An overwhelming majority of the hip-hop music that we at Fresh Scouts will recommend is of the same ilk. For one, it has to be music with a message—emotional music that does something other than get people to shake their booties. And secondly, it has to have soul.
Chicago artist Rhymefest does both, and that’s why you’ve seen him on site here twice in the last week. The first was to review his first album in four years, “El Che,” and this time it’s to sit down and chat about the new record and how a man like Rhymefest crafts his art.
Critical reception for “El Che” has been good, but for Fest this record was about pushing boundaries and giving fans something lyrically that they haven’t heard before.
“I don’t think fans know what they want to hear,” Rhymefest said. “We don’t know, and I even say this as a fan of music. There were a lot of songs that I dissed where today I hear it and say, man this song is pretty good.”
Surprisingly, that includes one of the greatest rappers of all time, who Fest confesses wasn’t always his favorite.
“I didn’t appreciate Tupac until recently,” he admitted, chuckling, “but now that I listen to it in a context of the whole history, I can appreciate a lot of Tupac’s songs. I understand where he was coming from and I feel it more. I realized that at the time, I was immature. I wasn’t able to grasp it.”
“El Che” strives to give all listeners that same sort of experience—where fans of all ages can get something out of it, and then something else out of it when they come back to it years later.
“You have to make music that’s kind of like the Bible. Every time you read the Bible, you get something new out of it, and when you read the Bible at 12 and read the Bible at 22, it’s a whole different experience. My music has to be the gospel.”
That gospel, as Rhymefest put it, started in Chicago, where rap has seen increasing success in the last decade. From Common to Kanye West to Lupe Fiasco, a certain brand of hip-hop has taken shape in the Midwest, and Fest has found himself right in the center of the movement.
“New York is the Mecca of hip-hop, the South is the rhythm of hip-hop, but Chicago is very special because Chicago—and the Midwest in general—is the conscience of hip-hop,” Rhymefest explained. “We remind hip-hop listeners about what hip-hop is supposed to be about, the essence of it.
“This is the number one place where you can hear spirit and soul bleeding on a track and really feel it,” he continued. “When people listen to Chicago artists, they can aspire and remember what they should’ve been putting in their music. The thing that’s really special about this city is that every artist has a passion that seems to be born here.”
And what that passion births next is Rhymefest’s Chicago-based group Blaxploitation, which includes himself, Juice, Mikkey, and Twone Gabz. They’ve got plans to release an album within six months. Then, Fest says, comes another full single LP from him.
In other words, it won’t be four more years before hear from this guy again. “Blue Collar” came out in 2006 and was a quiet classic. Rhymefest hopes “El Che” will be too, but admitted it’s too early to tell how it will be received over time.
“There have been times that, when an album came out, people were like, this is a classic. This album is a classic. But what’s very interesting is that a year later, nobody ever even mentions it.”
He added, “There’s something about music and history where history has to decide if the fans got what they needed out of it. I think with “El Che,” people like it now that they have it, but it has to take time in order to seep into your experience and life. That’s when you’ll find out how it’s affected the fans.”
So far, it’s affected them very well, and with plenty more music to look forward to for Rhymefest in the coming year, he’ll continue to affect those fans in a positive way. We wouldn’t be giving this guy so much pub if we didn’t think he could it.
Trust us—he can do it.
Check out the aptly named “Chicago” from the new record:
And, more importantly, pick up the full album:
When you’re named after a revolutionary like Che Guevara, it’d be severe letdown if you ended up not being destined for great things. For Chicago rapper Che Smith, known more universally as Rhymefest, great things have already happened. With his new album, aptly named “El Che,” the greatness continues.
Hyped heavily earlier in his career by Kanye West, Rhymefest co-wrote “Jesus Walks” once upon a time, which tells you what kind of talent and scope this man has for hip-hop. On the new album, Fest covers a myriad of social and personal topics that are extremely refreshing and intellectually stimulating. This is a smart brother, boys and girls. He understand the history of our country and his race and his art better than almost any musician I’ve ever come across.
The music is deep, but he just seems like the kind of guy you just want to buy a beer and chew the fat with. If you’re a person who values lyrics in rap, Rhymefest is a guy you need to be listening to.
Musically, the catchiest tracks on the album are “Give It To Me” and “Talk My Shit,” but songs like “Prosperity” and “Agony” give perhaps the best view of our hero’s intelligence and depth.
Honestly, Rhyemfest’s people passed the album on to us a month ago, back when they thought the release date was going to be in May. I’ve sitting on this for three weeks, and that’s a painful thing when the record is so damn good. Hip-hop heads—go pick up “El Che.”
Besides, the guy’s from the Chi. If you care about your future Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks, you’ll further support the city by supporting one of its most respectable artists. Take part in the greatness.
Here’s a glimpse at “How High,” a track that features another FS favorite, Little Brother:
When it comes to understanding what rock music is supposed to be, the Crash Kings just flat-out get it. When forming the group they made a commitment to doing things the right way—giving a live show that varies enough from the CD to be interesting, playing everything with real instruments instead of synthesizers, writing actual music instead of just slapping together three rock power chords and recycling them five or six times over the course of the album. They get it. They know what good music is, and they know how to play it. That’s why we feel more than confident saying these guys are destined for big things.
We caught up with the guys recently at the House of Blues in Chicago and had a great time chatting with them after the show (which was, as you’d expect, high-energy and steeped with badassery). The results of this interview can be viewed here:
Best of luck to Crash Kings—you’re very high on the FreshScouts list of favorite up-and-comers. If you haven’t grabbed the self-titled debut album yet, it’s time to go ahead and do that.
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