Kanye West Started a Fight in my Class

Kanye West Started a Fight in my Class

By: Adisa, The Bishop

For the past week or so America has been debating the idea put forth by Kanye West that “Slavery
was a choice”.

To protect the identity of the boys we call them Marlon and Mike. As I am resetting the chessboard as
the previous class leaves, Marlon comes in and says “ Mr. Bishop, I gotta tell you some things about
Mike. First off, this nigga is a coon!” he says with a devilish grin. It is important to note that Marlon
has a sharp tongue and loves to roast people. He and Mike have a chess rivalry and go hard on one
another verbally and mentally.

Marlon continues “Yeah man, he said slavery was a choice. He’s over here siding with that Kanye
West bullshit.”

I looked at Mike and said “ You think slavery was a choice?”

Without missing a beat he said “Yeah.”

Marlon cut in “Tell him how stupid he is Mr. Bishop” he said with a nod.

“Hold on, hold on” I said trying to lower the energy in the room. The whole class was watching intently.

“Do you believe that for real?” I asked again. “Because if you do I’d have to suggest that you read
books. Don’t you know how many countless slave rebellions they had back in the day? You had Nat
Turner, Denmark Vesey and then you have White men like John Brown at Harper's Ferry- but there
were many. There were more than I can try to list. We have people fighting our oppression right now!
It's not even over.”

Defiantly Mike shook he head “I would never let anyone enslave me. I ain’t no bitch.”

Marlon jumped right back in. “You’re really dumb. Slavery was complicated. They didn’t have guns.
Where were they gonna get weapons?”

“Wait, wait!” I said. “Mike, you are a descendant of those that were enslaved. If you think they were
bitches, then, in some way you must think you are born of bitches. You are not. You come from
warriors. Warriors who fight the system till this day. You have to know that.”

Marlon is now in a chair setting a chessboard up so he and I can play a game . “This guy is a coon
Mr. Bishop.”

Marlon immediately clenches his fist and says “Let’s box. I’m not afraid of you” and punches his hand
twice. "That will be your face!”

Unmoved by the display of force, he casually says “Mike you know we can’t box because we don’t
have headgear. I would box you if I could.”

Marlon was sitting in his chair with his back to Mike and something in Mike snapped. He grabbed
Marlon from behind and fell to the floor. I just remember the screaming.
Something like “Let’s goooo. Let’s do this!”

Marlon was actually in no active danger. I have been working on teaching him the value of nonviolence.
I got hims singed up at a great martial arts school nearby.The choke attempt from Marlon was not
effective. Marlon looked at me with a face like “This ain’t working and I’m not worried” and raised his
hands like “I’m not responding.” He could have thrown elbows, he could have set it off. He was
present and calm. He knew I would not let either of them harm one another.

I pulled Mike’’s hands away and broke them up., Our security guard came in. Both of the kids
quietly walked to the office.

I could not help but remember what that guy told Kanye as he was leaving TMZ. Kanye’s uninformed
“Slavery was a choice” lie had Black boys fighting one another to reclaim a dignity that they NEVER
technically lost. The struggle never ended.

Shortly after I went to the office to check in on them. The Principal and I had a solid talk with them.
I told them that in my opinion Marlon used supreme restraint and did not fight back when he was
well within his right. I told Mike that both of them needed to have tougher skin when holding onto
polarizing political social opinions.

Mike wasted no time in apologizing to all of us. He admitted that he snapped because in the past
24 hours since taking Kanye’s side kids had been calling him a coon and other names. He was
so upset that he lost it. He said he had been going through "tourture" since siding with Kanye and
he just could not take anymore. I felt bad for him. He was sincere.

Marlon said he accepted Mike’s apology. He understood his frustrations. He said his only thing was
that he felt that because Mike attacked him from behind that he felt it was cowardly. Then he turned
to the Principal and said “I don’t know what you plan to recommend, suspension or expulsion but I
recommend you do nothing to Mike. It was a small incident and it won’t happen again.” They shook
hands. My jaw was to the floor. I have never seen anything like that in all my years of teaching. That
maturity they both showed after the incident was truly unprecedented. The Principal agreed.

