User:Maoshanspalm

== PERSONAL ACCOUNTS: THE 52 ALSO KNOWN AS JAIL HOUSE ROCK ==

By B.C Hill Bey

I’m all about upholding our culture and legacy, but I’m against bullshit being perpetrated to that end as well. What is the 52? What are the fundamentals of this style? The philosophy? The (LOL) history? Well as far as that goes, that 1800’s crap is pure shit! While there where others, Caporaire was the only martial art of note of that time. In north America we knew what they showed us, either rassling or their Queensberry Boxing method with the fist turned up. This is fact! What historical evidence other then Rykers exist? I grew up with it.

In the 70’s Brothers could fight! I mean it seemed that everybody had good hands and feet. But then you had these few who used what we all knew as Jailhouse Rock They were just straight bad! Brothers that were using elbows, hands behind heads and back, Spins and turns, Snatching a punch, kissing it and throwing it back, with sure movement through strong footwork. These brothers could move! That was the beginning.

Next the style became affiliated with the 5%er’s. Now you got a problem. Again, I ask what is the 52? Because what exit of jailhouse today, comes through them. Now if you know anything about the 5%, it’s all about the mathematics. What does the 52 represent? Or rather, 52 Blocks? What are the 52 Blocks? I’ll tell you a quick story. I had a friend when I was around 14, who told me about the 52 Blocks. He said it was a version of Jailhouse that stressed the elbow and very quick short range blows delivered all over the body from head to foot. I saw some it used once, but the fight ended to fast for me to elaborate on, save to say it was very close to what my boy showed me.

Now keeping it more real, what does the 52 mean? Numbers are the representation of all existence to the 5%. It’s a code. And by what I’m seeing in most of these clips, nobody gets it.

Next training, what are the actual methods. I really want to know how ya’ll train the feet and body. Waist. From What I remember, training began with Slap boxing, but the real hardcore trained close quarters, simulating The close quarter conditions in the cells on Rykers Island. Hell it was popular understanding at that time that the only way to really learn Jailhouse was on Rykers. There were no forms, only fighting and creativity. The badest of those dudes are either dead or doin life. Or the very few who went on with their life, who are well over 50 now and don’t or rather haven’t done it in so long that they really can’t tell you about it because it’s some thing that they did. Experience! You didn’t really practice it,it was all real. Even the play was real. The only way to learn to fight ,was by fighting. This is what I remember about it. I mean come on, the 1800’s? You telling me a crew of people like that on a slave ship could truly have existed? There would have been so many bloody Amistad type takeovers there would have never have been a slave trade. Like I said, I’m all for the upliftment of our race, but by truth! Jailhouse was created on Rykers Island and Breakin in the Bronx. Hell the more I think about it a lot of the Jailhousers were also break dancers or rather B-Boys as we were called, Which probably accounts for a lot of the crazy body articulations some of them did and general movement overall.

MY UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT I KNOW OF THE 52 BLOCKS URBAN LEGENDS PART

By Novell G. Bell

Here my Urban history lesson of what I know about the 52 blocks from my living experience growing up around five percenters. Individuals like, understanding, life, powerful, born god, Divine and Lakim…ect

Who knew the 52's and did time up north. And most of the presenters I knew where from all parts of the N.Y.C. area.

In my teens I use to hang out with a lot of five presenters that was very good with 52 blocks. Many of these individuals were from Jamaica Queens that learn the style when they were in Rickersland from this cat that was called mother dear.

This brother mother dear I was told was gay, but he was a killer with the 52 blocks because he was the individual who is believed to have invented the 52 blocks.From what I was told when a new jack come, if mother dear like him, that new jack had to freely give it up, or get ROCK" THE HARD WAY. Not many cats from want to talk about these facts.

Most older brothers that been too jail and been in some shit on the streets will tell you. back in the days many of the brothers that learn the real 52 blocks got rock first.

