Kensho Kuma

Japanese American MC representing 510 Berkeley, CA.

Hosting Flow Lounge 04/01/2026 @Cali’s Sports Bar, Berkeley

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Yours truly will be hosting the Flow Lounge weekly event on April 1st, 2026. Flow Lounge where Hip Hop culture resides in the East Bay.. it’s organized by the NGO Hip Hop for the Future and occurs every Wednesday night at Cali’s Sport Bar on Telegraph in Berkeley.. we have an open mic where hella MC’s come through and spit, regular featured performers, and a rhyme writing contest where $300 in prize money is given out. If you’re interested in competing in the contest, please read this post.. and good luck.

I’m making this an unofficial ROTC reunion.. if you were in our rhyme infantry at Return of the Cypher during the near decade we had the event going, it would be great to cypher with you again. Please where your dog tags if you still have ’em!!

Kensho Kuma featured on the Creative Sober podcast

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Peace. The Creative Sober is a podcast and community, which places the spotlight on individuals on the path of recovery. Of course, there are artists on this journey, and my song Serenity Prayer was featured on their recent podcast. This song from my latest release Ikigai is dedicated to anyone who has experienced addiction and lived to shared their experience and also our fallen angels that we lost along the way.

Please check out the episode featuring Kensho Kuma’s Serenity Prayer!!

Freestyle Flow Fest (Online Event) 01/25/26 with complete footage!!

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Yes yes y’all.. 2026 is starting off with a whole lotta momentum and I’m gonna keep it going. On 01/25/26 at 7:00 PM, I will take part in the Freestyle Flow Fest.. my potna Infinite Chi (Check da Rhyme) facilitates this event at the Complex SF, which is a recording studio/ performance studio in San Francisco. From what I’ve seen, Freestyle Flow Fest is like an improvised Hip Hop variety show, where MC’s are challenged to freestyle about random situations, objects, and characters.

You can view the event on the Complex Twitch channel and also on the Complex YouTube channel.

Update: now we have the footage of 01/25/26 Freestyle Flow Fest!!

Although I have never considered myself to be a freestyle MC, I wholeheartedly believe that you must be willing to go off the top of your head (improvise) at a drop of a dime, if you claim the title of MC. To me, freestyling is one component of the craft that I’m always willing to practice.. and I have always felt that spitting in a cypher with MC’s I like and respect is more therapeutic than anything the clinical world has to offer..

Flow Lounge Set 01/14/2026 @Cali’s Sports Bar, Berkeley CA

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Alright, this one for the home team!! I will be doing a short set at the Flow Lounge on 01/16/26.. For those of you who don’t know about FL, it’s a weekly Hip Hop event organized by my man Khafre Jay’s NGO Hip Hop for the Future. It goes down at Cali’s Sports Bar on Telegraph Ave. We have top tier cyphers, featured performances, and a Rap writing contest, where $300 is given to the winners. Oh yeah, it’s a FREE event!! Please come through if you’re in the East Bay!!

First show of 2026!! 01/06/2026 @61st x Adeline, Oakland CA

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Alright, lemme start off the year correctly.. this one is for the community. I’m rocking with The Self Help Hunger Program, which was founded by members of the Black Panther party, and is dedicated to providing meals, clothing, housing support, legal aid, and job training to socioeconomically marginalized folks in Oakland. Shout outs to Eseibio the Automatic for reaching out.