Pensatos Interviews: Rhymefest

The urban hip hop scene is always in flux but in the past two years, we've seen a great metamorphosis of soul, rap, funk, and gospel intertwine.  Dialogues are not about making money and buying trivial items.  Artists are starting to take a stand on social and political issues, maturing views long overdue from introvert sharp tongues and minds.  Sure Kanye West made it to the spotlight first, but others like Common and Lupe Fiasco helped him build the platform to launch his carrier.  But others have been overlooked. 

Rhymefest, a long time friend and co-writer of the Grammy winning ‘Jesus Walks’ single with Kanye West has been living in the shadows of others he helped along the way despite his many successes.  He’s freestyle battled his way past a then unknown guy named Marshall Mathers who later made it big as Eminem. He grew up on the Chicago hip hop scene alongside Kanye West and Common who have both scene their share of success recenetly. He’s released singles and underground mix tapes for years and garnered an astute audience with his whit, charm and intelligent rhymes but still could not make it to the radio. He passed on Kanye’s offer to release an album on his label instead working with Mark Ronson out of the UK.  But all his mishaps and decisions are paying off.  With a new album receiving strong reviews and accolades, Rhymefest is primed to explode on the hip hop scene. We were fortunate enough to catch up with him the day his new album Blue Collar was released to speak with him about the urban rap scene, family, his decisions to go independent, and his thoughts on what took so long to finally get out of the shadows. 

Pensatos.com: We just saw you in Chicago at Intonation festival.
Rhymefest: Did you enjoy it?
Pensatos.com: You were off the hook.
Rhymefest: Thank you, brother. 
Pensatos.com: We were not expecting that. With headliners like Bloc Party, albeit a different genre but you by far blew everyone away.
Rhymefest: Well thank you, man. You can expect more. Up the ante. Up the ante. Up the ante. 

Pensatos.com: So, school teacher – preschool none the less.  How did you get into teaching kids?  What made you decide to leave and pursue a recording career?
Rhymefest: I was a rapper. And I was a rapper before I got into anything else. I was always putting hip hop on the back burner to work these meaningless, useless jobs but I love children.  I believe I have a responsibility.  I believe I am a role model and I am an example.  Let’s say you don’t know what you really want, you know, or what you are currently doing – what you could be doing in life - let’s say you are a football player and you get thrown off the team: It’s always safe to go back and work with the kids.  They’ll always love you. Let’s say you are a rapper and you’re not really rapping like you want to be: It’s always safe to back and work with the kids. Nobody can criticize you for that. I love the children, man.  Not in the Michael Jackson sort of way, but like in a nurturing life sortta way.

Pensatos.com: I’m glad you clarified that. Mark Ronson produced Blue Collar.  
Rhymefest: Executive producer, yup.
Pensatos.com: What challenges did he bring to the table as far as your sound is concerned because you guys have been working together for some time now, correct?
Rhymefest: Yeah, for about three years now. Mark does a sound that is very unique; it’s like a hybrid of rock, funk, and hip hop.  So when you get a song like ‘Devil’s Pie’ which samples the Strokes’ ‘Someday’ song or I did a song with O.D.B. called ‘Build Me Up’ with a foundation sample.  That’s Mark Ronson.  I love it because it’s a kind of hip hop that we haven’t heard and anything that progresses music is what I’m about.
Pensatos.com: But you worked with him for several years so what took so long with this album?  I mean, the album has been theoretically in the works for several years, right?
Rhymefest: That’s the one big misconception that people say. This album was done a year ago but hell, that’s setup time to get a video out, get you on tour, to get some awareness. Yeah me and Mark Ronson have been working together for three years but a year and a half of that we were trying to get a record deal. But the thing is the Rhymefest name has always been around and I’ve been doing mix tapes and stuff like that.  So people are saying, “Where’s the album – where’s the album,” anticipation has been growing. But it’s funny to me that people would rather just have an album out rather than have an album sell. I needed to do the video, I needed to do the Intonation Festival, I needed to work with Nick Cannon to build up an awareness so I could sell the product and not just have a diamond that nobody knew was there.

Pensatos.com: What was the focus of the album?
Rhymefest: The focus of the album was to give the people a glimpse into themselves.  Let’s see how you’re livin’ and give you options to do better – if that’s what you want to be. It’s time to get back to work.  Time to work on ourselves, on our community, and it’s time to rise up. We can only do it with hard work and struggle – nothing happens overnight. That’s true value.

