Melbourne rye whiskey distiller The Gospel is kicking off its new event series, The Fanatics, with Wu-Tang Clan’s ‘spiritual head’ GZA, who is collaborating with the whiskey producer to host a speed chess competition on Monday, 15 May. Tickets for the tournament, a special GZA meet & greet, and general admission tickets are now available, with the event set to take place at 75 Reid St in Melbourne’s Inner North.
Gary Grice, better known by his stage name GZA a.k.a. The Genius, is an American hip-hop artist and founding member of the seminal hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan. Considered one of the founding fathers of hip-hop music, GZA is one of the most recognisable music artists in the world.
African Australian hip-hop artist N’fa will host the event, with vinyl DJ sets of soul, disco, funk and hip-hop tunes from DJ Mr Lob and Deejay Mathmatics (NSW) starting at 4:30pm. The Gospel has curated a bar menu featuring a selection of rye whiskey cocktails and other drinks to enjoy throughout the night.
Two rounds of eight players will run every half hour starting from 5:00pm, with the winners of each round getting the chance to go head-to-head with GZA. General admission tickets are also available for those keen to watch the action alongside the lineup of DJ sets. A limited number of Meet & Greet tickets are also available for those keen to meet GZA on the day.
General admission: $20 + booking fee
Chess competition entry: $30 + booking fee
Meet & Greet with GZA (including GA): $45 + booking fee