They never tell you that because many back then had to keep playing the hardcore roll, if brother on the outside knew that got punk, (rape) they knew they get no respect. Soon a brother get free from jail and back on the streets of they community if found out they got punk, they will most likely got beat down bad, and god help you if you was a God!

Many in the hoods know this cat name mother dear was the originator of the 52 jailhouse fighting style. Many Gods use to tell me this cat mother dear was so nice with the 52 styles that he could catch a person jab or punch and kiss the shit at the same time counterattacking.

The tale that been running around for years of mother dear down fall in the hoods of NYC, is a New Jack terrified that mother dear was going to try and rape him bum rush mother dear out of fear while he was standing near a jail high balcony and mother dear fall to his death! I know that the story I was told, true or fasle I never know?

Now as for the 52 blocks, Brooklyn, queens, and the Bronx ... these three NYC areas in my opinion and from the many brothers that Sifu Rudy had me fight against to compare my skills with these cats, was where the 52 style was best known on the ghetto streets for kicking ass and beat downs!

Brooklyn cats was known for they aggressive fast crazy wild attacks, these cats were mostly face hunters, always throwing wild blows to the face trying to knock a person out, and most time they did, because of they fast aggressive attack. Many brothers from queens didn't like Brooklyn cats, because they were the kind of people that if you beat one of they boys in a one on one fight in they hood, they still jump your ass!

Queens Cats that was nice with the 52 blocks were these four five presenters by the name, Justice, born God, Life, and understanding. Queens 52 blocks practitioners utilize more strategy, generally queens 52 was more of counter fighters, they like to evade, redirect and catch they opponents off balance then finish they opponent. Queens 's cats were more of show men, when a queens cat fought using the 52 style that like to look good kicking your ass, and some queens cats was so nice with they hands that they would talk shit at the same time kicking your ass.

The best 52 fighter I saw was this brother name Justice, I say justice because I saw him beat down many Brooklyn cats that claim to be nice with the 52 blocks as well I saw him beat down many martial artist. You see these fights back in the days help me realize and learned about the mindset of hard-core fighting and the reality of real fighting.

To the point that looking at justice beat down so many people open my eyes to see real fighting is truly unpredictable and you have to learn how to change to circumstances. If you don't learn how to change your techniques in a fight fast and quick, you learn the hard way that fighting slow and unrealistic methods can be very painful and dangerous to your health or your life. This is one reason why I train my Ba Gua zhang realistic as hell!

Bronx 52 style in my opinion was more kickers, sweeps and grappling. I say this because every God I saw and met from the Bronx that fought using the 52 always try to apply low kicks to attack the legs of their opponent. I think the Bronx 52 style use they legs more because of all the hills they have to walk up in that area.

I remember my martial art brother Maoshan use to teach his Ba Gua Zhang in the Bronx when I visit him teaching his Ba Gua class he use to teach this brother name big butch. This guy was big as hell, and one thing for sure if he got his hands on you, a person better know grappling or know they shit!

In conclusion I can write a book about all the brothers I met in my younger years that was good at the 52 styles. The truth of this issue in my opinion is the 52 styles did not come from Brooklyn . It truly stated in Rikersland jail with Mother dear! Mother dear is like the Tung Hai Chuan of the 52 blocks style. Later on when cats got out of jail many from different neighborhood community stated to add they own style characteristics to the 52 styles, a lot of this influences also came from brothers that knew the 52 style, taking moves from the two Chinese Shaw brothers movies MASTER KILLER AND MASTER KILLER (The Thirty sixth Chamber) starting Gordon Liu.

Most of the 52 blocks techniques believe it or not have a lot of martial techniques taking from these two Gordon Liu movies, and a lot of Gods later put they own fighting mindset and gangster style fighting influence to they 52 blocks style. Don't believe me well when you get time rent Master Killer and also The Thirty sixth Chamber and you see just what I'm talking about.

