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As he revels in the limelight of his new release, The Situation caught up with Chicago’s Rhymefest to get the inside story on working with Mark Ronson, battling with Kanye, and keeping it real.

Winning a Grammy before even releasing your official debut is rarely heard of, but one particular Chi-Town rapper achieved such a feat in 2005. That rapper was Rhymefest, and the song was ‘Jesus Walks’. You may remember the media frenzy that erupted last year, when rumours circulated that Kanye had stolen the song from a then unknown rapper called Rhymefest. The rumours however, were just that, but the limelight that ’Fest suddenly found himself in was just what the doctor ordered, as he gathered material for his major-label debut.

Respected in his hometown as one of the best battle rappers around, (even defeating a young Eminem in 1997), ’Fest’s success has not happened overnight, and the rapper has had to work hard to get to where he is today.

After turning down a record deal with close friend Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music, Rhymefest signed to Mark Ronson’s Allido Records, and his official debut album, ‘Blue Collar’ dropped on July 11, 2006, with a conservative 30,000 copies sold in the first two weeks. Whilst some would call it a flop, ’Fest calls it a ‘classic’, and from talking to the rapper, you get the impression that he’s not here for the fast sales; he’s in it for the long haul.

With his rap moniker becoming a staple in the hip hop industry, ’Fest joins the likes of Twista, Common and Kanye in bringing the heat from the mid-west. With Rhymefest, you know you are about to witness something revolutionary – after all, with a first name like ‘Che’, (after the Cuban dictator), how can it be anything less?

You’ve just released your new LP, ‘Blue Collar’ – tell me a bit about the album…
Well, ‘Blue Collar’ is an album that I believe is bringing balance to hip hop. You have all different kinds of songs on here. I mean, you look at songs like ‘Brand New’, which is strong and lyrically introspective where me and Kanye throw lyrics around. You have songs like ‘Bullet’, which talks about the War in Iraq and how young people join the military whether they believe in it or not, because they looking for opportunities for education. You have songs like ‘Devil’s Pie’, which gives an introspective view of just a day in the life of the average guy, and how complicated it can be over a Mark Ronson Strokes’ rock and roll sample, but still sounds incredibly hip hop. Or there’s ‘Stick’, which is more of a club joint. [‘Blue Collar’] brings balance to rap music that I haven’t seen in a long time, so this album to me, is the album of all albums. This album is definitely a must-have; it’s a classic! It goes down as what I call, the consciousness of hip hop. There’s certain albums that do that, like ‘College Dropout’ (Kanye West), or ‘Resurrection’ by Common, or ‘People’s Instinctive Travels’ by A Tribe Called Quest; this is one of those albums.

‘Devil’s Pie’ is a very introspective track – how important was it for you as an artist to get these sensitive issues off your chest and to show fans what you’re really about?
I believe that the music I make, I’m just used as a disciple to deliver it; these are messages given to me by my creator. This is not something I’m sitting down thinking of; I sit down and listen to it and I’m like, ‘Wow, that came outta me?!’ You know what I mean? It wasn’t my conscious mind that brought that forward. When I think about ‘Jesus Walks’ or any of the songs on my album, deep songs are songs that I think are inspirations from my creator and I was just used to deliver these messages, so it’s hard for me to take credit; it’s hard for me to say, ‘Man, you see what I did? It’s so great’, ’cos really it’s talent, and talent is something that you’re blessed with.

Who/where did you take your influences from for this album?
My influence is my life experience, you know? The influence is growing up on the Southside of Chicago, and everything that you see and go through. The influence is knowing that I am a role model and an example for children and other up and coming artists, that you don’t need to say you’re sell dope, you don’t need to say you’re shooting somebody; you can be yourself and be human. The influence is the change that I can make in rap and music in general.

Your album features several old school samples. How do you feel when people criticise the number of samples that are used in hip hop today?
Hip hop is the culmination of all kinds of influences put together, you know? Without samples, without other musical forms, you would have no hip hop, so I think people who say that either don’t know what hip hop is, or would rather it not exist.

You’re signed to Mark Ronson’s label, Allido Records – what did they offer you that other labels didn’t?
Well, what Mark offered me was the experience of getting to know different cultures. The first thing he did was put me on tour in the UK with Justin Timberlake, Sean Paul… I mean, he opened me up to a different country; he introduced me to artists like Ty, Estelle and Dizzee Rascal, artists I had no idea were as great as they are. When I figured out who they were, it improved my music, you know? I battled at the Jumpoff and Deal Real Records, and it expanded me as a performer, as a songwriter, and it rounded me as a person. So I’m not looking at how much money is Mark giving me; I’m not looking at if he’s gonna give me a chain or whatever; I’m looking at how much of a better person I can become through my experience with Mark Ronson. I would say that my experience with Mark has significantly improved my craft.

