Cloud Scroll Tea, Created by Adisa the Bishop (For weight loss and immunity help)

Cloud Scroll Tea (for weight loss and cleansing) By:Adisa Banjoko: 

 Cloud Scroll Tea is a tea recipe I developed. I was looking for a legitimate way to use tea to lose the most weight possible, but not sacrifice flavor. The original Cloud Scroll itself, is a book of jiu-jitsu techniques that came as a companion of related movements to the Iron Hook Scroll. Both books are jiu-jitsu an illustration of positions that came to me after a series of powerful experiences practicing transcendental meditation at John O’Connell High School many years ago. None of the positions were a product of my own tactical thinking or creativity. This is one of the reasons I believe meditation is such an important habit of creating.

The moves work gi or nogi and are respected by black belts around the world for their effectiveness and clarity of purpose. Techniques from the Iron Hook Scroll make you lockdown and be heavy to your opponent. The Cloud Scroll techniques are meant to lighten the opponent from being oppressive with their weight when you have them in a position called the closed guard. The Cloud Scroll is meant to lighten your mood in the moment and your physical frame over time. I am telling you this to help you understand the intention it was created with. 

In any case, what a lot of people don’t know is that I have been a diligent student of teas and the healing properties in them for no less than 25 years (I am 50). I have found tea to be one of the fastest and most cost effective ways to help our body heal itself. 

This tea came into fruition about year ago. I had seen a study that wanted to know did green tea or oolong tea (known as Tea Kuan Yin) help you lose faster. The result of the test showed that both helped, but that combining the teas was best. So, I immediately went to work on making a tea using those as the base. I scoured Chinatown in San Francisco (folks know that is my favorite part of SF) and I also found some other healing herbs to help you out. I have a booklet of teas I have made over the years. I don’t even keep them in my Google Drive because I keep them secret. None of them though do I trust in like Cloud Scroll Tea. I have lost a lot of weight using this tea (more than 15 lbs!). 

I do not care what brand of anything you use to make this tea. Get it wherever it is cheapest. I know there are vast differences in tea quality, flavor, processing etc. For me however, it is just important that you begin drinking it as soon as you can. 

Cloud Scroll Tea 

By: Adisa Banjoko aka The Bishop

Teaspoon oolong (tea kuan yin)

Benefits: It contains a variety of minerals such as carotene, calcium, copper, selenium, and vitamins A, B, C, E and K. Additionally, oolong tea contains detoxifying alkaloids such as folic acid and niacinamide

Teaspoon jasmine green tea

Benefits: A study was done and it showed people who drank 1–3 cups (237–710 ml) of green tea per day had a 19% lower risk of heart attacks and a 36% reduced risk of strokes, compared to people that drank less than 1 cup (237 ml) daily

Teaspoon Siberian rose petals

Benefits: Roses are known to be high in vitamin C, one of the most important vitamins in our body. Vitamin C is an essential part of our immune system as it stimulates the production of white blood cells and functions as an antioxidant, effectively lowering oxidative stress. 

Teaspoon red clover blossom

Benefits: Red clover blossom promotes optimal health of the respiratory system, the lymphatic system, the immune system, the blood, and the skin. I personally believe it is one of the most underutilized herbs in the world for healthy living.

1/2 Teaspoon oatmeal

Benefits: Before you send me a throw up emoji, understand this. Oatmeal has been heavily studied in relation to the immune system’s response to disease and infection. Essentially, because of oatmeal’s unique fiber called beta-glucan, it helps neutrophils travel to the site of an infection more quickly and enhances their ability to eliminate the bacteria they find there.

DIRECTIONS: Place in a pot of 8 cups boiling water. Let it simmer low for about 7-10 min. Add lemon/lime  and honey to taste. For better weight loss do NOT use any sweetener.

You can hear me talk about Cloud Scroll Tea on Bishop Chronicles Podcast on Mixcloud at 43 min in. You can also subscribe there or at iTunes, Spotify, Mixcloud or Libsyn. You can also listen at www.bishopchronicles.com 

The FDA has not verified anything I have written here. I AM NOT A DR. DRINK AT YOUR OWN RISK...

Bishop Talks RZA, Camp Tazo and Zen Experience in Shaolin

The other week Adisa the Bishop was invited to teach the philoosphies of the Hip-Hop Chess Federation in Staten Island (aka Shaolin). It was at a special private gathering for young creatives hosted by Camp Tazo and RZA of Wu Tang Clan. Shaolin Monk Shi Yan Ming, Sifu (teacher to RZA in kung-fu and zen philosophy) also taught at the session. Adisa brings you along on a fun, yet deep dive dealing with self exploration, education and the power of personal expression.

