Grandmaster Flashy

Grandmaster Flash Henry X°

If you follow Masonic news you've undoubtedly already read about the Masonic Fraternal Police Department.  Three unworthy craftsmen -- Rev. Tonette Hayes, Brandon Kiel and David Henry -- were arrested at the end of April for impersonating police officers.   Until a day or two ago, they still had a website up.  No great loss -- it was light on info and most sections were password protected.  (Which actually makes sense come to think about it).  Briefly put, this group of would-be cops claims to have been set up in 1100 BC by the Knights Templar.  Maybe they confused BC and AD.... 

Hey, there's already a Templar drug cartel, so why not Templar police as well?

Trouble is, despite that one of the three "Templars" arrested in connection with this case is (and soon to be was, I imagine) an aide to the California state Attorney General (doh!), none of them, including "Chief" David Henry, have any legitimate law enforcement credentials.  The police force, like some if not all of the lodges with which the arrested members claim to be affiliated, are not recognized by any duly-chartered Masonic bodies -- in Masonic jurisprudence they are considered "clandestine" .

It's a weird case.  These guys walked around L.A. claiming to be cops and had acquired an impressive collection of weapons, uniforms, law enforcement-type vehicles....which is why I can't quite ken why members actually went around to various police stations and introduced themselves and their mission.  "Call on us" they announced and left their calling cards, literally; the AG's aide used his card from the AG's office.  I'll bet she's thrilled.

Masonry is quite popular among police officers in the US and the UK -- as well as the military -- and has had a long relationship with Scouting.  From an article about Masonry and Scouting I wrote many years ago:

Scouting itself, as conceived by Lord Baden-Powell, has some undeniable Masonic traits; after all, they are both linear systems of progression which use symbolically-charged rituals to instill in men certain lessons about moral, civic and religious duty.

Excluding the emphasis on religious duty, but not totally devoid of ritual, I think these characteristics could describe police culture as well.  The ranks, the hierarchy, the insular culture and the sense of civil duty, order and solidarity are shared by the Mason and the police officer alike.  Consider for example the Fraternal Order of Police.  One look at their emblem and the Masonic influence is clear:  it contains an eye quite like the Eye of Providence, the clasped hands of friendship and a checkerboard.  The repetition of three medallions on the shield and the three towers of the castle that surmounts it could be a nod to Masonic symbolism.  The emblem itself, like those of police departments across the nation, is a five-pointed star.  In Masonry the star represents the five points of fellowship (see Lone Star Republics) and the widely-used Blazing Star is is considered by some to be "one of the most important symbols of Freemasonry."  For one example see the FOP emblem side-by-side with that of the Order of the Eastern Star.

The FOP is even organized into lodges as opposed to chapters of a union, explained as a result of the anti-union sentiment among the law enforcement establishment at the time of its founding in 1915.  One can't go around assassinating labor leaders and strike-busting and call oneself a union now, can one?  The FOP actually shares at least one set of values with Freemasonry.  When the FOP went national in 1918 it constitution declared that "race, Creed or Color shall be no bar" to membership.  The Grand Lodge of the FOP (another masonic term) doesn't declare any Masonic affinities, but their slogan -- "Building on a proud tradition" -- may be a case of me making mucho ado about nada -- or it may be a nod to Masonic metaphor, e.g. "building better men".

But these Masonic police are not only not police, they're not Masons either, at least Masons recognized by the Grand Lodge of California, Prince Hall or otherwise.  They appear to be led by a guy calling himself Grandmaster Henry X, aka Chief Henry.  Henry's title of "Grandmaster" is as dubious as his title of "Chief".  But that's just for starters.  His Google + profile has him being not only a Templar Police Chief but the head of the Illuminati, to boot!

Tagline

ILLUMINATI SUPREME SOVEREIGN GRANDMASTER HENRY 32°33°X°360° ABSOLUTE MOST ILLUMINATED SOVEREIGN GRAND BAPHOMET X° REX I AMΩ

Bragging rights

IN 2015 1/2 MILLION MEMBERS UNDER 1 ILLUMINATI JURISDICTION GRANDMASTER HENRY 32°33°X°360° ILLUMINATI KNIGHTS OF CHRIST, ABSOLUTE SUPREME SOVEREIGN GRAND COMMANDER & MOST OBLIGATED GRANDMASTER HENRY 32°33°90°96°98°X°360°

Note all those crazy degrees.  He's got the 32° and 33° of the Scottish Rite, the 90° may refer to the Rite of Misraïm.  I wonder if the X is a reference to Malcolm X and the 360° to the Five Percenters?  (Update 11 Aug.:  I was notified in a comment that X° is an OTO degree, so this could be what Henry's referring to).

