“Empty your mind … be formless.”

Welcome to the #BattleRapStats dojo and our 36-Chamber series entitled – Lessons from the Master.  This BLOG series was inspired by a track I created a while ago on an upcoming (final) EP of mine entitled “DMV-P (The MVP) – The Life and Times of Leroy Green.” (Instrumental below)  The EP is about my life and was inspired by my love for the martial arts and the classic movies Enter the Dragon and The Last Dragon … both classics for different reasons – but classics nonetheless.

These “lessons” will follow the philosophical mindset of the legend Bruce Lee’s famous interview on the Pierre Berton Show in 1971 and quotes from Enter the Dragon. The moral of the story and rationale for creating this section is simple. No mater how experienced or inexperienced we are, we all need guidance. Sometimes that guidance is already inside of us and it just needs to be unveiled. We want to spark inspiration and elevate the status quo through conversation – that simple. We are not and will never claim to be 100% correct on every topic, but we’d like to think that collectively we all can contribute to the growth of fellow emcees and those looking at the game from the shoreline and may want to dip their toes in shark infested waters.

Who’s Leading Who?

To make this happen, we’ve enlisted the support of the #BarGod now #BLOG_GOD Danny Myers (@metaphormessiah) to champion this section of our website. This doesn’t mean that Danny is the end-all-be-all of battle rap critiquing.  It’s primary based on my belief in his talent and track record as an emcee, his passion for hip-hop, his love for the sport/art form (battle rap), and most importantly – his journey over the past 26-years. Experience is the teacher of fools, so we thought why not help spread the experiences from Danny, and other emcees around the globe to help mold up and comers or teach a vet a new trick. Learn here so you don’t get boo’d off that Summer Madness stage!

Expectation Management

So, what can you expect from this series? 36-Lessons (Chambers) about battle rap that will explore both technical and philosophical aspects of the art form. Our goal? Positively influence the culture and elevate the skill sets of emcees world wide. And by no means are we attempting to create a list of ingredients to create a battle rapper … we are engaging conversation with the reader and encouraging dialogue, so get ready to participate!

Each lesson will include at least three key points or takeaways to ponder … some will include more. We believe this will keep the articles focused without becoming convoluted … soon we will accompany the BLOGs with 30-minute podcasts available on your favorite host (iTunes, Sketcher, SoundCloud, etc.).

Interactive Annotations and Participation

We’ve partnered with Genius to integrate annotations on the articles. Sometimes we’ll quote emcees, authors, actors, etc. and you can contribute to correctly annotating who said that. You may be able to say “I said that!” and annotate it yourself.  Who said that by the way? Check the annotation and get the conversation going! Make sure you sure you create an account at www.genius.com! And download the iOS and Android App.

Once you have an account participate in the process by highlighting some text (quotes, movie references, etc.), then select “annotate” and begin citing why this is important. Enough small talk … it’s time to get into the dojo, get limber and start working on the craft.  Oh, and by the way, if you are really feeling froggy – download the Lessons from the Master Instrumental and spit a dope verse on it it, because we will! See you in the lyrical squared circle or octagon.

“Don’t concentrate on the finger or you’ll miss all that heavenly glory.” – Bruce Lee