Rhymefest
Encyclopedia
Che Smith known by the stage name of Rhymefest, is an American hip hop
artist from Chicago, Illinois whose first official album, Blue Collar
, was released on July 11, 2006. He co-wrote Kanye West
's "Jesus Walks
", which won a Grammy
at the 47th Grammy Awards. In October, 2010, Rhymefest announced his candidacy for Chicago's 20th ward alderman
. He placed second in the February 22nd, 2011 election, and was defeated by incumbent Willie Cochran in the April 5th, 2011 runoff election, placing 45.4 to Cochran's 54.6.
show Punk'd
when Kanye West
was the subject of a practical joke on the set of his second music video for "Jesus Walks
." Rhymefest was the first to greet West as he stepped out of a van after it had been revealed to him that he had just been "Punk'd." Rhymefest was on the set of the video to give his input as he was writing the track. Also appeared on TRL along with Kanye West and other stars introducing new artists to the game such as Pharrell Williams introducing Robin Thicke.
Rhymefest was also featured heavily on the episode of the VH1
show Driven that dealt with the life story of Kanye West as told by his family, friends and colleagues. They met as 15 year-olds in Chicago and have been close friends ever since.
Rhymefest guest starred in an episode of the second season of Nick Cannon
's Wild 'N Out
on MTV
, originally aired on Thursday, February 23, 2006. During the "Wildstyle" segment of the show, Fest freestyled to Nick Cannon, "The black team, a real hard team to deal with, what the hell is this? A little baby Will Smith
? I don't understand, by all accounts, Nick Cannon, get out of here, you need to Roll... Bounce
!" After that, in response to a rap about his lisp, he rapped, "Yeah I got a lisp, I understand this, but why you look like a piece of big Suge Knight
's shit? I don't understand, wait a minute, don't buzz me, Celie from The Color Purple
, 'You sho is ugly!'" He also performed "Brand New" with Kanye West on the episode.
"Brand New" was featured on the series premiere of the MTV program 8th & Ocean
. It was being played in the Miami club Privé while Britt danced with Adrian.
Fest appeared on Chicago PBS station's local affairs program Chicago Tonight
as the first rap artist ever on the program.
Appears in puppet form and performs the new Crank Yankers
theme song.
Appeared on an episode of Chancers with Matthew Knowles.
Appeared on an episode of Last Call with Carson Daly
, where he performed his single "Fever". Instead of reciting the third verse, he broke into a freestyle about Carson
and people in the audience.
Collaborated with A.J. Crew on "Destiny & Desire" for Ruby Hornet, Dope Couture
and Soundscape Studios presented album, "Nightmares & Daydreams".
Leader of the Opposition, David Cameron
of the Conservative Party
. They discussed the issue of violent rap lyrics which Cameron had highlighted as a problem and they both agreed that hip hop music should not be banned, but that rappers should portray the positive side of life in their music. According to the London Metro
, Rhymefest treated the British politician to a performance in his House of Commons
office and even invited him to venture with him to a nightclub
. However this was turned down by Cameron due to his busy schedule. In a March 2011 interview on Conspiracy Worldwide Radio, Rhymefest discussed his relationship with David Cameron
, including a frank discussion regarding Mr Cameron's reaction to him, Rhymefest Uncensored Radio Interview
, addressed the matter, stating:
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
artist from Chicago, Illinois whose first official album, Blue Collar
Blue Collar (album)
-Reception:Despite being a sleeper upon its release, the album was met with positive reviews. HipHopDX gave it 4 stars out of 5, while Pitchfork Media ranked it as high as 8.0/10.-Samples:Dynomite ...
, was released on July 11, 2006. He co-wrote Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
's "Jesus Walks
Jesus Walks
"Jesus Walks" is a hip hop song by American rap artist Kanye West. It was released on May 25, 2004 as the third single from his debut album, The College Dropout. The song is built around a sample of "Walk with Me" as performed by the ARC Choir. "Jesus Walks" was well-received by music critics, who...
", which won a Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
at the 47th Grammy Awards. In October, 2010, Rhymefest announced his candidacy for Chicago's 20th ward alderman
Chicago City Council
The Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the City of Chicago in Illinois. It consists of 50 aldermen elected from 50 wards to serve four-year terms...
