Hip-Hop and chess go hand-in-hand, word to DJ Quik. A lot of your favorite MCs, DJs, and producers love to apply lessons learned of the 64 squares to life and competitive art. Dilated Peoples’ Rakaa Iriscience, Zion I’s Zumbi, and Living Legends’ Sunspot Jonz link with the Hip-Hop Chess Federation to compare notes as successful West Coast Indie Rap vets who have successfully mastered the craft by also mastering “64 Squares In The Cypher.” This is kind of a callback to the late ’90s in subject matter and approach, and that’s welcomed from three acts who have always been known to push sound forward.

Related: Zion I – We Don’t ft Grouch & Eligh (Audio)