just physically but
mentally.
The hood is a place that's beenused to confine and restrict,
(04:16):
to stereotype and label.
It's a trap, not just ingeography but in the mind, a
trap of limited expectations,limited dreams and limited
access to the world.
Outside of that box, it becomesa mental state.
More than a place, it's a label, and that label is meant to
keep you small, keep youthinking that this is all you're
(04:40):
supposed to be.
But the truth is there's somuch more to you.
Your essence isn't defined bywhere you come from.
Your value is not determined bythe environment you're raised
in or the challenges you face.
You are more than yoursurroundings, more than your
(05:00):
circumstances, more than the boxthe world tries to put you in.
You were born with a purposethat stretches far beyond the
label of hood and it's time toreclaim that power.
Religion became a cage disguisedas salvation.
Religion can be a beautifulthing when it connects you to a
(05:22):
higher purpose, but too oftenit's used as a tool to control.
It's fed to you with stringsattached, used to bind you in a
way that keeps you in that sameloop.
It teaches you to obey, but notnecessarily to question.
It teaches you humility, butnot always self-love.
(05:43):
It teaches sacrifice, but oftenwithout teaching you to also
honor your worth.
Religion should never be achain.
It should never teach you todeny yourself or silence your
pain.
It should never hold you backfrom your true potential.
Faith should lift you up, nothold you down.
(06:06):
We need a faith that empowersus to rise, to break chains, to
step into our divine purpose.
Loyalty turned into a leashdisguised as love.
Loyalty is supposed to be aboutstanding by those who stand
with you, but too often loyaltybecomes an expectation, a burden
(06:28):
that weighs on your heart, andit's easy to get caught in
loyalty to the wrong things orpeople who don't have your best
interest at heart.
Loyalty becomes a trap when itforces you to stay small, to
compromise your worth or to bendfor people who don't bend for
you.
Loyalty should never come atthe cost of your peace, your
(06:51):
dignity or your growth.
Loyalty starts with yourself.
If you can't be loyal to whoyou truly are, to your dreams,
to your value, then how can yoube loyal to anyone else?
They taught you silence withstrength and numbness, survival.
This is one of the mostdangerous traps, because when
(07:14):
you stop feeling, when you stopacknowledging your emotions, you
stop being human.
You become a robot, a machineprogrammed to endure and to
carry out without everprocessing or reflecting.
They teach you not to cry, notto show weakness.
They tell you don't express,don't let them see you hurt.
(07:37):
But where is the strength inhiding yourself?
Where is the power inpretending to be something
you're not?
Emotions are a part of you.
They are not a weakness, theyare your truth.
When you embrace your emotions,you embrace your humanity.
Yet they tell you to shut upand keep moving.
(07:59):
They tell you that emotions area distraction.
They tell you that feelings arethe enemy.
Do you know that every time youswallow that pain, it becomes a
part of you not to heal but torot?
What if those feelings that pain, those very emotions we try so
(08:22):
hard to bury, are the key to ourfreedom?
What if embracing them is theway out of the trap?
What if your emotions, thoseraw and real parts of you, were
the answers to the questionsyou've been asking your entire
life?
What if the man you've beenwaiting for, strong life?
(08:49):
What if the man you've beenwaiting for strong, whole,
healed and authentic is alreadyinside of you, just waiting for
you to give him space to rise?
They make you feel like you haveto be all things at once
Provider, protector, leader.
And sure you can do all of that.
But what they don't tell you isthat in order to provide,
protect and lead, you first haveto be whole.
(09:11):
You have to be healed, you haveto be in touch with yourself,
because if you're broken, youcan only give pieces of yourself
.
If you're hurt, you can onlyprotect parts of others.
And if you're not being true toyourself, you can't truly lead
anyone.
You can't inspire anyone, youcan't make a real impact.
(09:35):
And that's the game they'vebeen playing.
They want you to play the part,but they don't want you to
realize that the part is a lie.
They don't want you to see thatthe trap is an illusion, a
system designed to keep you busy, distracted, tired and numb.
And when you're numb, you stopquestioning, you stop asking for
(10:00):
more, you stop dreaming.
What would it look like if youtook off the armor and let
yourself breathe?
What would it look like if youstop holding it all in, if you
stop trying to save everyoneelse first and allow yourself to
heal.
What if you allowed your scarsto show, ours to show?
(10:29):
What if you wore them withpride instead of shame?
Imagine the freedom, imaginethe peace, imagine the
possibilities, because you,brother, are meant for more than
survival.
You were born for greatness.
Not the over-polished,over-filtered, media-sanitized
version of you, not thevillainized, feared,
misunderstood version either.
But you, the real you, thelaughing you, the grieving you,
(10:55):
the healed you, the broken you,the raw you, the divine you, the
little boy in you, the god inyou.
Real power comes fromself-awareness, from knowing
when to stand firm and when tobend, from knowing when to be
strong and when to be tender.
(11:17):
Strength is not just about whatyou can hold on to.
It's also about what you canlet go of.
Your emotions are the toolsthat guide you through that
journey.
So don't hide from them, don'tbury them.
Let them help you heal.
But what does that even meanwhen you've never seen a man
love out loud, when you've neverseen a man heal in public, when
(11:42):
you've never seen a man affirmanother without feeling
threatened?
What does it mean when you'veonly seen men escape?
Escape through women, escapethrough work, escape through war
, escape through worship, escapethrough the weekend, escape
through 2K, cod or Madden.
