When Thugs Cry: An Unknown Tupac Story

Recently the internet started buzzing because of a cool conversation between legendary rapper Talib Kweli and Public Enemy front man Chuck D pm People's Party Podcast. They were talking about a story where Chuck D made Tupac cry one night. The video of the conversation is HERE

The story below, is the article I wrote that sparked the conversation: As told to Okayplayer by acclaimed author + founder of  the Hip-Hop Chess Federation, Adisa Banjoko.

[It was] October 20th, 1991 [and] the hills of Oakland caught fire. What started as a small brush fire quickly burned down large a part of the city. Ashes floated downwind as much as 30 miles away. Depending on where you lived in The Bay, the sun was orange from all the smoke. That wasn’t the only thing burning however.

Racial tensions across America were red hot. A few days before, Tupac Shakur was approached by Oakland Police Department for allegedly jaywalking. Apparently, when he told them his name, “Tupac Amaru Shakur,” they laughed. They mocked his mom for naming him Tupac. ‘Pac got upset and he yelled back at them. He was beaten by the police pretty severely that day. He would later sue the city and win $42,000.

I called ‘Pac to interview him for the newspaper [I was writing for] shortly after.  At the time, it was for The Commemorator. It was a newspaper founded by the O.G. Black Panthers. One of the founders was Bobby McCall, as in the father of Money B of Digital Underground. He gave me my first regular writing gig at The Commemorator. My column was called “The Bishop’s Baseline” and I had called Tupac the day after the incident to get a quote from him. He was too angry and still healing to really do an interview with me.

The evening as the firestorm raged on, Public Enemy and Anthrax were doing a show in town. With all of the political and racial tension rooted in the Bay, this show was going to be really wild! Some were already saying that the burning taking place in Oakland was happening most in the hills—where most of the rich whites were living—and was karma of the city’s abuse of black people. I was also writing for The Source and Rap Pages around that time, too, so I had to go to this show. Chuck D and I had met a year or two earlier through a rapper named AK Black. I left for the venue super early because I was afraid that the bridge might get shut down or the officials of the city might tell people to stay indoors.

When I got to the venue, as I said, it was super early. People were still setting up the stage. I was told that Chuck D and activist/educator Harry Allen were upstairs. When I got there, Chuck was asleep on this super-narrow orange table, dressed in all-black with a yellow-and-black Pirates hat. Where he was laying was connected to the wall with this long, vanity mirror. It was just as wide and as long as Chuck was. The lights were on bright and his hat covered his face as he was lying there like King Tut. Harry was also in the room in all-black, sitting at a black card table set up in the center of the room wearing this baby blue kufi. His head was resting on his hands which were palms down on the card table. Other than them, the room was perfectly empty and perfectly silent.

The first thing that struck me was that there was no security, no S1W‘s or Fruit Of Islam at the the door, in the room, or even in the hallway. It seemed dangerous for them to be unprotected during these times, so I stood at the opening of the door for about 30 seconds. I was contemplating leaving or sitting in the hallway to just let them rest. Right then, Chuck’s spidey sense went off. He took the baseball hat off his head and he looked toward the door where I was.

Recognizing me instantly he put the hat back over his head laying back casually, and said, “‘Sup Bishop?” he said sleepily. “Ain’t you supposed to be putting out fires around here?”

Harry sat up with his eyes wide open trying to reorient himself from his slumber.

We talked for bit about the fire and then Chuck asked me about Tupac. I told him I just talked to ‘Pac and that he was injured, mad and sad over what had happened to him with the police. All three of us spoke about how the pattern of being beaten by police unprovoked was getting out of hand.

He sat up on the orange table and said, “Listen Bishop, I’m gonna dedicate a song to Tupac tonight.” He went onto say how he had love for him and he felt his pain. “If you see him, tell him [that] PE got his back.”

I responded with “OK,” and then I left them to go rest up before the show.

Slowly, but surely the venue became jam packed. It was then, right before the show started [that] I saw ‘Pac. His eye was still swollen and shiny. If I recall, I think he had a shoulder brace on or some kind of arm bandage. There was about 25 people between us. We could see one another clearly, but the music was playing super loud.

I said to him, “Hey, ‘Pac, I saw Chuck and PE’s gonna do a song for you tonight!”

He yelled back, “What?!”

I repeated myself two or three times. Tupac pointed to his head and shook it, smiling as if to say back to me, “I can’t hear you man!”

