How Martial Arts Can Teach Nonviolence

It is a story I told before, but I had not fully considered the implications of the moment I
learned about Bruce Lee. I was 9 years old when my dad brought home spanking
new technology. A VHS machine and tape deck. The first two movies he had were
Alien and an unknown film called Return of the Dragon. After watching the alien break out of a
guys stomach I was happily avoiding watching that film in its entirety. My 9 year old mind just
wanted to know “Who was this dragon?Where did he go? What is he returning to do?”
Boy were all my questions answered. 

After finishing the film and making some nunchucks out of sawed off  yellow
broomsticks and some chains my older cousin Steve let me borrow (he went
onto become a karate master himself). I bonked myself on the head and hands
over and over until I had some half decent skill. I also went
crazy buying any magazines that were connected to martial arts of any kind.
I also took up Judo and, while not being very good at it, I did love it. 

Being a natural born reader, the magazines helped me understand so much of
the mystery behind the men and the motives of their movements. One of the first
magazines I ever bought burned an image in my head possibly forever. The story
was about a Buddhist Monk in Thailand. The monk is in his robes, head shaven
and eyes gently closed in meditation. To his left as a young aspiring Thai
boxing champion cut deep into the heavy bag with his shin bone. The young
students lean cut body was dripping sweat in his display of full force and focused
on the heavy bag before him. The story went onto note that the Monk had created
a space for young poor kids to train and learn about
Buddhism in hope of them valuing peace.

It may appear hard to conceive, but people who train in martial arts are some of
the most peace loving people I have ever met. I think this is because most people
think they want to hurt someone. But people who really know how to harm someone
don't take pleasure in it. This is part of what keeps them calm when things get socially
tense. The truth is that knowing how to choke someone out almost demands that the
person with that skill understand the value of life.

That is how I always understood the picture in the old magazine. Even that that age, I got it,
but I could not have said it out loud. But I understood it. I saw Bruce always try to figure a way
to think things through and help solve problems. He never wanted to fight. I loved his family and his
Because of that unique entry into martial arts, I always had an understanding that the way of the
warrior and the pursuit of nonviolence were eternally connected. I consider these kinds of events
the some of the seeds of what became the
HHCF philosophy on nonviolence. 

I recommend anyone trying to take their wisdom about inner peace and greater global
peace train in jiu-jitsu, judo, kung-fu, boxing, thai boxing- whatever. Read books like
The Art of Peace, The Art of War, The Prince, anything by Marcus Aurelius Clausewitz and others. Play chess casually to add to your understanding of the art of war. If you train and you do that, you will see things others cannot see socially
and do things other cannot do personally. 

For more on Thailand and Thai Boxing catch Fightworld on Netflix.

Learn more about the connections between Hip-Hop, chess and nonviolence by subscribing to the Bishop Chronicles Podcast on Spotify, iTunes, Mixcloud or Libsyn. You can also buy the book  Bobby Bruce & the Bronx: The Secrets of Hip-Hop Chess by Adisa the Bishop on Amazon. 

Summer End of HHCF Juvenile Hall Project (our final 3 days)

This past week HHCF did a Chess and Life Strategies 3 Day Workshop at Alameda County Juvenile Hall in San Leandro, CA. It is right on the boarder of Oakland. I always enjoy going here, because I really love my time with the kids. The only thing I hated was that I was never able to give my books to kids after the classes. Well, thanks to many kind people the HHCF was able to give books to a lot of the kids via the #HHCFJuvenileHallProject where people buy copies of Bobby Bruce & the Bronx: The Secrets of Hip-Hop Chess for my students. We got enough donations to give books to kids here an one of our out of state programs. We are very thankful.

Day 1: Started in the girls unit. Unit 6 is the Girls Unit, but I call it the Queens Unit. It has been a while since I got to go to Unit 6. All the old girls I knew were gone. That is a good thing but you always wonder how they are. The first day a young white girl with shoulder length hair and bright grey eyes slowly walked in. This girl looked like she walked straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting. No joke. She spoke at a whisper. I will call her Mouse.
?
"Hi" she said with a half smile. "Are you gonna teach us chess today?"