I really have to say of all the teens I’ve worked with Marlon has shown the fastest growth overall.
The next time they came to my class they were chill, battling on the boards and talking smack but
maintaining boundaries of respect. I was super proud of both of them. I was happy with the way the
Principal handled it. I gotta say though that Kanye really has become a weapon of division in the
Black community and education circles. I wish he could come to Realm Charter school and talk to
my kids and see the damage he as done. Not just to my classroom, but in many schools and
homes across across the country. Kanye know's too many wise people. He does not need me to
teach him about slavery. But I would if he asked. He needs to use his network and his net worth
more wisely.

As I sat down to play chess with Marlon I looked under the table and saw he had some fresh
“coke white” shoes on.

I said “Those are dope man, what are they?”

Shaking his head with a chuckle he said “Yeezy’s.”

“How ironic” I laughed.

Adisa, The Bishop is the author of Bobby, Bruce & the Bronx: The Secrets of Hip-Hop Chess and Guest Curator of the Oakland Museum of California's current exhibit RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom open until August 12, 2018. 

*The kid playing chess above is NOT a part of the incident.*

New Approaches to Teaching Hip-Hop History at Oakland Museum

The Curatorial Approach to RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom at the Oakland Museum

By: Adisa, The Bishop

Open Arc System (OAS) of Storytelling and Framing History is a method I developed in my approach to planning RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom which opened March 24, 2018 at the Oakland Museum of California (OMCA). Mike Relm and I created this way of approaching curating events while working with Susan Barrett over the course of a year or two. It totally changed the way Hip-Hop is presented, documented and shared with the masses. I have always believed that it is not enough just to cover Hip-Hop history. My job is to cover Hip-Hop in a historic manner. That is what my team and I set out to do.

LISTEN KQED RADIO: https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101864552

Initially, these concepts were employed when I was first working with Susan Barrett when she was Dir. at the World Chess Hall of Fame (WCHOF). We did a record breaking exhibit there called Living Like Kings. It was launched a few weeks after the Ferguson Uprising began. Despite Susan’s hard work, there were certainly elements inside the Hall of Fame that were seriously afraid of Hip-Hop, and martial arts. I had to find ways to help others in the WCHOF think around those individuals fear and ignorance- but still connect them to what they loved (be it chess or Hip-Hop). I realized early that it might be better to not dig too deep on the cultural impact of Hip-Hop on chess.  It seemed the deeper I went the deeper they certain people became of Hip-Hop or Black people. I found ways to create “cliffnote” aspects of Hip-Hop in a way that still honored the subculture- without undercutting the actual value of Hip-Hop. It worked. What did was a smash success.

I saw someone who was a hardcore chess historian after giving a talk with Rza to several hundred kids and teens in Stl. I asked him how he liked the exhibit. He said he was blown away by all the things he did not know about chess and Hip-Hop. He acknowledged that he learned a lot more than he thought he would. My job from the beginning was to make sure that if someone came in deeply steeped in Hip-Hop or chess that they walked out knowing more about what they loved and what they were initially unconcerned with than they had anticipated. That, is the hard part. Narrating the story so the novice and the vet can enjoy the exhibit at the same depths with connected coherence and appreciation.

Living Like Kings made history by getting more visitors opening day than the Bobby Fischer exhibit. His exhibit was one floor above ours. Imagine, Hip-Hop beating Bobby Fischer! Living Like Kings proved to be more than just an exhibit. It was a safe place for people to enjoy themselves beyond the racially polarizing chaos fracturing the city and relax. I was very thankful to Rex Sinquefield and his wife Jeanne for their open minds and hearts. It would never have happened without them.