I nodded. Soon after, I think Young Black Teenagers took to the stage. After them, PE came on and in the middle of their set, as promised, Chuck D stopped the music. He talked about the firestorm that was raging not too far from us outside, about the police brutality going on in the streets and talked about how PE had love for ‘Pac.

I actually don’t remember what song they performed. In my head, it was “Shut ‘Em Down”. However, what I do remember is the energy in the room more than the music. I turned to Tupac to scream, “That’s what I was trying to tell you!!” There was a visual symphony of bodies jumping, fists pumping and people yelling cries into the heavens for justice right before my eyes. I scanned the crowd looking for ‘Pac. I couldn’t see him. Then I caught his eyes amongst the swarm of people.

In this sea of pulsing movement one man stood still. It was Tupac. The ocean of bodies pulsing were shoving him back and forth, but he was still. Perfectly still. Almost stone-cold stiff. His eyes were fixed on the stage. Slow tears fell from ‘Pac’s eyes as the Prophets of Rage tore the stage down. My eyes moved between ‘Pac and PE. I can never explain the power of being present in that moment. I can only say that it was a sacred moment to witness. One of the many things [that] I will never forget about my homey.

Be sure to check out + cop his latest book, ‘Bobby, Bruce + the Bronx’ by clicking here.

LISTEN to Bishop Chronicles Episode 106 about how Tupac used The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli to become MAKAVELI and wage war like never before

Bishop Chronicles: Thoughts on PE Booting Flavor Flav + Lost Int. w/ Eddie Bravo!

Adisa the Bishop talks about his recent trip to London and his reflections after watching Hamilton while out there. Then he takes a deep dive into the split between Chuck D and Flavor Flav after Flav did not show up for a Bernie Sanders rally. Then he shares a 2014 never before heard interview with American jiu-jitsu legend Eddie Bravo shortly after his rematch with Royler Gracie.

The new episode is up! Subscribe on iTunes, Spotify or Mixcloud right now. Everyone else can visit www.bishopchronicles.com to listen!

Bishop Chronicles Podcast on Hip-Hop, Health and Fitness w/ Rapper T-KASH

Catch the latest edition of Bishop Chronicles Podcast from last week is live on www.bishopchronicles.com and available on Spotify, iTunes, Mixcloud, and Libsyn.

We look at the murder of Pop Smoke and then we have an in depth interview with Oakland rapper and health and fitness trainer T-KASH. Among other things we look at the long standing history rap music has of promoting health and fitness above all other forms of music on the planet. This is hard for a lot of people to understand because of the other (and legit part of the subculture of Hip-Hop) that has spoken about drug and alcohol abuse etc. At the same time, there has always been a counter-narrative to that lifestyle in Hip-Hop. This episode will introduce you to that.

Pop Smoke: Gangs, Guns and Dying Young

Recently rapper  Pop Smoke (born Bashar Barkah Jackson) was murdered in LA.

It took a lot of folks by surprise and it has been very sad. He rapped a lot about
guns and death and violence. I am not that familiar with his life. I cannot say for
sure that he was deep in the mix. Sometimes it’s just an act. Either way, it does
not matter. I mean Juice WRLD just died of his OD,  I’m still not over the killing
of The Jacka or Nipsey Hussle and it feels like  these younger rappers seem
to be dying faster and faster. Very painful stuff. 

I

Image: copyright of Complex Magazine

Since the 90’s alot of rappers have made a good name for themselves by being
gang affiliated. Some of them really were in the streets. Some were not but had
family and friends who were and it helped their image. When this kind of strategy
becomes desperate you end up with Tekashi 69 kind of situations. When you
really look at Tekashi and some of his early video interviews before a really
blew, you could see he was not a killer. This was a kid looking to get famous by
any means necessary. That is a popular phrase originally coined by Malcolm X
(using it to describe the dedication of the Black socio political agenda of the time)
used in Hip-Hop because of rappers like Public Enemy, KRS One, Paris and
other rappers of the late 80’s and 90’s. 

Later some of the street rappers used similar slogans to amplify their dedication
to the street life. Tekashi wanted to be down so bad, he betrayed his own
non-gangster nature to get money. He got famous by any means. Unfortunately
it was at the cost of that which is priceless- his freedom. He lost his lady, access
to his kids, the ability to make music and he still has a long way to go because of
what he did. The gang pushed aside their normal vetting process to get money
from a dude who was not built for that life. They all got ruined.

