“Kings from Queens, from Queens come kings” is the opening bar on “Raising Hell,” the titular track on Run-DMC’s third studio album. Released in 1986, the album is considered one of the most influential records in hip hop history and it represents the moment hip hop solidified itself as a dominant cultural force in the US and around the world. During the 45-city “Raising Hell” tour, DJ Hurricane, bodyguard for Run-DMC and DJ for the Beastie Boys, played chess on the bus with Jam Master Jay. The picture appears in Eli Reed’s Black in America (2000), a book that explores and expands the notion of black experience in America.