We’re getting closer, are you ready?
September 21, 2009
Rappers, Scholars & Martial Artists Gather to Empower the Youth
Sept. 21st 2009, San Francisco, CA- The Hip-Hop Chess Federation is proud to announce the West Coast Kings & Queens Tournament. The Hip-Hop Chess Federation is the world’s first organization to fuse music, chess and martial arts to promote unity, strategy and non-violence. There will be a traditional rated chess tournament, people can learn chess basics, watch graffiti art battles, b-boy ciphers, celebrity chess matches, martial arts exhibitions, prize giveaways and more! It all takes place Oct. 10th 2009 at John O’Connell High School from 9AM to 6PM at 2355 Folsom St. @ 19th in San Francisco, Ca. ADMISSION IS FREE FOR ALL AGES.
Celebrity guests inculde Rakaa Iriscience from Dilated Peoples, rap legend Ray Luv, Traxamillion, Casual from Hieroglyphics, Balance and Big Rich, Conscious Daughters, T-KASH, DLabrie and others to be announced. The event will be DJ’ed by KMEL Street Soldiers DJ Malcolm Marshall. There will also be a special All Queens Life Strategies Panel where Birth of the Chess Queen author Marilyn Yalom, Conscious Daughters, Jean Hoffman of 9 Queens and other prominent business women will discuss how young girls can step forward with positivity and confidence into the future.
“It was time for the HHCF to do something specifically to celebrate the power and impact of the artists from the west coast,” said HHCF founder and CEO Adisa Banjoko. “We always provide safe, family friendly environments for people to discover their true potential in life and have fun. All of the artists in attendance have a proven track record not only of being raw, but in giving back to the communities they come from. We’re honored and humbled to have them all in attendance.”
“We are enthusiastic and grateful to all the celebrities, kids and educators coming together for the Kings & Queens Tournament,” said Banjoko. “This organization has been hurt badly by the failing economy. Yet by forging strong strategic alliances we’re still pushing ahead. These are tough times for many of America’s youth. Nevertheless the HHCF remains unflinching in our goal to share the countless educational and artistic life options for them in this world. We are grateful for all the rappers, chess masters and martial artists who have donated their time to teaching kids healthy alternatives to violence on the streets. Since our explosive beginning there have been many imitations, but there is only one Hip-Hop Chess Federation! See you all there.”
All who wish to compete in the Kings & Queens Tournament can sign up today at:http://www.bayareachess.com
Partners for the West Coast Kings & Queens Tournament are Bay Area Chess and WuChess.com. Other sponsors include JW Foundation, 9 Queens, www.thechesspiece.com, www.thechessdrum.net, 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu SF, www.mikerelm.com.com, Heroes Martial Arts and Upper Playground. For more information on how to participate visit www.hiphopchess.blogspot.com
HHCF Announces West Coast Kings & Queens Tournament
May 30, 2009
Registration opens June 15th 2009!!
Hip-Hop Chess Federation Video Highlights
March 7, 2009
Feb 28th 2009!! Mind Over Matter 2 w/ RZA, Rakaa, Traxamillion, Amir Sulaiman, Casual and more!
January 30, 2009
San Francisco: February 28th, O’Connell High, 2355 Folsom St. @ 19th 10 am to 5 pm, Free, All Ages!!
Hip-Hop Chess Federation Presents: Mind Over Matter 2. A gathering of some of the best minds in Hip-Hop, Chess & Martial Arts. RZA, Rakaa from Dilated Peoples, Amir Sulaiman, Traxamillion, Casual from Hieroglyphics will be on hand among others.
NEW HHCF VIDEO Feat. Immortal Technique
January 11, 2009
Jrobi drops some endgame science
January 3, 2009
HHCF Song for 2009!! Sabac Red’s The Commitment
January 2, 2009
We hope you use this song to motivate the youth toward positivity.
-HHCF
Get Lyrical Swords Vol. 2: Westside Rebellion FREE for the holidays!!
December 21, 2008
Lyrical Swords Vol. 2: Westiside Rebellion is a powerful, soul stirring collection of essays and interviews on Hip-Hop, chess, martial arts and non-violence. The Hip-Hop Chess Federation was born shortly after the release of this book. It features interviews with some of the worlds hardest artists including RZA, GZA, Slick Rick, Nas, Balance, Frontline, EA Ski, Casual, Ray Luv, Dave Camarillo, Gumby from OTM, Will.i.am from Black Eyed Peas, Styles P, Spider Loc, Jamel Shabazz, Grand Master Maurice Ashley, Kid Peligro, Run DMC and Jam Master Jay, Dilated Peoples, DJ Qbert, Mix Master Mike from the Beastie Boys, Imam Zaid Shakir, Afrika Bambaataa and many others…
email me today at bishop@hiphopchessfederation.org and I’ll send you a copy FREE!
Adisa
The wisdom of Master Po, at times seems endless
December 21, 2008
MMA Suicide Raises New Questions About Philosophy
December 21, 2008
My friend Thembisa M’shaka just sent me the news on Justin Levens death in an apparent murder suicide with his wife Sarah. Details are sketchy, but whatever the conclusions its all quite sad.
Being a martial artist, even at my mundane weekend warrior level is HARD. I cannot imagine what really takes to be the in the top ranks like BJ Penn, Andrei Arlovski, Cheick Congo, Fedor, Koscheck etc.
It takes a lot of mental power to stay balanced internally juggling training, family life and personal time. The pressure to be a wrecking machine each time you step in has got to be enormous. I have always been concerned that the American MMA dynamic was lacking in an authentic philosophy. This is in large part due sadly to American cultural bigotry.
American’s love Bruce Lee’s fighting. They ignored the philosophy that gave birth to it. The American’s trembled in the shadow of the Gracie family in the early 1990’s . Now go to any MMA message board and watch people talk about Brazilian monkey this, and Jap that. Its an ugly blend of ignorance, arrogance and xenophobia.
This cultural bias has backfired on the American MMA community. All you wanted was the fighting right? Well, thats all you got…Now look around and see how much pain a lot of these MMA guys are. Look how unstable their homes are. Look how empty they feel outside of the octagon. Its real sad.
People like Dave Camarillo of Guerrilla Jiu Jitsu have spoken to this idea in prior essays.
I think that decades of ignoring the “foreign ideas” of Jigoro Kano, Bruce Lee, Helio Gracie, Dave Camarillo and others must stop. Pick up The Art of War, The Art of Peace, The Book of 5 Rings, Confucian, Buddhist and Taoist works. They help the martial artist keep a holistic perspective of his life. They help us combat our fears and remove the darkness from our hearts. God bless the family of Justin and Sarah Levens. I pray the MMA community can come together and build a support network to prevent future tragedies like this from happening ever again.
-HHCF
****
FROM HUFFINGTON POST:
A mixed martial arts fighter and his wife were found shot to death in a Laguna Niguel condominium in what authorities said was an apparent murder-suicide.
The bodies of Justin Levens and his wife, Sarah McLean-Levens, were found Wednesday afternoon, Orange County sheriff’s officials said. The 28-year-old Levens competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and other organizations. Levens hasn’t fought in UFC or WEC since 2006, and one of his losses that year was to Evan Tanner, who died on a desert trip this year.
Justin Levens Wikipedia entry lists the results of his most recent fights. His last one, a loss to American Kenny Ento, occured on October 18. See the rest of Levens’ fight record here.
