Fighting for Water - Interview met Bang Bang

[HUNTER]

Afgelopen januari nam de steeds bekender wordende rapper Bang Bang (o.a. bekend van zijn samenwerking met de Zwolsche beatmaker Kubus) het in een kickbokspartij op tegen Shannon, een Helderse vechter.

Nu stappen niet zo veel rappers zo maar in de ring. Nu dus ook niet. Bang Bang, die een klein verleden heeft als straatvechter/ hosselaar in de mindere buurten van London, besloot te gaan trainen om de mensen in Bangladesh te helpen aan schoon drinkwater. Het Fighting For Water project werd hiermee een feit.

In de Amsterdamse Escape won Bang Bang zijn kickbokswedstrijd, en om de inspanningen een vervolg te geven, en nog meer bekendheid te geven aan Fighting For Water werd er ook een clubtour georganiseerd. Wij waren te gast bij het optreden in de Melkweg, waar Kubus en Bang Bang de tour openden.

Marieke maakte een aantal concert foto's, en na de zeer strakke show sprak ik met Bang Bang over de tour, over vechten en over de positieve bijdrage die vechtsport kan hebben (ik heb de engelse tekst bewust niet vertaald):



Can you tell us a little about the background of the Fighting For Water tour? When was the idea originated and who are involved?
I saw some pictures from the photographer Eddy Van Wessel. He took pictures of people suffering from not having clean running water. I decided that if I can do things to make people buy my CD, I could use exactly the same skills to have people donate money to provide these poor people with water pumps so they can get the basic privilege of clean water. I thought about the children dying from diarrhoea because of dirty water. And this motivated me to come up with the idea of doing something where I can get money from people that love you and hate you. In this country kickboxing is a place where people come to see you, even if they hate you. The haters want to see you get your ass kicked. People that like you want you to win. I decided to film myself getting into shape to fight a kick boxer and make it into a documentary. A kind of reality show that builds the drama until I finally fight. That’s where the name Fighting For Water came from. If you haven’t seen the documentary you can see it on www.fightingforwater.com (http://www.fightingforwater.com/).The pictures I saw where taken in Bangladesh, so I decided that the money should go to people that touched my heart and inspired my journey. I saw these pictures a few years ago, so my first step of raising awareness for this project is when I threw a presenter called Valerio of his couch live on TMF. This got the attention of Jensen and we were invited on there to make peace in this fake drama. It was on Jensen I revealed that I did it to get national attention for the poor people from Bangladesh. I’m also a great fan of fighters. Who are often times portrayed in the media as mindless punch bags. Most fighters that I know are from working class background so I wanted to show the heart and skills of the working class people by love. That led me to the privilege of meeting and training with Lucien Carbin, Tyrone Spong, Andy Souwer, Gylbert Yvel, and many other fighters and trainers. All of these people fully supported me, and did their all to help me get in shape and make the documentary and finally the fight.

http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss220/MixfightReporters/bangbang/kub_bang.jpg

[HUNTER]

In what way is this club tour involved in the idea of Fighting For Water? Is it a logical next step for you?

The tour allows me to keep the project in peoples minds. And reach people that don’t know about the documentary in the hope that they will go to the website enjoy the show and be moved enough to donate some money.



You have trained with a lot of Dutch top ranked fighters. Are you still training with some of them or was this just for this fight only?

That’s one thing that I really miss, but during the fight I dislocated my right shoulder twice and this type of injury takes a long time to get right. So at the moment I can’t even do a press up. As soon as my shoulder is ok I’ll be back on training, but just to keep fit. And to be around the fighters at Lucien’s gym, that I grew to love and respect. I prefer to be around fighters then musicians, most musicians are full of shit. Fighters have far more character.


From which fighter or trainer did you learn most, and which fighter is your personal favorite?

I learned the most from Lucien Carbin; he put together a perfect program tailored for me, to get me in condition mentally and physically. He looked at what I’m good at, and taught me how to put myself in a position where I could use my strength. But I’ll say I learned from everybody that I trained with in the documentary. I went to different gyms and trained with different trainers and fighters. Everybody was full of advice and direction that I learned so much that on the next fighting for water I want to train somebody.



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http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss220/MixfightReporters/bangbang/kub_1.jpg

[HUNTER]

Thai boxing and MMA have quite a bad reputation in Holland as being aggressive and very much linked with criminality. Is this the same in England and how do you see this image as being bad for the sport?

I think it is the same all over. Throughout the history of fighting you will find poor people from slaves to minimum wage people fighting has always been turned to to feed yourself if there is no other way to make money. But from amongst these poor people you are going to find those that don’t want to get in the ring to earn a living, because there is another option when you are hungry and that’s crime. So I think as long as you have poor people and uneducated people crime and fighting are going to live side by side.

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[HUNTER]

In the FFW documentary you spoke more than once about the government needing to finance gyms like FFC, in order to have an alternative for future criminals. Something like fighting instead of jail time. Can you explain this idea?