Shaking her hand firmly I said " I am. My name is Adisa. Have a seat."

"Oh, ok, I really want to know how to play."

As she sat down two more Latina girls and a Black girl came in. Numbers are down. That is very encouraging.

I must say that the girls are almost always so easy to teach than the boys. The boys come in puffed up and rowdy and super duper hyper. The girls are quiet but more focused ON ME and really paying attention.

I told them I teach a fusion of chess and jiu-jitsu. I told them I'm really just trying to get them to figure out what they want to do in life and help them plan for that future to be real. I reminded them that whatever mistake they made that got them here, they are super young and have millions of options to choose from.

I started telling the girls about chess and life. I said "Each year you make a move. That move will have positve or negative impact on the next year. You make several solid moves, good things will tend to happen. You make a bunch of bad ones, bad results tend to happen. Chess is the same way."

"Ronda is going to love this class" Mouse giggled out loud. She said it with a face that told me she could not keep herself from interrupting me.

"Who is Ronda?" I asked.

Just as I said this girl walked in with cold blue eyes, blond cornrows and an emotionless face. She looks just like the MMA fighter Ronda Rousey (hence the nickname). The only they is, she has a sprinkling of freckles that made her dead serious face harder to take serious. But make no mistake, she was super serious.

She looked at the chessboard projected on the screen and could not contain her excitement either. "Ooooh, y'all really got chess going on up in here, huh?!" with a serious southern drawl. She sat at one of my display boards and immediately wanted to play "Can I play this one here?"

"In a minute. I promise." I said.

"I told you Mr. Bishop!" Mouse shouted. "Ronda loves the game. She can play good to." nodding mater-of-factly.

I chuckled and talked a bit more about jiu-jitsu and chess. Ronda showed immediate interest in learning jiu-jitsu and kickboxing as soon as she got out. "You gotta hook me up with classes Mr. Bishop. I'm serious."

As I spoke to them about short and long term goal planning and the like, two older Black women sat in on the class. One was trying to learn chess, the other was already a player.

I sat down and played a game with Ronda. She knew how all the pieces moved but was in no way classically trained. However, what struck me was her consistent attacking style and her understanding of approaching threats (and how to nullify them). The Black woman who knew how to play played with her as they plotted against me. It was so fun.

Meanwhile, Mouse played on the computer. She loved it.

I left in a rush and had only brought one book that day. The rest were at home. I signed it and gave it to Ronda. "Thank you so much. This book is cool. I'm going to read it right now Mr. Bishop. I'll see you tomorrow!" she said smiling.

The other girls were excited about day two as well. I promised I'd bring them all copies of the book tomorrow.

                                                   One of my games from the Queens Unit.

Next I went to Unit 2. During my break I learned that one of the boys I had met in my previous visit had died. He was shot. Allegedly he got out but could not get a job. He went back to the streets in search of sustenance and was killed.

As the group filed in, some of them remembered me. Some did not. One was a tall Latino boy with a super bright smile. "Can I get a game Mr. Bishop? You know we still got beef on the boards." he said with a laugh as he shook my hand.

"Set em up. Let's dooo thisss." I said in between laughter.

Some of the boys that did not know me came in with ice grills (cold emotionless faces). But some of their faces softened when they saw that others knew me and respected me. Nevertheless, I knew I had to gain their respect on my own terms. It is like having to audition over and over again for the same job.

I went straight in. Chess and life, mistakes equal loss, good choices equal longevity etc. A hand went up in the back of the class. "But what does any of that have to do with rap music?"

I dove straight in about Jay Z, Will Smith, Wu Tang Clan, Drake and 2 Chainz love for chess. How rappers don't play to be grandmaster's they play to learn about life. They got it instantly. The energy jumped up.

"I know when you guys lay down at night, you see more for yourself than this. I know it. You have to. You may all not know exactly what you want to be, but I'm sure it is not this. Whatever that is, is exactly what I'm trying to help you be. I don't care if it's going to college or being a construction worker. Who in here knows what they want to be?" I said to the group.

 One big, solid built kid with a boyish face a lot of tattoos raised his hand.