(12:02):
Escape through trucking, escapethrough drug, alcohol and sex
addiction.
Escape through suicide.
The trap is louder than thetruth.
And yet here you are stillstanding, breathing, building,
trying.
(12:22):
You were never supposed tosurvive, but you did.
You still are.
You don't need to be perfect tobe powerful.
You don't need to be silent tobe strong.
You don't need to be cold to berespected.
You don't need to numbeverything just to get through
(12:42):
the day.
You don't have to be defined bywhat broke you.
You don't have to carry painjust to prove you're still a man
.
Who are you outside thestruggle?
What do you want beyond thedrama?
When was the last time you sawyourself not just as a fighter,
(13:04):
but as a dreamer, a lover, acreator, a king?
They teach you how to trap pain,not process it.
They teach you how to performstrength, not embody it.
They teach you how to show upfor others, not for yourself.
They call you angry but you'regrieving.
(13:27):
They call you aggressive butyou're aching.
They say you're dangerous, butyou're divine.
You are touch-starved,affection-deprived boys who
learn love through punishmentand power through violence.
(13:48):
You are not your past.
You are not a statistic.
You are a story still unfolding, a soul that deserves peace.
You are a king unchained.
This space is for you, A placewhere we remember what was
(14:19):
stolen, reclaim what was lostand redefine what it means to be
a black man in a world thatonly fears your reflection.
Welcome to the unlearning,welcome to the remembering,
welcome to the healing, welcometo Kings Unchained.
This season is for the brotherswho've been unseen, unheard,
unloved.
Kings I'll never know but feeldeeply connected to.
They are out there.
(14:40):
That realization hits me like atidal wave.
There, that realization hits melike a tidal wave.
There are countless souls over8 billion of them in this world.
Sometimes that vast numbermakes me feel like an NPC in a
simulation, like I'm mentallyliving in a virtual reality
where purpose and possibilityare hidden until they reveal
(15:01):
themselves like an easter egg.
We don't know what we don't knowuntil we know it, and that is
why we need more storytellerslending power through their
voice, and not just anystorytellers, but those who
aren't afraid to speak up forwhat's uncomfortable, what's
unseen and what'sunderrepresented.
(15:22):
We need to hear your story.
Even if the world may neverlisten to it, someone, somewhere
, will hear it and it willchange them.
And when that happens, you'llnever know how far your story
will travel, how many lives itwill impact or who it will set
free.
That's the power of your voice.
(15:46):
I don't take it lightly thatthere are people in 23 countries
and countless cities tapping into hear me talk Like what?
And still I ask myself who arethese people listening to me
talk about pain, purpose andlife as I see it?
Because I can talk, and I tellpeople every day that this is
(16:09):
why I started a podcast, so Ican talk as much as I want to.
I may come off jokingly when Isay I talk a lot and that's why
I started a podcast, buttruthfully, this podcast became
my vessel, a space to transformpain and purpose into something
that not only can be felt, butheard and remembered in a world
(16:32):
that silences truth.
And who's going to stop me?
Anyway, you can mute me, youcan turn me off right now, and I
won't even know.
And guess what?
That's perfectly okay.
That simply means that thispodcast isn't for you, and
that's fine.
I know that I'm not everybody'scup of tea, but I am for the
(16:56):
out there.
Tuning in Numbers don't lie.
There is an audience foreverybody, a lane for every
single one of us.
When I first started thispodcast journey, people said
everybody in, they mama's mamagot a podcast or it's just a
trend, and ain't no telling whatthose close to me thought.
(17:17):
But I didn't let that stop me.
I chose to jump down the rabbithole hot and heavy.
Just because it's crowdeddoesn't mean there's no room.
Look at traffic in places likeBoston, chicago or LA it's heavy
right.
Still, people find a way tomove, they merge, they push
(17:38):
through, they create space.
That's exactly what I chose todo Find a way to swerve, take up
space, claim it and create myown lane.
I didn't wait for permission.
I didn't follow any setblueprint.
I didn't let anyone tell me ifI belonged or not.
I did not follow thetraditional rules of podcasting.
(18:00):
I don't have a 10-step plan.
I don't have a six-montheditorial calendar or topics
planned out for the next sixmonths.
I move when my spirit tells meto.
I speak when it hits me.
I record only when my energy isaligned with my voice.
I never know when I'm going torecord or with whom, or even
(18:23):
what I'll talk about, untilsomething moves me deep inside,
like this project did.
There's no true format here,only raw, unfiltered expression,
free thought.
I call myself an unprofessionalprofessional.
My calendar might not alwaysalign, my calendar might not
always align, my studio may notshine with perfection, I'm
(18:47):
forgetful even when I writethings down or set an alarm.
But I am real.
I am a real person just likeyou, a perfect imperfection.
I know my heart, how I move andwhy this platform, my space.
It reflects exactly that.
(19:08):
I let the content speak for mebecause it is me.
My audience is full of realpeople who want to hear real
voices, voices that resonatewith their experiences, their
struggles and their victories.
That is why your voice matters,because through every note of
(19:29):
truth that you share, thenarrative changes, life changes,
the world changes, one story ata time.
It won't be through role modelsor celebrities or entertainers.
Their lives are so far removedfrom mine and I don't begrudge
them that.
But there is a way to elevateyour status in life and stay
(19:53):
humble, but most aren't.
Their lives don't reflect orlook like mine.
