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. 

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.*

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.

Nonviolent Rap Song of the Week #7 Erase Racism by Kool G Rap and DJ Polo

In light of Charlottesville and all the racial division in America right now I wanted to post this song. It was weird because my life got crazy and I got away from posting. But now that I see our country so divided I wanted to share some of the wisdom from one of Hip-Hop's best gangsta rap artists. Kool G Rap is arguably of the most underappreciated rappers in the history of the art.

Despite having a noticeable lisp, this guy has ripped so many mics it is hard for me to share with you how amazing his is. He was super frightening at the time to be honest. His vivid lyricism was always on point and on time. If you don't know his work I highly recommend starting with Streets of NY.

On his Wanted Dead or Alive album he had placed a jewel in the midst of his mayhem. Erase Racism was a song he did with Big Daddy Kane and Biz Markie. The result is a timeless classic that America could learn from right now. This song is also proof that mainstream media ignored a lot of the most powerful messages on world peace ever made in the history of music. Again, this is just ONE song from Hip-Hop. No song from jazz, rock, classical or blues can match the magic of Erase Racism.

    Kool G Rap and DJ Polo's Wanted Dead or Alive was one of the hardest gangsta rap albums ever.

Check out this portion of G Rap's verse:

So don't be foolish if you're Jewish or Hindu
The racial manual is the evil that men do
I was raised in a nation of Asian
Hate shouldn't separate Jamaican from Haitian
So if you're givin in your ears I hope your hear me and
Siberian's no better than Nigerian
I bring a rattle to a battle that you see me in
I'm no villain so why would I be killin Indians
My nationality's reality
And yo a prejudiced man is of a devil mentality
These are words of a wise man, wisdom
Take a taste and erase the racism


WATCH the video to Erase Racism

To see the fully annotated lyrics of Erase Racism visit Rap Genius.

To read more about nonviolence in Hip-Hop read Bobby, Bruce & the Bronx: The Secrets of Hip-Hop Chess  on Amazon or Smashwords.

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 

Nonviolent Rap Song of the Week #5 Peace to my Enemies by T-K.A.S.H.

T-K.A.S.H. illustrates how Hip-Hop was growing up long before Jay Z dropped 4:44. I will NEVER disrespect Jigga. He's been doing this thing in a major way. However, the same mainstream media that seems so appreciative of his growth is the same media the ignores the tens of thousands of artists who have been pushing intelligent, thoughtful rhymes for many years. Dad rap beeeeeen here, is all I'm saying. This song is 7 years old. It was put out on Guerilla Funk Records which has put out a lot of politically polarizing music, but this artist and this album, Brains All Over the Streets never got its proper due in the press. Nevertheless, the streets were feeling it.

Keep in mind, T-K.A.S.H. is the same artists who did the song Turf War Syndrome (the hood term for PTSD) long before a lot of folks were recognizing the impact of the violence on the kids in the hood. Enjoy this. I always do.

LISTEN: Peace to My Enemies 

Nonviolent Rap Song of the Week #4 Wish You Could See Me by Haystak

Wish you could see me is from one of America's most underrated White rappers EVER. Haystak's first album Car Fulla White Boys was one of my top favorite solo album releases of all time. Great album, great production, raps, etc. But it seemed to me a lot of politics played into his lack of overall success. Nevertheless, this record is a classic and Wish You Could See Me is one of the best songs on this album.

One of the things many of us forget when we observe Hip-Hop in all of its core forms, it that ALL OF IT, it a guerrilla arts response to being boxed out of society.

Another thing that is hard to comprehend is that even if you take the most violent, offensive, shocking, rap song you can thing of- it is STILL nonviolent. Essentially, a person was mad and wrote a poem rather than kill. We can debate the impact of art on society and try to define when art imitates life or if its the other way around. What we cannot debate is that no matter how you feel about it and angry kid wrote a poem.

Rather than be mad that the kid wrote a poem that scared you, you should be trying to figure out what in his world could make him that mad.

The violence is always around them. The death is always around them. The impact of the violence and the death pushed them at an early age to think a lot about theology, philosophy and politics before they even know what the topics are.

This song is deep and has brought me to tears many times. It is one of the most touching tributes to a young mans' dead friends ever made.


We had high hopes just knowing he'd pull through
But he got this look on his face like he just knew
He might not be able to come back
I said squeeze my hand if you feel me- he didn't react
So that's one more homie that we lost to the late night
[Rain Starting]
Kill tha head light pull up at tha grave sight
We were there twenty minutes seemed like forever it lasted
His brother broke down his moms collapsed on tha casket
See tha caretaker throw the first shovel of dirt
I can't begin to describe how much that hurt
I can begin to describe I ain't going pretend
I can't begin to describe that

I encourage you to listen to the full song and read the annotated lyrics at Rap Genius.

WATCH: Wish You Could See Me 

To read more about nonviolence in Hip-Hop read Bobby, Bruce & the Bronx: The Secrets of Hip-Hop Chess in Amazon.com.

Nonviolent Rap Song of the Week #3 Self Destruction

                        Top rappers came together to try and stop the violence on the streets. 

Self Destruction was a record dropped in 1987 meant to help curb Black violence across the country. It was spearheaded by KRS ONE and included some of the biggest names in Hip-Hop at the time. Public Enemy, Heavy D, MC Lyte and many others were also on the song.

At the time they launched the Stop the Violence Movement. It was a valiant effort. But between the lack of big financial support and Hip-Hop being in its infancy not much came from it in terms of concrete impact. It did, however, serve as a blueprint that rappers use to this day to share their thoughts on violence. No other form of music in the history of the earth has as many songs about violence as rap.

