Sacrifice All for the Empire

Sacrifice All for the Empire

By Adisa Banjoko, Founder of Hip-Hop Chess Federation

Sometimes you have to be willing to sacrifice your queen, in order to win the game. - Lucious Lyons, EMPIRE

Everybody is talking about the TV smash Empire these days. In just a few short months the show has overtaken the ratings and the streets. The show is, at it’s root, an amazing Black soap opera with a bangin’ soundtrack and more cliffhangers than the rocky mountains.

One thing a lot of people miss in the show is the ever presence of the 64 squares of psychological combat. The board is often in the foreground, or the background during many serious conversations taking place about business and life. The main character, Lucious Lyons is a ruthless business man who will do anything it takes to keep his label at the top of the game. He has enemies outside of the company and even within his own family that seem to undermine his vision.

Lucious Lyons is no poster boy for a model citizen. He is, some might rightly argue - nuts. But one thing he is not, is foolish, over emotional or ignorant of all of his options. In the last episode he said the opening quote as he was being taken off to jail. His mention of sacrifice really struck me deep.

The word sacrifice comes from two greek words that essentially mean “to make sacred”. On the chessboard, any piece lost for the greater good is purified by the ultimate success of the king.

As a jiu-jitsu guy, I’m somewhat familiar with the judo concept of  sutemi-waza (sacrifice throws). These are takedowns that “involve putting oneself in a potentially unfavorable position, such as on the ground, in order to execute a throw”.

In our American pastime of baseball we have sacrifice bunts where you get yourself thrown out of the game, so the team can score.

This value of sacrifice is known throughout many different cultures, faiths and nations.

When Lucious spoke about sacrifice, it was on a borderline fanatical level. His character will do whatever it takes (lie, cheat, steal etc.) to get what he wants. Now, I do not advocate that. But his dedication and commitment to his cause, gave me pause in my personal life.

I had to ask myself, “How much have I been risking to get what I want out of life?”

Long ago I observed that one’s level of success is almost always in proportion to the level of sacrifice.

Navy SEAL founder Richard Marchinko once stated, “The more I sweat in training, the less I bleed in combat.” That is sacrifice. I used to remind myself of that when I was first training in jiu-jitsu. It helped me stay unafraid to go against higher belts.  I did not mind getting caught in deep chokes and trapped in places that inspire panic. Slowly things that used to make my heart jump in physical situations didn’t have the same effect.

Michael Jordan sacrificed many hours on the court alone, perfecting his shots. Jimi Hendrix spent endless days on his guitar mastering the potential sound of every string. Dan Gable and many other American wrestling champions shadow wrestled to stay clear when the battle was real.

If you are just giving the average input, you should expect the average output. But if you consistently give more than average, eventually your return will be higher than average.

How much are you willing to get that degree? How much are you will to study and out hustle the next man with new ideas to get and keep the next job or promotion? They say it takes 10,000 hours to master anything. Take some times this week to soak up the idea of sacrifice and apply it for your own life path.

HHCF Founder Speaks March 9th at University Wisconsin Whitewater !

An activist and educator -- who is working to keep communities safe across the country -- will give a free public lecture at UW-Whitewater titled "Promoting Youth Empowerment and Non-Violence through Hip Hop, Chess and Martial Arts."

Adisa Banjoko will appear at 7 p.m. Monday, March 9, at Young Auditorium. His speech is part of the Contemporary Issues Lecture Series sponsored by the College of Letters and Sciences. Banjoko founded the Hip-Hop Chess Federation, a nonprofit organization connecting with 50,000 youths across the country.

The organization combines music, chess and martial arts to help young people promote nonviolence in their communities. The Hip-Hop Chess Federation has been featured on ABC's Good Morning America, as well as in Rolling Stone, Forbes, and Black Enterprise.

"Banjoko's activism links together three seemingly disparate things," said Susan Johnson, assistant dean for student success in the College of Letters and Sciences and coordinator of the lecture series. "During his presentation, he is going to share how he brought all three together in founding the organization, in order to promote youth non-violence through better communication and greater personal responsibility."

Before founding the Hip-Hop Chess Federation, Banjoko was a hip-hop journalist and an author of two books, "Lyrical Swords Vol. 1 and 2." Banjoko is the fifth speaker in the 2014-15 lecture series at UW-Whitewater. For more information on the lecture series, visit this link. -- Written by Jonathan Fera - See more at: http://www.uww.edu/news/archive/2015-02-ls-banjoko#sthash.IPksN8IX.dpuf

Adisa Banjoko Speaking at Rock The School Bells March 7th!!

