This Life Forever

"Over the years I seen rooks get tooken by the knight. Lose they crown for tryin to defend the queen. Check mate in four moves, the Bobby Fischer of rap with raw moves"

This line is so complex it's hard to even know where to start.

First look at the obvious. Speaking metaphorically, Jay is saying life is like a game of chess. You have to think a few moves ahead, primarily so you don't get caught too off guard by anything, especially when you're out in the streets hustling drugs.

But when you think a little bit about it, he is also saying that he has seen unsuspecting newbies (rooks/rookies) get tooken (lose their life) to the knight (night). They literally "lose their crown", get shot in the head, for "tryin to defend the queen". You could argue here that the queen could mean that these guys were protecting their girlfriends/wives (which is why most fights start, so it's somewhat logical) but if you are familiar with street terminology, you know that heroin and cocaine are referred to as girl and boy, respectively.

So one might deduce that the person who lost their crown was trying to protect their stash of cocaine because to get robbed means not only a tremendous financial loss, but also a loss of respect in the streets, which could lead to more robberies.