Mike Relm, creator of the amazing video installation at OMCA! Photo SF Bayview

We believe that RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom at the Oakland Museum of California is the best Hip-Hop exhibit in North America if not the world right now. It might be the best Hip-Hop exhibit ever, and I say that with no sense of ego. I say it with utmost loving intention and care for Hip-Hop. I say it because a lot of amazing people came together with not just good intentions but good information that the world needs to see. I say it because we are telling the history of Hip-Hop outside the traditional narratives that are not only not that exciting-  some of them are not even factually true. Rather than getting ensnared in those debates we went in a new direction.

The OAS Framework of storytelling and framing history is something I was doing instinctually but I did not recognize until OMCA hosted a convening. A convening is a gathering of historians and culture keepers where we talked about what the exhibit could look like, who could do what, who should be involved etc. At the beginning of the talk I observed with much sadness how hard people talked to define Hip-Hop. Just asking the question “What is Hip-Hop?” by Senior Curator Rene De Guzman initially brought a lot of classical definitions that I was raised on (rapping, DJ’ing, B-boy’ing, graff and the pursuit of knowledge). However the conversation quickly evolved into discussions of beatboxing, double dutch jump rope, etc. As all those present were passionate about the topic some people seemed to be moving towards argumentation rather than an open discussion.

The more I thought about it, what I knew as Hip-Hop classically had evolved into so much more than that Kool Herc, The Rocksteady Crew, Grandmaster Flash and others had seemingly initiated. First of all, we had to look at the idea that the classical 1973 “creation” of Hip-Hop is not wholly accurate. Eric Arnold really hammered this idea home in his research. You can see his ideas on the Hip-Hop timeline at OMCA. What we mean for instance is that there were many rebellious aerosol can artists before 1973 across the country.

The first graffiti I recall was on a short pedestrian bridge in SF in 1975 as I approached my grandmothers house on the edge of the The Mission District, in Noe Valley. It read simply “Vietnam Killed My Brother” and it was painted in a hard place to remove. Thousands of cars ran under it every day. Every time we visited her I read it. I thought Vietnam was an individual who killed this persons brother. I asked my parents one day about Vietnam and they tried to explain it as best they could to a 5 year old about war and how many needless people died. Now was that Hip-Hop? Maybe not in the classical sense. Maybe it was. What had occurred on a psychological level though was that I understood art as a form of open rebellion. This was 7 years before I knew Hip-Hop existed.

Beyond that there were other regional dances than b-boying happening in the streets. Journalist and critical thinker and arts advocate Eric Arnold (who wrote extensively for the exhibit) notes that Boogalooing (Eric talks about this in the KQED link towards to the top), popping and locking were getting their start on the west coast before 1973.. There were rebellious forms of oral poetry in the mid 1960’s (The Last, Poets, Watts Prophets, Gil Scott Heron, Nikki Giovanni etc.), Black funk music was evolving in different ways. What came together to be known as Hip-Hop got its embryonic baby legs in the South Bronx. However, it seems to me that it was a cultural  inevitability on a national scale. Let me be clear, what Herc, Bam and Flash did was huge and crucial to the creation of what we now know as Hip-Hop. But the wave of artistic rebellion of Black and Latino youth was untouchable force the world could not stop.

Beyond that, we have to look at how quickly things changed from the first five elements of Hip-Hop. Everything from Grandmaster Flash's’ creation  FlashFormer (which allowed people to transform scratch without a mixer), to rap producer Marley Marl’s innovations with sampling specific drum sounds to create new patterns etc. led to technological innovations by the artists and corporations. The Turntablist movement (using the turntable as a musical instrument) created by DJ Disk, DJ Qbert, Mixmaster Mike, DJ Apollo, DJ Flare and others overturned the entire mixer and turntable design industries. All of them consciously working to accommodate battle DJ needs.

In the early 2000’s DJ Vlad took the courageous step of using CDJ 1000’s. Many traditional DJ’s who used vinyl regularly mocked him and chastised him for moving forward with technology. I remember him saying then “Why carry huge crates of records around party to party when I have software that can hold thousands of songs? Today it is a standard and the DJ’s who laughed at him then use similar equipment now, without ever mentioning his courage, vision and influence.