If you are a parent or educator who wants to know about the HHCF methodology or just get your mind BLOWN learning about how Rap music and Hip-Hop help kids learn.......COME ON OUT TO ROCK THE SCHOOL BELLS MARCH 7th at Skyline College. Visit www.rocktheschoolbells.com NOW and get there. So many educators and adults on deck it is mind blowing.

A Quick Word of Thanks, to the Children of Saint Louis

We just got this in the mail a while back. I wanted to share it and thank all the good people who we have come to know in the city of St. Louis. It is a beautiful city that does more to showcase the power in chess more than anywhere on earth.

When HHCF went there in October with RZA, our Director of Outreach and then again in November (thanks to a donation from Sinquefield Charitable Foundation) with Kevin Hwa, Director of Chess Education, we were blown away. We spent the bulk of our time playing chess with incarcerated kids at two juvenile halls and spoke to them about the benefits of chess, life, owning your actions, and actualizing your full potential.

We had a lot of fun, but really, we got to spend quality time with kids who could use a new smile and some sincere words in their lives. At the end of the day, we hope to have HHCF Life Strategies programs in all the juvenile halls here, and across the country. If you are interested in getting your juvenile hall staff trained in HHCF Life Strategies & Philosophies email contact@hiphopchessfederation.org .

WATCH: Adisa Banjoko and RZA on HEC-TV in St. Louis

Then the exhibit on Hip-Hop Chess opened up at the World Chess Hall of Fame, HEC-TV covered it. They just now released the footage and we are sure you will love it. In our opinion, it is the best and most complete coverage there is on this exhibit so far.

WATCH: http://www.hectv.org/video/16638/world-chess-hall-of-fame-living-like-kings-hophip-chess-january-2015/

LISTEN: Chess Hustlers Anthem from Street Games Vol. 2

HHCF is proud to announce Street Games Vol. 2 will release Feb 28th 2015!!! Right now, you can listen to Chess Hustlers Anthem by S2dn Music Chess Hustlers Anthem

HHCF Film Project Looks Pretty Crispy

A very cool film on HHCF by college student Tommy Liu. We think it came out great!!! A fantastic way to start 2015!!

Donate to Help HHCF Publish Chess is Jiu-Jitsu for the Mind!!!

Help the HHCF publish a book on Hip-Hop, chess and Jiu-Jitsu called Chess is Jiu-Jitsu for the Mind!!! DONATE TODAY!! It's tax deductible and it will open young minds to the power of their own potential as well as the beauty of non-violence. We are thankful for any amount you can give click the link to give today http://tilt.tc/7qks

MMA Fighter D'Juan Owens on Chess, Hip-Hop, and Martial Arts

MMA Fighter and BJJ Purple Belt D'Juan Owens

D'Juan "Dirty South" Owens is an MMA figher and BJJ practitioner fighting out of Durham, North Carolina. He also happens to be a phenomenal Bboy and chess player. The HHCF sponsors him now. We wanted to introduce you to one of the upcoming starts of MMA.

HHCF: Where are you originally from and how did you first get into chess?

DO: I'm from a small town in Mississippi called Pass Christian. I was introduced to chess at a young age but initially I regarded it as any other board game. I didn't fall in love with chess until I was about 12. When I was in the 7th grade I was sent to ISS one day. As you know in ISS there's no playing, talking, or getting up from your seat. That day the original warden wasn't there, and  a young substitute allowed us to play chess after we were done with our work as long as we kept quiet. With no other options for entertainment, chess got pretty serious. I knew how the pieces moved, but like most novice players, my tactics and strategy was pretty basic. Being competitive middle school kids, myself and about 4 other kids played through lunch and when I went home that night, chess was all I thought about. The next day I went to the school library and checked out a book entitled "The genius of Paul Morphy". After reading that, I was hooked.

HHCF: What were your earliest memories of the martial arts? What were some of your heroes?

DO: My earliest memories of martial arts would be watching old kung fu movies with my father.  "The 5 Deadly Venoms", and "Shaolin vs Lama", were two of my favorites! I remember going outside and punching, jump-kicking, and doing what I thought were katas for hours. As far as heroes go, when it came to martial arts at that time, I only looked at it from an entertainment standpoint; so Wesley Snipes would probably come closes to what I would consider a hero to me then. It felt good to see someone who looked like me taking bad guys out.

MMA fighter and old school Bboy D'Juan Owens

HHCF: How did you first get into Bboying? Who were some of your heroes?