The other reality is that the way he and others liked to be on social media flashing
of money, gold cars, etc. on social media is like throwing blood in the water at real
sharks. Real street people are starving out here. They shoot people for a lot less
than you show on the screen. These guys are desperate. If they want something
better and if you get online telling them you got it and you down to kill for it- you
might come across someone more hungry than you. 

Apparently Pop Smoke posted his address on IG or any social media a few hours
before the home invasion.  When you tell people you gotta lotta money and or run
with killers it can be very dangerous business. That is just solid advice. Especially
while traveling. 

I myself rarely post where I am in real time. You see me in The Bay- I might be in
London. You see me in London, I’m back in The Bay. One of the things that social
media does is it gives you the illusion that everybody who watches you like you.
They don’t. I mean, I don’t even like me that much sometimes. How unrealistic is
it that a certain amount of folks out there might have bad vibes for you- let alone
willing  to put bad intentions into action? I did a short video on the reality of
having enemies in your life and how to deal with this reality. 

Check in with the Homies

In Hip-Hop back in the late 80’s and early 90’s most rappers would go to local
mom and pop stores to promote shows and album releases. Because Hip-Hop
is close to the streets a lot of these artists created solid connections with other
people in the know. Not only was it smart (ie keep you from being a victim of
attack and robbery (in the Bay Area Nas, 2Chainz and once even DJ Quik
had rowdy experience). I don’t say this to embarrass anybody. Look, the streets
are dangerous. Anybody can get it. 

My point was in the day certain artists, like DJ Premier and Guru of Gangstarr
were very well connected to people from Fillmore District in SF (very reputable
are for art, music and street violence). They never had problems. San Francisco
was always like a second home to Gangstarr. Chuck D of Public Enemy, X-Clan,
KRS One, and others were well connected to the people and artists in the
community. So they never had problems. 

National artists used to check in with local artists not because they were scared
but they wanted to be connected to the local fans. As rap went more and more
mainstream label folks intervened for control as they tried to do more lucrative
deals with radio stations. Little by little artists were cut off from the local fans and artists. 

Another group good for being connected to local areas regardless of label stuff was. 
Brand Nubian for The Source way back (Mary J. Blidge was on the cover) and a
big part of my story was how well Lord Jamar and Sadat X were connected to
the Grape St. Watts Crips. Brand Nubian never had a problem in LA. This was not
long after the LA Riots and the unity vibe was big between the coasts. 

The Jacka was good about that too. He had a solid national network because he
preferred to look into connecting with anyone who was dope and respected The
Bay. Immortal Technique, Andre Nickatina, Dilated Peoples, and Master P are
also great examples. 

The biggest gap I saw in that divide was many years back Drake and Lil Wayne
were doing a show at San Jose State. The same day, there was a Hip-Hop
Conference that dealt with police brutality etc. on the same campus. But there
was not connectivity between Cash Money and the local artists and activists.
Both were well attended but in the old days the rappers would encourage their
fans to go to both. Those days are largely gone now. 

The Wu-Tang Clan has always had folks on the ground city to city. They best
exemplify the idea of staying connected to the beats and the streets. They have
such a good network individually and collectively. This is one of the reasons they
are so successful. 

But again, corporate labels ruined a lot of that. Artists, labels and management n
eed to be doing better work on reconnecting artists to the communities they tour in
. It is good for the community and it is good for the monetary bottom line. 

The End Game

Nipsey Hussle was killed by his own supposed to be folks. I hope this does not play
out the same way. Tupac used to talk about all the cultural conflict rappers go through
between being the neighborhood guy you used to be, then going to the suburbs and
those folks don’t want you as a neighbor. I cannot imagine what the weekly pressures
like that can deliver so many of these young Black men without solid family’s, mentors,
financial friends who are not predatory etc. 

Plus the struggle between the “mean guy” persona on wax and the real day-to-day
person they are is another stress in itself. At the end of the day as a Hip-Hop OG
writer and lover of the subculture, as a father seeing how he died really troubles me.
The main concern I have right now is that if his killers were not a targeted non gang
affiliated scenario that we could  end up looking at West coast rappers getting hit up
while in NYC or whatever as a form of retaliation. 