These days folks are making whole albums on their phone! If you said a phone was Hip-Hop 20 years ago people would have laughed at you and beat you with the phone. Now they are collabing, sharing files in the cloud, DJ’ing, sharing dance routines, making album covers etc.

The problem in the traditional framework used by most museums and university archives is that they use dated, boilerplate methods for telling you the who, what, where when and why any given thing happens. This archaic way of sifting through the granular, often conflicting elements of the Hip-Hop subculture make it hard for institutions to be authentically engaging.

This is why our approach had to serve as the root framework for Open Arc System (OAS). a living breathing global subculture as ever expansive and vibrant as Hip-Hop. It has to be told in a new way- we have found that way.

A huge part of OAS method that made OMCA is how ahead of the curve they were on making museum exhibits interactive. A friend of mine who recently got his Doctorate in Education told me OMCA knows more about educating kids than most school districts. We invited battle champion DJ AkikoLuv to our first gathering of culture keepers. She brought a portable turntable to the meeting. The son of another DJ was addicted to scratching with it. He was about 6. We knew having turntables, beat machines, mics, tagging areas and open space to dance would be crucial to the exhibit from day one. But that moment was magic for all of us.

Senior Curator at OMCA Rene Deguzman, Fashion Consultant Susan Barrett of Barrett Barrera and Guest Curator Adisa Banjoko Photo SF Bayview

Rene DeGuzman, Penny Jennings, Rhonda Pagnozzi, and their team worked with us tirelessly to ensure that Hip-Hop was experienced- not just seen under glass. The idea was always that if we can let them experience Hip-Hop through direct participation that we would not need to tell them every “element” of Hip-Hop. By engagement in the art itself, all visitors would know Hip-Hop for themselves.

Opening night, I saw an elderly women and men making beats. I saw kids scratching on the turntables and families playing chess and dancing together. It was perfect.

Looking at it there are a lot of pro's to this approach.

Pro’s and Con’s of Framework:

Pro’s:

1.Storytelling becomes more fluid.

2.Institutions do not have to burden themselves with having definitive positions on Hip-Hop history. What Kool Herc ate for breakfast may be interesting to some but it does not define the depth of one's knowledge. We lead the visitors down open paths of Hip-Hop that are not burdensome.

3. The traditional artist profiles and histories do not have to be mandatory parts of an exhibit. It helps the space breathe more and

4. Specifically using the video remix method of Mike Relm we are able to create dynamic engaging content that connects generations. For example he remixed Cardi B’s Bodak Yellow over 90’s classics (Jay Z, Aaliyah and more!). Teen girls cried out “Ayyye!” as soon as they saw their icon rapping. The

moms were clapping to. But that was because they heard her rapping over Jay Z and Aaliyah.  These videos also allow you to celebrate the local Hip-Hop culture and still honor the national icons on the same level.

         5. We do not attempt to define your interpretation of what Hip-Hop is or may be. Is it anti-establishment? Is it a part of mainstream America now? Has it lost its political edge? None of that is our job. Our job in the OAS method is to deepen your exposure and point you in the direction of where to learn more of what you want. This is your life and your art to interpret as you wish.

Con’s:

1. Sometimes artists may feel slighted that their specific histories are not outlined for visitors. However, due to the rich multimedia section and the manner in which we ultimately we point in the direction of all subsections that exist in Hip-Hop. Granular knowledge of the elements we believe is on the visitor we are simply the guide.

In conclusion, we believe that in 5 years most museums and universities will use Open Arc Systems to tell Hip-Hop narratives. Further, we believe that in 10 years other artistic mediums will be using Open Arc Systems to tell other stories. This is not a Hip-Hop specific methodology. If your museum, brand etc., is in need of being re-framed please feel free to reach out to us. We would love to help you breathe new life into your exhibit. I can be contacted directly at hhcfteam@hiphopchess.com for serious inquiries.

#GetBetterAtChess Dereque Kelley Shows the Four Knights Opening.

