Tom Lynch

One of the most anticipated hip-hop releases of the year, Rhymefest's "Blue Collar" officially drops in July, a surefire catapult that will send the Chicago artist into the realm of glory that currently houses his frequent collaborator, Kanye West. Famously known as the guy who beat up Eminem in an emcee battle before "Slim Shady" fame, Rhymefest also took home a Grammy in 2004 for co-writing West's hit "Jesus Walks" and is currently in an odd position of being a Grammy winner before having a major-label release.

"There is no pressure put upon me because of how I view what I do," Rhymefest says. "I see a message and I deliver that message to the people. That's what happened with `Jesus Walks.' I'm a vessel. By me being a vessel, the pressure is not upon me. I decided I was gonna rap whether I got paid or I didn't. I'm doing this for the right reason, that eliminates the pressure."

With "Blue Collar," on Allido Records, with distribution courtesy of J Records, Rhymefest has created a hip-hop record for the working man, covering everyday life with wit and consciousness. It's not all bling and riches--he touches on the war in Iraq, class issues and failed relationships. The already highly regarded single, "Brand New," is a perfect introduction for the artist--a storyteller with an admirable ability to be self-deprecating, thoughtful and poignant all at once.

"I want to become a part of people's awareness," he says. "With my message of, through hard work and struggle, you can do more than just sell drugs, pimp your people. There's more than gang crime. You can actually work and be a success through your blue-collar stuggle. For rappers, you hear them say `Get a job? You want me to work at McDonalds?' I say `Motherfuckin' hell yes!'"

Rhymefest says that growing up in Chicago greatly affected his songwriting, like it has Kanye West and Common, and another up-and-coming artist, Lupe Fiasco. "Chicago is not a sound," he says, "it's a sensibility. It's the home of the blues, the home of house music... it has family ties."

The standout quality of "Blue Collar," the lasting impression, is that of an artist who's unafraid of turning the magnifying glass on himself. "I think the one thing that's missing in hip-hop is vulnerability," he says. "To show myself as vulnerable is funny. There's a strength in the vulnerability. You're not dealing with the average guy when dealing with me, or Lupe, or Kanye. We're real humans. Show the duality of man--that's what makes a great artist. I don't mind the booty stuff, the gang stuff. In fact, I want to indulge. But there's no balance there. What I mind is, if that's the only thing on your mind, you spend your whole life in the club, when you're a big drug dealer, can't go to jail, you sit around all day getting sucked off--that ain't life, that ain't real. I have a problem with that."

But Rhymefest recognizes the problems with having a full-on "real" album--it subtracts all elements of escapism. "When you're doing an Everyman record, there's danger. Every man knows who he is, and [sometimes] doesn't want to be himself. He wants to be the guy by the pool. Humor is part of that, allowing every man to laugh at himself."

(2006-06-13)

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