Ol’ Dirty Bastard told us years ago, “Wu-Tang is for the children.”
Now, as the world prepares for the new “Wu-Tang: An American Saga,” many of the members are out in the world reminding young people of just that.
According to WBAL, on Friday, Mar. 3, The GZA, one of the founding members of the supergroup, went to Baltimore City to connect with students from the Green Street Academy and Cross Country Elementary/Middle School during an upcoming chess tournament. The chart-topper reached out the mayor of the city, Mayor Brandon Scott, and asked him to select talented students he could play against when he visits the city.
There are skills in the game that he thinks young people can gain.
“Chess is an important thing for children,” GZA said. “It teaches critical thinking, strategic planning. It’s a great game. No other board game compares to it. It strengthens them in many ways.”
The mayor said, “It’s a wonderful experience for them, and it shows that we have music artists, hip-hop artists who are truly beloved and believe in the culture in cities, and it’s another example of Wu-Tang being for the children.”
The six chess-playing scholars from each school (12 in total) were blessed to compete in front of the superstar. The kids were excited because many are getting read for a national tournament.
Javier Gomez, a Green Street senior, said, “I’m really excited for this opportunity, honestly. I’ve never done anything like this before.”
Gomez’s coach said, “We see this as an opportunity to prepare for nationals that is coming up at the end of March, so anyway they can play against people that they don’t know, it’s a great opportunity to practice for that.”
This will surely make a difference in their prep.