This guy has some of the best opening videos. He shows the move and WHY it is done and WHAT most people will try to do to stop them. I don't watch his video's enough, but in a perfect world, I would watch these every single day. Now, sit down and let's #GetBetterAtChess

Bushido Beats: The Art of War in Hip-Hop Production

By: Adisa, The Bishop

There is a powerful trend in Hip-Hop production growing outside of the rap industry. It is happening organically in the free landscape of the internet. I call it Bushido Beats.

Back in the early 1990’s, I was in a rap group called Freedom T.R.O.O.P. 187. I used to be obsessed by studying Taoism, Buddhism and Confucian scholarship. I used to go with my friend MC Hi-Low to Shambala Books on Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley, CA. We would buy whatever we could find. Once I bought a tape of some Japanese flutes and another of a Japanese harpist (sadly both their names escape me now). Back then Hi-Low and I always said we were gonna put the melodies to a beat. We never did. Luckily a lot of other rap artists emerged with Eastern-themed music. DJ Premier did a lot with Jeru and Afu Ra, and of course the Wu Tang Clan.

Many years ago I interviewed Shaolin Monk Shi Yan Ming (Kung Fu teacher and mentor of RZA)  for the Yoga Journal for a story about rap artists who practice meditation and do yoga. He said “When people listen to Hip-Hop, they dance and are happy. This is also meditation. RZA, when he writes songs, uses philosophy to help people. He is giving people meditation.”

When he said it at the time, I was much more of a yoga practitioner than a meditator. I respected it, because how can you not respect the wisdom a Shaolin Monk speaks. At the same time, I felt it was a little over the top. Now that I do practice many forms of meditation, I am still shocked at how strikingly accurate his words were.

About a year or so back, I got online looking for Wu Tang instrumentals. I had just finished listening to El Michels Affair Album Enter the 37th Chamber. It is a collection of Wu Tang classics replayed. He just released a new one, Return to the 37th Chamber with some fantastic tracks on there as well.

In any case what happened next was fantastic. It suggested I play a song called King by an artist named Ronin. It opens with a mellow meditative stringed instrument. Shortly after a bold bassline and military drums and flutes masterfully emerge. The end result is quite spectacular. From there I learned Ronin had another song called Mesa and that this was indeed a full music genre with the participation of artists from all over the planet. I feel like if Bruce Lee were alive today, he was bump this hard. One can dream.

Keep in mind these are created to be instrumentals. Rappers are not needed for this music to enjoy a lane of its own in cyberspace. A great deal of it is very aggressive. You can imagine Sun Tzu commanding 10,000 troops into battle to some of them. Others are laid back and quite relaxing. A great example of this beat is simply called Asian Rap Beat  posted by Thai Rex. I cannot tell if Thai Rex made the beat or just posted it. It currently has more than 2 million views on youtube. Other artists who deserve an honorable mention in the space include (but not limited to) Raven, Justin Kase, and VintageMan Beats and  Ratz Beats who now has more than 5 million views with Shaolin Style Type . Two of my other favorites is a Grillabeats Kontaru and Trapanese by Sez. It has massive bass and will surely blow your parents speakers if given the chance.

At the HHCF Chess and Jiu-Jitsu classes these beats are often banging as students enter the academy. There is something magical to me about the music helping to set the tone. Now, there are other days when we train in complete silence. Both have their benefits.

It is important to note that these are not new tracks. Some of them have been around between 5 to 7 years or more. The consistency the Bushido Beats emerge with is proof of its staying power. Keep in mind that this is an internet phenomenon that has no place on commercial radio or TV. And it appears to be growing.

I keep seeing people post tracks as “Asian type this” or “Oriental Hip-Hop beat”. I am choosing to name this style of production Bushido Beats. At the end of the day, it is still Hip-Hop. Real Hip-Hop. True Hip-Hop made for the love of the path, not pop music galore.

This is music that I workout to. This is music I write to and sometimes meditate to. I find it inspiring. It motivates me through my yoga poses and drives me to knock out another set when I want to quit.