It also showed that Hip-Hop artists were dedicated to more than partying. Inside Hip-Hop we knew that, but from the outside looking in, I understand how it may have been hard to see. Hip-Hop was one of the first victims of "fake news".

I think when people look at Hip-Hop we might look at LIVE AID or We Are The World as one off songs.

Self Destruction was not a one off. It was the epicenter for a wave of songs on peace, nonviolence, and records looking at the trauma of violence in the hood. I have to admit though that I never liked this beat. At all....Sometimes I think when people get ready to do songs for the community, they make half baked beats. I found it hard to believe that all these dope people could come together and have such a yawn worthy beat. But the spirit of the track was more important.

WATCH: Self Destruction now! 

Read the annotated lyrics to Self Destruction at Rap Genius. There is no parental advisory for this song.

To read more about nonviolence in Hip-Hop read Bobby, Bruce & the Bronx: The Secrets of Hip-Hop Chess  on Amazon or Smashwords.

An Open Letter to Bruce Lee from Hip-Hop Chess Federation

Dear Bruce Lee,

        On the 44th anniversary of your death, I find myself very short on words. I was only 3 when you passed away. It would be 6 more years for me to learn who you were. But my life after that was forever changed. I still remember it very vividly. 

        In the Summer of 1979 (yes I know, I'm quite old) my father came home with some of the newest technology in his hand. It was a VHS tape recorder. For the first time, American's could watch movies in their house as often as they'd like. The first two films my dad brought were Alien and Return of the Dragon. I did not know who Bruce Lee was at the time. I had seen a few Shaw Brothers films before, but I didn't really care about them much at the time. 

        I walked into my parent's bedroom and I saw you destroying people in the alley behind the restaurant in Italy. I asked my dad "What is this?!" and my dad explained to me who you were. It was the middle of the movie so I left and ate so it could finish. Then, I went back in and watched it from the beginning. It is hard to say exactly what I felt. It is hard to explain all the questions I had in my head. How can a man move like that? How can a man fight like that? How can a man be so skinny, but so strong? How can a man be so good at beating people up but be so nice? None of those things had answers that satisfied my mind. 

         There was not much I could do about it either. The only thing I could do was to try and make some nunchucks. I immediately went downstairs and took a hacksaw to an old yellow broomstick and put my 9-year-old elite craftsman skills to work. A year or so before, I went to visit my older cousin Steve. He was a cool older dude who looked like one of the Jackson 5. While sitting in his living room, I saw an old metal chain (very small) sitting on his coffee table. I asked him for no reason if I could have it. He said yes. I had no idea what it would be used for. Once I saw you, Bruce, I knew it was meant to be the links between my sticks. I still thank my cousin Steve till this day for giving me that chain. Till this day, he does not even remember giving it to me. I hit myself 100 times the first day I made them. But I did not care. I kept going. I'm nowhere as good as you, but I still have enough to beat up some guys in an alley if I need to with nunchucks. 

           A few years later, I had a friend at Pacific Heights Jr. High named Jamal. He wanted to be a stuntman when he grew up. He was the first kid I remember that I knew, who loved you as much as I did. We used to jump and fall down hills and climb walls trying to be like you. In the 1980's there were spots in almost every major city called Kung Fu Shops. I don't know what they were really called. They sold ninja stars, nunchucks, knives, and all kinds of weapons. The one I knew of was around 25th and Mission in San Francisco. I went there more than a few times to get stars. I still have one somewhere at my parent house. I think it is nuts they sold that stuff to us. But I am glad they did.

          I loved your other movies as well, but none as much as Return of the Dragon. Nothing can ever recapture the wonder that exploded in my head and heart the first time I saw you. Years later when I got ready to be married, I came to study you again. I never realized the responsibility of a man to keep the house safe. At the same time, I did not want to own a gun. I was studying the stick fighting art of Escrima, but I was really bad at it. My friend taught me about Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and I learned as much as I could be based on as little as  I had access to. So many jiu-jitsu players are driven by your work ethic. So many people of all styles aspire to match the clarity in your movements. 

        For my birthday, I was given the Tao of Jeet Kune Do by a San Jose graff writer and my life was never, ever the same. I was already a rogue scholar of Eastern philosophy and history. But to see your ideas on paper. To see your sketches. To see your philosophies opened my head and my heart in ways that are still happening. Your work gave me moral courage. Your writings helped me be proud to be Black just as you were proud to be Chinese. Your willingness to train Black students and White students at a time when racial separation was so common pushed me to study other cultures more diligently. Every time I get ready to eat bad food I feel like I can hear you telling me to stay away from it, that it won't make me a better warrior. I read a lot about Chinese medicine and tea because of you till this day.  

       My book Bobby, Bruce & the Bronx: The Secrets of Hip-Hop Chess and my organization The Hip-Hop Chess Federation would not exist were it not for you. I recently spoke in Washington DC about you at the Kennedy Center. The entire community of Hip-Hop loves you. Thank you for making Hip-Hop better. So many rappers, DJ's, Bboys and Graff writers have worked to improve themselves because of your efforts. Your impact can be seen in the work of Public Enemy's S1W's to Wu-Tang Clan, Mixmaster Mike, Andre Nickatina and Dead Prez. So many Black people eat better because of you. So many Black people think better because of you. Thank you is such an insufficient phrase as a response to your contributions. I can only promise to champion the value of your work and to encourage others to embrace your ideas as much as I can. I started out so sad writing this. Right now though, I feel happy. I think I am happy because the ripple effect of your work is yet undone. I look forward to the joy and peace your work continues to inspire in my own life and others around the world. Much love always. Peace Bruce. 

Much Love,

Adisa Banjoko