Justin Ko (owner, Son of Egg) – An Xperience Interview

The Third Place: The Vision of a Communitarian

A Literary Profile Essay by BradQuan Copeland.

Sugared gummies dissolve beneath my teeth as I double-fist vape pens, coating my lungs with the dense sweetness of a honeypot high drawn through a bong packed with live resin wax and freshly ground flower. 

My tension yields to the chilled contortions of my subconscious mind, gently drawing me through the veil of the dark morning sky as my heart takes flight and lands at my brain. In this moment, I transcend the mundanity of mere existence and step into the true gift of living within the ambiance of consciousness. It’s through this state that I come to discover something just as priceless as a mother’s home cooking: the rare beauty of community.

It was on the night of Tuesday, May 19th, that I received a text from a friend, rising recording artist and content creator, Lil Baby Suplex, asking me if I’d like to be a part of Jay Don’t Sleep’s 24-hour live stream at the Son of Egg restaurant in Rensselaer, NY the following month, from 7 pm on Friday, June 19th to 7 pm on Saturday, June 20th. I’m not one to ponder much on invitations as I don’t receive them often, so I said yes and figured I’d ask whatever questions later.

Upon arrival, my jaw was rocked by the welcoming warmth of the bright yellow branding that stands out like a rebellious child among its peers. Walking in, I found a place burning with eclecticism, boasting a café atmosphere with a bar setup, showcasing elements of a convenience store selling various Korean snacks, merchandise, a claw machine, and artful décor.

In the moment, it was a bit of a puzzle to make sense of, feeling less like a restaurant and more like a collection of worlds converging beneath a shared canopy of possibility.

It was packed, and having no idea exactly where the stream was taking place, I asked some unaware customers before wandering up the stairs, where I passed by countless signs highlighting community events. It was on the second floor where the parties lived. I say parties because there was another group: Chill Chat Connect, living their best lives off to the back right of the space, emitting a vibrance that matched the flair of the live stream I was honored to be a part of.

Exuberantly, I approached Suplex, who was the center of attention, shining in Versace shades, dapping him up before placing my items on a nearby table and acknowledging the others who were present.

There was Hanif, the founder and CEO of the rising fashion brand Autumn; Jay, the 22-year-old head of the stream who streams professionally and is the cousin of Suplex; PlugWave, the manager of the electrifying Plastic Boyz rap collective, who occasionally drops a few bars of his own; Dylan, a gladiator and king of debauchery (my personal favorite) who boasted of a recent fight he won where he was charged at with a machete that left two scars on his hand equivalent to that of papercuts; and his brother, Moose, another professional streamer and former Division 1 football player.

They began taste testing various alcoholic beverages and ranking them from worst to best for a segment dedicated to Hanif’s side podcast project: 518 on the Rocks. Offering me a drink, I politely declined as I’m Cali sober, but requested a black coffee from the gracious owner of the establishment, Justin Ko, who made his way upstairs.

Taking my seat with my right ankle resting on my left knee as I slowly sipped my brew, I observed the festivities, catching the attention of Moose, who found my presence hysterical. “Yo, you look like the parent watchin’ over the bad ass kids, bro!” he said as I joined him in laughter before Justin took a seat beside me, and we began a dialogue.

The 31-year-old carries a business-like poise that would thrive in corporate America, yet refuses to conform to its rigidity. Beginning his academic journey at Xavier, he later transferred to HVCC, where he joined an investment club and apprenticed under a real estate developer who showed him the art of entrepreneurship in real time. 

Completing his education at RPI, he began experimenting with online businesses, starting a successful Rubik’s Cube tutorial YouTube channel inspired by a young girl at his church. Through marketing mastery, he went viral. From there, he slung various products through Amazon e-commerce before departing to help his mother create Son of Egg.

As our conversation continued, Suplex began recording and meticulously crafting music live. The oneiric atmosphere of his trap-infused sound captivated the room, drawing Moose and Plug onto various tracks. “This is Michelangelo at work here,” I said, chuckling before Justin and I made our way out back to the balcony for a little more peace and quiet.

What further unfolded went beyond the makings of a successful business owner. It revealed the blueprint of a gifted man who comes alive through the engineering of meaning. He spoke of Albany’s importance, outlining its vast spectrum: the simplicity of blue-collar grit, the passionate vitality of its luminous arts and culture, and the suit-and-tie complexity of its political legislature, while at the same time highlighting the unfortunate reality that many of its citizens lack a sense of civic pride. 

“A lot of the talk in Albany was that there’s not things to do. Son of Egg is going to be a third place for a lot of people with a lot of interests that aren’t even necessarily mine, but we can host it, and that was the vision,” he said. A “third place,” being a space that is neither home nor work, but somewhere people gather, connect, create, and belong. Such a space can become a haven for leisure, networking, and era-defining ideas, particularly through music, given the strength of its unifying force.

My curiosity led me to ask, “When people utilize the space for shows, do you charge them for that? How does that work?” “I realized these are hungry artists. They’re working and doing their art, which is very difficult, and they might not have the funds to pay for their show or their marketing. But I realized this is the key, because it’s all about partnerships and collaborations. If I throw a show and a hundred people come, I shouldn’t be charging them. They’re bringing the people. The art is bringing the people. That’s why I never charged them. We’re actually partners. By bringing people in, they’re naturally going to eat, get drinks, and support the space, so everybody survives,” he replied.

As a fellow starving artist, his approach struck a chord. What intrigued me even more, however, was his economic perspective. We got into a discussion in which I voiced my displeasure with the ills of capitalism and how easily it can plunge society into the bowels of hell, concocting a cocktail of poisonous agents: selfishness, greed, exploitation, and the commodification of humanity.

But everything, positive or negative, exists on a spectrum, and his perspective reflects capitalism in its purest form: a system capable of generating the resources that make philanthropy and community projects possible. “I have this big vision now, and it couldn’t work without capitalism. I want to create a kitchen that’s actually free for everybody. The community actually funds it, so you don’t have to charge anybody that comes in. Anybody that comes in gets to eat for free.”

What fascinated me most was the tension within his worldview. Here was a man defending capitalism while dreaming of a future where nobody who walked through his doors would have to pay for a meal.

Justin Ko strikes me as a communitarian: a man who believes strong communities breed better lives and pursues wealth with the wisdom to know when enough is enough. So engrossing was our conversation that a customer who had no connection to either of us lingered nearby for well over an hour. Though he never contributed a single word, he remained within earshot, quietly occupying himself to hear Justin speak.

As a skilled boxer, Justin’s philosophy is deeply rooted in stoicism, reflected in his capacity to welcome the ruin that others resist. He launched the business during COVID and endured immense betrayal from trusted employees, handling it all with regal composure.

Such fortitude is undoubtedly owed to his spirituality, one that’s deeply rooted in interconnectedness rather than doctrine.

“Your neighbor is you,” he stated, reflecting a unique hybrid ideology that weaves together the teachings of Christianity, Buddhism, and systems thinking.

Despite the various political and societal maladies that spread through the collective consciousness like cancer, he chooses to live within the optimism that most people are trying to do good.

Our reality becomes what we think about all day, and impossibility can only exist where we fail to realize the answer is us. I signed up to participate in the shenanigans of a 24-hour live stream and found myself awakened in a school of free thought.

As our conversation concluded, he went back in to join the stream while I remained on the balcony for some time, sipping the last of my coffee in observance of the Albany skyline glowing beneath the nocturnal haze. Somewhere between the music and the philosophy, I realized Son of Egg was proof that people still hunger for one another.