When trying to understand and accurately measure the impact of the Wu Tang Clan on the planet, this emerging genre is yet another manifestation of their seemingly infinite legacy. At the same time it is important to note the roll that local traditions have in the global expansion of Hip-Hop. It makes total sense that Wu Tang or not, a DJ in Japan or China, India, or Tibet might want to add some local music from their tradition to give an original stamp on what they make.

If you know artists who make beats like these, please tweet me the link with the hashtag #BushidoBeats @hiphopchess on Twitter.

As a bonus I'm gonna add this Mike Relm produced jam called The Iron Hook Scroll. Enjoy!

The Fist of Wisdom: Hip-Hop and Martial Arts

By, Adisa, The Bishop

From the first season of The Get Down, many were struck by the references to the martial arts. One second we are watching the dance battle skills of Shaolin Fantastic. The second season, we are listening to Grandmaster Flash tell his disciples to do “zazen” (meditation). Flash calls his key disciple Shaolin Fantastic Grasshopper.

For many people this seems confusing. In truth the martial arts explosion of the 1970’s comes at the beginning of Hip-Hop. The ripple effect can still be felt today.

WATCH Boondocks Kung Fu fight compilation

Even before The Get Down, we saw kung-fu elements heavy in The Boondocks. Before that we heard homages to martial artists as far back as the 1980’s with T-La Rock (start it at 20 seconds in). If you remember the 1990’s, DJ’s like Mixmaster Mike  with Terrorwrist (Beneath the Under)  rappers like Jeru The Damaja Ya Playin; Yaself , Afu-Ra’s Mortal Kombat ,and RZA’s Tragedy cemented the martial arts path to the global community of Hip-Hop.

The short version is Hip-Hop was getting its baby legs in the early 1970’s. According to Grandmaster Flash it is even earlier than that. Rather than get bogged down in the “When did Hip-Hop start” debate we need to look at two other global events that changed New York and the world forever.These things unintentionally infected one another on the streets of New York. In the global explosion of this global subculture, the warrior spirit of Hip-Hop was born in Shaolin. But how?

The first is the release of Enter the Dragon in New York August of 1973. The other is the rise of DJ Kool Herc’s parties. As the spirit of competition began to grow within Hip-Hop, battle strategies began to be implemented. With Hip-Hop in its embryonic stage, the kung-fu films gave Hip-Hop the blueprint for war and peace.

The same parks that hosted the battles at night, had people doing tai chi during the day. The same street corners where people went head-to-head  in chess also hosted rap ciphers and bboy battles. Some might argue the streets of New York have always been a war zone.

Additionally, it is important to note that because of the intensity of gang culture that permeated NYC streets, knowledge of martial arts (and military strategy) was consistently sought after. Also keep in mind that this surge of gang culture happened during the Vietnam War. Some people who were deep in street culture like the street legend 50 Cent (not the rapper) went into the military to avoid doing jail time. This not only gave them time to get away from the street life, it made them official as warriors.

Many are often blown away and confused about how Black America and the Hip-Hop community became so fascinated with Kung Fu films by Bruce Lee and The Shaw Brothers. The simple answer is that Black men had their warrior spirit and traditions taken from them during the transatlantic slave trade. Their spirits were broken further through the implementation of Jim Crow and the wave of White violence across the country during the Civil Rights Era. Bruce Lee films gave Black men a new path to engaging and actualizing the warrior traditions that had been centuries removed by their sojourn in America.

Bruce Lee vs. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in Game of Death

In this scene from Bruce Lee’s Fist of Fury, Bruce is not allowed in a park due to his race. They only allow dogs in. A Japanese guy tells him if he crawls on all fours, he can go in the park. Bruce not only beats up the guy, but breaks the sign (symbolically shattering the system). These movies inspired more than just the fighting spirit of the martial arts. It also taught Blacks and Whites about the power of nonviolence, meditation and was a key entry point for African-American’s to learn about the benefits of vegan diets.

