Pop Yo Blue Collar: An Interview with Rhymefest
By Janeé Bolden

To call Rhymefest a character would be a gross understatement. The Indianapolis by way of Chicago MC is a force of personality. I get an instant taste of this when he dives headfirst into our interview by telling me he’s gone to some lengths to be sure to pronounce my name correctly. I’m flattered, really, but all that subsides when Rhymefest shoots down my first question, the good old ‘how did you get into music?’ by telling me it’s a wack, unoriginal question and offering to think up a better one for me. Boy, my new interviewer stripes must be showing! The man is sharp, and has been for a long time. Eventually I pull from him that his love of hip-hop started in grade school. Eager to expand his growing vocabulary he would look up any words he heard that he didn’t understand and eventually began writing poetry – then rhymes of his own.

"Back in the day each artist was doing their own thing. You had Biz Markie, NWA, Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap and so on but everyone was distinctly individual. What I’m trying to offer is something refreshing."

His album, "Blue Collar Poppin," due out September 20th , establishes him as a regular guy that wants to be more. He drops lyrics from his single "These Days" - "Some of these days I’m pro black and I’m ready to blast/ Til I see a white girl with a black girl ass." I’m thinking, aw shit he done opened up a can of worms, when Rhymefest breaks things down further. "When you look at life up close it’s a tragedy. From a distance it’s a sitcom. I’m all about looking at life from different angles."

One of those angles would be from the perspective of family man, one of the roles Fest is proud to have taken on. "I’m in the hood. I’m the man of the family. My sister’s father died. Even while we been doing this interview my mom is asking me to take my sister somewhere. If something needs to get done I’ll take care of it. This is what's not being highlighted in music and it needs to be."