The game of chess has been a round for ages. Unfortunately, no one really knows how many ages. The earliest evidence hints to chess being played in India around the 6th century AD, but some believe chess may have its beginnings rooted as early as 2000 BC. It was around the 15th century in Europe that chess sets and chess as a game began to more closely reflect chess as we know it today. It was in the 1800's that tournaments, clocks, championships, and titles like Grandmaster were introduced.

It's believed that chess originated in India and spread from there to Persia. The conquering of Persia by the Arabs introduced the game to the Muslim community, which in time led to the introduction of the game to Europe. Chess came to a head during the Renaissance in Europe where chess was a part of nobility. It was known as more of strategic tool than simply a game. From there, chess branched out to more common uses, such as tools for teaching the different classes of people, human duties, and morality. Over time the game of chess evolved into the game and sport that it is better known as today.

Chess can now easily be considered as the most popular game in the world. Millions of players join together in hundreds of countries around the world each day and sit down at a chess set to play a game of competition, wit, patience, strategy, and strength. Recently, chess began to find great interest among children as schools and parents recognize the social and intellectual benefits associated with the game. Computers and internet technology has also brought about an increase in the skill level of chess players.

Those who are young or relatively new to the HipHop culture don't realize that Rap Music has many different genres:

East Coast: The East Coast, most notably New York City, was the genesis for rap music hitting the mainstream. Run-D.M.C. led the pack, with Rakim and Big Daddy Kane also breaking through to make rap emerge as a national phenomenon.

West Coast: While HipHop was cooking in the East, West Coast rap music gained national recognition in the mid-1980s with performers like Ice T and Too $hort.

Dirty South: While most of the music world's attention focused on rap coming from New York and Los Angeles, HipHop artists in the South were turning to independent music labels to release their work. Geographically, the Dirty South genre encompassed places as diverse as Houston, Birmingham, and Miami, and was greatly influenced by Ghetto Mafia in the mid-1990s. Musically, Dirty South rap is known for is danceabilty and rhythmic delivery.

Gangsta Rap: Some say Gangsta Rap first emerged on the West Coast with N.W.A.'s "Straight Outta Compton" release, while others credit Ice T with taking Gangsta Rap to national acclaim. Characterized by lyrics glamorizing elements of a criminal lifestyle, violence, promiscuity, misogyny, and materialism, Gangsta Rap's controversy came to a head with the murder of the West Coast Tupcac Shakur in 1996, and the subsequent murder of the East Coast's The Notorious B.I.G. in 1997.

Pop Rap: Known for its widespread, mainstream appeal, Pop Rap's first breakout star was LL Cool J. The Fresh Prince and MC Hammer quickly rose to the top of the Pop Rap scene and the music charts with lyrics that were less controversial than those of the Gangsta Rap genre, and thus were more likely to receive radio airplay.

Christian Rap: While HipHop was garnering a reputation for less than savory lyrics and artists for questionable activities, other artists were expressing their faith through HipHop. Christian Rap took off in the late 1980s and early 1990s with rap groups like P.I.D. and S.F.C.

Jazz Rap: Although Jazz Rap has never enjoyed mainstream commercial success, the genre often incorporates Afrocentric and political themes. Gang Starr and Gil Scott-Heron are often cited as two of the first Jazz rappers.

Conscious HipHop: Similar to Jazz Rap, Conscious HipHop has never enjoyed mass commercial success. With an emphasis on social issues, Conscious HipHop isn't overtly political, but rather deals with issues such as poverty and religion.

Electro HipHop: A combination of dance music and rap, Electro HipHop first emerged in the 1980s on the West Coast from artists like Arabian Prince and Egyptian Lover. By the mid-1990s, Electro HipHop had pretty much run its course.

The world moves fast these days, and sometimes its just plain hard to keep up with the latest news on our favorite music and releases from our favorite artists. New rap and R&B music comes out nearly every week, and for those with a busy schedule, it can to be a time consuming task just to find out what's new in the hip hop world. So here is a quick over view of what is happening in the hip hop culture today:

Kanye West continues to release chart topping hits such as Coldest Winter, Heartless and Robocop. Labels like GOOD Music and Def Jam Records continue to promote Kanye as one of the hottest names in new rap and R&B music. His latest album, 808s and Heartbreak, is scheduled for release on November 25th, 2008.

Another Def Jam Records artist that is scheduled for a new album release on November 25th is Ludacris. The new album, Theater of the Mind, contains hits like One More Drink featuring T. Pain. The video for One More Drink just became available on November 4th. Other tracks on the new album include What Them Girls Like, Call Up the Homies featuring The Game and Willy Northpole, and Wish You Would featuring T.I.

50 cent has a scheduled release date for his new album, Before I Self Destruct, of December 9th of 2008. Along with the release of the album comes the release of a coinciding movie. The current hit from the up and coming album, is Get Up, which is already available for purchase.

Releasing new rap and R&B music in November is Trick Trick, with his album, The Villian. The Villan is Trick Trick's second album, and contains a re-make of Run DMC's Together Forever, with special guests Kid Rock, Esham, and Proof. The album is scheduled to hit shelves on November 11th.

Jedi Mind Tricks also has a release date of November 11th for the new album, A History of Violence. Fans of this group are excited to see what the new album has to offer.

The Evidence will be releasing the album, The Layover EP, on November 25th. The hit single, For Whom The Bell Tolls, will grace the album and feature accompanying artists will.i.am, Phonte, and Blu.