. He placed second in the February 22nd, 2011 election, and was defeated by incumbent Willie Cochran in the April 5th, 2011 runoff election, placing 45.4 to Cochran's 54.6.
Notable television appearances
Fest was seen on the MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
show Punk'd
Punk'd
Punk'd is an American hidden camera/practical joke reality television series that first aired on MTV in 2003 and was created by Ashton Kutcher and Jason Goldberg, produced and hosted by Ashton Kutcher. It bore a resemblance to both the classic hidden camera show Candid Camera and to TV's Bloopers...
when Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
was the subject of a practical joke on the set of his second music video for "Jesus Walks
Jesus Walks
"Jesus Walks" is a hip hop song by American rap artist Kanye West. It was released on May 25, 2004 as the third single from his debut album, The College Dropout. The song is built around a sample of "Walk with Me" as performed by the ARC Choir. "Jesus Walks" was well-received by music critics, who...
." Rhymefest was the first to greet West as he stepped out of a van after it had been revealed to him that he had just been "Punk'd." Rhymefest was on the set of the video to give his input as he was writing the track. Also appeared on TRL along with Kanye West and other stars introducing new artists to the game such as Pharrell Williams introducing Robin Thicke.
Rhymefest was also featured heavily on the episode of the VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
show Driven that dealt with the life story of Kanye West as told by his family, friends and colleagues. They met as 15 year-olds in Chicago and have been close friends ever since.
Rhymefest guest starred in an episode of the second season of Nick Cannon
Nick Cannon
Nicholas Scott "Nick" Cannon is an American actor, comedian, rapper, entrepreneur, record producer, radio, and television personality. On television, Cannon began as a teenage sketch comedian on All That before going on to host The Nick Cannon Show, Wild 'N Out, and America's Got Talent...
's Wild 'N Out
Wild 'N Out
Nick Cannon Presents Wild 'n Out is a game show on MTV starring Nick Cannon.-Premise:Similar in premise to game-type shows such as Whose Line Is It Anyway?, the show puts two teams of comedians: the "Red Squad", captained by Cannon and contained Katt Williams for the first 3 seasons, and the "Black...
on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, originally aired on Thursday, February 23, 2006. During the "Wildstyle" segment of the show, Fest freestyled to Nick Cannon, "The black team, a real hard team to deal with, what the hell is this? A little baby Will Smith
Will Smith
Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
? I don't understand, by all accounts, Nick Cannon, get out of here, you need to Roll... Bounce
Roll Bounce
Roll Bounce is a 2005 American comedy-drama film written by Norman Vance Jr. and directed by Malcolm D. Lee. The film stars hip hop artist Bow Wow as the leader of a roller skating crew in 1970s Chicago. The film also stars Nick Cannon, Meagan Good, Brandon T...
!" After that, in response to a rap about his lisp, he rapped, "Yeah I got a lisp, I understand this, but why you look like a piece of big Suge Knight
Suge Knight
Marion "Suge" Knight, Jr. is the founder and CEO of Black Kapital Records and co-founder and former CEO of Death Row Records. Death Row Records rose to dominate the rap charts after Dr. Dre's breakthrough album The Chronic in 1992. After several years of chart successes for artists including...
's shit? I don't understand, wait a minute, don't buzz me, Celie from The Color Purple
The Color Purple
The Color Purple is an acclaimed 1982 epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker. It received the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction...
, 'You sho is ugly!'" He also performed "Brand New" with Kanye West on the episode.
"Brand New" was featured on the series premiere of the MTV program 8th & Ocean
8th & Ocean
8th & Ocean is an American reality series about a group of models living in Miami, Florida that premiered on MTV on March 7, 2006. The series aired for ten episodes, ending its run on May 9, 2006. The creators of 8th & Ocean are also responsible for Laguna Beach, a show also airing on MTV...
. It was being played in the Miami club Privé while Britt danced with Adrian.
Fest appeared on Chicago PBS station's local affairs program Chicago Tonight
Chicago Tonight
Chicago Tonight is an evening television news program broadcast weeknights on WTTW in Chicago. Chicago Tonight reports primarily on local news and presents features showcasing local artists and events. The show started in 1984 and for 15 years popular Chicago broadcast journalist John Callaway...
as the first rap artist ever on the program.
