Top Ten Chess Lyrics in Hip-Hop

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hello everyone, 

Hip-hop and chess have been connected for a long time. In fact, of all the music on Earth, no other form of genre has celebrated chess as much as rap. This seems ironic, considering the mental picture one usually gets of the music being played during a chess match is something by Beethoven or Vivaldi.

We found this very nice article by the president of Hip-Hop Chess Federation, Adisa Bankoko on "Top-10 Chess Lyrics in Hop-Hop".

One of the things that makes rap music unique is that many times, the goal of the artist is to leave the listener smarter than they were before they started listening. So you come in knowing nothing about the drug game but Biggie Smalls handed you “Ten Crack Commandments”. Maybe you knew nothing of Black Power and Public Enemy gave you “Rightstarter (Message to A Black Man)”. You never saw the impact of gang violence, but now you heard the words of “Ghetto Vet” by Ice Cube. Hip-hop’s intimate sharing of the secrets of both life and death gives it a yin-yang feeling

This intent of the rapper to educate the listener is unique to rap music. Neither rock, jazz, nor blues have this as a core element of their existence. That’s why when a song from those genres does happen to educate, it’s a highly celebrated moment. It is one of the things that makes rap so dangerous, beautiful, and rightly feared by many in the mainstream. In all the phases Hip-Hop has gone through — pro-Black, gangsta, etc. — chess has been a constant. It’s one of the many things in rap that are hidden in plain sight

NOTE: Before we get started, “Da Mystery of Chessboxin’” is not in the list. Not because it’s not dope (I love the song), but because the game of chess is not actually mentioned. I have always interpreted the point of that song to be that they bring the war to you lyrically, like a chess game. It’s an intro to all the lyrical chess masterpieces the Wu brought after. Now, let’s take a look:

10: Public Enemy, Rebel Without A Pause

No matter what the name, we’re all the same/ Pieces in one big chess game

This song is arguably one of the most outstanding pieces of lyricism from any artist. This is one of the earliest rap lyrics that use chess as a metaphor to describe the state of Black America. The idea that even our leaders were being played felt so real. Chuck Ds’ lyrical use of the game of chess was like taking a cold knife to the heart

9: X-Clan, “A Day of Outrage, Operation Snatchback”

Thought we weren’t coming, but it seems you made an error/ Wrench in the mill, systematic order has arrived/ Cornered by the Order/ Checkmate, sucka — not a move, game’s over!

As much of a melting pot as hip-hop culture is today, it was not always that way. The late 80’s and early 90’s were riddled with a lot of racial violence. One such incident involved a young kid named Yusef Hawkins, who was murdered by an white mob in NY. His death led to a march for justice that ended in a clash between the NYPD and marchers. It was dubbed “A Day of Outrage,” and X-Clan (who were heavily involved in the event itself) made a song that was both a call to rebel against the police and to keep the memory of Yusef Hawkins alive in the minds of Black America. Similar to Public Enemy, chess is used as a metaphor. However, this time, it’s used to symbolize victory for Black people. This was what rap music was like before post-racial America (whatever that means)

Read more »