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Rhymefest - Blue CollarAlbum Review by:
Steven D. Gayle
Monday, May 1, 2006
 The South side Chicago native, born Che Smith, has been on the verge for years; gaining notoriety for co-writing the innovative, 'Jesus Walks' with Kanye West and for being one of the few lyricists to hand a freestyle defeat to Marshall Mathers during 1997's Scribble Jam in Cincinnati. Now it’s Rhymefest's turn to break through the infamous “radio bloc” with his mainstream debut 'Blue Collar'. The album featuring production by Chicago natives No I.D. and Kanye West as well as Just Blaze and Cool and Dre.
'Blue Collar' starts off hard with 'Dynomite (Going Postal),' stating, “gotta gun and a plan/ I got the Torah and the Koran/ I got your toddler in the back of a van/ I got a hostage and a list of demands.” Add that to hot scratches of Jimmy “JJ” walker yelling “dy-no-mite!” and you have a thumping track. “Dynomite” follows up with “Go Out Clothes.” this track has a nice beat reminiscent of Timbaland’s production on the 'Documentary’s'-'Put You on the Game'. Regardless, the track is memorable and well worth the listen. 'Chicago’s Rilla’s' is something you play but really don’t listen to. Mickey and Bump J don’t strike a chord enough for someone to want to know their names, at least on this particular track. This is a song for driving down the street but not one you would play out of sheer enjoyment.
Another dry spot on 'Blue Collar' is 'All Girls Cheat', featuring young R&B crooner Mario. The track is still amusing as Rhymefest comedically rants, “wait you need some help stud/ your girl wear perfume with spandex like I’m going to the health club,” while being supplemented by Mario’s attempts at mimicking Ronald Isley.'Brand New' is the lead single off of 'Blue Collar' featuring Kanye West. The more you listen to 'Brand New' coupled with a number of other tracks on 'Blue Collar' the more you will begin to wonder if 'Jesus Walks' was the only song Rhymefest “co-wrote” with Kanye. Despite the slight similarities in styles the two longtime friends blend together well with 'More'. This song takes the album in a more serious direction and bridges the gap between the all too popular songs about the life of excess and those real people who listen to them.
Rhymefest shares the spotlight with another fellow Chicago native, Carl Thomas on 'LSD'. This song is 'real' for lack of a better term. It covers everything from lying to your boss to get a day off, coming home to a leaking roof, to fake people who try to make things seem different than they really are. Other tracks like 'Tell a Story' and 'These Days' accurately describe the American blue collar mentality, on the latter Rhymefest laments, “(some of these days)I wanna spazz out/ and throw a brick through a sucka’ ass nigga’s glass house” this song is just relatable. The song retains some comedic elements, however, “(some of these days) I feel like Puff Daddy Lied/ ‘cuz I ain’t vote and I ain’t die.” Another lighthearted track is 'Build Me Up' featuring the late O.D.B. This song starts off hilariously with Rhymefest writing a letter to Dirt Mcgirt and Mcgirt responding by singing an updated version of the Foundations’ song 'Build Me Up Buttercup'.
'Blue Collar' takes a different direction from most other mainstream albums. Instead of the artist rapping about a life most (occasionally including the artist) will never know personally, Rhymefest makes every track one that an average listener can identify with. The album is like life, there are some plain fun track and there are some serious tracks and somehow Che from the south side ties it all together to a uniform album. By the end of the album, listeners will discover Rhymefest’s comments about 'Blue Collar' were true, “They need to know that this album will define a moment in the era we live in. War, politics, love, hate- 'Blue Collar' represents you. This is the real streets. I’m talking about what goes on in the lives of everyday people.”
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