This week, Rhymefest finally dropped his long (LONG) awaited sophomore album, El Che. An outspoken intellectual and a Grammy winner for his work writing "Jesus Walks" for Kanye West, Rhymefest was at one time considered a formidable rising star in the alternative Chicago rap scene that included now household names like Kanye, Common and Lupe. He was handpicked by super-producer Mark Ronson, who helped catapult Amy Winehouse and Lilly Allen to superstardom, to join his inner circle. But plagued by label troubles, internet leaks, and bad luck (at one point his iPod was stolen and an early version of Che was leaked in its entirety), Rhymefest's once buzzing career languished. Many wondered if he would ever return with a proper follow up.
We called Rhymefest (and interrupted his haircut) to talk about the new record, which was released on Tuesday devoid of any connection to a major label or any of his early production partners. (He did however, link up with S1, who has since found fame for producing Kanye's own comeback "Power").
But as fans who have followed his career for years, and have often been frustrated with some of his actions, we had a lot of other questions as well. Our occasionally intense conversation touches on subjects including his own naivete in dealing with record labels, homophobia and political correctness in hip-hop, his beef with Charles Hamilton, the way new media presents new opportunities for underplayed rappers, what makes a real revolutionary and more. Check it out now after the jump.
ATG: Hey man really glad for the chance to talk to you. We've been trying to set this up for a while. How are you feeling?
Rhymefest: I'm feelin good man. In Chicago. I was getting my hair cut, just stepped out of the chair.
ATG: I'm curious, you were at SXSW recently and I live in Brooklyn now, but I went to school in Austin. Tell me what it was like for you really briefly. Had you been before?
Rhymefest: I'd been one other time. SXSW was good man. We got together with djs and everybody. Hooked up with a lot of good people who I've wanted to meet with down there. Stat quo, Killer Mike, Elliot Craft. We got to basically just vibe and have camaraderie as likeminded brothers.
ATG: I've been listening to El Che and just having it and listening to it is a lot to absorb. I bought Blue Collar when it came out in stores back in '06. So much has happened since then. I wonder if you could take me back to the period immediately following that album release. Did you have any idea how things would go down?
Rhymefest: Nah, man. I was so new. I was so green and everything. And I believed in the label. They said "You're gonna be famous! You're gonna be huge!" And then the album came out and they were like: "Meh. You're pretty popular. You're pretty popular, but you're not a star." Nobody ever blames the label. Nobody ever blames the management. They blame the artist. So I had to take that upon myself. I had to learn to make it on my own.
ATG: How long have you been planning this El Che album?
Rhymefest: Since Blue Collar.
ATG: It was scheduled to drop a long time ago, but it kept getting pushed back. It was pretty far along and I think someone stole your iPod and started leaking tracks at some point? That's insane. How did you deal with that?
Rhymefest: It was just a lot of setbacks. I had to get away from the label. Away from the beaurocracy. Away from the red tape. I had to wake up to the politics of the industry. It's taken until now to get through that process.
ATG: How much different is this version of El Che from the earlier versions? Is it completely redone? I didn't recognize any of the songs really.
Rhymefest: It's definitely completely new. This album is who I am as a person. The real me.
ATG: What about the Allido family, Mark Ronson and them. Are you still affiliated with that camp? Were they involved in this project?
Rhymefest: No. They weren't involved at all. It was just me, Rhymefest. And my people. People like Scram Jones. Basically the hip-hop community came together to help me get this album out.
ATG: You're a rapper who always has something to say. I've read some of your writings, and you've always come across as unusually thoughtful. You must have had a lot on your mind when you were making this album. What were your influences?
Rhymefest: Pain is the influence for this album. Pain. Waiting. I could try and come up with a name of a person or musician, but honestly it's the pain I've been through, and showing my true self. It's my real name on this album, so it's all on me.
ATG: How did you link up with Little Brother?
Rhymefest: Little Brother is family. We're just like minded people. We went on tour with A Tribe Called Quest a while back, so yeah, D-Brock and all them, we cool.
ATG: Who were some of the producers you worked with?
Rhymefest: S-1, Scram Jones, Best Kept Secret, a young fresh group of producers.
ATG: Being so outspoken, you've got a reputation for being a bit of a ball of contradictions. You've been affiliated with backpack and enlightened rappers, but you've also been criticized as being homophobic and sexist for some pretty harsh words you've used. How do you defend that sort of thing?
