Hip-hop legend, the RZA once said, “The only energy you can attract is the energy you’re in harmonious vibration with.”
Music is a tool that bridges gaps between different communities. Brooklyn Crescents Lacrosse Club co-founder and board chair, Wes Jackson, has spent over 20 years as a music entrepreneur and innovator. Over time, he has seen similarities between the two endeavors — music and lacrosse.
“Music is literally a universal language that uses organized vibrations,” Jackson said. “You can listen to the Grateful Dead or Muddy Waters and say that’s not my experience, but I get it.”
Don’t adjust your frequency, let’s learn more about Jackson’s unique story.
WES JACKSON
Hometown: Bronx, N.Y.
College:Virginia
High School:The Lawrenceville School (N.J.)
THE GET DOWN
Jackson grew up a three-sport athlete that competed in football, basketball and baseball. His parents understood the public educational disparities in the Bronx and maximized their children’s educational experience via private schools.
During his ninth-grade year at The Buckley School in Manhattan, Jackson was exposed to lacrosse through the late Daniel McCartney, who also guided the football and basketball programs. In the 10th grade, Jackson enrolled at The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey and contributed during their 1991 undefeated campaign and national ranking as a senior close defenseman.
Jackson’s older brother, Robert attended the University of Virginia and initiated a pipeline of Black Lawrenceville alums to the institution. Two freshmen who also graduated from Lawrenceville helped ease Jackson’s admission process. Due to the familiarity from his brother and friends’ residency on-campus, Jackson began his academic journey in 1991.
Originally, Jackson intended to attend North Carolina, but was waitlisted and rejected. He also considered Syracuse, but the frigid climate made him reconsider.
Jackson sought to extend his lacrosse career by trying out for Virginia’s club team and underestimated the program’s competitive level. The club program won NCLL national championships in 2009 and 2018.
“To me, club was defined as a fun and casual way to continue playing,” Jackson said. “But after seeing a few practices, I was like ‘Woah.’ This was the best lacrosse I had ever seen.”
As a result, he left lacrosse in the past and explored other social and extracurricular interests that jumpstarted his music career. Jackson hosted a radio show that was started by his older brother on the university’s radio station, WTJU. He would later join a club that produced concerts on-campus which sparked his interest into the music business while becoming a member of the Lambda Zeta chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.
“I wouldn’t be here if Virginia didn’t prepare me for the real world,” Jackson said. “Like Lawrenceville, Virginia was a rigorous academic space that kept me in shape intellectually while giving me the opportunities to pursue my social experiences.”
In 1995, Jackson graduated from Virginia with his Bachelors of English Literature degree. In 2012, he earned his Master of Media Studies degree from The New School in New York.
BROOKLYN IN MY MIND
After returning to New York City, Jackson married his college sweetheart and confidant, Dr. Ebonie Jackson, in 2000.
Wes rediscovered a lacrosse stick that his best friend from Lawrenceville, Victor Hsu (Penn ‘95) gifted him and began playing wall ball in his backyard. As a result of Wes’ casual stick skills, each shot caused his bricks to crumble. Dr. Jackson had a friend who played for a local women’s adult club team and another, L’Quentus Thomas, who played for the Brooklyn Rhinos club program.
Thomas also coached youth lacrosse with the defunct Brooklyn Admirals who were led by late founder and CEO, Kevin Graham. With the assistance of USA Lacrosse’s BRIDGE program (predecessor of the First Stick Grant program), Graham launched Brooklyn’s first inner-city youth lacrosse team in 1999.
In 2004, Jackson joined the Brooklyn Admirals coaching staff with Kassim Howell, Susan Murray, Jessica O’Brien, and Daniel Sheff and Thomas. After Graham’s unfortunate passing, the coaches banded together to continue the Admiral legacy by establishing a new organization in 2006, the Brooklyn Crescents Lacrosse Club.
“The Brooklyn Crescents are the most fulfilling thing I do with my life outside of spending time with my family,” Jackson said. “In another lifetime, I would’ve loved to become a proper lacrosse coach. It feels great to discuss big projects with our executive director one day and then set up cones for the Pee Wees the next day.”
As the organization blossomed, the core values they focused on remained the same. Self-esteem, health, community engagement and positive reinforcement were primary focuses. There was a realization that lacrosse was the vehicle that uplifted youth to new heights.
“We weren’t going to be that intense club team who only focused on winning,” Jackson said. “We’re a community organization that engages via lacrosse. We reversed the narrative. That’s what makes us unique and unapologetic. We decided from our first meeting that we would never let financial reasons prevent kids from picking up a stick. 15 years in and that’s still true.”
Jackson expresses excitement when players master groundballs and other skills. Like parents, each coach feels prideful witnessing their players evolve their craft.
“With infrastructure, comes growth and strength,” Jackson said. “It’s imperative that more organizations and support systems help expand the Urban Lacrosse Alliance.”
The Crescents’ influence has sparked a wave of younger lacrosse programs within the borough. Former Crescents coaches, Joe Nocella and Khalid West launched the Brooklyn Lacrosse Club in 2012.
COME INTO KNOWLEDGE
In 1997, Jackson started a music promotions company, Seven Heads Entertainment. The company helped launch the careers of hip-hop legends like Common and Mos Def. Seven Heads later expanded into an independent record label and management company that composed music on HBO’s “The Wire”, the film “Brown Sugar” and “The Boondocks” theme song.
While visiting the 2004 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Wes and Dr. Jackson found inspiration to create their own showcase for hip-hop.
During a 2005 partnership with the Brooklyn Brewery, the Jacksons co-founded the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, a world-class event dedicated to honoring hip-hop music and culture. The event’s star-studded roster included talents such as Jay-Z, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, KRS One, Rakim and DMX.
In 2011, the festival broke an attendance record with over 20,000 fans as “A Tribe Called Quest” members Q-Tip and Phife Dawg reunited.
Wes’ journey as an educator began in 2005 when a department chair at CUNY-York College made a last-minute inquiry to Dr. Jackson on finding an adjunct instructor for a class she developed. Wes shadowed Dr. Jackson as she crafted the class and he caught the teaching bug.
“Coaching and education goes hand in hand,” Wes Jackson said. “I always incorporated community engagement and Hip-Hop education into my teachings.”
He views hip-hop as a culture that spans beyond a music genre. hip-hop is tightly interwoven with the study of various social and economic issues.
“By nature, we are educators,” Jackson said. “Any supporter, practitioner and fan of hip-hop culture understands the need of spreading knowledge. It’s in our DNA.”
Since 2018, Jackson has served as director of the Business of Creative Enterprises Program and senior executive in residence at Emerson College.
Last October, Jackson became a board member of the Brooklyn Public Library system, the third-largest nationally.
Historians play major roles in preserving culture and accurate perspectives. Jackson’s contributions earned himself high-profile appearances like ABC’s “Soul of a Nation”, a 2021 documentary series where he elaborated on film and media inclusivity.
“The story of the hunt will be told by the hunter,” Jackson said. “We need historians to make sure the stories are told right. If you don’t, someone else will and rewrite the history.”
Since 2020, Jackson has periodically hosted Blaxers Blog’s “Let’s Talk About It” program, an Instagram Live series that highlights lacrosse and culture-related conversations. Jackson has interviewed the likes of USA Lacrosse CEO Steve Stenersen, Randy Staats and Nat St. Laurent.