"I want to be a doctor" he said with a smile.

"OK, that is good" I said. "You can still be a Dr. Don't think because you are locked up today that you still cannot be that. But you have to plan. You have to think. What kind of Dr. do you want to be?"

He said he wanted to be a surgeon.

" Alright. So let us start to look at your grades. Where do you need help? Where are you strong? All of this is doable. But you gotta want it and you gotta be willing to do the work." He nodded in affirmation.

My Latino challenger interrupted the after school special vibe , "Can we get on the boards now?!"

"Yes!" said immediately.

I managed the class between having new people play on the computer as a group, playing my game and resolving disputes about positions.

It was an amazing day. I told them I had books for them. Tomorrow could not come fast enough.

Day 2 and 3 will be posted soon....OH and I saw some dope raps by kids in the hall.....I'm talking about real bars. ......People see me in front of juve smiling and say "How can you smile walking into that place?" My answer is because my goal is to be the best part of their day. I smile because I go in with the best intentions of helping them find and defend their inner king and queen- and it's working.

If you would like to donate to the HHCF Juvenile Hall Project please email hhcfteam@hiphopchess.com for more info.

Nonviolent Song of the Week #6 Just A Moment by Nas and Quan

Nas is one of the best rappers to ever hold the mic. On Just A Moment he and Quan hit hard on the topic of trauma and loss in urban cities. No way you can listen to this and not walk away understanding every hood coast to coast and all in between has Turf War Syndrome also known as PTSD. There are some curse words in this. So, kids get your parents permission. 

WATCH: Just a Moment  by Nas and Quan 

Read the annotated lyrics at Rap Genius 

Bobby Bruce & the Bronx: The Secrets of Hip-Hop Chess Selected for Preservation at Cornell Hip-Hop Collection

So my book #BobbyBruceandtheBronx was selected by the Hip-Hop Collection at Cornell University to be preserved for future generations. This is me with Ben Ortiz where He holds my book next to one of my favorite albums Yo Bum Rush The Show by PE. To see some of the records, photos and books my book will be preserved with was and is one of the most amazing moments of my life. Amazing because you don't know how lost I was as a teen and young adult.

Amazing because I was a Hip-Hop journalist when most people didn't think Hip-Hop was art or that it was worth documenting. Amazing because I cannot believe I took an idea like fusing Hip-Hop, chess and martial arts from getting laughed at to hosting tournaments with RZA winning em to breaking attendance records at the World Chess Hall of Fame to working with the Oakland Museum on this amazing event coming in 2018........ It is still a scary journey....I still dont know if I'm worthy......I have been sitting on a complete Iron Hook Scroll Vol. 2: The Cloud Scroll for about 3 years....I just need to take the photos and illustrate the positions.... I already have the outlines for 2 more books onHip-Hop, chess and martial arts..... and I've written a little on the next one already. But more than anything I just wanted to thank God, Marshon King, Eazy- E, and my wife for believing in me and giving me a shot at being something when I never thought I could be anything. To come from that emptiness to this fullness is at times very tearworthy. For more on Cornell Hip-Hop Collection visit http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/hiphop/

HHCF Starts Summer Sessions in Juvenile Hall: Day 1

Today the HHCF was happy to be back for another summer session at juvenile hall. As you may recall, last summer we were at Alameda County Juvenile Justice Center teaching chess and life strategies. We returned today and it was amazing.

This morning I went in and met some amazing young souls. Each day we go to three units. They are held in regular classrooms. Each visit to the hall is always emotionally trying. If you have never been to a juvenile hall, it can be depressing at times. It takes some real psychological and philosophical preparation. Because I have done a work in St. Louis with Incarcerated youth, and did prison volunteer work before, a lot of this is not new to me. Nevertheless, it is not easier.

I think because my kids are older now, many of the teen boys and girls there resemble my own kids and others in my family. I reminded myself as I approached to treat these kids like family.

The first kids were in Unit 4. A cool group of about 12 boys entered my classroom.

“We finna just sit here and play chess all morning?” one boy said defiantly with a scowl on his face as he sat down reluctantly.

