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.

HHCF Chess and Jiu-Jitsu Team Get Gold and Silver at American Cup!!

Just wanted to congratulate Young Skywalker (in the black on the photo to the left) for getting the GOLD  and Megatron ( in white gi on the right) for getting his SILVER medal at the American Cup in San Francisco.

I want to make sure to thank our wrestling coach Andrew and our other BJJ coach Sammy for all of their help in the preparation for the tournament. We must also acknowledge our head coach Alan "Gumby" Marques, Trevor and Chuck of Heroes Martial Arts. They are our brothers in arms. We appreciate all the insight they gave us in preparation for the event. The HHCF Chess and Jiu-Jitsu Team is proud to be under the banner of Heroes Martial Arts.

As a coach, you get a lot of anxiety in your head about how your students perform. They were both amazing. Not only in action, but in action.

Our team has gotten  a few more students on deck and you will see more of them in the coming the neat future. Lastly, I want to thank all the amazing parents who entrust their kids with the HHCF Chess and Jiu-Jitsu curriculum. They showed immense clarity of mind before, during and after the match. We are actively enrolling kids, teens and adults right now. So far every student who has competed has won a medal. It is not about medals for us. At HHCF in fact, it is the LAST thing we compete for. We compete to represent the art of jiu-jitsu. We compete to share the strategic clarity of mind we get from chess. We play to finish. We never lose. We only win or learn. To join us call  888-588-4418.

Listen to Adisa Banjoko on The Dope Science Show!! #Chess #Steam #Stem + more!!

If you have never heard The Dope Science Show, you are missing something extremely cool. A week or so back they were kind enough to interview HHCF's own Adisa Banjoko about all things related to Hip-Hop, chess, science, steam, stem and all things in between. We encourage you to check it out, follow them and enjoy a fun conversation. Shout out to Science Stuff with Steph for being a great host. Be sure to follow @thedopescience show on Twitter. Here is the link to THE DOPE SCIENCE SHOW!

Unity in Diversity Was Amazing!!! Amazing

Moderator Miki Noda, DJ AkkikoLUV, Zumbi of Zion I and Sumi Dumela on the technology and culture panel.

Gratitude. That is all I can define my heart's state as. This Sat, the HHCF hosted it's inaugural Unity in Diversity event. It was an attempt to bring a select number of technology people, artists and educators together and talk about the things we love. In the history of my life I have thrown many, many events. All with varied rates of success and failure. Never has any one event I've thrown seemed so well quarterbacked and prepared only to quickly disintegrate at a rapid rate before my eyes. It went from a two day event to a one day event.

The short version of what happened is that I was overextended as a person. As a father, as a husband, promoter, a teacher, a jiu-jitsu student and a friend. But we all have our own issues. It's not all sunshine and rainbows out here. I know that. After a point though, the disintegration was so consistent my heart was becoming hard.

I almost canceled it all a day or two before. Were it not for the actions GOD, of my wife and kids, and friends like Itoco Garcia Paul Moran Chuck Creekmur, AkikoLUV Tomie KingKash Lenear Kevin Clark, Amir Abdul-Shakur and his family, Jay Williams D'Juan "Dirty South" Owens Vince Bayyan Andre Swank, Alan Marques, Iriscience there is no doubt it SURELY would have been canceled.

As I sat up till 4:30 AM the night before I was being terrorized by many levels of failure the event could reach. I was trying to preemptively apologize all the mistakes. Then I realized no matter how bad, or good your world is going. All you can do is get up, take a shower and walk out the door and see what the next day brings. I want to apologize to all the people who were scheduled to speak that were unable to participate due to circumstances beyond our control. I'm resolved to ensuring you all participate in Unity in Diversity II which will be announced in the coming months.

Despite my fears about low turn out and other concerns, Unity in Diversity was amazing. The panels were off the chain. The moderators were on fire. The crowd was dope. The beats banged. Styles were dropped. Lessons were taught. The opening Hip-Hop and Education panel moderated by Daniel Zarazua with Jose Guerra, Mazi Mutafa, Leroy Moore, Dr. Elliot Gann and Dr. Itoco Garcia was really powerful. It highlighted the innovative things many people are doing to inform and inspire kids inside and beyond the classroom.

Artist Amina Lei (center in all black) with UID attendees

The martial arts panel was mind blowing. The technology and culture panel was deeply insightful. Milan Drake was like Rakim talking about technology. Until you have watched Zion I Crew talk with UX Designers about bias in the algorithm you have not lived. Until you see gems from Casey Wong and Tom Callos open hearts and minds simultaneously you have missed something amazing. Mike Relm and his wife drove all the way up to the bay to moderate. That is love. I love Mike Relm though. Blood family level.

Leroy Moore came and brought amazing gems. So did Mya Canty, Miki Noda and Sumi Dumela.

Laughter and understanding were shared. I'm so thankful.

The next day, Paul Moran came and taught my jiu-jitsu kids class. He opened and closed the class with meditation. We hung most of the day. The things he showed me about jiu-jitsu I did not know. He will always be my brother.   

                                         Paul Moran of Open Mat Radio observing HHCF kids chess match! 

Super special shout out to the hardest working woman in Hip-Hop, Christie Z at Tools of War Jams for her consistent promotion of Unity in Diversity. I also want to thank Chuck Creekmur at Allhiphop.com and Kevin Clark of Okayplayer.com for letting folks know about Unity in Diversity and I want to thank all the people who participated as well as all the people who tried to. Forgive me for all the mistakes in the planning and execution. Jose Guerra built a custom made podium for David D. Timony to give the first Unity in Diversity keynote on artificiall intelligence. That is so amazing. Amina Lei brought amazing art. So much to tell. Much love to DJ Just Jay (follow him @Urbanumpires on IG) . He kept it rocking from front to back.

Technology and Hip-Hop: Innovating Beyond The Code!! Come out as a family.

Come to our upcoming Unity in Diversity event Feb 26th and see an amazing panel of tech experts talk about Technology, and Hip-Hop beyond the code. Get tix here! This is an all ages event and we expect a lot of great people coming out. If you are  a teacher, a student or a parent looking for new insights, this is the event to be at. Do not miss this.

Artificial Intelligence, Chess and the Mind Feb 25th!! #UnityInDiversity

If you love technology. If you love looking into the essence of cognitive function. If you love chess, come out to this amazing talk by Dr. David Timony.

TIX HERE!