Rhymefest Blue Collar




Lately there seems to be a diversity of fresh sounds blowing in from the windy city. From the head-nodding anthems of Kanye West to the corner stories of Common to rapid-fire delivery of Twista, the mid-west city of Chicago has been the motherland for a generation of premier rappers and producers that can compete with any other spot on the hip-hop map. Still, in order to stay at the zenith of their game, there has to be another brother chilling in the wings who can flow with the best and rock shows with the rest.

In 2005, that dude goes by the moniker Rhymefest. Best known around Chi-Town as the kind of battle cat who can make the competition squirm before even touching the mic, Rhymefest has built a solid rep as one of mightiest mouths in that gritty city. “I’m wacktose intolerant,” Rhymefest says. Yet, as the hulking brother proves on his major-label debut Blue Collar, this new kid on the hip-hop block has the skills to talk smack. “The entire concept behind my project is to fight the wackness that rap has become.”

As the co-writer and sample finder for Kanye West’s brilliant “Jesus Walks,” one could say that Rhymefest is on a mission from God. “I’m one of the only rappers to win a Grammy Award before recording my first major label release,” Rhymefest jokes, though he has been grinding on the scene since he was seventeen. “Now it’s time for me to bring my own thing to the table.” Not new to this, Rhymefest released his first true indie album Raw Dawg in 2001, which was mostly produced a then-unknown Kanye.

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