DO: I remember being fascinated the first time I saw bboying. I was about 8 and I was flipping through channels and I saw "Beat Street". It just happened to be at the classic scene where hey were battling at the Roxy and I was enthralled. That was the first time I saw someone do "windmills" and it seemed magical to me. My love for Bboying grew as my love and understanding for (real)Hip-Hop grew. When I met Allure from The Mighty Zulu Kings, she started me on the path of bboying as a lifestyle, as opposed to simply a dance to become good at. There are many pioneers of bboying that I respect but Kmel from the Boogiebrats stood out for me.

 

HHCF: What made you decide to get into MMA and what has it been like, mentally speaking to prepare for fights, etc?

DO: I was exposed to MMA when I was younger by my father who was always a big mma fan. He rented the first couple of UFC's, his buddy Tim would bring his VCR over so they could double tape. I wasn't a big fan initially but around 2005 I got into it when the first season of "The Ultimate Fighter" aired on Spike TV. At the time I was in the Marine Corps and my roommates and I would always talk about how "we could do that" etc. In 2006 while deployed, I met a pro MMA fighter named George Lockheart in the ship's gym. I saw him destroying everyone on the mat and I asked him if he wanted to wrestle. Of course I got absolutely destroyed. That was the first time I had ever grappled and I had no clue as to how helpless a man could be against someone who trained. I never wanted to feel like that again; so I decided to take up mma for a hobby when my contract was up.

I've been a pro for 4 years now so at this point fighting is like breathing. I enjoy all aspects of mma and I see fighting as putting on a display of martial skill. The only thing I find tough about fighting is dieting, and cutting weight. Again, I'm from MS and we love to eat!

                                              MMA fighter D'Juan Owens playing chess in Peru.

HHCF: Tell me about your time playing chess in the military?

DO: My schedule was less demanding at that time so I played and competed MUCH more often than I do now. I was a 2x Camp Lejeune Chess Champion in 05' and 06. When I was on a MEU (Marine Expeditionary Unit) in 05', I won the only chess tournament held on the ship and it felt great to represent for my unit, and for the enlisted marines :)

HHCF:  Have martial arts, chess and Hip-Hop done anything to enrich your life?

DO: In more ways than I can explain. I've made friends and acquaintances from every walk of life imaginable. A common passion, or pursuit of a common goal (especially an obscure one) can build the strongest bonds. Each of these transcend racial, cultural, and economic barriers. Because of these arts, I've been introduced to intellectual and physical competition. To compete and win is one of the most satisfying feelings in the world. Contrarily, coming up short is humbling, and the best teacher....or so they say lol.

HHCF: What artists do you listen to the most when you are preparing for a fight?

DO: I love listening to REAL Hip Hop. Anyone from Yasin Bey (Mos Def), Talib Kweli, Lupe Fiasco, The Roots etc.....BUT, when I'm training, or lifting, I want to hear the most ignorant/ratchet and crunk rap possible. I listen to T.I., Young Jeezy, and if Rick Ross comes on while I'm sparring..........yiu better ask somebody.

HHCF:  Do you currently teach chess, bboying, or martial  arts in your spare time?

DO: I've taught bboying(breakdancing) in the past in Durham and Hilsborough NC. Sometimes I help with classes at the MMA Institute where I train if one of the instructors can't make it, but I'm usually training and being coached. I've also taught chess for Big Brothers Big Sisters of  Durham, and given chess lessons at the Durham regional library.

HHCF:  Any last words? How can people get in touch with you?

DO: I want to say much love and respect to everyone out there striving and grinding!!! Fight for your goals, dreams, family/friends, and ideologies. Lastly, this Ghandi quote always applies: "You must be the change you wish to see in the world.."

You can contact me through my personal, or MMA page on facebook at: D'Juan "Dirty South" Owens.

TONIGHT!!! Author of Check The Technique 2, Brian Coleman at Q&A with Eric Arnold!!!

TONIGHT! 3396 Seldon Ct., Fremont, CA 7:30-9:30 PM!!! FREE

A meeting of east coast and west coast Hip-Hop minds taking place at the HHCF Community Center. 
We journey into the cultural context of what makes a classic Hip-Hop album and what constitutes the "Golden Age". The discussion will also touch on the evolution and maturity of the Hip-Hop generation and the lessons learned for a new generation of Hip-Hop scholars and artists . 