Adisa the Bishop talks about this one of a kind experience on his podcast, Bishop Chronicles. To download and listen to the show right now visit www.bishopchronicles.com or subscribe on Spotify, Mixcloud, Libsyn or iTunes.

You can also follow us on IG @bishopchronicles or @realhiphopchess ENJOY!

Also be sure to follow @tazo tea and go buy some today...

                                                      

Stic.man Releases Fit Hop album The Workout 2, out now!!

                                     The Workout 2 by Stic.man  is available now on iTunes and Amazon

"A warrior lives with integrity and honor/ Keeps his loved ones protected like armor/ Without even a word, you can feel the aura/ Respect is evident through his values and morals..."
                                                                                            - Stic.man , White Belt

The new album release The Workout 2 from Stic.man just dropped. It features amazing motivational music for those focused on health and fitness. He calls his lane of rap "Fit-Hop" as it stays focused on themes connected to vegan living, yoga, mental clarity and focus. His last album The Workout was a hit around the  world in the urban fitness community. He is also the author of several books that deal with the art of rap as well as how to eat a vegan diet and still gain muscle. Stic.man is truly a groundbreaking artist and athlete in this respect. He is also one of the biggest and most consistent proponents of martial arts as a tool for personal cultivation and civilization.

The Workout 2 features not just raps, but up beat tracks with various slogans to keep you from quitting on yourself during your jog, or lifting session. On the song White Belt at 1:50 and 3:00 you will hear advice from HHCF Founder Adisa the Bishop on mindset a white belt should approach their training with. Listen here  White Belt and share it with other lovers of positive mindsets and good living.Other great songs include Stay Ready, Run, and Put in the Work. This is a great album for parents to get their teens or kids who play sports or aspire to.

Albums like this prove why Hip-Hop has promoted the healthiest lifestyles on earth above any other music form in history. If you think I'm wrong, go look up any lyrics from heavy metal, rock, jazz, soul, R & B, you choose it and lets compare lyric for lyric. Congrats to Stic.man on dropping such a great motivational piece of work. It is currently the #1 album on Amazon for health and fitness!!

BREAKING: Lost Instructional Jiu-Jitsu Book by Adisa, The Bishop is Released! The Cloud Scroll !!!

HHCF is proud to announce The Cloud Scroll: Closed Guard Sweeps, Pins & Submissions. This book is a companion to The Iron Hook Scroll written in 2013 (which included amazing finishing holds like the dreaded "Thug Nation" shoulder lock . It is a book Adisa The Bishop wrote 4 years ago but was lost. In May of this year Adisa almost passed away from a bacterial infection. Among other things, he was sad he was about to die a brown belt. As soon as he got out of the hospital he told his instructor Alan "Gumby" Marques his plans to train harder and get consistent back on the mats. He later called Denny Prokopos and told him about his reluctant idea to release the Cloud Scroll. Denny suggested he do it because life is short. The Bishop agreed.

There are three videos that help the reader understand the positions. New video's will be forthcoming illustrating the other positions in The Cloud Scroll.

WATCH: PBS News and KPIX TV Cover RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom (Exhibit Closes Aug 12th)

                                                   Turntable set by Grandmaster Flash

We wanted to thank all the cool people who supported the RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom exhibit. It has been such a fantastic experience. Above you should see a cool interview from local KPIX station. Additionally, there was another story done by  PBS Newshour. The PBS Newshour story is VERY cool. However, I was deeply disappointed to see that they did not acknowledge me as the creator and Guest Curator of the exhibit. Sadly, that has been a consistent issue for me as far as press has gone. I don't even think Susan Barrett and I are credited on the OMCA site for our work. You see our names in super fine print upon entering the exhibit. But on the site, and in the news our credit has been largely swept under the rug. The Sr. Curator, Rene deGuzman has been amazing in staying PERSONALLY consistent in crediting us. This appears to be more of a quiet institutional move inside the PR/Marketing/Social Media space.  I guess I am too new to the curatorial space to understand how this happened through the duration of RESPECT: Style & Wisdom exhibit.

Finally, the most fun I had was in being on San Jose's Dad Bod Rap Pod. Give it a solid listen. I think you will find it both super fun and super informative.