The other week rappers E-40 and Richie Rich got into it online after the Superbowl.
It looked like it might get intense for a minute. Within a few days though, things were
measurably better. They met, squashed it and worked it out. Go look into it. That is
how OG’s do it. They deserve to be on the frontpage of all kinds of websites and
magazines. But they are not. What I am sure of is that if one of them had tried to
kill the other it’d be all over the news. This is the America we live in  now. This is
the world that builds up a rapper like Pop Smoke, watches him die and then you
see all the media vultures circling the drama. Another Netflix fim in the coming
years I’m sure. I bet nobody makes a film about 40 and Rich though. That is the
deeper crime. But this ain’t healthy. This ain’t good for Hip-Hop, America or the
world at large. 

We must do better before Hip-Hop kills itself off or dies out from addiction. I
never ever thought it’d be like this when I got into the subculture back in 1982.
To all the OG’s in the rap game, no matter what you do you matter. Your wisdom
matters. We can’t let these our kids go out like this.  I pretend to have no answers
at this time. But I’m tired of watching these young brothers die on the dope and
the gunplay. Much love to the family of Pop Smoke. 

Adisa the Bishop is the host of the Bishop Chronicles Podcast. It focuses on west coast Hip-Hop, MMA and health and fitness trends. Listen now on www.bishopchronicles.com  or follow him @bishopchronicles on IG.

The Mic and the Chessmen (REPOST)

This essay on Hip-Hop and chess was written by Grandmaster Maurice Ashley and I in 2014. It ran in Ebony Magazine in 2014. I just found it sitting in one of my drive files. I figured to celebrate Black History Month I would repost it. Enjoy...

-Adisa The Bishop

The Mic and the Chessmen   

By: Adisa Banjoko and Grandmaster Maurice Ashley 

I don’t play either side or the king, I play God/ Heavenly wars played out on hand
carved boards
- Rakaa Iriscience, 64 Squares in the Cipher 

Thinking Like A King 

About seven years ago I was speaking at San Francisco Juvenile Hall talking to teen boys
about and being an author as a career choice. I was promoting my first independent book
release Lyrical Swords: Hip-Hop and Politics in the Mix. Despite often connecting early
and easy with kids this talk was crashing and burning like no other talk I had given
before. I glanced in my backpack and remembered there was a chessboard in there.
I held the board up and asked, “Who here knows how to play chess?”

To my astonishment, about 75% of the room raised their hand. “OK, that’s good!”
I yelled out with a smile. “But who here is the best?! Only keep your hand up if you
know you are thebest.” Only a few hands went down. “Alright here is what's going to
happen” I declared. “We are going to have a tournament. Whoever wins gets a book.
Circle up, let’s do this.”

The energy in the room became electric. I saw racial and other social barriers fall right
in front of me, because of chess. The entire scene blew my mind. 

I asked myself, “How did these kids know so much about chess?  An avalanche of
rap lyrics from Public Enemy, Wu-Tang Clan, and EPMD collapsed on my brain
simultaneously. Hip-Hop gave methe answer. As I exited the concrete hallways
with the flickering fluorescent lights in the stairwell,I said “This is something big.”
Within the next year, I founded the Hip-Hop Chess Federation
(HHCF) nonprofit 501(c)3 to teach chess and life strategies to at-risk youth.
We use martial arts philosophy to reinforce the lessons that rap and chess teach. 

Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA and Rugged Monk of Black Knights (R) playing Chessmaster Emory Tate (L)
and others 

For some, it might easy to default to the Wu-Tang Clan’s rise as the apex of this fusion between
rap and chess. Yet to start and stop it from Enter the 36 Chambers denies the full scope of the
relationship between the game of kings and Hip-Hop. 

The truth is, when Brooklyn’s own Bobby Fischer beat Boris Spassky in September of
1972, chess was huge. Those games were aired on PBS and the network had it’s highest
ratings ever! In November of 1973 a young gang leader from The Bronx named
Afrika Bambaataa founded the Zulu Nation to cultivate Hip-Hop and promote peace
throughout the city and the world. At that same time the movies from the Bruce Lee
and the Shaw Brothers were taking over America. The strategy
ideas from Eastern Philosophy started to spread into the streets of NY. A perfect
cultural storm was brewing.

Street chess games played on the corner, the parks and those played in prisons would
ultimately serve as the glue between these subcultures. Neither chess, nor Hip-Hop
would be the same again. 

Jay Z is respected for his rap and business skills, playing chess in Italian Vogue

Chess gave Hip-Hop political, social and spiritual symbolism for metaphors no other
game hasgiven them.  RZA, Will Smith, 50 Cent and others represent a growing number
of chess playing rappers who have amazing business minds of the industry.  So its not
just good for the art its good for business.   