“No” I said calmly, “We’re going to talk about a lot more.”

I started by just introducing myself. I talked about my history. I explained to them all the mistakes I made as a kid. I talked to them about how my school counselor at Oceana High School (Mr. King) saw me as a journalist before I saw it in myself. I went onto tell them about how I met Eazy E and how my interview with him led me to write for the rest of my life.

I explained the point of it all was that when I couldn’t find any value in myself, Mr. King saw a writer. His ability to see me as a writer changed me forever. I reminded them that no matter the mistakes they may have made that they are still young and brilliant. I reminded them that I do not judge them in any way and that I am not here to save them. “I cannot save you: I said. " I am not here to be a savior. I am only asking you to allow me to give you some tools to help you make better decisions. If you let me do that, you will save yourself. You won’t need me.”

Then I shared my book Bobby, Bruce & the Bronx: The Secrets of Hip-Hop Chess with them. They looked at the photos of me and Eazy and Pac. After laughing at me, they asked me about what Hip-Hop was like way back and about the fashion of the time. It was really cool.

From there we just jumped into the game of kings. When I asked how many of them knew the game, 80% of the kids raised their hands. I then chose two teens to teach the others how the pieces moved. HHCF is always using peer to peer training to help young people engage and inspire one another.

Between the gaming I shared the life lessons from the book. The class was amazing and the kids were supremely inspired to come back Tuesday.

After a short break I went back to Unit 4 to meet a second group of kids. Another group of 12. They were a little harder on sight than the first group. A short heavily tattooed teen walked in flexing his muscles. Despite wearing a long sleeved sweater you could see he had size. He came in yelling that he was the best in the game and he didn’t care who thought they were better- including me. I looked at him and blinked- unmoved.

Another boy with the same skin as Wesley Snipes sat down casually and pointed to the kid who had been flexing. Half slouching in his chair he stated “You gotta beat him in chess first. If you can beat him, we’ll listen to whatever you have to say. If you lose, we out.”

The kid flexing smiled and nodded “Straight up.”

I smiled back.

“Before we do that, I have to say something. Without asking permission” I went into the same talk as I did with the previous group. I shared the book again.

The young man with the tattoos looked up on the board at my outline of piece values ( Q = 9 pts. R = 5 pts, B = 3 pts, N = 3 pts, P = 1 pt.).

Interrupting my introduction he said “What is all that?” in a wrinkled tone with a wrinkled forehead.

“Oh this?” I said in a relaxed tone. “You’re looking at the value of all the chess pieces. I thought you was ‘the man’?” I said in a mocking manner.

He smiled. “Ok, ok.”

From there I went onto the conclusion of my talk. In this group all but two kids knew how to play. They caught on quick and we all played a few games. The tattooed kid was good, but I won my game. Anticipating a lot of trash talk, I caught him off guard by shaking his hand and talking about all the things he did well.

By the end of the class all the kids were locked into the 64 squares of infinite combat. When class ended each kid was promising  big losses to their opponent the next day.

After lunch I went into the Unit 1. I used the same pitch as the first two. 60% of the kids knew the game here. I taught the ones who didn’t as those who did just jumped into battle tactics.

Later I played a game with a strong Latino player. He was long and lean, with a close haircut and a youthful smile. Even the rugged realities of juvenile hall had not robbed him of his smile. I was inspired by his inner peace and the preservation of his joy.

We went into our game and I played him very soft. He was the wrong one to do that with. My laziness was met with a wave of aggressive tactics. Before I knew it, he had my king running for the corner. In the panic, I broke my queen out to save the situation. She defended me well until I slipped and she was sniped by his bishop.

As he was closing in to finish me off class ended. He gave a sinister giggle and postured up.

“Saved by the bell!” I shouted like a man in the ring with Tyson in his prime.

“Just kidding. You were gonna get me. I’mma give you this one. See you tomorrow.”

“Ok, ok!!” he said laughing hard. I will see you tomorrow.”

Pt. 2 will get posted about 10 PM PST. I really love our time with these kids. You guys be well.