Yet we say representationmatters.
Well, where are the people thatlook like me, live like me,
everyday people living the humanexperience just like me?
Your testimony is vital, even ifI never hear it directly.
(20:16):
Someone else will, and whenthey do, they will pay it
forward.
Your words, extracted from thedepths of your experience, give
life to someone who isstruggling to dispel the
distractions and the noise.
They give someone the strengthto break mental shackles,
unchain themselves from cursespassed down through generations
(20:40):
and reclaim their crown inpursuit of their purpose.
That's how we grow.
That's how we change thenarratives, that's how we
rebuild communities and stopallowing the powers at be to
water down our divine DNA.
We grow through meaningfulconnections, relevant
(21:01):
connections, quality connections, light field connections.
We grow when we have steadyaccess to people, places and
things that nourish our soul.
That is what keeps the fireburning when life goes full bar,
when everything seems to spiralinto chaos and has it not?
(21:23):
Do you not see what is happeningin your country and in others
around the world?
Do you not walk outside yourdoor and feel the hostility in
the air?
Everyone is on edge, waitingfor that spark.
Paranoia is embedded in us.
I was blessed to be an 80s babywhere I could ride my bike
(21:44):
across town if I wanted, stayout with friends until the
street light came on.
We didn't need constantsupervision, because the
community was the supervisionWord would get home before you
did about you misbehaving,because somebody was always
watching.
You knew what was up when youheard your first and middle name
(22:05):
when you walked in the house.
Lord, have mercy if a neighborwalks you home, but those days
they're gone.
We don't trust nothing or anyone.
Nobody is safe and anybody canget it.
If you don't see or recognizethis, I can't help you.
It's clear to see and it'seither denial or willful
(22:27):
ignorance.
Either way, I can't work witheither.
The world as we know it has acancer upon it and it has
metastasized, and that's whytransparency and authenticity is
more important than ever, sothat we can get to the root of
things, dig it up and grow up,elevate and start anew.
(22:49):
But the truth is so many of usgo unseen, so many go unheard.
People are suffering life'sattack in silence, with no one
to lean on, no one at home, noone at school, no one in our
immediate circle who can trulyunderstand our pain.
(23:11):
And that kind of silence, thatabandonment, it hurts in your
soul, it leaves a scar that timealone cannot heal.
I believe that someone outthere right now needs your voice
, needs to hear what you have tosay, so that they can find
their own.
That is what it means to be alight, to illuminate a path in
(23:35):
the darkness, even if just for amoment.
It's why I step up to this miceach time.
This is my purpose, my mission,the reason I talk so damn much,
the why, to the why I get so rawwith you all and challenge your
sensibilities.
This is why I'm dedicating thisseason to the fellas, the
(24:00):
brothers in the struggle, to theforgotten kings who often go
unseen, unheard, the ones whoare constantly misrepresented by
narratives that only speak oftheir failures, their pain and
their shortcomings.
I want to help these kingsshine their light, amplify their
voices and shift the narrativeso, instead of being trapped by
(24:23):
negativity, they can reclaimtheir power.
These are kings who have beenshackled by the world's judgment
, kings whose emotions have beenweaponized against them, who've
been forced to wear masks justto survive in a system that
tells them to be nothing morethan a statistic.
And if no one has told youlately, you matter.
(24:47):
Your silence does not make youweak, your vulnerability does
not make you soft.
Your truth is not too much.
You deserve to be heard, youdeserve to be held, you deserve
to be honored.
So this season, I'm passing themic not only so that you can
(25:09):
speak, so that you can be felt,because that is what moves
culture, that is what saveslives.
When your words reach someonewho has been isolated by their
struggles, when your storytouches their heart, that is
when real change starts.
I want to take a moment hereand remind you that every
(25:31):
challenge, every setback, everymoment of silence has led to
this powerful opportunity.
We are connecting throughstories.
We are forming a network ofvoices that break through the
barriers of isolation.
We are the ones who turn paininto purpose and darkness into
(25:52):
light.
I look back on my own journey,on days when the weight of the
world felt too heavy, when Ifelt like a mere bystander in my
own life.
But even in those moments ofdespair, I found a spark, a
spark that told me to speak, toshare, to not let these wounds
(26:12):
define me.
Every time I step into thisspace, I share not just my
successes but also my scars, sothat others may know that they
are not alone.
My scars so that others mayknow that they are not alone.
That raw honesty, that fearlessvulnerability is what makes us
human and what makes you kings.
(26:33):
I have had moments where Iquestioned the very nature of
reality, feeling like an actorin a play scripted by forces
beyond our control.
Yet each time, I chose toreclaim that stage.
I chose to break free from thedigital chains of a society that
only superficially celebratesconnection.
(26:54):
I choose to remind every personlistening that no system can
ever define.
We live in an era where socialmedia feeds us a stream of
curated images and hollow trends, a constant barrage of content
that numbs us and distracts usfrom the raw, unvarnished truth
(27:18):
of our experience.
It is another system, anothertrap that's layered.
Everything's designed as a trap, from the food you eat to the
music you stream, from the jobsyou don't get to the credit
scores you never asked toinherit Trapdoors on trapdoors,
a digital plantation where itsells connection but feeds
(27:41):
disconnection.
Algorithms disguised ascommunity and kids.
They're growing up in concretejungles, fed on screen time and
rage, desensitized to death andtrained by TikTok.
Numb to love Black boys get setup early.