Reflections of the Grandmaster 

At first look, it might seem strange that there may be any substantial connections

between the world’s most intellectually revered board game and the dynamic

musical art form that is Hip-Hop. Chess, an ancient practice over 1500 years old,

often today conjures up images of rich old men on park benches.To blend that high-brow
image with the effervescent rush of inventive lyrics, pulsating, at times rebellious beats can
seem hard to bring together. But that is only if you are looking at the surface.

Grandmaster Maurice Ashley giving play-by-play coverage of Sinquefield Cup

And yet, the stereotypical differences that seem to create a cavern between chess

and hip hop soon wilt under closer inspection. For one, with the advent of the digital

age and ready-made computer instruction, today’s chess is a game for the young.

The best chess players in the world are under 30. Public

school teams are represented in full glory every year at national scholastic chess

championships, with the most accomplished team in the last ten years, I.S. 318,

coming straight out of Brooklyn.

Even the slow grandfatherly pace no longer holds water. The most popular form

of chess, is Blitz Chess, where players compete with less than five minutes
to complete all of  their moves lest they lose the game on time. At that speed,
chess becomes a blendof sophisticated pattern recognition, intense focus and
spirited improvisation.

Watching two players bang out moves with precious few seconds on the clock can

thrill and hypnotize as much as Mike Relm or DJ QBert   slicing up a turn-table.

Magnus Carlsen is putting a youthful face on the future of competitive chess. 

While chess can be coldly analytic, it’s the perpetually creative and individualized

styles that separates the players at the very top. World Champion Magnus Carlsen

plays in the style of Common. He does not care to insert himself into the battle with a

whole lot of ego. Instead slowly enveloping his opponents with subtle ideas

and smooth syncopations they succumb to his skill and assuredness that

somehow always seems totally effortless. On the other hand, Hikaru Nakamura,

America’s top player, mimics NWA with his gangsta’ style. He comes straight for the

jugular with vicious blow after vicious blow, to eviscerate his opponents

with killer movement. He’s not giving a damn what the world thinks about his overly

aggressive style and brash personality. It may say something about the nature of life

and competition that when the two face off, the calm and cool Carlsen almost always

endures. Stylish doesn’t mean a lack of determination.

American chess player Hikaru Nakamura’s attacking style of play is likened to N.W.A’s
aggressive
rap style.

It should then come as less of a surprise that musicians have embraced the art form

of chess as a means of relaxation and creative expression. 

Like music, chess has gone through its evolutionary stages as well. From the

Romantic Era, scientific period, Hypermodern period, to the digital age where
more and moregreed is good- chess continues to change with the times. Hip-Hop
has gone through similar
evolution's. Look at the old school lyrical party styles of the Sugar Hill Gang, to the
intellectual
flow of Rakim to the rage of Eminem rap has changed significantly.
The science ofthe DJ’s mixing and scratching methods,  graffiti,  Bboy’ing 
and all the branches of Hip-Hop dance
have also grown immeasurably from the early 1970’s.  

The fusion of Hip-Hop and chess is beautiful and dynamic on many levels. There is a
mountain ofstill untapped potential in this artistic and intellectual union. The amount of
lyrics about chess in
the rap world can be cool, or dark and often times very inspirational. However, if today's
MC’s are
really going to take the  fusion to the next level they are going to have to raise the bar
on their knowledge of the game. Read The Immortal Game by David Shenk, Chess Bitch
by Jennifer Shahade and Birth of the Chess Queen by Marilyn Yalom. After reading about
the Black Moorish conquerors of Spain taking the game to Europe, algebraic notation,
we should see rappers naming champions other than Bobby Fischer. There is still much
more lyrical work and history breakdowns
to be done! There are still new graffiti murals and DJ tracks to be made. I look forward
to hearing
and seeing more from the chess and rap community as this beautiful phenomenon
continues to grow. 

Adisa Banjoko is the Founder of the Hip-Hop Chess Federation. They fuse music,
chess and martial arts to promote unity, strategy and nonviolence. Maurice Ashley is the
first Black Grandmaster in chess and host of Millionaire Chess in Las Vegas Oct. 9th.
Adisa Banjoko will be at the World Chess Hall of Fame’s Living Like Kings exhibit 
which runs October 9th 2014 to April 26th 2015 in St. Louis Missouri. 

+++++

To learn more about how the fusion of Hip-Hop and chess can improve your life
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