Appears in puppet form and performs the new Crank Yankers
Crank Yankers
Crank Yankers is an American TV show produced by Adam Carolla, Jimmy Kimmel and Daniel Kellison that featured actual prank calls made by show regulars and celebrity guests, and re-enacted onscreen by puppets for a visual aid to show the viewer what is happening in the call...
theme song.
Appeared on an episode of Chancers with Matthew Knowles.
Appeared on an episode of Last Call with Carson Daly
Last Call with Carson Daly
Last Call with Carson Daly is an American late night talk show that is broadcast on NBC. The show is hosted by Carson Daly, the half-hour show featuring celebrity interviews, documentary-style coverage of a topic, and musical performances. Last Call airs weeknights at 1:35 a.m. Eastern / 12:35 a.m....
, where he performed his single "Fever". Instead of reciting the third verse, he broke into a freestyle about Carson
Carson Daly
Carson Jones Daly is an American television host. He is the host of NBC's Last Call with Carson Daly, a late-night talk show that began airing on January 7, 2002. Before his role as host of that program, Daly was a VJ on MTV's TRL, and a DJ for the Southern California based radio station KROQ-FM...
and people in the audience.
Collaborated with A.J. Crew on "Destiny & Desire" for Ruby Hornet, Dope Couture
Dope Couture
Dope Couture is an upmarket street wear clothing company established in 2007 that is based out of Bloomington, Indiana, USA. Regarded as one of the top-rising premier street wear brands, Dope Couture has been seen on artists such as P Diddy, Jay Z, Big Sean, Mike Posner, Wale, Talib Kweli, Wiz...
and Soundscape Studios presented album, "Nightmares & Daydreams".
Rhymefest the Goodwill Hip Hop Ambassador
On October 19, 2006, Rhymefest met with the United Kingdom's ParliamentaryParliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
Leader of the Opposition, David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
. They discussed the issue of violent rap lyrics which Cameron had highlighted as a problem and they both agreed that hip hop music should not be banned, but that rappers should portray the positive side of life in their music. According to the London Metro
Metro (Associated Metro Limited)
Metro is a free daily newspaper in the United Kingdom published by Associated Newspapers Ltd . It is available from Monday to Friday each week on many public transport services across the United Kingdom.-History:The paper was launched in London in 1999, and can now be found in 14 UK urban centres...
, Rhymefest treated the British politician to a performance in his House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
office and even invited him to venture with him to a nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
. However this was turned down by Cameron due to his busy schedule. In a March 2011 interview on Conspiracy Worldwide Radio, Rhymefest discussed his relationship with David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
, including a frank discussion regarding Mr Cameron's reaction to him, Rhymefest Uncensored Radio Interview
Che Guevara namesake
Che Smith, named for the Marxist revolutionary Che GuevaraChe Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
, addressed the matter, stating:
Singles
- 1997: "This Is How We Chill (Pts. 1 & 2)"
- 2006: "Brand New" (featuring Kanye WestKanye WestKanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
) #32 UK - 2006: "Dynomite (Going Postal)"
- 2006: "Fever"
- 2006: "Wanted"
- 2007: "Angry Black Man on the Elevator" (featuring Lil JonLil JonJonathan Mortimer Smith , better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, music producer, entrepreneur, and occasional disc jockey who was a member of the group Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz. Lil Jon formed the group in 1997, and the group released several albums between then and 2004...
) - 2009: "Chicago"
Mixtapes
- 2004: Brand New
- 2005: A Star Is Born, Vol. 1
- 2006: Plugg City: City on My Back
- 2008: Mark Ronson Presents: Man in the Mirror
- 2009: El Che: The Manual Mixtape
- 2010: Dangerous: 5-18
- 2010: Man in the Mirror 2.0
External links
- Che Rhymefest Smith official campaign site for 20th Ward Alderman Chicago
- Rhymefest's official site
- Rhymefest's Revolution by Craig Lindsey
- Rhymefest: Hip-Hop Is Scared of Revolution? - interview by Ismael AbduSalaam