Also, super shout out to Dr. Cari Borja for having  Rene deGuzman, Eric Arnold, Mike Relm and I to the Apple Store in Union Square in SF to talk about our creative approach to the museum. It was super fun and gave us exposure to an older Hip-Hop curious crowd I did not know existed.

Much love to all our supporters. To our harsh critics, thank you for sharing your insights. I am very thankful to so much of the OMCA staff as well as all the contributors and artists who shared their art, knowledge and time to the exhibit. I am currently working on NEW projects that I hope to share with you soon.

WAIT!!! August 12th at Hello Stranger in Oakland 1724 Broadway, Oakland, CA we will be doing a closing party for the end of RESPECT. Please come through as we have DJ Platurn and some special guests coming to hit the set. Doors open at 9. We will also be debuting the RESPECT Mixtape made by DJ Platurn and epic Oakland scribe Eric Arnold. 

Adisa Banjoko Hosting Talk on Hip-Hop & Martial Arts June 30th 3-5 at Oakland Museum!!

Saturday, June 30, 2018, 3–5 pm

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In Hip-Hop culture, the barbershop is known as a community hub for news and debate. Inside special exhibition RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom, gather around the Barbershop space inside the gallery to learn from guest speakers focusing on new topics each month. Explore unexpected aspects of Hip-Hop culture. This month’s theme is Hip-Hop & Martial Arts, featuring Gene Ching, Publisher of Kung Fu Tai Chi & kungfumagazine.com, and Adisa “The Bishop” Banjoko, Founder and Executive Director of Hip Hop Chess Federation. 

Included with special exhibition Museum admission. There is an additional $4 charge for special exhibition RESPECT. Advance online tickets are available; choose your date and desired hour of entry.
» Buy tickets

We also have some other special guests coming through....Don't miss this one!! 

Modern Violence and the New Era of Young Bulls

Modern Violence and the New Era of Young Bulls

By: Adisa The Bishop

Mr. Miyagi mentors Daniel in The Karate Kid

Long before a lot of people cared about NHB (no holds barred) or Vale Tudo (anything goes fighting)
I wrote a piece for a small MMA publication called Vale Tudo News. As a new white belt I was loving jiu-jitsu but
deeply troubled by the lack of philosophy that worked to balance such a dangerous art. I don’t remember my exact words but
I said something along the lines of “ Without a solid philosophy the people learning jiu-jitsu
and MMA we will have a country of bulls with no brains or sense of moral duty.”

While it was well received by some, by many others it was just the whining of a new white belt who
wished for teacher and pupil scenes from Kung Fu TV show. As I trained in jiu-jitsu I read books like
The Art of Peace, The Art of War, various Taoist and Confucian, Christian, Sufi and Buddhist texts.
It helped my understanding of jiu-jitsu, violence, non-violence, emotional control and other areas of
my life. I believe without question those years of personal cultivation have made me a better student, t
eacher and overall human being.

Despite taking the super duper slow route I am now a brown belt under my instructor Alan “Gumby”
Marques at Heroes Martial Arts. I teach chess fused with jiu-jitsu to help people cultivate body and
mind simultaneously. I currently teach high school, and college courses on chess and jiu-jitsu. I also
teach an all ages class on the weekends. I find it very rewarding personally, but I also see impact in
both young and adult lives. Some teens I mentored are now graduating from college and thanking me
a lot. Others are just finding their self esteem and trying harder in school. Others are just making
better decisions as they do their 9-5 thing.

The other day I was really shaken. I learned a student of mine (who trains in MMA and aspires to be
an MMA champion as an adult) . He was accused of intimidating and threatening a teacher who is
an elderly woman. I was really confused by the incident. I thought when I met him that because he
already did martial arts that he was well acquainted with philosophy. As it turned out he was not.
Additionally, he is a borderline average student. Even in my class. He aspired to little more than
MMA. Skillwise, he certainly has a decent base but it will remain to be seen if he has what it takes
in the long run to get to the top ranks of MMA. I thought we would bond.
I found him helpful when it was time to do jiu-jitsu demos. From time to time he was a helpful at
getting other kids to be inspired about training. More often than not though, he was largely out to
lunch academically.

I was very disappointed in him after I learned about the incident. I asked him about what happened.
He was less than truthful initially about what he had done. After I told him I had several witnesses,
he admitted what happened. I told him about the difference between being a martial artist and a
fighter. I explained a martial artist is trying to cultivate their mind and heart- not just their bodies.
I told him a fighter is just looking for a check, a mercenary of sorts.
I used Bruce Lee and Jon Jones as examples of each (Jones being a fighter).
I could not help but wonder if his martial arts teachers push aside philosophical discussions so
they can get another round in on the bags.