Back in the days all the five presenters use to love to look at Gordon Liu Kung Fu movies, and Gordon Liu first movie Master Killer was the top of the list for the Gods. The reason was because of the knowledge the monks would drop in these movies. These movies would drop science. Which the Gods were all about their own Mathematics of knowledge of self and the world!

I truly believe the five presenters got most of they 52 blocks from these two movies as well a few other Shaolin Shaw Brothers kung fu movies that was dealing with not just fighting but seeking knowledge of self and the code of Wade. And there was a lot of kung fu movies out around doing that time when the 52 style was invented, displaying the martial arts training process from beginning to end.

I was told by brother Carl who been in and out of jail, who Sifu Rudy Curry Jr, can tell you was Jamaica Queens most fear street fighter and knew 52 style as well, they use to play nothing but kung fu moves. Most of the inmates were five presenters. Believe me when I tell you I know of many brothers that want to jail, with they family giving name, and later came out Gods.

(Five presenter) Females that wanted to be Gods were called earths. ( Queens ) And I saw some good hardcode thug out woman fighters too, that was good with the 52 style.

I one time saw this girl that was nice with her hands that beat the shit out of this brother because he didn't know the days Mathematics. You see the Gods and Earths had they own Mathematics. (Knowledge of self and the world) It was kind of like a Philosophy of life base on some metaphysical stuff, science, literature, geography, biology, earth science, algebra, and geometry.

The bottom-line in the hood if one claim to call themselves God; they had better know they shit! Individuals in the hood could not just call themselves God or Earth and be unintelligent! These Gods in Earths were like the neighborhood philosophers and to be known as a God or earth mean you got mad respect in your neighborhood as well other hoods in NYC.

But the down fall was you better know today's Mathematics, it didn't matter what hood you was from, if you didn't know your Mathematics, then you would get challenge to fight hand to hand combat, that's when the 52 style would come in to play because of your bad understanding of the days Mathematics.

You see the Gods and Earth had a different Mathematic for each day of the week, and if you didn't know the right Mathematics for that day, then one of the gods or earth would challenge to fight you right on the street!

You can be walking with your girl, and you may walk pass a God, that knows you are a five percenters, and they walk up to you and say: GOD WHAT'S TODAYS MATHEMATICS? If you know the Mathematics for that day, they give you big time respect, but if you didn't most likely you would get beat down. Man I tell you shit was crazy back in these day, but it was still all love long if one could talk the talk and walk the walk. BT

GOOD INFORMATION; YOU BROUGHT BACK SOME MEMORIES

BY Sharif Bey

Your recollection of past events, in my opinion and from my own personal experiences, is on point. What you said about the Bronx 52 fighters in particular rings bells for me; one of the things that the Black Spades OG, Cochise, was known for was "going downstairs" or quickly dropping down to knee level to launch a barrage of elbows at your thighs, hip carriage, and knees, only to pop back up and take your head off. The Bronx 52 men liked to get real close to you, using the longer hand movements to cover their entry. Once inside it was all knees, headbutts and elbows, quickly followed by the victim getting airborne and slammed on the side of his neck. I came up with the Nation of Gods and Earths, under old Gods like Knowledge God Allah and Born Justice Allah. MY 5% PERCENT ACCOUNT

My Experiance with the 5%

Abdus-salaam Muhammad

In the early seventies, I was a member of the 5 percenters. As you know that was the name before it became the nation of gods and earth. My name back then was god Tahueed Allah. The way I came into the five percenters was by some brothers from Springfield Massachusetts who were introduced to it from brothers who were from New york. The Springfield brothers came to Lowell Massachusetts where I was going to college and taught me and some other brothers the "science". What we use to do was hold parliaments. That was when we would get a bunch of people and make a circle and then one of the "gods" would get in the middle of the circle and say my name is god (whatever his name was) and start dropping the mathematics. Your right, we had to know the mathematics and we were really into the martial arts and the shaw kung fu movies. We were not introduce to a 52 style from those brothers from Springfield and they probably didn't even know it. We did street stuff mixed with some martial art moves.