ENTER THE CHAMBER
Enter the chamber
this callous court on cracked concrete.
Enter the chamber
this holy home in hope of hoops.
Enter the chamber
this sacred space of sacrificed spirits.
Enter the human body
where our bones break in battle
where our blood blisters from basketballs
enter our territory
watch how we defend
watch how we defeat
how we bend, move to heartbeats
this is how we hit hoops
how we hip-hop
to cypher all of these elements
to consecrate a language of our streets
of our ancestors from the past
of our game of peace
of the first shall be last
and the last shall be first
feel our language of resistance
feel how we carry it outside our bodies
but watch how we keep our dribble
watch how we hold each other on this block
because on this block
there are shots, shots, shots
we carry all of this outside our bodies.
We turn the tables on this floor
tear it up with sneaker scratches
listen to the movement
the spins and cuts of creature habits
we jump to BASS, BOOM, and BAPS
watch us chase moon with raps
the people know our name because in this game
we fight, we write
nocturnal, we thieves in the night
we shoot, shoot, shoot
we score on the 1s and 2s
we run full, we run it back
like gun pulls, like thunderclaps
you wanna spectate examples of hardwood?
well, watch and listen to how we sample gunshots of our hood
so check your,
check
check
check yo mic
cus’ we bout to ball hard
we bout to wild style, we bout to call GOD!
we speak behind bars, teeth onto the pavement
and spill blood until the end of all regulation
watch our bones crack, how our fingers jam
watch our domes clash, the real winners stand
on this battleground scuffed with god’s footwork
we endure the pain because we know the truth hurts
so what is the message here? Or out there?
The message is that it’s never clear
like graffiti, like s-s-s-smoke in the aftermath
like it’s game over and what’s after that?
After all the hip-hop steps have been taken
after all the ankles that’s be breaking
after the noise and the reverb
after we B boys and B girls.
You may be not ready, but we hold this roc steady
we soar, we fly, we all means necessary
once children of the yes yes y’all
now we’ve become legendary
so enter the chamber, enter this ritual
enter where the spirits become visible
this is our church, our temple for the lonely
we no longer slaves, we masters of ceremony!
so come pay homage, give tribute to those before us
to those who have died on this court
to those who have fallen in this sport
we remember them and carry on their legacy
because it is bigger than basketball
it is forever bigger than hip-hop
and it won’t stop, cus’ it can’t stop!
Such is the nature of the human body
a home to trillions of blood cells
which respond instinctively when something foreign enters its territory
they fight until death!
Such is the nature of our resistance.
Tu Phan
Tu Anh Phan is a spoken-word artist from Dorchester, Boston. Raised in a Vietnamese immigrant family, Tu shared with me that he is “finding salvation in hip-hop culture” and “still learning what it means to be Vietnamese American.”