It’s refreshing to hear an established US artist like yourself talk about British artists like Estelle and Ty, because you don’t get many American rappers reppin’ the UK as much as you just have!
You know, I get a hard time because even people in the UK don’t think I’m sincere in my admiration for their artists. I think that it’s mostly the artists; I think sometimes they think I’m patronising, but I’m not. I really love Sway! I remember when Sway challenged me and said, ‘So who do you like? What songs do you like?’ You know what I mean? And it’s just like, I enjoy music; I’m a musician. I’m more than a rapper, I’m a musician. And the more of us who list ourselves as musicians, I think we would find that it opens us up.

You’ve built up quite a reputation as a battle rapper in your hometown – why do you think so many battle rappers have trouble succeeding in the commercial hip hop industry?
I think it’s the same reason that so many commercial artists have trouble succeeding in the commercial industry. I mean, the same way you have rappers that can’t write songs, even the dope battle rappers can’t write songs! You never hear about them ’cos they don’t have any other outlet! What I’m saying is that battle rapping is like the slam dunking of hip hop; it’s showing your slam dunk, but writing effective music is like showing you can really play a game in the NBA, you know? I think that if any rapper can do these magnificent off the top of their heads kinda skill, and they can’t write a song, then we’re quick to label, like, ‘Oh, they can’t do this!’ Well, Eminem was a battle rapper; Rhymefest was a battle rapper. Me and Kanye used to battle, so Kanye can battle; Jay-Z used to battle. Q-Tip used to tell me about how he used to be on the block down with ODB. It’s a part of hip hop, you know? I think to put labels on it, it’s like, hell, not everybody can do everything! But there are a significant portion of battle rappers who can and do make good music.

You have a close friendship with Kanye West and co-wrote his hit ‘Jesus Walks’. What did you make of all the fuss in the media when this fact emerged – some even accusing Kanye of stealing the track from you? How did you react to the sudden media attention?
I think that everybody wants a story. If you see someone fall ’cos they weren’t everything that they built themselves up to be, then you make that story, and then you move on to the next. Kanye understood that, and I understood that, and we understood that we worked together, we still work together, and we don’t let the outside forces get in the way of us making good music, ’cos that’s what it’s all about at the end of the day. It’s not about making a good story; it’s about making good music to keep the people entertained.

What do you think of the rap game at the moment? Are there any new artists you’re feeling?
Nah, I just kinda like the old ones!

What about Lupe Fiasco? Are you feeling his style of music?
Ah, yeah, Lupe’s is good; we’re from the same city.

Did you guys come up together on the Chicago hip hop scene?
No, we didn’t. You know, it’s interesting, ’cos I only just recently met Lupe about a year ago; we didn’t even come up on the same scene. I’m from the Southside of Chicago, and he’s from the Westside of Chicago, so it’s not often that those worlds would cross, but it is the same city.

If you could choose anyone to collaborate with, past or present, who would it be and why?
I would do a song with Biz Markie, because he has a humour that’s just undeniable, that’s wonderful and natural, and I like humour. I would also do a song with Nina Simone, ’cos I think her voice is eerily beautiful, and her lyrics are so militant, you know?

There’s more to Rhymefest than the witty exterior we see with you as a rapper - how would you describe yourself if you had to sum it up in three words?
Creative, spiritual and critical.

Hip hop is a notoriously dynamic industry – how do you keep your music fresh and relevant to today’s audience?
By keeping it real. I know that sounds cliché, but it’s the truth. When you keep it real to life, then it’s always fresh. Life is hypocritical, it’s contradictory; that’s life.

You talk about jail, war and abuse quite openly on your album. What, in today’s society, worries you the most as a citizen of the world?
The ignorance of the people; the fact that we can be programmed be the media, by the BBC, by CNN, by Fox. We can be told, ‘Look, this is the enemy’, and the majority of people believe it, like, ‘OK, that’s the enemy’. They don’t really have any idea about what’s really going on. It troubles me that they are so many humans out here that are so drawn to radio and television.

When you’re finished with the music industry, what do you hope to be your biggest contribution to hip hop?
Balance; the hope that I would have brought balance to hip hop through my music.

What’s next for Rhymefest?
Well, I’m planning the next album right now, and I plan to be in the UK in the last week of August, so listen out for that.

Rhymefest’s new album, ‘Blue Collar’, is out now on Allido/J Records. For more information on ’Fest, visit his official websites: www.rhymefest.com and www.myspace.com/rhymefest.

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