Rhymefest Rhymes Right

Blue Collar didn’t make Rhymefest a star. It’s half surprising that it didn’t. At that point in 2006, he was still riding the wave of Kanye’s “Jesus Walks.” But even that couldn’t bolster his album sales enough to make a mark in mainstream music.

That doesn’t seem to have deterred Rhymefest though. That’s good. And thankfully, the interwebs have been able to foster a community of acts that don’t need to cater to mainstream tastes.

Ending last year with Man in the Mirror it seems that eschewing traditional releases agrees with the Chicago emcee. And with that mix tape floating around various websites, it appears that Rhymefest went right back to work.

Soon enough, heads can cop El Che: The Manual, which purportedly encapsulates the revolutionaries various struggles through rap tracks. And given the fact that I’ve encountered one too many folks with the image of Che Guevara emblazoned on a t-shirt that really have no idea why he’s a well known historically figure, this album sounds as if it’ll be able to educate a few lost souls.

A quick single popped up a day or so ago called “Coolness.” Lyrically, the track attacks those that flash ‘80s style in a not so attractive way. Sounds like a good idea, but the track slowly descends into anti-gay rhetoric. And surely Rhymefest didn’t mean to refer to gay folks, he just meant to insult straight ones. Although, the track works as a whole, that kind of slanguage really can only point to a lack luster lyrical ability. Is the only way to insult men to call them gay? Probably not, but we’re not here to change sexual politics in America, even though tracks like this assure Rhymefest remaining an underground persona.

Beat wise, Rhymefest’s track is drum heavy and actually shares a great deal in common with the recent Mos Def track, “Quiet Dog.” That in and of itself is pretty amusing considering the words uttered on “Coolness” probably would not fly from between the lips of Mighty Mos. But it’s all hip hop and a good track is a good track.