Pensatos.com: I’ve read the silly debates that you worked some, more, and/or all of Kanye’s works originally.  Fast forward - his career takes off.  You both win Grammys as co writers for ‘Jesus Walks’.  Was it hard kicking the protégé image created by the ‘Jesus Walks’?
Rhymefest: No. Everybody’s under somebody. Was it hard for Kanye to get from under Jay-Z’s image? Is it hard for 50 Cent to get under Eminem’s image? I feel like this: just be your own man, play your own hip hop.  Everyone says “Well where did he come from, who’s he with?” trying to piggy back it off of someone else, you know what I mean? But if you are original in your art, your music will always find a home.
Pensatos.com: But what was it like winning a Grammy?  How did this change you on pushing forward with your solo career?
Rhymefest: It didn’t at all.
Pensatos.com: At all?
Rhymefest: The only thing is people say, “Oh you got a Grammy.” But I got no perks from it. I got no money from it. I didn’t get a record label because of it. You still have to have your own process. I got a Grammy so did Kanye for showing his value to the world.  I have to show my own value to the world to reap the benefits – the true benefits.

Pensatos.com: Going with that value, what does making music mean to you then?
Rhymefest: All I’m doing is receiving a message from my creator and allowing myself to be used as a vessel to deliver it to the people. How people take it is on them. I’m just given a message.

Pensatos.com: Why did you refuse to go with Kanye’s label when he offered?
Rhymefest: Kanye is a friend, he’s a brother. Kanye is a star of his ship and a star of his show. I didn’t want that to come between our friendship. Every artist I know hates their label. So I didn’t want to confuse arguing with J Records, arguing with Mark Ronson or arguing with Kanye over business with our friendship.  So now, he and I have maintained a very good friendship. Does that make sense?

Pensatos.com: Yes because personally I appreciate that idea that you separate your business from your pleasure; your friends from your business. Okay – we got past us.  You were born Che Smith.  You’re not named after the revolutionary politician, are you?
Rhymefest: That’s also the name of my next album: El Che.
Pensatos.com: Really? You’re already working on your next album?
Rhymefest: Yup.
Pensatos.com: You just don’t stop working.
Rhymefest: No sir. The music goes so the beat don’t stop.
Pensatos.com: What were your parents like?
Rhymefest: My father I’ve met only twice in my whole life. My mother had me a day after her fifteenth birthday. So her birthday is July 5^th, mine is July 6^th. So we grew up together. It was kinda like growing up with your sister. My grandfather, however, he was in Vietnam and he told me a story. He had a platoon – a sort of ethnic platoon of latino and blacks.  One time they were in the bush surrounded by the Vietnamese.  One of the Vietcong came out and said “Black people go home. We have no war with you.” So he let them go and didn’t kill them. And that changed my grandfather’s perspective of why was I here? Why does my government have me fighting someone who doesn’t have a problem with me? He looked back home at how blacks were being treated at home and wondered who had a problem with him.  It wasn’t the Vietnamese. So he named all his children after revolutionaries and I got the name Che.

Pensatos.com: Unlike most live rap and hip-hop acts today, you seem at home on the stage and sound so fine tuned in comparison but still able to come off as raw with your hooks.  How did you learn to freestyle?  Who were your influences?
Rhymefest: Well freestylin’ was something that was very big in Chicago, and I’m just freestylin’, you know, a fifteen bar verse I wrote off the top of the head – whatever’s there. I came up in the battle scene, you know what I mean, so I used freestylin’ to hone my skill as an entertainer. It’s a shame that nine out of ten rap stars suck.  I want to be the artist I want to be.

Pensatos.com: What sort of pre-show rituals do you do before you step on stage?
Rhymefest: Pray.
Pensatos.com: Pray?
Rhymefest: I ask God to help me serve him.  I ask God to help me have over his people which is the audience, to remove all sin and let me be his servant for the day.

Pensatos.com: You’ve done nothing but worked your ass off in this business for years now.  How has it affected your outlook on your career clawing your way out of the background and into the forefront?
Rhymefest: Work. That’s all I know. I don’t know about having one hit blowing up. I don’t know about being on BET. I don’t know about the radio saying ‘We’re gonna play this!’. All I know is how can I make my stuff better so that I can hang with Lupe [Fiasco], so I can hang with Common or Kanye. I am the underdog whether you like it or not. As far as what other rappers get – the exposure – I am the underdog. But somehow I am managing to stay in there by word of mouth, make people love me, convert people to the Rhymefest way of thinking: it’s a complex idea. Complex artist – the music is a little complex. But all I know is struggle and work so I can’t lose. When things come easy, I don’t trust it so I still work. When I look at the result it got me even farther than I thought.