Track List:
01 - Feel Free (Intro)
02 - Dynomite (Going Postal)
03 - Brand New (feat. Kanye West)
04 - Fever
05 - All I Do
06 - Get Down
07 - More (feat. Kanye West)
08 - Chicago-Rillas (feat. Bump J. and Mikkey)
09- Stick
10 - All Girls Cheat (feat. Mario)
11 - Devil's Pie
12 - Sister (feat. Mike Payne)
13 - Mr. Blue Collar (Interlude) (feat. Malik Yusef)
14 - Bullet (feat. Citizen Cope)
15 - Tell a Story
16 - Build Me Up
It seems like a life-time ago since I first heard Chicago native Rhymefest was ready to breakout. Now he has finally made his major label debut and it couldn't have come at a better time. With Common continuing to put the city on the map and Kanye West producing hits for just about everyone in the game, it is about time the underdog got his time to do his bit for Chi-town. After working a series of low paid menial jobs while helping Kanye write his smash "Jesus Walks," which Rhymefest picked a Grammy Award for as a relatively unknown artist, and being one of the few MCs to beat Marshall Mathers (Eminem) in a freestyle battle at Scribble Jam in 1997, Rhymefest has finally released "Blue Collar" despite over a year of delays.
After building such a strong bond with West it seemed a little odd that he turned down a deal with Kanye's G.O.O.D. Music in favour of Mark Ronson's J Records distributed Allido Records. This may have felt like better move for 'Fest on a personal level because he didn't want to be carried to the top, but going the Allido route has seen the album delayed and may have denied him the promotion and therefore success he truly deserves.
What makes Rhymefest so appealing is his ability to relate to the average person, hence the album's title. One of the album's standout tracks, the Mark Ronson produced "Devil's Pie," is an excellent example of how Rhymefest raps for the common man. Sampling a guitar loop from The Strokes' hit "Someday" Rhymefest raps about everyday struggles anyone can relate to, while also adding humour to the real issues with lines like:
"Askin Kanye for money just to pay on my gas bill,
He asked me for it back, nigga brush up on your math skills,
Nothin plus zip equals zero; he couldn't relate
That nigga ain't been broke since "H to the Izzo"
Although 'Fest decided not to go with G.O.O.D. Music he was smart enough to enlist Kanye's help for a couple of tracks. The first of which being the album's lead single "Brand New." While "Brand New" isn't the strongest track on the album it does showcase Rhymefest's ability to change styles and adapt his intelligent lyrics to a catchy commercial club beat.
Another of the album's highlights is the track "Bullet" a social political commentary about several issues facing many American youths and adults. The track is a prime example of Rhymefest's outstanding storytelling and general lyricism as he tells the story of someone from the ghetto being sold the dream of a scholarship for joining the army only to die in the line of fire, a very current issue a lot of people can relate to with the ongoing conflict in Iraq. The same track also tackles the very real issue of sexual disease as 'Fest tells the powerful story of a player who thinks he has it all until his world crumbles when he catches a disease from his exploits. Another real issues real "blue collar" people face everyday. Rather than bragging about sexual exploits like most modern rappers 'Fest uses a more unique means of educating people of the implications of unsafe sex.
One of the most memorable tracks on the album is final cut "Build Me Up" featuring Ol' Dirty Bastard. It may not be the best track and I am not sure if ODB recording the chorus with this album in mind, but it is incredibly catchy. ODB lends his unique stylings to recreate The Foundations' original of the same name with Rhymefest asking the late Wu-Tang member for love advice in an agony aunt style letter.
On top of Rhymefest's raw talent and lyrical abilities it is clear the rapper is very adaptable. "Blue Collar" features a lot of big name producers as well as guest appearances from established artists like Kanye and ODB, however, 'Fest never gets outshined, never sounds out of his depth and never sounds out of place, making the release a true testament to his adaptability.
"Blue Collar" is a stellar major debut for Rhymefest. Not only has he managed to create several radio friendly tracks, he has managed to do it wile maintaining his integrity and with lyrical quality that is hard to come by nowadays. The battling legend has managed to make the difficult transition many fail to make between battle rapper and recording artist and judging by the wit, clever rhymes and quick insults it is clear Rhymefest has not changed his style to break the mainstream. 'Fest has definitely not disappointing his Chicago roots and is up there with the best of them.
While the album isn’t perfect, it is a very solid effort. There are a few tracks that are a little plain to say the least, but when about 85% of the album is exceptional boasting real lyrics, a real message and 5 star production, there are very few recent albums that are so accomplished and consistent, especially considering this is a debut release. "Blue Collar" might not feature all the club tracks you might expect from a hit album, but the finished product is nothing to be sniffed at. This is a very personal album and while tackling so many current issues it doesn't sound false and you really get a sense that you know the real Rhymefest and how he feels. If he can get another major label release with the same level of production, he only needs to do a little more to make the next one a classic. "Blue Collar" is a great achievement for a debut album, but it lacks the polish to make it a classic or a chart busting release, although there are few rappers releasing new material with the quality Rhymefest consistently delivers.
Hot Tracks: "Brand New" (feat. Kanye West), "Devil's Pie," "Bullet," "Tell A Story," "Build Me Up"
Verdict: 8.5/10
Artist: Rhymefest