Defend The Crown,

Adisa

What Are You Willing to Sacrifice in Chess and Life?

Scene where Larry Fishburne's character "Vinny" plays a young Josh Waitzkin in Searching for Bobby Fischer


You're dealing with a king not a kong out here/ You're a pawn, but we can get along out here!

- Jidenna, Chief Don't Run

These days mainstream TV has been pushing a lot of chess on the screen. Television shows like Fresh Off The Boat, Luke Cage and The Get Down all made chess references in the last two seasons. My boy Mike Relm even called me to tell me the movie Get Out had some references to chess and mma in it.

While a lot of popular players inside chess like to talk about the likeness of chess to life, very few of them are able to share consistent connections. It also hard to do it effectively and consistently. We all know it makes sense to make better decisions in our life. We all want to. Many of us struggle to. However, looking at the life of chess players like Paul Morphy or Bobby Fischer (who both went insane) or others like Mikhail Tal (who was an amazing thinker but was not the best at taking care of his health) make it hard to argue that playing chess alone ensures a good life ahead.

Nevertheless, American chess icon Josh Waitzkin's’ The Art of Learning is one of the best testaments to the relationship between life and chess. It makes looking at the way one can incorporate chess themes in your life digestible. This is important. Especially for someone like me, who is not a world class chess player.

The Hip-Hop Chess Federation (HHCF) is one of the only organizations dedicated to the chess and life strategies theme. We were founded on the idea to keep the connections between life and chess easy to understand and share with casual players.

One of my favorite examples of chess and life is found in the classic game from 1858 by American chess legend Paul Morphy in his game against Count Isouard and The Duke of New Brunswick called “The Opera House Massacre.” It was played in Paris at an Opera House. The Count and The Duke took turns moving the black pieces.

Move 12 for black is a pivotal point in the game. I always ask my kids (almost all of them beginners) who is stronger between white and black. I often get the response that black is stronger. My thought is that black is a better defender of their king, but they have zero active attacks going on. Meanwhile, white has more pieces active in the battlefield. In chess as in boxing, good defense is important, but it is equally important to making sure you have deliberate attacks happening as often as possible.

Moves 16 shows white running the queen to the back rank.  It looks like checkmate at a glance. That is only because many beginners forget to use their knights laterally. They tend to only move them forward and back. These two images are so crucial tactically and philosophically for us in HHCF. We talk about the importance of two things:

1) Morphy had clarity of vision. He saw the truth in the positions he played. One of the biggest problems in life is trusting yourself. Before many of us make a decision, we ask a friend or two “Is this a good idea?” Sometimes they agree, other times they don’t. Other times the response from friends is mixed. Very few of us can laser in on what we see and act from a place of inner conviction. Chess helps us teach ourselves to trust in the reality of what we see. It helps us form a habit of taking the best actions based off of that clarity of vision. One of the best ways to really make a habit of knowing if it IS what it looks like it is- is to play chess.

2) Sacrifice. The word sacrifice is defined as “destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else.”  Sacrifice  is something you must give up or risk- for a greater good (we hope). We have to recognize though that anything you sacrifice is only worth it, if you win! So then let’s ask, “Where are the sacrifices we need to make to achieve our life goals?” Ask anybody (but especially kids) what they want to be, or do, and you get a lot of passionate responses.

Right now, there is a kid on a football team. Let us call him Rashad. If  is truly a top tier player he is spending a ton of time in the gym, studying his playbook, studying film, working hard to make sure his grades are up to par so there is no question about his eligibility. The entire time that is happening Rashad is missing out on school parties, on trips to the amusement park, on online shenanigans etc. Over the course of his high school journey, there are many social events he misses out on.

However, in senior year we see he gets a full football scholarship to a top tier university. Everyone at the school is so excited.  Very few of his fellow students, friends or family realize the years of sacrifice it took to get that opportunity to come to life. “Rashad is so lucky!” they say. Never considering all the years of study and effort it took to get “lucky”.

The question for my class (and my question for you today) is what is the queen sacrifice in your life right now? The queen is powerful, dynamic and brings terror to her opponents on sight. No person lightly gives her away. One only sacrifices her, if they are clear that victory is sure. Training yourself to be willing to let go of the queen is so hard. Few of us can do it. I wrestle with it often. But it must be done.

