« XXX Dance Party | Feeding the Flames » |
Concert Wed Jan 16 2008
Rhymefest Working His Way To The Top
Rhymefest has been kicking around as Chicago's next hip-hop big deal for awhile now. Getting his name out as a collaborator on Kayne's West's College Dropout and as one of the few freestylers who could hand Eminem his lunch in a rap battle, Rhyme's name is known. But his music, well, not as much. His first album, Blue Collar, got more press for who was on it - Kayne, Chris Thomas King, Mark Ronson, Ol' Dirty Bastard - then for Rhyme's sound of common man struggles and no frills approach. The album, his long awaited debut, caught the attention of folks in the industry though. From Talib Kweli to Lil' John more and more people began to discover his solid Midwest style. With his second album out this spring, El Che reads like the Rap games Who's Who. Eminem, Crucial Conflcit, Lil' John, Nas, DJ Jazzy Jeff, John Legend, Ghostface, The Game, Raekwon, Method Man all show up as do pals Kayne, Ronson and DJ Premier. Rhyme makes no bones that he wants this album to appeal to as many people as possible, but not to stroke his ego. He wants his positive message to shine through, pointing to the likes of KRS-One and Public Enemy as the kind of image hip-hop needs today. And while we wait for El Che, his Man in the Mirror streams free from his Myspace page. A tribute and dedication to the King of Pop, the album has got praise from many spots including Greg Kot's accolades. A little bit of rap, a dash of soul and lots of 80's dance, Man in the Mirror is a look into what Rhyme's range and musical personality is like. See him at the Metro on Friday with local underground risers Yea Big + Kid Static.