November 4th brought about the release of Q-tip's latest album, The Renaissance. The album was Q-tip's first release in nearly ten years. Much of the album is based on the life of the hip hop culture, with some songs dedicated to friends that have passed away.

November is a big month for new rap and R&B music, with big name artists releasing long awaited albums. December seems to hold just as much anticipation for those who can't get enough of the hip hop culture.

What makes a good song so appealing to the people who buy CDs and MP3 files? Is it the background beats or the guitar riffs played? Is it the voice of the lead singer or how high he or she can take his vocals to? The truth is that the most important part of most songs, techno possibly being an exception, is the lyrics, or the words of the song. The lyrics are the meat of any song, and are usually the part that is most recognizable from any song. They are an integral part of any music tune and it would be a mistake for any artist to take them lightly.

As mentioned before, the most recognizable part of any song is usually the lyrics. What this means is that when someone is looking for a song they heard on the radio, they will probably remember some key lines from the chorus. They are not, however, likely to remember a well-done guitar solo or something of that sort. While instrumental play is important as well, people usually link songs with the words inside the music. This is because words are not only much easier to remember than instrument music is, they are also easy to translate to someone else. For example, it would be much easier to find a CD if you know the words to a song than if you knew the drum beats from a song.

Lyrics are often commonly considered to be the single artistic part of music as well. While this is certainly not true from a musicians standpoint, as guitars and drums take a lot of practice and time to master, it doesn’t change the fact that many people feel that a good song must have quality lyrics. Good lyrics will relate to a person’s life and make them feel better about a bad situation. Bad lyrics will focus on trivial parts of life that really don’t matter and will have no deeper meaning to them after the song is over. Artists will find that after a while people tire of hearing the same old stuff about showing off gold chains and shaking behinds. Many music fans are looking for songs that have meanings, and this in turn means that artists need to spend more time on their lyrics.

Remember that before it was stated that lyrics are important because of how they can be recognized. This is double-fold when you consider that good lyrics in one song can sometimes single-handedly assure an artists legacy. Journey is one good example of this, as their biggest hit in “Don’t Stop Believing” is a pop culture hit that has never lost fans throughout the decades since it’s release. On the other hand, artists without a standout lyrical song will often find themselves fade out of the picture as their era in music ends.

All in all, lyrics are an important part of any song and the words are the part fans look to the most for inspiration and meaning. Artists who come up with great lyrics are usually the ones most revered long past their prime, so it is important that they focus on this part of a song!

The emergence of hip-hop in the early 70's produced four elements, which continue to be mainstays of the genre: disc jockeying or a DJ, break dancing, emceeing or an MC, and graffiti art. How prominent are these elements today and how were they represented during BET's first annual hip-hop awards in Atlanta? Upon acceptance of the "I Am Hip-Hop Icon Award," rap pioneer, Grandmaster Flash paid homage to a host of DJs. According to Flash, DJ's were once the gatekeepers between the record labels and the streets. In 1996, thriving regional radio stations that reflected a community's heart and soul were replaced by media conglomerates with syndicated play lists. Followed by a myriad of changes in music distribution and leadership at radio stations and record labels, the fire that fueled hip-hop's reputation began to fade. To maintain integrity, Flash encouraged a shifting to the way things use to be--where new music was received and circulated by the DJs. Knowing that DJs spend all of their time in tune with the streets via clubs and parties, Flash commented, "It makes sense that [DJs] break a record." Flash also admonished MCs to allow DJs to perform on stage. "The template was designed for DJs to play a part," he said. Embodying the original template, Atlanta's DJ Drama, was among several DJs who held it down on stage alongside notable MCs. Even though break dancing and poppin' are nostalgic forms of hip-hop both are visible in varying forms of dances including the Bay Area's hyphy. Newer dances that help hip-hop maintain its hype include snap, shoulder lean, motorcycle, and chicken noodle soup. DJ Unk and the Big Oomp Camp showed attendees just how easy it was to walk-it-out in sync. While MCs abound in every corner of the globe, talent comparable to the innovators who dominated the 80's and 90's is hard to come by. As hip-hop aficionados anticipate "the new," music executives search desperately for the one or ones who will carry the hip-hop torch to the next phase. Invariably, advances in technology and a shortage of lyricists who have solid albums have caused a noticeable erosion of hip-hop's staying power.

For the past six years, hip-hop was the top-selling genre over R&B and country music and was second only to rock music. This year's lack-luster Billboard ratings are a warning sign of the genre's potential to slow to a lull until new life respires. Pending change, BET Hip-Hop award recipient, Common is the current standard for aspiring lyricists. Busta Rhymes, Lil Wayne, Lupe Fiasco, and T.I. are among his peers. Graffiti art was once an economic menace to society. For years, buildings, buses, trains, sidewalks, etc., were regular targets for unwanted and unappreciated artist tags. Today, graffiti art is perhaps the most embraced aspect of the hip-hop culture. New canvases of the profitable, permanent, and mobile enterprise now include skin (by way of tattoos), clothing, and vehicle wraps. Among the many artists profiling their "tag" or some else's during the awards were The Game, Nelly, Jim Jones, Chamillionaire, T.I., and Juelz Santana. As it relates to the four elements of hip-hop, BET's hip-hop award show recognized exceptional work and contribution to the hip-hop genre by acknowledging the Producer of the Year, Lyricist of the Year, Hip-Hop Dance of the Year, and Director of the Year. For a complete listing of award winners, visit: www.bet.com/Music/hiphopawardswin ners.htm?wbc_purpose=Basic& ;WBCMODE=PresentationUnpu blished