Schools become cages, homesbecome battlegrounds, streets
(28:04):
become graveyards.
From birth, our boys are borninto systems that were never
meant for their freedom.
They test them in the thirdgrade to see if they should
build them a cell.
They grow up in homes missingfathers, some gone by force,
some gone by pain.
Some of them didn't lose theirfathers.
They never had one, and forthose who did, he might have
(28:29):
been too broken himself to teachyou how to build.
Raised by mothers carrying morethan their share of
generational weight and aninherent inability to raise a
man, creating a toxicenvironment that they take into
their adulthood, that they takeinto their adulthood, there is
(28:49):
no room in this world that givesblack boys the space to simply
be.
They turn to the internetgaming consoles, music videos
and memes for mentorship.
The timeline becomes a teacher,likes and reposts becomes
validation, while healing getsburied beneath hustle, humor and
heartbreak.
(29:10):
Social media, a modern-daypitfall that disguises itself as
a tool for connection andgrowth, but instead it creates
an echo chamber of division.
It amplifies negativestereotypes, pushes rhetoric
that is harmful and conditionsthese young minds to emulate the
worst parts of society, fromTikTok challenges to glorified
(29:33):
violence.
It's all there, broadcasting intheir faces day after day,
while they're bombarded withimages and videos that tell them
who they're supposed to be.
But it's not just the media,it's the education system, it's
the lack of resources, it's thefact that so many of these young
(29:54):
men have never learned how todream beyond survival.
We're not addressing the realroot of the problem the lack of
love, care and concern for theirlives and futures.
And how can we expect them tobe any different when the world
refuses to teach them how to beanything other than victims of a
(30:14):
system that's stacked againstthem?
We've seen how the system keepsyoung black boys locked in a
cycle of poverty, limitededucation and systemic
oppression.
Schools don't provide the toolsfor success and systemic
oppression.
Schools don't provide the toolsfor success.
They provide the tools forfailure.
From the cradle to the streets,they are forced into survival
(30:35):
mode.
The lack of opportunities meansthat the choice for many is
simple Survive or risk beingswallowed up by the very system
that set the trap.
The system doesn't fail them.
Once they're caught in it, itcontinues to tighten its grip,
ensuring that even if they dofind a way out, they are left
(30:56):
with scars that follow themeverywhere forever.
The school-to-prison pipeline isreal.
It's not a myth.
The truth is that it's easierfor young black boys to end up
incarcerated than it is for themto achieve success.
And for those who do make itout of the prison system, the
(31:18):
trauma lingers.
It sticks to them like gluesuffocating any dreams they've
managed to hold on to, and it'sso mentally mind-blowing.
It's tragically unfair, becausethey're just kids, kids who
haven't had a chance to grow, tolearn, to develop without being
burdened by circumstancesbeyond their control.
(31:43):
How many people ever considerthe true impact of growing up
without love, without family,without guidance?
It's this dysfunction, theabsence of healthy connection,
that breeds this cycle ofdestruction.
Then add in the pressure ofbiology, the developmental
(32:04):
changes happening in theirbodies and brains, impulses and
emotions they can't understandor control, and we wonder why
mental health in our communitiesis a crisis.
The problem isn't just onething, it's the entire
environment.
It's the mix of social media,toxic media, bad influences and
(32:26):
a lack of family support thatsets the stage for these kids to
fall prey to destructive paths.
How can we expect children whoare so vulnerable to understand
this on their own?
How can we expect them tothrive in an environment that
actively works against theirwell-being?
(32:47):
The moment a black boy islabeled as trouble, that label
sticks with him for life, fromthe schools to the streets.
The system tells him that he'snot worth much.
He's either a threat to societyor a problem that needs to be
fixed, that mental isolationstarts early, and once he's
caught up in the system, itbecomes even harder to break out
(33:11):
.
And that brings me to anotherpoint isolation.
Whether it's in prison or intheir own communities, isolation
is a killer.
It's been said that babiescannot survive outside the womb
without human touch.
Not survive outside the wombwithout human touch.
(33:33):
The energy, the healing thatcomes from simple touch is
irreplaceable.
But in prison or in manymarginalized communities, that
touch is absent.
These men are stripped of theirhumanity and left to exist in
their most primal form, broken.
Left to exist in their mostprimal form broken, angry, lost.
(33:54):
And when they're released theyreturn to a world that's moved
on without them, where they nolonger recognize the faces of
those they used to know theirlives had been frozen in time
while the world outside keptspinning.
How do you reconcile with that?
How do you return to a societyafter years in a system that's
reduced you to an animalisticstate?
(34:16):
How do you rebuildrelationships, especially when
you've lost touch with everyonewho once mattered?
It's not easy.
It's damn near impossible formost, especially when the world
around you is built to remindyou that you're nothing more
than a statistic.
Once you're out, the obstaclesare far from over.
(34:39):
The system doesn't just releaseyou and expect you to integrate
smoothly into society.
No, they set up barriers.
Barriers housing, employmentand basic human dignity.
If you've been to prison,you're branded, you're a felon,
and those barriers just don't goaway.
If you've got kids, you're hitwith child support obligations
(35:02):
you can't meet because you can'tget a job, and if you can't pay
it, you face even more legalconsequences.
So you say fuck it and go getit by any means necessary to not
be labeled as a deadbeat or abroke-ass nigga.
There's no escape, no room tobreathe.
(35:23):
It's a never-ending cycle andit's designed that way for the
isolation to appear never-ending.