He was unremorseful about the incident. His lack of remorse scared me more than the incident.
Further he admitted he had wondered about if he was a fighter or a martial artist and he said he
saw himself as a fighter. I explained that fighters last only as long as their body holds up but
martial artists help the community through their teaching and training of others. The boy
blinked at me silently with a minimal sense of remorse or desire to lift up his character.
Not only did he not care that much, his desire to pretend he cared was equally low.
I realized I was looking at one of the young bulls I wrote about all those years ago.
Digital tools like Worldstar, YouTube, Snapchat and
Instagram fights add to the emotional vacuum our young people live in.

As I left school that day my hope was that he changes. He is young, so,
the potential for change is great. When I was his age, I did did a lot of reckless things.
Things that made it so nobody I grew up with back then could evision me the way I live now.
At the same time I can’t help but wonder if bulls I spoke of years ago are starting to stand up.
Is he just one kid in the new era of morally unreachable young men who happen to train as fighters?
Without using Eastern philosophy, meditation, chess etc. to balance out the martial arts training,
we can only expect more of these kinds of incidents will become commonplace in our society.

EXCLUSIVE The Rhythm of War: MMA Fight Lab Champion D'Juan Owens

          MMA Champion (and HHCF Representative) D'Juan "Dirty South" Owens defends his title in March!! 

By: Adisa, The Bishop
Photos: Gene Kim

In MMA a lot of people come and go. A lot of people get into MMA for all the wrong reasons. Some do it for money and others for a quick flash of glory. D'Juan "Dirty South" Owens is none of the above. Mr. Owens is fighter with proven resilience. He is a fighter with a purpose greater than himself. Before doing MMA he was a competitive chess player in the military. Mr. Owens is also an avid kickboxing practitioner and a Hip-Hop dancer.

He recently won the Fight Lab Title between multiple visits to Uganda and Senegal teaching women and children dance and self defense. There is truly no one like him in MMA today. His passion for the rhythm between martial arts, chess and music truly makes him stand out inside and outside the cage.

                                           D'Juan finds many correlations between dance and martial arts. 

HHCF: You visited both Senegal and Uganda this year. Tell us what you were doing out there? 

DO: My latest visit to Uganda was on behalf of a non-profit we started in 2016 called "Fighting for Uganda". We teach free community self-defense seminars throughout Uganda. The focal point of our self-defense seminars is gender-based violence prevention(not limited to). During our lecture portion, we discuss situational awareness, domestic violence, and common misconceptions about consent. This is followed by out technique portion.

I traveled Senegal to work with an organization that I'm now a member of called the "Lionheart Initiative". LHI focuses on spreading and developing the sport of MMA in Africa. I came in contact with LHI founder AK Rupert late last year, and we hit it off instantly. We realized that we shared similar values and priorities, and almost immediately we started planning a project where I would teach MMA and self-defense seminars there.

HHCF: I have been consumed by the relationship between dance and martial arts. Bruce Lee was an accomplished Cha Cha dancer. Doing research on Miyamoto Musashi I learned he was a Japanese Noh dancer. Plus his book, The Book of 5 Rings is often about rhythms. Where do you find connections between dance and martial arts?

DO: There's so many man. Movement, rhythm, creativity, timing, and execution come to mind first. It's all art to me. Depending on the artist or practitioner, they can also be seen as systems.

            

HHCF: Do you see rhythm in both striking and grappling?

DO: I see rhythm in striking much more so than in grappling. Due to the space or lack of constant contact in striking, movement really can't be stopped. An avenue can be blocked, but not all avenues at once. Grappling provides so much more control for the dominant grappler. At this point in my development, I don't see grappling as rhythmic. All art isn't rhythm based though. It's definitely art.

HHCF: What are some of today's rap artists that you like?

DO: I'm really impressed by Quadir Lateef, Blitz the Ambassador, and Jay Electronica. I've got a lot of respect and appreciation for many more; but these are artist who I believe are extremely talented that Hip-Hop fans should get familiar with.

HHCF: Congratulations on winning your Title Fight last weekend! Tell us about the fight, and what this win means to you.

DO: Thank you brother! After a hard-fought battle we won "Fight Lab Promotions' " inaugural lightweight Title! The fight went on all five rounds, and we won by Unanimous decision. We had a tough opponent, who definitely came to win. 

