Revolution is a word often thrown around but rarely represented accurately. Projects and people are often characterized as being revolutionary, but sadly they often fail to create any significant change or sustain any noteworthy impact. A true revolutionary change must begin with a determined introspective investigation. Rhymefest understands this. He has for quite some time and with his decision to no longer be referred to as Rhymefest but instead his true name of Che, he is taking the necessary steps to demonstrate to the world the revolution that he has been taking a part of. Without rehashing stories about how he got his start or trying to have him speak on projects he is unable to speak on (Kanye West for instance), URB focused on the issue of most precedence: The Revolution of Rhymefest. URB caught up with Fest to discuss his most recent project, his personal revolution, and the potential of his involvement in a hip-hop super group.
URB: Awhile back I had the opportunity to interview Babu, and he mentioned the formation of a super group with him handling the production and you and Juice as two of the MCs involved. Talk to me a little bit about the status of this group.
Rhymefest: We have already recorded three songs. Mikkey Halsted and Twan Gass are also members. This project is straight lyrical. Everyone is on the same level. People like me and Juice who had immortal beef are in the studio together and its nuts because we realize the reason we hated each other is because we were so much alike. We were too immature to even deal with it. Babu came to Chicago. He knew all of his; we asked him if he wanted to be a part of the project. Sometimes history is made not because of extra genius but because someone took initiative. Twan Gass actually started the discussion for a group, and we did a song called 4,3,2,1 featuring all of us.
URB: Between Blue Collar and El Che you dropped a number of mixtapes. How have mixtapes changed the creative process of an artist?
Rhymefest: Well, I don’t look at what I do as mixtapes. If you listen to Man in the Mirror, these are like albums, so I call them concept albums or free albums. I stay away from calling them mixtapes because calling it a mix tape to me sounds cheap. It sounds like you did something really quick and cheap. I was going through some things with the label where I couldn’t put out sanctioned music, so I had to express myself and let the fans know that I was still viable.
URB: It seems like a lot of times that those artists who are dropping mix tape after mix tape tend to disappoint fans when the official album comes out.
Rhymefest: They shot all of their bullets out. They are cheap. People are just trying to be hot. I would rather be dope.
URB: All of the things that stands out about this El Che project is how diverse the music and subject matter of the songs. Is this something that you were focusing in when working on this project?
Rhymefest: When I first started working on this album, my thought was how revolutionary can I be, but not in a way that. my things is if you listen to “Angry Black Man on the Elevator” with me and Lil John and “RNQ” with me and Preemo, that was what the original draft was supposed to sound like. These are good songs, and the underground would love them, but basically I am music for me, not for the world. I had to go back and say a real revolutionary is today I feel like this and this is the song I am going to make. To be an independent thinker and not have group thought and fit into a box of what people expect you to be.
URB: The tug of war presented on “Prosperity ” between searing for answers and having to pay for those answers. One of the themes you are dealing with is deception from the practices of televangelists to people speaking lies about you to your experiences on your major label, it seems like for this album, direct confrontation is one of the best ways to handle this form of deception, and how difficult is it as an artist to overcome these various forms of deception and see things as they really are?
Rhymefest: Yes it is about confrontation. It is about confronting yourself, confronting your own fear, ignorance. Every day I wake up and I ask myself, “How can I confront ignorance in the world and myself, and I work on one of those two every day. When you hear “Truth on You,” I had to deal with things that people were saying to me, but not only that but I had to deal with what my friends say people say about me. I have to face it, deal with it, and overcome it. I had to go through a divorce and go though my most precious commodity, which is my child, my son. My best friend became my mortal enemy. If you have never had a best friend become your mortal enemy, then you do not know what it is like to change everything about yourself so that they cannot destroy you, and I still have to be able to love again.
URB: Is this idea of change part of the reason why you no longer want to be referred to as Rhymefest but now only want to be referred to as El Che?
Rhymefest: Yes, simply put yes. From now on, all of my projects will be Che. Che is really powerful. I have been in meetings with congressmen or sitting in the House of Commons, and you really don’t want them to call you Rhymefest. You kind of want them to say Che. If I am taking with members of Congress you especially want them to say Che because they had to deal with Che Guevara.
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