I think some young offenders are victims of circumstance rather than just being bad people. You can prove this by changing a young mans or woman’s circumstances. It would be a good experiment if a judge was convinced to let Lucien prove that if you give a kid opportunity and options they would take the higher ones. I.e. offer a kid somebody’s wallet or let him see a future in making money with talent and dignity in my experience the majority of kids will leave your wallet alone if you instill in them believe, that they can use skills that don’t involve the consequence of prison to make a living. I believe Lucien Carbin can teach this. And show the authorities that if you give a young men or women time and encouragement their more likely to want to please you in return. And if what pleases you is them using their character and patience to avoid prison I think we can see a drop in the crime rate. Not everybody in Lucien’s gym wants to be a professional fighter. But I have seen them including myself learn ways to develop strength in character determination and resolve to live their life without being locked up or punished. So I’ll think it will be easier on the taxpayers pocket to give a kid an opportunity to change rather then locking them up where they learn nothing but anger and resentment for themselves and society. And this will cost us thousands of euros per week. Surely it is better to subsidize Lucien, keep a kid out of prison let them learn hard work pays and in the end be thankful to the system that put them in a direction that will leave them with a strong body and mind. Someone that knows strength will not opt to do what weak people do. Most people that do crime, do it because they feel they are too weak to do the honest days work of normal society. I think Lucien has ways of changing a person’s weak self perception. And this is essential in rehabilitation.

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[HUNTER]

What did fighting (boxing/ Thai boxing) did for you personally? I guess you came from quite a rough background, did fighting or training help you overcame problems?

I’m quite mistrustful of people, but I was really shocked at the helpfulness and support I received from all the fighters male and female and trainers I came into contact with. I was watching an episode where I was fighting and you can see Tyrone Spong living every punch with me. I looked into his face when he was talking to me in my corner and I saw someone that from the bottom of his heart wanted me to do well. It was the kind of look a brother would give you. I could feel that all the boys and girls from the fight factory including Lucien where giving their heart to me and my cause. Even Andy Souwer who I knew in this short time became like somebody I grew up with. Sometimes he would call me at 3:30 in the morning just to tell me that he was listening to one of my songs and that he loves the content and flow. It was a powerful experience and whenever I feel a little down, I just need to travel to the Bijlmer, take my shoes off, say high to all the loving faces and watch them do amazing things for that little bold salsa dancing genius called Lucien Carbin. And all my troubles will go to the back of my mind because the front of my mind will be watching the amazing things human beings can do with their hearts and bodies. I can get my faith in people healthy just by taking my shoes off and sitting in the dojo watching a training session, magic.

http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss220/MixfightReporters/bangbang/bang_6.jpg

[HUNTER]

Will we see Bang Bang in the ring more often?

No, but I’d love to be in the corner. Another skill that I’d like to bring to the front is my motivative talents. I think I’m a good motivator. Plus I have a smart fighting brain. An example; If you keep your opponent leaning back on his heels he cannot get any purchase or leverage to generate power to hurt you. So you invite him to make a mental decision to look for leverage to hurt you. So he’ll grab you by the head, when this happens you know he is going to knee you next, so in my fight I pressured Shannon and purposely kept my head around his chest level, to give myself more power so I’m punching upwards using my legs plus offering my head for him to grab knowing he will then use his knees. So when he grabbed my head I knew the knees where coming. Now I could plan a head and block the knees then come over the top with a right hook, turning my shoulder a little bit to pressure his wrist and push his body slightly round to the right with my shoulder simultaneously pushing his arms off my head which are not guarding his chin so an open target for the right hand born to knock him down. So yeah, I’d liked to get involved in training and cornering a fighter. I’m at the stage in my life now where I think I’m better mentally then I am physically.

http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss220/MixfightReporters/bangbang/bang_3.jpg

http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss220/MixfightReporters/bangbang/kub_3.jpg

[HUNTER]

Thanks for your time. Where can people find out where and when the club shows will be?

They can check out www.wfightingforwater.com (http://www.wfightingforwater.com) or check our hyves and myspace:

www.myspace.com/fightingforwater (http://www.myspace.com/fightingforwater)

www.fighting-for-water.hyves.nl (http://www.fighting-for-water.hyves.nl)

If you want to donate to the project the bank account numer is 92.56.64.987 t.n.v. Fighting For Water, Amsterdam

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http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss220/MixfightReporters/bangbang/lips_1.jpg

[chief108]

thnx...

leuk interview en mooie foto's!!!

[Sendur]

thnx...

leuk interview en mooie foto's!!!

x2, maar wie is dat wijffie?

[chief108]

maar wie is dat wijffie?
x2

[HUNTER]

dat 'wijffie' is Lips (www.myspace.com/itslipsbitch (http://www.myspace.com/itslipsbitch))

is een nichtje van BangBang, qua muziek heeft ze wel iets weg van Peaches.

[Hendy]

Thanks Hunter !

Leuk interview :) toffe gast trouwens..

[Ronald]

thnx...

leuk interview en mooie foto's!!!
x2 :thup:

[Jeru]

Dope shit ouwe!! Reps.

[barbara]

Vond het zelf ook heel leuk om met hem te trainen, qua boksen had hij me zeker verrast.

Ga vrijdag eens kijken hoe zijn show is :cool2:

[Mr 1 Leg]

x2 :thup:x3:thup:

[Richelieu]

Mooi interview met strakke foto's!