This win was the exclamation point on a perfect year of competition success. We went 2-0 in MMA, 2-0 in pro kickboxing, and went 2-0 in grappling superfights.

HHCF: What are your plans for 2018 in terms of MMA?

DO: In 2018 I'll continue to improve as a martial artist, and as a MMA fighter. I'll also continue to compete and win. I'll defend my Title every time I fight for "Fight Lab", and I'll pursue and win a Title in any other organization that I fight for. I'm operating at the highest level of proficiency and efficiency in every aspect of my life. I'm actualizing potential.

HHCF: Any last words?

DO: Much love and respect to everyone out there striving and grinding toward their goals! 

Adisa, The Bishop is author of the book Bobby Bruce and the Bronx: The Secrets of Hip-Hop Chess and Guest Curator of the upcoming exhibit Respect: Hip-Hop Style and Wisdom opening March 24th 2018 at Oakland Museum of California.

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 Juvenile Hall Diary Day 4!!

As I came in on Thursday, I had a lot swimming in my mind. I was thinking about the kid I kicked out. As per my personal rules, if I kick a kid out, he is out the day after. I was contemplating keeping him out for the week.

About 20 years ago, I was studying Confucianism thanks to an old Native American friend (he also introduced me to the beauty of sushi). A scholar from the Ming Dynasty wrote at the time “To go too far, is just as bad is not going far enough.” Was it unjust to keep him out? Was it being weak to let him in given the chances of him coming back with disruption on his mind. He was charismatic. The kids in the hall could follow him.

I checked into the building in a slight haze. As I got in they informed me that today was the last day. I had mistakenly thought it went all week like last years camp. It was not like last year. It rattled me more than I thought. I had plans for them on Friday and now, it was NOT to be.

One of the weirder things about jails and juvenile halls is the sterile nature of the place. The fluorescent lights, peanut butter walls, white walls- they numb you out. Kinda depressing, I can't lie.

So, I came in and I just wrote something on the board:

KING= Your goal.

Strategy= What tools (pieces) will you need to make it happen?

Checkmate= You win/ Victory!

They read it as they came in ready to go. I shook their hand as they entered. The energy was upbeat.

“This is my last day y’all. I did not plan for it to be like this. I thought I would be here till Friday- but I’m out. So, rather than get caught up with a lot of philosophy, let me just say that I loved being with you guys. I don’t know if any of this will stick but I hope you liked learning from me and I hope you liked the games you played.”

They were all sad. “ Aww man that’s weak.” one of them said.

“ I know, but look. Let me just run through some for attack strategies and lets jump on the boards. The main thing I want you to know is you are all brilliant. Your wisdom is not the issue. You are all brilliant. I just want you to get out, stay out and live well.”

We went over knight for puzzles. I was a stickler for ensuring they answered everything algebraic notation. They did it. Then we jumped into some games. It was fantastic.

One Latino student who I taught some moves to, who beat me after I gave him some pointers had blood in his eyes when he sat at the board. We went hard. I got him 3 games straight. He smiled at the end of class and was like. I’m gonna get you tomorrow” smiling wide as we shook hands.

A kid standing behind me said “He’s not coming back it's over.”

His smile went away and he shook his head. You could tell he was running some internal dialogue.

“These were great games man. Great games” I said.

After my break I went into the next class. I wallked in a little early. My classroom was not open. I stood in the pod looking around. One of the kids rooms was dark (they choose if they want their light on or not). In the blackness of the room and glare of the window I could see two eyes lasered in on my face. It was one of my students. He saw me see him inside the darkness. I smiled and nodded. Gave him two thumbs up. He smiled and nodded back. It started to bother me that he was in a cage. That he was in a cage and could still smile, gave me an odd sense of hope though. I’m still not sure what it was all meaning to me.

As I greeted them, the boy who I had issues with walked in. Head up, super proud. I greeted him and shook his hand. He shook my hand but his eyes were emotionally cold. I could tell though that the sincerity of my smile and energy of my greeting caught him off guard.

I quickly told them this was the last day. I was giving some final motivational words. The SAME kid who I just let back in was talking. I politely asked him to stop once, then twice. The third time I turned to him and approached his desk.  

“Come on man” I asked in a pain inflicted tone. “You just got back. I’m chillin’. You know it’s my last day. Are you really going to do this right now. You’re just gonna come in knowing it’s my last day and cool out in the back of the room talking with you boy? Why would you do that?

Before he could respond the kid who I smiled at through the blackness cut in.