As on the board, so in life. Next time you are thinking or talking about anything major that you want to accomplish. Think about the last three big things you did to actualize that goal. If it is diet related, don’t lie to yourself about the cookies you snuck in last night. If it is financial, don’t forgive yourself for for spending money you could have saved on shoes.

Look for the hard sacrifices you need to make. Look at your personal goals and work to consistently make the sacrifices needed. If you are not making the sacrifices you may be unclear on what you want and why. Look into that. If you are afraid to give everything to get what you want then don’t complain. Until you are ready to put it all on the line you will never reach the level you say you seek. Enjoy your games.

Watch the entire Opera House Massacre played out here: https://www.chess.com/blog/Boogalicious/morphys-opera-house-game

HHCF Chess and Jiu-Jitsu Representative Takes Gold at Jiu-Jitsu by the Bay!

Congratulations to HHCF Chess and Jiu-Jitsu representative Andrew for winning GOLD in his division at Jiu-Jitsu by the Bay this past weekend. It was a great event with a really tough bracket. There were truly zero slouches in his bracket. Every match was a battle. Andrew is not only a member of our team, he is the wrestling coach and an amazing mentor to our kids. 

He embodies the physical and philosophical attributes that the HHCF Chess and Jiu-Jitsu program teach. He is a young man of immense character. It wasn't until after his second match he told me he had come down with what he thought was the stomach flu. He fought ANYWAY. 

I want to thank my instructor Alan "Gumby" Marques and every member of the Heroes Martial Arts team for being an amazing family. Next week our kids will be competing in SF. We expect to bring our best and nothing less. 

                                                                    Defend the crown! 

HHCF Chess and Jiu-Jitsu Student Neutralizes Bully

Many people often get confused about what we do. At the end of the day, we teach non violence through the fusion of art and logic. We pull wisdom from wherever we find it. But we mostly find it from blending concepts from Hip-Hop, chess and martial arts.  It takes a lot more to explain how we do what we do and why it works. At the end of the day however, we teach peace. That is what HHCF does. The good grades, the scholarships, the trophies are just things some of the kids get on the way to a fruitful life.

The creation of our org, the lectures across the country, our exhibit at the World Chess Hall of Fame in 2014, our championship dance teams, the book Bobby, Bruce & the Bronx: The Secrets of Hip-Hop Chess are all tied to that endgame- nonviolence.

We recently announced our Chess and Jiu-Jitsu classes and I am happy to say it is growing. Each class is a fusion of chess instruction and gaming and jiu-jitsu or wrestling positions. Assistant jiu-jitsu instructor Sammy Teame and wrestling coach Andrew Swank ensure each class is technically on point and physically demanding. In every class we always return to the importance of emotional mastery, kindness and mercy. You always hope these things reach our students, but you are never sure.

The other day one of my students told me had gotten into a physical altercation. He is 14 and while off campus a bully (who was acting very immature) and hit my student in the face with leaves on the branch of a tree branch. My student told him to not do it again in a respectful, but firm way. The bully took it as a challenge and did it again and ran off.

He said to me “I chased him, and then as I got close to him he threw a fist full of acorns at me as he turned to face me.”  From his repetition in training, after being approached he was quickly able to get to the bullies back and begin applying a choke hold. He said he felt the bully tense up  from not being able to escape the hold. The bully could feel the dominance of the position as my student got ready to squeeze. Then my student remembered the talks on nonviolence I gave in class. Released the choke put one hand and put the bully's arm behind his back and pushed him away. He again told the bully to stop being childish and leave him alone. When I asked him specifically HOW he got to the kids back, he replied “I don’t know how. I just got there.” This impressed me.

After being pushed away, the bully got enraged and charged him. Again my student got to his back, and reset the choke. He was angry he said at this point. He let go of the choke again, and bear hugged the bully to prepare to suplex him. Then he said he thought about how dangerous it would be to slam him on cement. He also thought about how mad I’d be at him for seriously hurting a kid he did not have to hurt.