So where do these men go?
Where are the resources to helpthem re-enter society?
Who can they turn to?
Some places offer transitionalprograms, halfway houses, but
(35:46):
many men come out and havenowhere to go, no one to turn to
, no one to trust and noopportunities.
They ask for a hand up and nota hand out, but hands are hiding
in plain sight.
It's a cruel cyclic processdesigned to keep them isolated
and to force them back into thesystem.
(36:08):
Recidivism it has always beenabout recidivism, never about
rehabilitation.
And, when they speak out, cryfor help if they ever do they're
met with.
He's weak, he's soft, he'ssassy.
You better man up, stop cryinglike a little bitch, like a
(36:29):
little girl, stop whining like ababy and be a man.
The truth is, many of theseboys and men have never had a
safe space to unpack whatthey've survived and or are
surviving.
And survival is not weakness,it's wisdom.
But the questions must be asked.
(36:51):
Where are the mentors?
Who's stepping up to help guidethese young men before they
fall too far into the system?
What roles does the communityplay in all of this?
How can we come together toform true fellowship, to support
each other?
Men can learn from other men,but can men form real
(37:15):
connections and help each otherstay sane in environments
designed to break them?
Iron sharpens iron.
That's the phrase we hear sooften.
But what happens when we don'thave the right kind of iron
around us?
What happens when the iron wehear so often?
But what happens when we don'thave the right kind of iron
around us?
What happens when the iron wesurround ourselves with only
sharpens our anger, bitternessand pain?
(37:37):
The truth is, many Black mendon't have the support they need
to grow, they don't havebrothers who are willing to help
them heal.
Too often, the only kind ofbrotherhood we see is based on
toughness, not vulnerability.
It's about who can carry themost weight, who can take the
most hits, who's the strongest.
(37:59):
But strength isn't just aboutmuscle.
It's about being able to breakdown your walls and let someone
help you build them back up.
Too many black men are stuck inthis cycle of competition
instead of collaboration.
They spend years thinking thattheir worth comes from how tough
they are, how hard they canfight or how much they can
(38:21):
endure.
I've actually had men tell meafter receiving prison time that
it wasn't nothing, that theycould handle that bid, that
they'll do that time.
You were not built for cages.
To think that you were built,that you were designed to be in
(38:42):
a cage?
What kind of reality are weliving in?
Iron can dull itself if it'sconstantly banging against the
wrong surface.
It's time for us to redefinewhat it means to sharpen each
other.
Real brotherhood and sisterhoodis about lifting each other up,
not tearing each other down.
(39:03):
Real strength comes from aplace of vulnerability and
empathy.
Black men need to stop seeingvulnerability as a weakness and
start seeing it as thefoundation for growth and
strength.
Brothers should heal together,not just fight together.
These are the questions thatneed answers.
(39:24):
The system isn't just breakingthese men down physically.
It's isolating them mentally,emotionally and spiritually from
the moment they enter the world.
This season, I'm shining a lighton the traps you don't even
know you're walking into Because, like that old board game
Mousetrap, the system is a slick, diabolical setup with traps
(39:46):
within traps within trapsDesigned to break your body,
mind and spirit until you complyor die or simply disappear.
Kings Unchained is a platformwhere I'll showcase those who
embody resilience, rawness andrealness.
These are the brothers who facebattles unseen by the world and
(40:08):
carry burdens others will neverunderstand.
But it's not just about hearingtheir stories.
It's about shifting thenarrative around what it means
to be a black man.
It's about breaking free fromstereotypes and reclaiming space
to express vulnerability,strength, joy and love on their
(40:29):
terms and putting some respectback on the name of Black men.
I'm bringing men who are notjust surviving, but men who are
breaking free from the chainsthat society has put on them.
These men come from all walksof life.
They are fathers, mentors,entrepreneurs, former gang
members turned community leaders, former felons who've turned
(40:53):
their lives around therapists,gamers, activists and more.
They're going to share theirstories, their struggles, their
growth and their healing.
Men who have gone throughtrauma and found a way to rise
above it, who've created theirown lanes and who are
unapologetically building alegacy of greatness.
(41:14):
These men have been through itall and now they're stepping
into their power.
Each guest brings somethingdifferent and no two episodes
will feel the same.
Each episode will dive deepinto a specific theme or issue
that is vital to the Black maleexperience.
We'll talk about fatherhood andwhat it means to be a Black
(41:35):
father in a society that oftendoesn't value Black lives.
We'll discuss mental health,something that too many Black
men avoid talking about.
We'll talk about relationships,how we love and are loved, and
how to navigate the complexdynamics between Black men and
women.
We'll talk about relationships,how we love and are loved, and
how to navigate the complexdynamics between Black men and
women.
We'll talk about success,failure and overcoming obstacles
(41:56):
, from those who have facedprison time to those who have
come out on the other side aspowerful entrepreneurs.
Dysfunctional families, thepsychological warfare of
fatherlessness, the cataclysmicclash between biology and broken
environments, social medias,digital chains designed as
connection, rage with no outlet,skin starvation and spiritual
(42:20):
isolation, the cost of returningto a world that's moved on
without you, and so much more.
I'm digging deep into the roots, into the traps, into the
cracks in the concrete where ourboys grow up without love,
without boundaries, withoutbeing seen as children.
I'm asking them who were youbefore the system got its hands
(42:42):
on you?
Who believed in you?