Hard to say.  Henry may just be adding numbers to his name, but given the plethora of rites and practices both recognized and clandestine available, it's quite possible he actually did some of the degree work he claims to have done.  A picture labelled "A very young Grandmaster Henry X°" shows hims in an all-black Lodge which may or may not be a recognized Prince Hall Lodge. (Update 11 Aug.:  Henry's Masonic mentor, Van Hibler, is or was the Grand Master of the Most Worshipful Prince of Peace Grand Lodge, identified as "bogus" by The Phylaxis Society, a Prince Hall research organization, itself international, well-respected, and most importantly, legitimate!  I don't know if this photo is of a clandestine Lodge, but Henry's "Masonic family tree" is pretty suspect.  See our follow-up for more details).

Is this a recognized or a clandestine Lodge?  Is it really even Henry?

Whatever the case, we're looking forward to seeing what develops.  The last news dates from 6 May and as far as we know, the Chief has been in custody since this time.

For more about African-American Freemasonry:  Freemasonry and Black Nationalism

For more about fake police forces:  Monarchists and Mercenaries: Say hello to the American Police Force

For more about Henry X°, please see Freemasonries: David Henry X°, Clandestinity and Recognition, a more detailed follow-up to this post.

Hip-Hop & Freemasonry: Example 1

If the way all those MCs hold their hands up like triangles is any indication, the Spirit of '76 -- Bavaria-style -- is alive in well in Hip-Hop.

In Freemasonry and Black Nationalism I touched (far too) briefly on Freemasonry in the Hip-Hop community.  I should have said a lot more, but I ran out of steam -- but not out of information.  It seems at quick glance that both pro- and anti-Masonic lyrics are fairly common in Hip-Hop, as are references to the the Illuminati.  Indeed, a whole genre of conspiracy theory has grown up around this subject and a Google or two will bring up scores of videos, articles and even books dedicated to the Illuminati's Hip-Hop hijinx.  A word or two is required to light up the shadows cast by these large-looming and wonky ashlars of bad information.  Or to put it another way, there are a lot of turds caught up in the slick green threads of the Internets!

If my memory serves me well, Public Enemy and X Clan referred to Masonry quite frequently, often echoing the teachings of Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam.  Quite a few groups had NOI affiliations to some degree or other.  The Five Percent Nation, an offshoot of the NOI with Masonic influences, was a huge influence on the development of Hip-Hop slang.  It's clear some MCs were drawing from a rather deep lyrical well when addressing the subject. 

On the other hand, it almost appears that in recent years dropping references to Masonry or the Illuminati has been a kind of fashion among MCs, perhaps as a way to enhance their mystique, or as another means of projecting power, much like references to firearms and symbols of physical prowess, sexual charisma, financial success and lyrical mastery.

I'm hoping perhaps LoS follower Burger Boy will help us out here!  He had this to say in response to a recent post

Jamaican DJ Vybz Kartel openly displays his Masonic affiliation, especially prior to his recent arrest on murder charges (in no way am I attempting to connect his Masonry with his arrest). He proudly displayed his Masonic ring on one of his most recent CD releases. Vybz is not what dancehall fans would call 'conscious' or 'Rasta.' He's more along the lines of guys like Bounty Killer or Ninja Man, in that they are 'slack' with their themes/lyrics.

The Wu Tang Clan was overtly 5%'er, as were groups like Poor Righteous Teachers. Wu Tang would wear you out with 5% proselytizing, and I've read that ODB was, suprisingly, the most adept at its teachings.

So whaddaya say, BB?  For that matter, it's an open call to anybody.

• Can you cite us any references to Masonry and/or the Illuminati in Hip-Hop lyrics?  I know a few, but I haven't really listened to Hip-Hop on a regular basis since the 90s.
• Do you know of any MCs or DJs who are Masons?  What about affiliations or sympathies with the Nation of Islam?? The 5 Percenters?

I'd like to tackle this one in a bit more depth, but I'll be fishing for leads for a while.  For the moment I'll just whet yer thirst with an example by Rick Ro$$, featuring Jay-Z, whose appearances last year in Five Percenter gear prompted a minor media hubbub....not to mention my own post.  This track appeared on Ro$$' album Teflon Don (2010), a critical and modest commercial success.

from Ro$$' Free Mason

Free Mason, freelancer, free agents, we faster
Big contracts, big contractors, built pyramids, period we masters
No caterpillars, it was just a lot of niggas
A lot of great thinkers and a lot of great inventors

I have nowhere near the breadth of knowledge necessary to do this topic full justice, so any advice or references are welcome.  I think my track will be to look at the origin of the conspiracy theory and its variations, a broad overview of lyrical references and finally, try to see if I can compile a reliable list of Masons in Hip-Hop.  But I'm open to suggestions and collaboration on this one.