Author of Check The Technique Vol. 1 & 2 Brian Coleman and HHCF Founder Adisa "The Bishop" speak on the hidden wisdom behind the makings of some of the greatest Hip-Hop albums of all time and the future of Hip-Hop. The event will be 
moderated by Eric K. Arnold of Oakculture.

HHCF Hosts Chess and Life Strategies Class at St. Louis Juvenile Hall

This past weekend I was in St. Louis talking to kids about the value of Hip-Hop and chess. As many of you know, this has been my lifes obsession that went from a small organization to a rapidly growing 501(c)3 nonprofit.

The long version of what we do, is that we fuse music, chess and martial arts to promote unity, strategy and nonviolence. We have been doing this since 2006 and the impact is expanding and  as our research and knowledge is refined and revealed through innovative outreach strategies.

Rapidly these strategies gave us new insight and naturally changes our form of approach. So today we simply say, “The Hip-Hop Chess Federation fuses logic and the arts, to unite minds and hearts.” It may be done through chess, Hip-Hop, performing arts, cheerleading, theater- it goes on. We are not committed to anything beyond helping American children improve their sense of purpose and academic function. How it happens, is less important. We all learn differently.

Our organization was born from a visit I made to a juvenile hall detention center in San Francisco. Since then I have always had a special place in my heart for incarcerated youth and at-risk youth of all racial, cultural, and religious backgrounds. We believe that American children are some of the planets most valuable resources. Many of these intellectual diamonds, rubies, and emeralds are largely undiscovered in our juvenile halls and dysfunctional high schools. So this is where we like to spend our time. We excavate the minds of the youth in search of a better tomorrow.

RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan has faithfully served as our Director of Outreach. since early in our infancy. After doing a mountain of research for the Living Like  Kings exhibition at the World Chess Hall of Fame (because of the kindness and wisdom of Jennifer Shahade and Susan Barrett) RZA and I spoke at the Demetrious Johnson Charitable Foundation to about 400 kids from across St. Louis (where the WCHOF is located).

I fell in love with the city a year or so before when I came out there with my man Mike Relm. He and did some work at a co-ed juvenile hall and it changed me. It refined my sense of purpose. RZA and I spoke there again the day of the Living Like Kings opening. They invited us back and the demand was heavy. Before the closing of the opening, I returned for a weekend to meet with some hitters in education, innovation and art between new visits to both the city and county juvenile hall facilities.

I went with the HHCF’s Director of Chess Education, Kevin Hwa. He’s a great teacher of chess as well as a super avid Hip-Hop head. He understands chess on a much deeper level than I do and can integrate my philosophies into positional realities on the board that I cannot see (due to my very average playing ability).

When I invited him out, Kevin was immediately on deck. He is a true student of the black and white jungle. A chance to go see the World Chess Hall of Fame, visit the St. Louis Chess Club (the Mecca and Medina of the chess world) and help kids in the same weekend? He was not going to miss that.

Our hostess was Susan Barrett of Barrett Barrera. She is to HHCF what Obi Wan Kenobi was to Luke  and Han Solo. That was unnecessarily nerdy, but it is a fact. She took us around and is always framing and reframing the history and culture of St. Louis for us so we don’t miss a beat.

When we landed it was super late. The city was chilly, but not freezing as it usually is this time of year. After checking into the hotel we went straight to my favorite sushi spot, Drunken Fish we tore down some White Tiger rolls and Spider rolls as we talked about everything under the sun. It was almost 1 AM and we were lucky they let us in. We went back to the hotel and got ready for the morning grind.

At 8:45 Susan pulled up and we went to the juvenile hall. Kaelan Mayfield greeted us (he’s a real good dude) and took us to the lunch room. It has mustard colored walls and fluorescent lighting. The overcast light from outside gives the room and odd balance of light and darkness. Juve is gloomy homey. This was the first place Mike and I went to when we first came here. This was a bigger group of kids. The audience was 100% Black, as it was last time. A small contingent of girls with faces harder than the hardest hard rock could get entered the room.

Kevin setup a board and played with kids who knew the basics while I evangelized on the power of chess for young minds. I was not met with much immediate buy in. But I kept on. I broke down the 3PA > 1NT methodology. Told them how I knew Pac in my youth and the importance of reading. I broke down how if Pac does not read The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli we lose how military science and Hip-Hop meet. I talked about Michael Jordan and the important duty of diligent practice. I talked about how the Moors brought chess to Europe and if those African Muslims don’t do that then we never get chess in America. At that point in the conversation I might as well have been telling them about Martians.

