Hip Hop, Chess and Martial Arts Finally Unite in Real Time
By: Julianne Shepherd
POSTED: 13:19 EST, February 23, 2007
Wu-Tang Deity Status Not Far Behind
A consortium of Bay Area rappers, martial arts champs and others are convening today in San Jose, CA, for a free hip hop chess exhibition / grudge match. The event is the first in a series of nationwide tournaments meant to teach local youth the game of chess, and allow them to consort with rappers and martial artists in a relaxed environment.
It’s also the kick-off for the International Hip Hop Chess Federation, formed by organizer Adisa Banjoko and Leo Libiran. The Federation’s goal is “to use Hip Hop and chess to help young bright minds actualize their potential,” according to a statement made by Libiran in a press release.
“There are so many rappers who play chess, it’s mind blowing,” said Banjoko. “We’ll be showcasing a more authentic, intellectual side of who these men are, and what they can do. Uplifting young minds is the sole reason for this event.”
Here is the full article.
That is what Danailov is missing, Martial Arts!
If all the GMs were trained in Martial Arts they could settle their disputes outside the tournament hall.
Is it april 1st yet?
“hip hop chess” ? LOL
Its very unfortunate that chess getting together with young people has to be linked into the cesspool of the pop culture of “hip hop”. One of the biggest stars who goes by the name of 50 Cent was an admitted cocaine dealer! The whole hip hop culture has a degrading view of women with suggestive sexual connotations and moraless values. They also look at a persons worth by their “bling”, that is how much cash one has to buy expensive cars, jewelry, and clothes. I think fresh young minds, chess and martial arts fit together well but hip hop should be left out of the equation! Can anybody say Britney Spears!
Yet another person making generalizations about the entirety of hip-hop based on the image projected by only the most popular artists….
The “whole hip-hop culture” does not have a degrading view of women or moraless values. Not all hip-hop is egocentric, materialistic and degrading to women. Many of the same hip-hop artists involved with promoting chess have a much more positive image. Its a shame so many people make genralizations like this without bothering to find out for themselves all that the hip-hop culture truly encompasses. It is not just about the view that the most popular rap artists present.
Hip-hop music is only a small part of hip-hop culture. Artists like 50 Cent are money-making gimmicks.
The true essence of hip-hop lies in the artists who make more of an effort to enlighten and enhance the lives of others, typically urban americans.
I urge anyone who believes hip-hop is misogynistic and violent to listen to artists such as Mos Def, Common Sense, and even certain songs by Tupac Shakur (i.e. Brenda’s Got a Baby) that touch on the everyday lives of normal people.
It seems to me that racial/cultural prejudice will never die. Why do some people think it is wrong for urban american artists to promote chess? Most likely it is because they are naive, uninformed, and play into the (often untrue) stereotypes surrounding hip-hop culture.
Hey James if Tupac was such a great role model how come he was shot dead in the “thug gansta” life!!? And why does every male rap entertainer fondle his crotch rapping his lust and hatred to the audience? I hardly call rhyming bleeped out messages (excessive swearing), as an artist! How does any of this make a case for rascism? If the top hip hop performers are guilty as charged then why make an argument for lesser known rappers? Snoop Doggy Dogg and Ice T are self proclaimed pimps who had a stable of prostitutes, somehow this makes them heroes in the urban community. How does this make them good role models?
P.S. too many (ie. Brenda’s got a baby), with no father is an all too common occurence in the inner city.
james, tfk. I grew up in an mostly black neighborhood where we listened to a whole lot of hip-hop music and played a lot of chess. TFK you are making a lot of genralizations that appear to be ill informed. I get the sense that you have never been in a interracial neighborhood without the doors to your auto locked and the windows rolled all the way up, god forbid you should get out of your car. Also, to say that 50 cent is an admited cocaine dealer is silly. He was a crack dealer. If you dont know what crack is then look it up. Its a cocaine derivitive that bares about as much resemblance to coke as: The ravings of David Duke to the words of MLK jr. Some day you should look to expand your experiance and maybe try and understand the background of “hip-hop culture”.
dear Max, I have been around black people, (AFRICAN AMERICAN) to you, most of my life and my windows are always rolled all the way down anywhere I drive. Living in Chicago all of my life I think I came in contact with African Americans. I even went to school where the African American population in the school was at least 50%. It was a very enlightening time during 7th and 8th grade when puberty kicked in. Young black males exposed their privates in the classroom to their girl classmates. On one occasion a white guy was urinated on in the shower after physical education by “your culture”. I grew up during the Kennedy assasinations as well as Martin Luther King Jr. so you really cant school me on anything American historically or socially.
P.S. crack is a cocaine derivative is an insult to my intelligence. Crack cocaine is more highly addictive than regular cocaine and claims more peoples lives and to suggest selling crack is ok but cocaine is bad then your are a complete idiot! I hope this makes the forum as its the complete truth.
tfk, the fact still remains that you are ignorant, misinofrmed, and just plain wrong. You are making a generalization about the hip-hop culture based on the mentality found in the lyrics and lifestyles of the chart-topping rappers. If you actually knew anything about the real hip-hop culture, you would know that these rappers do not represent hip-hop. As James said, people like 50 Cent are money-making gimmicks. People buy that garbage because they can dance to it in the clubs etc. but it is not real hip-hop. Real hip-hop is represented in artists such as Mos Def and Talib Kweli – their music is not misogynistic or violent(in fact one of Kweli’s songs touches on the hardships of being a woman in the inner city), and they rap about social and even political issues that arise within the community, the country and the world. There are MANY artists out there(many of which are also invovled with promoting chess) that represent a more intellectual type of hip-hop. Your problem is that you are looking at people like 50 Cent and going, “that’s hip-hop.” You couldn’t be more wrong. Please don’t go around here lecturing people about what the hip-hop culture is when you have no idea what you’re talking about.
Hip-hop artists getting together to promote chess is fantastic. I guarantee you kids are not going to be coming away from these events thinking about being violent or degrading to women.
The photos from the event are at: http://www.myspace.com/hiphopchess
I checked their blog, seems like it was a great event.
I wish they did one here.
It looks like they had rappers playing with kids! How cool is that?
We took our children to the event and had a great time. Famous hip hop singers playing chess with children, and talking about playing chess when they were kids. Attendance by Josh Waitzkin was a great treat and inspirational. My children who normally do not listen to hip hop enjoyed the speakers and a chance to play with a wide variety of players. The organizers did a fabulous job in this inter-racial, inter-disciplianry even for children and adults alike. Do not knock it or racially profiling the event. Chess is for everyone to enjoy.