If anyone did at all?
How do you find peace inisolation when even a simple
human touch becomes a memory?
I want to ask about their ownexperiences growing up.
What were they like before theyfell into these traps?
What were their dreams?
Who was there to mentor them,to show them that there was
(43:05):
another way?
We never get the full story.
We see the outcome but not theorigin.
They label the man, but not theboy who was never allowed to
cry.
They judge the silence butnever ask what it costs to stay
quiet for so damn long.
I'm not just doing this to pointout the flaws in the system.
I'm here to change them.
(43:26):
This is about rebuilding, aboutshowing that there is not just
power in being Black, but thatbeing Black is power itself.
This is about forging a newfuture, one where Black men feel
free to be who they were alwaysmeant to be, no longer bound by
a system that profits off theirpain, their silence and their
(43:50):
suffering.
I'm not doing this tosensationalize pain or glorify
perfection.
I'm doing this to stand witnessto the humanity in Black
masculinity, to sit in virtualrooms where truth can breathe,
where healing can happen, notthrough performative soundbites
and scripted formats, butthrough real conversation.
(44:14):
This is about Black men whosenames we call when it's too late
, and the ones still breathing,still battling, still breaking
cycles in real time.
This is about connection,community conversation.
This is about honoring thevoices that don't fit neatly
into headlines or highlightreels.
(44:36):
It's raw, it's messy, it'shuman.
This is about pulling all ofthat and more to the surface.
It's about unlearning theconditioning.
It's about reminding our kingswho the hell they are.
That's the mission To holdspace for truth, to shine light
(44:58):
in places society tells us toforget To say the names of boys
turned men, locked away beforethey ever had a chance to live.
So this season we unchained thekings, and I'm doing that by
having the conversations theynever wanted us to have, Because
somewhere along the way westopped asking the real
(45:20):
questions.
I'm pulling the veil back onthe system within the system,
diving deep into prisonhierarchies, trauma, bonding the
brotherhood that forms whensurvival is all you've got.
We're talking about the price ofpride, the weight of absence,
the child left behind watchingtheir siblings go off with their
dad while they wait alone.
(45:41):
How that pain grows into anger,rebellion, self-harm or silence
, digital hustle and creativefreedom, accountability and
ancestral healing, brotherhood,betrayal Sexuality, building
legacy, owning your voice andstanding tall in your light.
(46:01):
We will also dive deep intolove and support Not just
romantic love, but the love thatheals, the love that builds,
the love that says you're worthyof everything good in this
world, no matter what anyoneelse says.
But many black men don't knowwhat it's like to experience
unconditional love.
(46:21):
They're taught that love is aweakness, that showing
vulnerability means you're softor less of a man.
The truth is real love isstrength.
Real love is the ability toopen up, to let someone else see
your scars and to trust thatthey will help you heal.
(46:42):
We need to redefine love withinthe black male experience.
Love is not just about sex orreceiving affection.
It's about healing, growing andlifting each other up.
The black community, especiallyblack men, need to be given
permission to love themselvesand each other in ways that
(47:03):
break away from toxicmasculinity.
Real love doesn't just comefrom the people around you.
It starts within.
When you love yourself, you cangive love freely.
And when you're surrounded bylove, healing becomes possible.
The role of Black women in thisis critical.
We must ask how can we supportour men, how can we be more
(47:25):
empathetic, more understandingof the traumas and struggles
they face, especially thosewho've been formerly
incarcerated?
These are the conversationsthat are vital for healing, for
bridging the gap between thepain of the past and the hope
for the future.
I'm a Black woman.
Woman and I know firsthand thehurt, pain and trauma that men
(47:47):
can cause.
I know how they can wound us,how they can leave scars that
sometimes feel impossible toheal.
But despite it all, I'm stillhere speaking to them, black men
, because I see them.
I see their pain, theirresilience, their strength.
I see their potential and Irefuse to let them stay hidden
(48:07):
in the shadows.
Black men, their survival isintertwined with our survival.
We need each other to rise.
This isn't just about themstepping into their power.
This is about us healingtogether.
This is about Black men andBlack women working in tandem to
create a future we both deserve.
(48:29):
They want us to forget that ourbloodlines run through kings,
queens, warriors, geniuses andvisionaries.
And finally, we'll talk aboutpride, the pride of Black men.
Where has it gone?
The pride that stood tall, mademen like Kutukente defy
oppression with nothing butwillpower and spirit?
(48:52):
We need to bring that back.
These traps, these systems aredesigned to rob them of their
pride, but it's still in them.
We just have to help them findit again.
We have to remind them who theyare and we have to remind
ourselves.
Every voice matters.
(49:13):
Every story is valuable, andit's time for Black men to start
sharing their stories, becausetheir experiences, their truths,
are the blueprint for oursurvival.
You're going to hear pain, butalso peace, redemption, rebirth,
real love.
(49:34):
You're going to hear power.
Power is not just something youpossess, but something you are.
This isn't just about talkingabout the struggles.
It's about understanding themand taking active steps to
overcome them.
But here's the thing Eventhough this season honors Black
men, it isn't just for Black men.
(49:57):
It's for everyone to see thatwe all, regardless of gender or
race, have a part to play inshifting the culture and
supporting each other.
It's about acknowledging theirworth, their resilience and the
beauty that lies in theirjourney.
It's about giving them aplatform to share not only their
pain, but their growth, theirhealing and their triumphs.
