The Game of Chess, Is Like A Swordfight

I have spoken before in these very pages about the admiration I have for the RZA. Who doesn’t, right? Indeed, it is hard not to, from production, to MC skills, to acting and soundtrack composition. Indeed it would appear, from what I know of the man, that he seems to be a very interesting and likeable chap. His interest in martial arts is of course legendary, and intrinsic to the Wu as an outfit. But another pastime that seems to have infused the Wu-credo is that of the ultimate test of mental skill and strategy, chess.

Now I like to test my mettle on the squared gig as much as the next man, but of course the WU and their leader like to do things on a grand scale. And so through comes the news that the Wu Tang Clan have set up the world wide web’s first Chess and urban social networking site, WuChess.com. According to the site’s mission statement, it’s main aim is to use chess, music and martial arts as a way to promote unity, strategy and non-violence. Incredible. Only the Wu could take such a geeky sounding concept and infuse it with any semblance of cool.

I for one will be checking it out (checking as in check mate, you see what*oh forget it). Anyway, the news of this online venture of course conjures up other Wu-related thoughts, with the prime one being a reminder of just how incredible “Da Mystery of Chessboxin’” is. And in musing on this tune, I also just had to take time out to ruminate on a few things, notably how this song includes three of the sickest verses ever, on an album full of bonafide classic stanzas. To begin with there is U-God’s opener, barring his four line burst on “Protect Ya Neck”, his only appearance on the album (due of course to an incarceration). U-God’s gruff and raw delivery is, to my mind, key within the whole album as I have always felt that it just amps up the gritty elements of the group’s sound.

Not a big contribution in terms of words, but every syllable is totally on point, and as he has demonstrated since, here is an MC with more than just a bass-heavy voice in his arsenal. And then there is a reminder of just how incredible ODB could be, with his verse on this song providing an absolutely crystal clear example of his uniquely brilliant talent, and why he continues to be missed so dearly. I mean, seriously, “Jacques Cousteau could never get this low”. Come on now, that is inspired. And finally there is the verse from Masta Killa, his only appearance on the whole of “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)”, and a flow that more than holds its own, not only in this song, but across the whole piece.

I have always wondered why Masta Killa, who appears so frequently on future Wu offers, was so under-utilised on this album. The answer comes in the fact that he was one of the junior members of the Clan, and not even a rapper when the group was formed. Intensive schooling from the Gza honed his craft swiftly, and the story goes that there was intense competition for the available slot on Chessboxin’, particularly with Killah Priest.

Ultimately it was stamina that won the day in the studio, with Priest falling asleep late the night before the track was due to be laid down, and Masta Killa working through the night to style his verse, which he then nailed the next day. And what a verse, intricate and exquisitely structured, carefully planned and brilliant executed. Just like a killer chess move in fact, and that’s where we came in.