My student let him go. The bully, realizing the level of mercy being given him stopped harassing my student.

I was happy to hear a few things:

1. That he did not recall how he got to the choke. I was happy to see he was not bogged down in mechanical thinking.
2. That he did not fully apply the choke or slam the bully on the concrete. In a world where young men love to express rage and power as others film it I was proud of him for being his own man.
3. That the work I do to teach nonviolence had a tangible outcome that made this kid, his school and the world a little more safe. If only in a super small way, in a small city, with ONE kid- it happened.

His father took me outside and thanked me for teaching his son. I was thankful to him, for trusting me with his son and joining our chess and jiu-jitsu program. I feel good. This is not a scientific study. But it is real. A new student starts tonight. I look forward to helping this youngster grow on the chessboards, on the mats and in life in a similar way. I hope in the future, all of our children can learn how to return injury with kindness through the fusion of chess and jiu-jitsu.

Join today at www.hiphopchess.com

Adisa Banjoko on Tupac, Machiavelli and Chess at Skyline College THIS SAT

From Machiavelli to Makaveli: The Strategic Life of Tupac Shakur

RTSB Facilitator: Adisa Banjoko

This presentation will cover Tupac’s life in jail and how reading the works of Niccolo Machiavelli and Sun Tzu’s Art of War helped him prepare for his years at Death Row.

If you live in the bay area you should come out to this!!! 

For more info visit www.rocktheschoolbells.com 

Adisa Banjoko to Keynote at the Prestigious Kennedy Center in Washington DC Nov. 4th.

HHCF Founder Adisa Banjoko will be speaking at The Kennedy Center in Washinton DC Nov. 4th!!! He will be debuting new insights on connections between chess, martial arts, Hip-Hop and cognitive function. There will also be deep connections made between the rise of Bobby Fischer and Bruce Lee and the impact it had on Hip-Hop (seen through the lens of Luke Cage and The Get Down) !  If you are a fan of STEAM and STEM in education please make sure you are there. Get your tickets now https://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/event/PRWBL

This event will be LIVE STREAMED on Periscope!!! To view the presentation follow @hiphopchess on Twitter & Persicope in your phone. 

LISTEN: The Cipher Podcast Talks to Adisa Banjoko about life BEFORE HHCF (parental discretion advised)

Over the trajectory of our existence, there have been many cool stories done our organization. We have had amazing features in Forbes, Good Morning America, Chess Life, Hard Knock Radio and others. This however, was very special. It was special because I don't think anyone has ever researched my life so intensely as Shawn Setaro when he decided to interview me for The Cipher Podcast. If you like Hip-Hop even a little bit, you must listen. He is my favorite Hip-Hop podcaster on the planet. Not because he did this story on me and the creation of HHCF. But, because he tirelessly tries to understand every person he interviews on a higher level.

Please give this a listen and understand that a lot of what is on here deals with my life before HHCF. So there is gonna be some talk about cops, guns, memories of some of my folks like Eazy and Tupac and a lot of the pain I went through that brought me to creating the HHCF.

                               Shawn Setaro creator of The Cipher Podcast and Forbes writer.


I hope you like it. I'm sorry to Shawn for taking so long to formally post it.

HERE IT IS: The Cipher Podcast interview of Adisa Banjoko by Shawn Setaro

Adisa Banjoko Removes Afrika Bambaataa from Book Cover, Changes Title

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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Author Removes Hip-Hop Pioneer Afrika Bambaataa from Book Cover and Changes Book Title Amid Abuse Allegations

Controversial Rap Author Stands with Accusers

Oakland, CA 6/09/16-  Three Lions Press is proud to announce that the author has chosen to take Afrika Bamabaataa’s name and image off the cover of the book originally called  Bobby, Bruce & Bam: The Secrets of Hip-Hop Chess. The new title is  Bobby Bruce & The Bronx: The Secrets of Hip-Hop Chess written by Adisa Banjoko, aka The Bishop. It is for sale  on www.amazon.com right now. 