(50:20):
It's for everyone who believesin the power of community, for
everyone who believes in thepower of community, healing and
authenticity.
It's for those who want tounderstand the complexity of
Black manhood and the strugglesthat come with it, but also the
power and greatness that itholds.
I want to believe that, afterall of this, the message is
(50:40):
clear, but if it still isn't forsome, let me reiterate again I
am here to shine a light onBlack men, to honor them, to
amplify their voices, to givethem their space to speak their
truth, to tell their stories andredefine themselves on their
terms.
And truthfully, I've beensitting with this for a long
(51:04):
time, wondering, praying,reflecting about why now?
Why this moment?
Why do I, a soft, feminineblack woman, feel called to hold
space for black men in thisparticular way?
And the answer?
It's layered, because I've seenthe damage.
I've watched black boys grow upwithout seeing themselves
(51:27):
reflected in a light of truth.
I've seen black men wear masksfor so long that they forgot
their real face underneath, andI've seen black women, too,
learning how to protectthemselves from the unhealed
masculinity, all while cravingits sacred presence but
simultaneously existing in theirmasculine energy, praying for
(51:48):
softness.
I wanted to open up a space thatis healing for the collective,
where we unearth stories thatget buried beneath trauma, ego,
survival and performance, wherewe hear from real voices,
because the world keeps tryingto define black men without them
.
Mass media keeps scriptingtheir story, casting them as
(52:10):
threats or jokes, or stats.
Social media keeps encouragingthem to posture, to flex, to
sell themselves in clips,captions and for a get this
performance bonus.
I wonder if the pun wasintended.
And let me be clear this isn'ta fix.
The black man season.
(52:31):
This is, see, the black manseason.
This is about reminding ourbrothers of their divinity,
their royal ancestral DNA, theirpower to not just survive but
to thrive, to take up space torest, to feel, to be held
(52:53):
without fear or judgment.
So when I think about why I dothis, why I've dedicated this
space, this podcast, this entireseason, to you, my brothers, I
understand.
It's not just for you, it's forall of those who will hear your
voice, who will hear your story.
(53:14):
It's for the ones who will comeacross this message at just the
right moment, when their soulneeds it most.
Maybe they don't have a mentorto guide them, maybe they don't
have anyone who truly sees them,but through this they'll have
you.
They'll have your testimony,your journey, the blueprint, and
(53:35):
, trust me, your journey is notinsignificant.
The quiet battles, the dailywins that no one else sees, the
tears shed in solitude theymatter.
They matter more than yourealize.
Every step, every moment of pain, every small victory you have
(53:56):
is not only a part of your story, but a part of someone else's
survival guide.
You may not think it, you maynot even feel it, but you are
teaching, you are leading.
You are showing someone thatthere's another way to be, a way
to live outside of the trapssociety has set for you, outside
(54:19):
the narrow boxes they want toconfine you in.
You are showing them that blackmen can heal, can love, can
dream.
You are showing them that beinga man doesn't mean being cold,
doesn't mean being silent,doesn't mean being numb.
It means being human, andthat's something the world too
(54:40):
often forgets.
And for those who haven't hadthe chance to step into their
power yet, for those who stillfeel like they're being
swallowed by the weight of theworld.
Let me remind you this is notthe end of your story.
You are still here, you arestill breathing, and every
breath you take is proof thatyou've got more to give, more to
(55:03):
create, more to become.
When I say kings unchained, it'snot just a phrase, it's a call
to action, it's a call to breakfree, to redefine what it means
to be a black man, not based onthe narratives others have
written for them, but based onwho they truly are, in their
(55:24):
fullest, unfiltered,unapologetic humanity.
We are rewriting the script andwe are doing it together, and
so I'll keep coming back, I'llkeep speaking, keep sharing,
keep amplifying the voices thatare too often hushed by the
noise of this world, becausewhen we speak, when we take up
(55:46):
space, when we share our truth,we are creating a ripple that
would carry far beyond our reach.
The mission of Kings Unchainedis about telling a story we've
never fully heard.
These black men have been inthe trenches, some fighting for
survival, some fighting forpeace.
They'll teach us that healingisn't just linear, that black
(56:09):
men can be vulnerable withoutbeing weak, and that it's okay
to show up for yourself evenwhen the world expects you to
just keep moving.
They will challenge you, pushyou and inspire you.
These guests are not going tosugarcoat things.
They're not going to pretendthat everything's perfect.
(56:29):
They're going to tell you thetruth, the hard truth, but
they're also going to tell youhow they found strength in their
struggles.
For centuries we've beencarrying the weight of history
on our backs our fathers,mothers, grandparents and
ancestors.
We've carried the trauma, thegrief, the anger and the pride
(56:51):
of generations before us.
Yet we stand here, resilient,unbroken and still moving
forward.
We have to remember the valueof connection.
In a world that often seeks todivide us, in a world where we
are constantly told to compete,to isolate ourselves, to be
(57:13):
separate from one another, wemust stand firm in the belief
that connection is where truepower lies.
It is in our shared humanityand our shared experiences that
we find the strength to overcomeany challenge.
When we connect, we amplify ourvoices.
I believe in the power of ourvoices.
(57:37):
I believe in the beauty of ourconnections.
I believe that together we canchange the world, but it starts
with us.
It starts with each of uschoosing to speak up, to stand
strong, to challenge the storiesthat have been told about us
and to rewrite the narratives inour own image.