Rhymefest: Hip-hop in its essence is sexist. Music is sexist. What we hear on the radio... Some of these guys have degrees and jump up and down and have gold in they mouth and what they say is WAY more sexist than anything I've ever said, and people accept it. As far as homophobia, homophobia is an irrational fear of homosexuals. I don't have that. Hey the guy who signed me to my original record deal was a homosexual. The owner of my last label, Clive Davis is a homosexual. You think I was in the label offices like "Whoa let me stay away from you people." Come on. I'm just a man. I think people can't be honest. Nobody wants to have an intelligent discussion about these things.
ATG: What about when you use an epithet like the F-word.
Rhymefest: Does that make me homophobic?
ATG: I don't know. Do you think it's appropriate? Is it right for you to say that?
Rhymefest: I think it's hip-hop. Hip-hop is edgy. If a homosexual is calling another homosexual queer is he homophobic? If a white man calls another white man a nigga is he racist? As far as I know, Charles Hamilton is a heterosexual. Me knowing that and calling him a faggot, is that homophobic? I think we have to examine these things. If a white man called another white man a nigga, I would probably laugh at it rather than get up in arms. Come on, man. This is hip-hop. Are we really politically correct? Get the fuck outta here. The people who are really saying destructive things and setting us back have hit songs on the radio. Do people take exception to that? Hell naw they dancin' to it. You dancin' to our destruction? The people who get mad are only mad because they're the ones getting talked about. But it's ok when we do it to ourselves? Fuck that. This is hip-hop. Everybody gets it.
ATG: On Twitter you seem to like to stir up controversy every now and again. Do you enjoy throwing people curve balls? Playing with perceptions a little bit?
Rhymefest: What do you mean by playing with perceptions?
ATG: I think a lot of people would be surprised by some of the things you say.
Rhymefest: I think people deserve to be surprised. There's too much predictability in the world. That's not to say I say things just to be surprising. I'm not on Twitter like "Boo, nigga!" But what I am saying is let's be revolutionary by being individuals. To be a gangsta is status quo. To be talking about bricks of coke, that's ordinary. To be a good man, to be a leader to be an intellectual, that's revolution.
ATG: Your Facebook page stays active, too. What do you like about new media as an artist?
Rhymefest: What I like is that It levels the playing field. Right now it takes $100,000 to play a record to radio. Why is that? You gotta pay people. All these intermediaries figure they aughtta get paid off it. It's all fuckery. [With new media] you don't have to pay for magazine covers. Facebook and twitter allows you to build your own audience and reach the hearts and minds of people.
ATG: At SXSW I think you played a showcase on the same bill as Charles Hamilton. How did that happen? What was that like?
Rhymefest: Well, he didn't show up.
ATG: Oh really? So I guess he wasn't a part of the camaraderie.
Rhymefest: Hey that's on him. My album comes out on May 18th. [Editor's note: The album was delayed to June 8th]
ATG: Some people would say you've been pretty outspoken against some of the rappers of this new generation. Would you agree with that? And why would that be?
Rhymefest: No, I don't agree with that. I haven't been critical of this generation. There are certain individuals that I've been critical of. There are certain parts of the last generation that I was critical of. The all-conscious rappers. That ain't human. Slick Rick was one of the most lyrical and poetic rappers, but he also had "Lick the Balls." KRS One had Edutainment. Scarface and the Ghetto Boyz "Real gangsta ass niggaz don't run for shit, cuz Real gangsta ass niggaz can't run fast." That's hiphop.
I'm gonna have to cut this interview in a minute. Maybe a couple more questions.
ATG: Oh... OK. Then tell me who are some rappers you are feeling right now?
Rhymefest: I love B.o.B., I love Skyzoo, Devin the Dude, Foreign Exchange. Those are people who I just admire.
ATG: What's next after El Che? I heard something about a group...
Rhymefest: Working on a group with Juice, Mikkey Halstead and Twone Gabz. It's gonna be our little Chicago supergroup.
ATG: Is there a name for it?
Rhymefest: Nah, we don't have a name yet.
ATG: How does it feel to have this album done and in the can?
Rhymefest: There's a good word that goes with revolution, and that's liberation. I feel liberated.
- Reggie Ugwu
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