In the 1980’s the VHS tape explosion created a second wave for Black America to not only soak in the films, but watch them over and over again.  Now, with Hip-Hop having some legs, the warrior culture became even more embedded. However, it was happening with the DJ’s and the Bboys. Not with the rappers. In fact, the rappers are the last people in Hip-Hop to take on these ideas. In the book Foundation: B-Boys B-Girls and and Hip-Hop Culture in New York  he speaks with dancers like Alien Ness who talk extensively about how Bruce Lee specifically and martial arts culture in general impacted the psychology of battle for dancers.

In The Get Down often when Shaolin Fantastic dances there are often punching, kicking and battle screams playing. This to me illustrates the conviction and intent to represent, defend and embody the essence of Hip-Hop itself in battle.

In the 1990’s (with 20 years under Hip-Hop’s belt) everything starts to unfold pretty fast. It is during this time we see DJ’s (especially on the west coast) taking in these ideas of having an unflinching work ethic, being original over all else and having confidence in battle. A series of independent records put out by Ace Beat and Dirt Style Records launched a series of Battle Breaks. These records were made by DJ Qbert, Mixmaster Mike, DJ Apollo, DJ Yogafrog and others. Rather than carry crates to battles these records had a few banging beats and a mountain of scratches to rock with for battles. This was like putting 20 records into one record. It changed the game. On almost every battle record there would be clips from kung-fu films. Not long after that we see the artists like Jeru, Afu-Ra and others bring these Eastern elements into their lyrics.

The 1990’s also gave rise to The Wu Tang Clan. The only group to ever perfect the  fusion of martial arts, chess and Hip-Hop to date is Wu Tang. That can never be understated. Most of their strategies in business and their approach to artistic dominance came from RZA who was deeply affected not just by the films, but their true philosophical essence.

Today African Americans are moving rapidly toward a vegan lifestyle. Additionally we see growing numbers of African American Buddhist’s. It is hard to imagine these trends without kung fu films as an entry point.

DJ Mixmaster Mike’s original logo was a recreation of Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do logo

Arguably one of the best recent examples of Kung Fu in rap is Zion I’s Shadow Boxing video. Zumbi of Zion I practices Qigong. It is important to note some of the rappers who train in various martial arts include RZA from Wu-Tang Clan, Rakaa from Dilated Peoples, Tajai of Souls of Mischief, DJ Rhettmatic, J-Live and many others. Not all of them practice kung fu mind you. Some practice Japanese or Brazilian jiu-jitsu, some box, or do other styles. One of my personal favorite videos ever done with kung fu is Aesop Rock’s ZZZ Top featuring an woman who is an elderly Tai Chi master going toe to toe with Zumbi from Zion I. It is important to note that Kung Fu films are the only films on earth where a woman fighting is not only seen as something “unladylike”. In fact they show that a woman’s beauty and power can often best be expressed in martial arts. It is hard to imagine that the women’s UFC champions of today were not influenced in part to these films.

Today rappers like Ka’s Honor Killed The Samurai are a great example of how the warrior tradition in Hip-Hop is still alive. Additionally, Oakand’s DB Tha General calls himself Sun Tzu (the author of the Art of War).

Right now as the world is soaking up Kendrick Lamar’s album, we see his new alias Kung Fu Kenny hit the scene.

Today, in the world where youtube beats have given open channels to people the rap music industry ignores, you can find many gems. One of the real things you can see out there is that there is a whole theme of music inspired by classic samurai and Chinese warrior culture.

Tokyo by Justin Case

King  by Ronin   

Old School Oriental Hip-Hop Instrumental by Raven

Japanese Type Beat by Sakuhachi

Now with these elements solidified in The Get Down,  we can only imagine what new forms, styles, and lyrical warfare will be unleashed in the future of Hip-Hop.

Adisa, The Bishop is the Founder of the Hip-Hop Chess Federation  author of Bobby, Bruce & the Bronx: The Secrets of Hip-Hop Chess and The Iron Hook Scroll. He is a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and teaches a class fusing chess and jiu-jitsu at Zaytuna College in Berkeley, CA. Follow him on IG @realhiphopchess