(57:58):
It starts with us creatingspace where everyone is seen,
where everyone is heard andwhere everyone can thrive.
Our voices matter.
I can't say it enough Ourvoices matter.
Know that your voice, yourstory, your struggle is the
(58:20):
light that can guide someone outof their darkness.
I know that the collectivepower of our voices is what will
pave the way for a future whereevery king and queen can stand
tall and unchained.
And if you're hearing this rightnow, I want you to do one thing
Pass it forward.
(58:40):
If you know a brother who'sbeen silent, tell him to tap in.
If you know someone who's beenfighting life alone, send him
this episode.
Let him know there's space forhim here.
And if you know a sister whoneeds her faith restored in
black men, send her here as well.
(59:00):
We don't heal in isolation.
We heal through community.
We heal through isolation.
We heal through community.
We heal through connection.
We heal through storytelling,raw and unfiltered, not watered
down, not edited for thealgorithms.
Stand with me, stand with eachother.
This is your time.
(59:21):
You are worthy of success.
You are worthy of love.
You are worthy of respect.
You are worthy of being theking you were always meant to be
.
I want you to take this momentto commit.
Commit to your healing, committo breaking the chains of trauma
(59:44):
, commit to being the bestversion of yourself For you, for
your family, for your communityand, most importantly, commit
to showing up for other Blackmen, because when Black men show
up for each other, they unlockthe full potential of our
collective greatness.
Iron sharpens iron, remember.
(01:00:06):
I know it's not easy, I knowthe journey feels heavy and
sometimes it feels like you'refighting this battle alone, but
trust me when I say you are notalone.
As a Black woman, I've seen thetrauma you carry.
I felt it in my bones.
Seen the trauma you carry, Ifelt it in my bones.
(01:00:32):
But here's the thing I stilllove you.
I still see the king in you.
Despite the wounds, despite thehurt, despite everything, I
know that within you is a forcegreater than anything this world
has ever seen.
You, black man, have beenstripped of your birthright, but
it's time to reclaim it.
The crown was never meant to betaken from you.
(01:00:54):
The trauma that has been passeddown through generations, the
wars that have been foughtagainst you, the systematic
efforts to break your spirit andsilence your potential they're
coming to an end.
We will reactivate the KingGene.
And what do I mean when I sayKing Gene?
(01:01:14):
I mean the very essence of whoyou are Innate strength,
resilience, intelligence andpurpose that resides in your DNA
.
It's about reconnecting withthat gene, that deep, ancient
and primal energy that says I ama king, a lion, and I have
(01:01:37):
everything I need to rise.
We will unlock that powertogether and set the stage for
the next generation of Blackkings to build, not just survive
, but thrive.
So if you're ready to change thenarrative, if you're ready to
be a part of something biggerthan yourself, here's what I ask
Stay locked in, subscribe,share, show up, grab the merch
(01:02:04):
that carries message and ifsomething moves, you reach out.
This isn't just for consumption, it's for community.
This is the beginning ofsomething powerful.
The first conversation drops ina few weeks, so stay right here
with me.
Until then, never forget youare seen, you are heard, you are
(01:02:28):
a king.
But if you do, I'll be here toremind you.
Well, kings and queens, aspromised, here we are on the
other side of another rabbithole.
The other side of anotherrabbit hole, safe and sound.
I know it was heavy, I know itwas a lot.
(01:02:49):
So if you hung in with me forits entirety, I see you, I love
you and I thank you.
Thank you for being here, forbeing present, for being
invested in this mission.
I'm not going to keep you longin this outro, especially after
dropping over 9,000 words thatjust poured out of me in
(01:03:11):
preparation for this season.
But I do need to make thisclear Just because these
conversations are honoring Blackmen doesn't mean they're only
for Black men.
These episodes are for everyoneto listen, to learn, to heal,
(01:03:31):
because when kings step intotheir power, we all rise.
That's the mission, that's theassignment.
Kings Unchained Chapter 3, willreturn week after next with our
very first conversation with ablack king and a dope soul.
I'm still deciding who I'lldrop first, but, honestly, every
(01:03:54):
conversation I've recorded sofar and I know the ones that are
still coming are nothing shortof divine.
They're rich, they're real andI'll know they'll resonate.
I'm here to sound the alarm.
I'm sending y'all a smokesignal.
This is my code blue.
(01:04:15):
I need all hands on deck.
I need your support, I needyour love.
I need your ears, your shares,your comments.
This is more than a podcast.
This is a movement.
Let's flood these digitalplantations with content of
substance, content that vibrateshigher, that lifts people up,
(01:04:39):
not tear them down.
If you haven't already, pleasesubscribe, leave a review and
share this episode.
Mamba Ron, unfiltered, isstreaming on all major platforms
for your listening, pleasureand elevation.
Drop your feedback and help mefight a machine that keeps
pushing negativity and divisionday after day, scroll after
(01:05:03):
scroll.
I can't fight this fight alone,so help me, help Black Kings,
help the world by sharing thesestories, by amplifying these
voices, by pushing this contentto the front of the algorithm,
because time is critical and Idon't know how much of it we
(01:05:24):
have left, but what I do know isthat I'll be here doing my best
to stay ready, so we never haveto get ready Until next time.
You know the drill Be good, besafe, stay healthy, stay
dangerous.
I love you.
Oh, and before I go, don'tforget, drink your water.
(01:05:49):
Water is life, peace, love andlight.
Bye.
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