“While not being charged formerly by the police, the avalanche sexual abuse allegations against Afrika Bambaataa and the poor leadership of the inner circle inside his organization, Universal Zulu Nation (UZN)  made my decision easy” stated Adisa Banjoko. “Hip-Hop is an art  for the youth, by the youth. If they are not safe, then Hip-Hop itself has been threatened. I will defend the youth above any alliances with any adults who might act to the contrary. My new title is meant to celebrate the power of the youth  in The Bronx. It was a nightmare for me as an independent author and fan of his previous work to change everything. Nevertheless, it could never compare to the pain of his accusers. ” 

Adisa Banjoko was one of the first members of the Universal Zulu Nation in San Francisco back in the early 1990’s. After assessing the allegations against Afrika Bambaataa he wrote the first public UZN resignation letter. It outlined why he was  leaving the organization and his thoughts on  its many organizational and moral  failures.

Adisa’s first public discussion of the book cover change happened at Google Headquarters during a  Google Author’s Talk. Over the years the author has campaigned on the impact of this blending of art and logic at Harvard, Stanford, U Conn, Oberlin and many other universities. 

 Bobby, Bruce & the Bronx: The Secrets of Hip-Hop Chess is  extraordinary book that outlines how the  of rise of Bobby Fischer, Bruce Lee and the emergence of Hip-Hop unintentionally converged and influences Hip-Hop, chess and martial arts in America and the world in unexpected ways. It includes a workbook teaching the first 12 lessons teens and young adults can use to embrace chess as a life strategy tool. These lessons can be applied in your personal life, or business ventures. Get the book now at www.amazon.com The book serves as a disruptive blueprint that helps urban kids shift their approach to education, entrepreneurship, and life’s possibilities. 

“The  book is a celebration of the cognitive, physical and creative attributes of Hip-Hop. We also address the impact of violence on young learning minds. Many American children have PTSD and remain undiagnosed and untreated vets of urban war zones.  I saw this on the frontlines and my book is meant to be one of many solutions we can use to help American youth.” 

Adisa Banjoko, aka The Bishop is a respected disruptor in the space of education innovation. Adisa began his journalism career while still a high school student interviewing Eazy E shortly before the formation of NWA. Adisa  went on to become one of the first west coast writers for The Source, RapPages and VIBE among others. He broke some of the first profiles on artists like Tupac Shakur, Del, Mixmaster Mike, DJ Qbert, Hieroglyphics, Master P and many others in the rise of west coast rap in the early 1990s’. Adisa Banjoko is a powerful speaker who has lectured at many universities across the country including Harvard, Lehigh, Oberlin College, UC Berkeley and others. His ideas on chess, rap and martial arts have been seen in Forbes, Good Morning America, Black Enterprise, Ebony and the cover of Chess Life Magazine.

In 2006 after visiting incarcerated youth in San Francisco he created the Hip-Hop Chess Federation (HHCF). The HHCF is a 501c3 non-profit that fuses music, chess and martial arts, to promote unity, strategy and nonviolence. in 2015, the HHCF was invited to teach the staff at the World Chess Hall of Fame in St. Louis on the connections between Hip-Hop and chess. The result was the Living Like Kings exhibit (which broke attendance records surpassing Bobby Fischer's). He and RZA of Wu-Tang Clan (who now serves on HHCF’s Board) spoke to high school youth and incarcerated youth in St. Louis during all off the rage and chaos after the death  of Mike Brown. Their efforts illustrated a nonviolent narrative largely overlooked by both mainstream media.

Bobby Bruce & The Bronx: The Secrets of Hip-Hop Chess outline how this unique fusion came to pass and the lives Adisa Banjoko has been able to change through it. The book highlights his his experiences while  in teaching kids in St. Louis  with Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA, his experiences fighting inner city school violence in The Bay Area and how rap music celebrate chess more than any other form of music on the planet. For more information on Adisa Banjoko and the Hip-Hop Chess Federation summer camps, events and activities visit www.hiphopchess.com !

                                                                      NEW COVER!!!!

   The old cover with Afrika Bambaataa on it. The allegations of child abuse by Bambaataa made headlines around April 8th 2016. The book dropped on April 10th 2016.