“You gotta forgive him. He does not understand plain words. You gotta look at him in his eyes and be like ‘N*** SHUT THE F*** UP!’ a he will chill out.”

The room chuckled, and the kid continued. “Nah seriously, you know how when kids are born their heads are shaped bad. He’s one of those. You gotta massage his head and form it so he can hear you.” More snickers came out across the room.

I looked at Tats and I said “Is that what I gotta do? Help me understand. Because I feel like you are totally disrespecting me right now- and I don’t get it.”

Tats smiled a sincere smile. He said “Look I don’t mean any disrespect to any teacher. Especially to any OG. I respect you OG. I do. I respect all the teachers here.”

Then in a millisecond his face changed. He looked up at the lights and it seemed like he was no longer talking to me. It was like he was standing in the room looking back at himself “At the same time, I’m a man too OG. I’m a man!” he cried out in passion- not anger. “I do my push-ups in the room. I do my crunches. I do my jumping backs. I’m kinda small but I’m gettin bigger. I’m a man.” The guys in the room fell out laughing. Their laughter took him out of his trance. He smiled and laughed a little too. “I know I sound crazy. But I’m serious though.”

I realized in that moment that his issues were not really with me. His issue was he was torn between the boy who was evaporating and the man who was emerging. He was unsure if I told him to be quiet and he did it- was he being weak in a space where being weak made you a target?

“OK. I respect you as a man” said without hesitation. “But I don’t feel like we need to get all into it just to get through a class. These guys are trying to learn too. When you interrrupt, you are taking away from their time, and your time. That’s all I’m saying” I stated with a slight shrug of the shoulders and my palms turned up to the ceiling.

“I got you OG. I’m chillin’” he said sitting back and nodding.

The class went onto to be the best of the week. He played in the best game of the week. It see sawed back and forth between he and another kid. In the end he lost but the game was so epic the whole room was laughing and joking and yelling.

Turns out, Tats was a incredible rapper and dropped some heavy verses before class was out. He shook my hand before he went back to his cell. The kids were all wishing I could come back. I feel the sting of it too. But that class was amazing.

As one kid was goig out the door he said “Can I make money playing chess?”

“No lil bro. No. You want to use the game to build your plan for your LIFE and push hard that way. Then you will get paid. But you have to stay on the boards to really see the levels. You understand?” He nodded and smiled.

The highlight of the last class was with a kid who I knew trained in jiu-jitsu and meditation with a good friend of mine. Apparently a kid from my first class had a problem with him. I heard talk about them possibly getting physical. This kid and I played several games all week. This day we did not. As class was letting out and I was saying goodbye I pulled him aside.

I pointed to the thing on the board about the king, the pieces and the victory. I said “Look, you know I don’t know you that well. But I know your instructor and he would not want you figthing right now. He would want you going back to your room and meditating. He would want you in your room exercising. He would want you to think through this. For me, when I look at you. Your king is FREEDOM. I don’t know what that kid did. But nothing he said, is more important than getting out. Unless he is actively on you trying to harm you- keep it peaceful. Because anything you do is going to get you more time. Don’t give the courts one more second than you have to. Get free and then me, you and your instructor can go train and get some sandwiches and chill. Wouldn’t that be better than being in here?”

He nodded. “OK….OK.” in a tone that told me for the moment he was convinced nonviolence was the best way out. I called his instructor and told him what happened as I left.

Oh! I gotta say there were 4 different rap sessions I saw in the hall. One was from a kid who did not know chess. By the end of the week he did an amazing freestyle about chess and life. He said that he was so confused by the game and he never thought he could learn. I promised him he would know the game and he thanked me for keeping my word.

There was the rap session with the Tats who I just mentioned. It was truly amazing.

Another dope moment was a kid handed me a copy of a song he wrote. It is super deep and covered a lot of painful issues around his incarceration, broken family trauma and loniness he faces. I hope to share it with you in the future. But I have to get some clearances before I can.

Also, the first day  when I asked who could rap they all pointed to this White kid. He was the only White kid in the hall that day ( a few more came in the day I left- it was all Black and Brown). He had bright green eyes and slicked back hair. The verse he did blew my mind. He was getting out that day. This afternoon he reached out to me on Instagram. I’m gonna try to get him to record a song.

I want to thank you all for taking the time to read this and I want to thank all the good people at the Alameda County Juvenile Center for their kindness and support. I want to thank all the JIO’s for their support when I’m in all the units. It is always and honor for me to spend time with incarcerated kids. Much love y’all.

Defend The Crown,

Adisa