Yea, I figured that out later, I thought the Backwoods logo was on the dama, but its just the colourway. Doubt they'll get sued though.
Well I know that everyone knows one thing about X. That he was a domestic abuser and all that. However none of these charges were confirmed during his lifetime. He actually confessed to these charges in a post mortum recording but wait I’m not done. After the death of Jocelyn Flores( if u don’t know the story look it up) he completely changed. He was making more music about doing good and love instead of violence. Now he might have not changed completely but he was on the right path before he died. ( btw do u speak Polish? I’m asking because of your name Emil apostoł )
i have only been playing kendama for a few months; but adam22 brought me to this beautiful game. as a matter of fact i'm shredding "dr. j stick" mod right now. ive ordered some kendamas so i have a few to compare (sweets, krom) because im well aware these are the honed kendama companies we all know and love. i believe adam is trying to capitalize on kendama bringing it to the culture he's most comfortable with, and his target audience - hype beasts. i paid $55CAD + ship for this sucker and it doesnt even come with a bearing bead. OR STICKERS. talk about capitalizing a 40% profit. ken shape is large, i would compare it to 1% bigger than Krom's 1% pro mod shape. for people like me with big hands, it works - if only he brought more to the table content wise and actual dama wise.
Had a look at NJK's instagram feed for the first time in months last night. As far back as I scrolled, I wasn't able find a single shoutout to an actual pro kendama player, any other kendama company, any events besides their own meetups, or pretty much anything actually kendama related. As @notanarc can attest to, it's bringing people to the game and for that I'm thankful. But if you just found NJK, would you even know there were other companies or actual pros out there without doing your own research? There are people who make unimaginable sacrifices to keep pushing this game and make the community larger and more accessible. Adam22 doesn't give a shit about those people or the actual kendama community. He just thinks kendama is fun and would rather use it to make himself money than actually invest in its future.
From what I've seen too (all from other IG accounts) is a number of other groups, companies, and players are shouting them out (Sol, Sweets, Krom first come to mind) but like you've said there have been little to no reciprocity from NJK.
yiiiiiiiikes. This video would have been better if it was just a link to the Sweets or KUSA tutorials
Understandable. There is the presumption of innocence, I guess, and not everyone is beyond redemption. Also, I'm not polish. I'm Filipino.
I see all the hate on Adam but i do have to bring up that NJK does sponsor several kendama events such as OJO, and adam always has dama pros at his shop. His podcast even had an episode with Coop, Norx, and Reed Stark. Now I know his audience isn’t really kid friendly like kendama should be but neither is Bonz’s instagram with his girlfriend. Kendama should be enjoyed by anyone from all walks of life, and people are free to express themselves how they feel. Adam is spreading kendama well and his other ventures shouldn’t cloud our view of what he has done for the community. I’m not saying that we should praise him, but he is doing his part and i don’t think he deserves all the hate he receives.
Adam22 talks about drugs and getting wasted... He disrespects the homeless and post videos of himself "in an altered state" not just drunk. Do your research, it's all on YouTube. He is not a kids role model and Kendama is big for children. I work with the foster system in Colorado and he is not a beacon of hope or someone to admire. The Dama is blah and I'm ready for a better person to step up. Kendama is love, not what ever he is offering!
Ultimately this comes down to what we as individuals perceive kendama and this community to be and what we expect. Adam22 and No Jumper are bringing in more faces to this wonderful skill toy we all enjoy, which is good. I've seen posts from many different players and companies having positive experiences with events and jams at their shop. Kendama is to be enjoyed by everyone, children and adults. Yes it is a toy and is geared more towards children but I there are definitely some non-child friendly aspects and individuals in this community from way before Adam22 stepped into the spotlight. His views, some things he's said and done and MAY have done though definitely shed a negative light on things. And it is a stronger impact on him compared to others in this community who may have said, done, and thought similar things because he's A) more vocal about it, B) in the spotlight and has a far stronger and wider reach, and C) all of the above which garners more attention and judgement towards him from those who see him as a negative influence period. Myself, despite working directly with kids in multiple scenarios and locations before and after finding kendama, I still do not believe myself to be the best role model out there and honestly would prefer to jam without kids and teens (though there have been exceptions). But just like in kendama where we are free to play however we want, play the brands we want to, and with the people we want to we also have the choice to not do so with the brands and people we do not want to for whatever reason. Personal or otherwise. As good as they are I just don't play with Krom for whatever reason, I've always preferred other brands and have now almost completely sold all of my Sweets shape kens (still have an NG Homegrown or 2 for sale if you're interested lol). Those 2 brands are definitely not the worst brand out there, my preferences just gear more towards others just like some people out there JUST play Sweets or KUSA or Krom or any other brand out there that they have found preference for. If you don't want to fuck with him and his brand, don't. He's not worried about it because he knows there are people who will. I haven't really been paying too much attention as of late to the community as a whole but so far I haven't seen much negative influence on it from him outside of arguments between others on this thread and other similar ones both here on DS and on FKC. Would I personally jam with him, whether at an event or at his shop? Maybe. He doesn't post the content I'm exactly interested in but that's probably the 'old person' in me talking, but I've learned lately not to let personal and professional feelings clash so despite not being interested in his content maybe I'd be down to just jam with him given the opportunity. Plus I've seen a number of dama homies enjoy their experience at his shop (the Sol crew in particular). Would I buy from his brand? No, personally. Just from what I've seen the No Jumper kendama seems really lackluster in my opinion and is far too over priced for its quality. Other than the company he keeps and some people he may have introduced to kendama, the price of his brand's kendamas are really the only thing I can think of that could be a negative move on his part in the kendama community, if only because, again, they are far too overpriced (but again, some people will fuck with him and No Jumper and will buy his brand).
If NJK really did sponsor an event that would make me really happy. It would be sick if they actually put money into sponsoring players. I don't know if you've ever stopped to think about how pros afford to live but I can guarantee it's not off free damas and small purses from comps. If part of Adam's whole deal is that he's got all this money, he should be redistributing some of it to people who are choosing a significantly less exorbitant lifestyle to keep this community alive. I don't care about people smoking weed or drinking in kendama videos or on instagram. That's a part of literally every skate inspired or adjacent subculture you can find. That's literally never going away. I take issue with the rampant misogyny and toxic masculinity in Adam22's videos. That shit is disgusting and is at the root of so many problems in our culture. Watch an Adam22 vlog and look at the way he treats women in them. I don't want kids who are psyched on kendama to watch those videos and grow up thinking that a healthy way to be cool is to treat women like garbage. Interesting you bring up Bonz and "@officialkendamababe". They're a poly couple who talk openly about sex and sexuality including things like consent on the gram. That is a pretty rad thing for people in this community to be doing imo. I respect that people have different feelings on those things, but I don't feel like equating Adam22 to Bonz is very fair to Bonz in a strictly community-impact sense.
They're not accusations. They're factual. Apparently the FKC can't handle the truth and I got banned LOL!
I looked back in this thread and can’t find any context to what this is in reference to.. what accusations were made?? Also I was at a local riverfront concert tonight and came across the FIRST person of older age in my area(Louisville ky) also with a Kendama!! It just so happened to be a Larry Underbird from NoJumper and dude said he listens to the podcast and that’s how he found out about Kendama. So while many don’t like adam22 and maybe what he’s doing, he IS influencing people Who may not have ever known about Kendama but since they listen to his show they now know and want to try!! Side note: many asked and were interested in what I was doing at the show and I told them all to head to Target if they want to pick up a sweets dotburst easily