Susan shared some ideas on art the work ethic it takes to be truly great. Kevin was showing the kids how to improve how they see what is happening on the board and why. I cannot lie, it was a lukewarm start. Nevertheless, by the time the session was done, they were feeling us. . I even shared a 16 bar rhyme cipher with one of the youngsters. He was really good. A reminder of the untapped artistic and intellectual goldmine in juvenile halls of America.

                                                      T-shirt by artist Daniel Jefferson

From there we went on several meeting with artists and educators across the city. One of the most memorable was Daniel Jefferson. He is one of the realest dudes out there right now. His approach and sincerity struck me. I wanna bring him out here. He reminds me of my man Keba Konte...They look related. I also made a stop by the Philip Slein Gallery where they have an amazing exhibit on African American artists. Such a healing and beautiful space given the nature of the tensions in the city out in Ferguson. Needless to say, HHCF has a new crew of allies and we are honored to be in tune with so many wise and beautiful spirits.

Adisa, Yasser, Ana and Kevin

                                     

Next we had dinner with some amazing friends at Bar Italia in the Central West End (soooo good). As luck would have it Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan and Ana Sharevich were there. Yasser is a wise and fun man who always has been supportive of HHCF. It is always enriching even to spend a few moments with him.

HHCF Founder Adisa Banjoko and rapper So'nSo from Midwest Avengers in Paint Louis

After dinner rapper So’nSo from Midwest Avengers took us around St. Louis. It was almost midnight. Me and Kevin wanted to go to Ferguson, but we all agreed it was pretty tense and we did not wanna get hemmed up. All day rumors of the city announcing on if Darren Wilson would be charged by the DA would happen. Riot vibes were in the air. Instead he took us to Paint Louis. It is a mile and half long wall of bombing (graffiti pieces). It was so amazing. I was mad it was so late. I plan to go next time first thing after hitting Sweetie Pies!!! Damn that food is the best soul food on Earth.

The next day we went to the other juvenile hall center. This was the one where RZA and I had spoken together at in October. TJ and the rest of the staff there are always very awesome. One of the other guys there, Mike, is a serious Brazilian Jiu Jitsu student. He and I spoke at great length about how cool the connections between chess and BJJ are. Not long after that the kids came out.

Most of the kids from my initial visit with RZA were gone. None of the girls from our previous visit was there. About ¼  of the kids from in October were on hand. They were excited to see us there. Kevin and my man James had the boards set up.

They have a serious passion and knowledge of chess fundamentals. Some of them are giving me pounds on sight. The ones who were not here when RZA and I last spoke are just supportive off top because they see the love we get from their peers. When I jumped into the philosophy of it, they were locked in from word one.

I went over 3PZ > 1NT again and went into the Poisoned Pawn. They got it. They loved it. Then we had Kevin host the simul. They had never seen one. Essentially, we line up all the boards. The kids are on one side. Kevin is on the other. He walks to the first board, moves, then the other guy moves. Goes to the next board, moves, then the other guy moves etc. He rotates to each board move by move until no one is left. It was great. The winner got to keep one of the boards. Then Susan suggested we give a few boards to the hall. TJ and Mike were happy about that.

                                  Adisa Banjoko gets faded by one of the kids in St. Louis. 

I played a few games. Lost one to a kid I crushed a few weeks back. He was looking for me. I had a few big blunders. First, I did not castle early as I had planned. Second, I slipped and lost my queen early. Third, I thought a knight fork check was real when it was not real. I lost.

The kid was so juiced. I told him I looked forward to playing him again in a few weeks. He smiled big and said “I get out tomorrow.” To not be able to play him next time I come out, made my happier than plotting my revenge on the 64.

HHCF Dir. of Chess Education Kevin Hwa and HHCF Founder Adisa Banjoko

Super long story short. We ran by the World Chess Hall of Fame and the St. Louis Chess Club to take some photos and chill. Took some photos of my research on display. Then James took us to the airport. It was an amazing trip. So’nSo Midwest Avengers, KyJuan from St. Lunatics and Jason Wilson get an extra shout out. Looking forward to building more bridges between St. Louis and The SF Bay Area. If you or anyone you know might be interested in helping us connect on a deeper level, or help is find funding for education, arts and peacemaking events visit www.hiphopchessfederation.org .  

PS. I know we are late dropping the HHCF Street Games Vol. 2. It is in the mix. I gotta send the last tracks to DJ Rob Flow. I think it will drop in late Nov., or early Dec. Grandmaster Maurice Ashley and Eugene Brown (the real dude from Life of A King) are the hosts for the mixtape.