"Now it’s rebellious to take care of your family, work in your community and be involved in local politics. That’s fighting against the odds. To be intelligent is the real rebel."

Rhymefest is back like he never left! His latest album El Che is a revolutionary approach for the Chicagoan. The only way to experience this album is to take everything the MC says literally, apply it to you, and be offended. The delivery of experience is so brilliant; the offense feels more like education and sophisticated confrontation, than tawdry.

Rhymefest tackles concepts of the ugly and the fearful. From blatant tongue in cheek references to rape and rumor, ‘Fest is at his most superior. Walking the fine line between wise knowledge and social commentary, El Che is not your little sister’s Hip Hop, and Rhymefest isn’t giving any breaks.

While the album comes across as more than conspiracy theories and paranoia, El Che has a triggering effect to make you get up, get out, and get something...before that something gets you. The experience is not a continual beat about the shoulders, as we get a glimpse into the greatness and lyrical flow that finds Rhymefest in top form.

A writer, poet, and lyrical executioner, Rhymefest sits down with Yo! Raps to discuss everything from the Bible, Nicki Minaj, and of course, Hip Hop infamy.

I wanted to throw right to El Che. The intro is an airport skit that highlights the ever changing travel measures.

The intro is the fact that we are being watched. You can’t go to the airport and going out of town without someone knowing why. I took a flight once and I lost my ID and I had to get on the plane back home and I couldn’t find my license. I went to security and gave them my name and social security number. One of the guys asked me where my tattoo was, and he verified that it was me, through my tattoo.

On some Big Brother type sh*t...

I spoke to Dr. Cornell West about this and asked him if he thought there was a file on everyone and he said, “Yes, they have a file on me, and they have a file on you for the fact that we’re sitting in the room talking to each other.” I asked him what to do and he said, “You fill it up.” [Laughs]

There seems to be less and less privacy for celebrities, whether involuntary with the paparazzi or voluntary with things like Twitter.

I don’t consider myself a celebrity. I think Kanye is a celebrity. I’m just popular. When you’re a celebrity, it separates you from the people. That’s what they did to Michael Jackson. It’s easier when you’re just popular. Right now, there’s not much that can make famous but there’s a lot that can make me infamous. I have to prevent certain things in my life so that I don’t make bad choices.

Hearing El Che initially, the most accessible emotion is related to the revolutionary Che Guevara.

My real name is Che. The album was named after me. This album is not only a reflection of revolution, but a definition of the name Che and the reflection of me as a Black man in America. When you talk about Che being infamous, that all depends on who you ask, there are many mixed feelings about Che, and infamy in general. When we talk about infamy and being a villain, it’s all relative.

Life imitates art?

I insert my experiences and my life into this album through spoken word and trying to relay the message that God gave me to deliver in a way that speaks to others’ experiences.

A track that stands out in particular is Truth On You… it’s sort of your manifesto.

If you’re talking about me, then I’m going to tell the truth about you, which is worse than anything you could say about me. People say that I’ve not succeeded in the rap game.  People say that I’m a homophobe. When you speak those words that people say about you, you have to contemplate the usefulness. What I wanted to do was speak to what people say about us, and contemplate the foundation.

I dug the brilliance and the back and forth cadence of the song. There was a brief reference to rape that some might say is touchy.  Do you feel any anxiety around the subject matter?

Heck nah! I had to get old school on you and be like heck nah! It’s supposed to be edgy and Hip Hop is supposed to be something pushes the envelope. It’s supposed to be something that your mom tells you to turn off. We listen to rappers on the radio that say, “I want a one on one, or two on two, or girl, whatever you gonna do” and drug references and menage references and alcohol, buying drinks, all this stuff, why isn’t anyone talking about Black girls in a way that touches your heart? I remember Shirley Murdoch sang As We Lay and that’s still a classic song. Where are the classics? My thing is, if that’s supposed to be my job to make a joke a little bit, than I’ll take it.

Do you think because of your knowledge and experience, whether real or perceived, that you have more of a social responsibility when speaking of rape, than other artists?

This is where I would disagree. I don’t have the mastery of academics that Lil Jon has.  He’s got formal education and many degrees in his craft. Many people don’t know about that side of him though.

He’s not T-Pain.

He’s worse! He’s talking about “from the windows to the walls, ‘til the sweat drip down my balls,” that’s worse than what T-Pain is saying. There are so many of us that act ignorant on purpose.

I understand what you were trying to do, more tongue in cheek rather than disregard.

I enjoy this conversation because Teddy Pendergrass told you dead on, “I’m gonna have sex with you tonight,” in other songs, he gives it to you kind of sweet, just “come on over to my place.” He’s trying to woo you and everything, but the goal is the same! As an artist it’s important to be well rounded. Tupac said, “Keep ya head up” and on other songs he’s going crazy on the girls! Music isn’t going to be all conscious and love.  Sometimes you think a person is ignorant and it’s absolutely not the case. They are making music and while the little n*ggas is running around snatching chains because of these songs, they’re getting played. You gotta have balance.

I agree that it’s not always gotta be deep, but it’s not all money, hoes, and clothes either.

I think that the status quo is to be ignorant. The so called conscious, gangsta, or whatever, it is not rebellious to sell drugs. It is not rebellious to be in the club, it is not rebellious to drink alcohol in the streets. It’s not rebellious to wrap your head and hold up a Black Power fist. It’s not rebellious to study the degrees and be a five percenter. Now it’s rebellious to take care of your family, work in your community and be involved in local politics. That’s fighting against the odds. To be intelligent is the real rebel.

Your ear for beat selection and production is really strong on El Che. How’d you choose what when where and how?

The process of creating the music was listening to the songs that tell a story and then put words to it.  When you listen to a song like Prosperity, where I talk about prosperity preaching, that really comes from seeing a preacher on BET late at night, and then I heard that track and just come up with the words.

So you just wrote to it.

God brought it forth! [Laughs] My music was brought in by the same method that wrote Leviticus.

I don’t even know how to take that.

Take it literally!

Why do you think there is such a separation in Hip Hop?

I don’t care what people do. I’m so done. People talk about saturation this, and saturation that, n*gga, you the problem! One of the problems is that we let corporate interest separate us. There’s so much red tape, that by the time you get to the artists, you’re like, fuck this! Journalists don’t ask the hard questions, they don’t even study the music, and they ask dumb ass questions like, “What made you start rapping?” You’ve got journalists that don’t even know they’re own craft. There’s a set of DJs that play one type of music in their car but a whole other kind on the radio. Come on! I don’t care about these fools. I don’t care about what they define and whatever, I just know one thing: talent is forever.

Last thing, does Nicki Minaj help or hurt Hip Hop?

I think what Hip Hop needs is more female MCs and less whores.

- By Maxine Ross