U-God's Resume #2: "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'"

U-God's Resume #2: Da Mystery of Chessboxin'

--Official Stats--
Artist: U-God
Song: First Verse on "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'"
Album: Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Release: November 9, 1993

The intent of this series of posts is to look at U-God's career line by line to discover if is status as "the worst in the Wu Tang" is justified.  Personally, I don't think so, but a lot of people do, so let's get on with it, son. Well last time we looked at U-God's first ever contribution to the Wu, and it was him barley talking in a crowded intro, it was so subtle that I couldn't even grade it.  This time, we're fortunate enough to hear an entire verse from the mysteriously absent clansmen on the classic track "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'" from Wu Tang's debut album.

"Da Mystery of Chessboxin'"

This is the first and only time that anyone in the general public got to hear U-God spit (for years) with the exception of a short bridge on the essential "Protect Ya Neck" (later in this same album). After this, the next verse we get from U on a Wu album is on "Knuckleheadz" from Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx (two years later).  So how does our boy do holding down the opening spot?

DOPE.  U-God kills it without question.

Raw I'm gonna give it to you, with no trivia
We're like cocaine straight from Bolivia
My hip-hop will rock and shock the nation
like the Emancipation Proclamation
Weak MC's approach with slang that's dead
you might as well run into the wall and bang your head
I'm pushin' force, my force your doubtin'
I'm makin' devils cower to the Caucus Mountains

He comes rugged and raw, his flow is flawless and fits perfectly into the RZA production.  Now the problem is that this track features incredible verses from everyone: Deck, Rae, Ghost, ODB, and especially Method man.  In fact, I bet that if you read through the lyrics I posted above your brain went ahead and threw in Deck's opening line which followed U-God's last ("Well I Messiah, set the microphone on fire...").  Masta Killa brings the least memorable verse of the song, but still, five great verses make it hard for anyone to stand out.  That being said U-God holds his own here.  He doesn't deliver the best verse, but, shit, he kills it.  If he were being judged on this verse alone, he would come out ahead.  But instead he gets lost on the mix of great verses.

Score: 10/10
Impact on Rep (+, -, =): Improves

Next: U-God’s Bridge in "Protect Ya Neck" and Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) Overall.



"Mr. U-God, the hat you charged the company was Sable, this is Nutria."

About this series: “U-God’s Resume" is a series of posts which looks at each line of U-God’s entire career to determine if his status as ‘wack’ is justified (as labeled by internet morons). I think it is not. U-God is dope. We'll prove it. Leave it to the Tort Team.