Perseverance; that word is the perfect way to sum up Rhymefest and his latest album, El Che. After constant release push backs and delays from his former label J. Records, Rhymefest finally found liberation through the independent music world and finally released his second album.

Born Che Smith, Rhymefest was named after revolutionary Che Guevara, hints the title El Che. First off, Rhymefest takes time to vent a bit on Talk My Sh*t. Produced by D.C. duo Best Kept Secret (BKS), with their blend of live instruments and hard hitting bass, the song gets the album off properly. Rhymefest mentions his short feud with Charles Hamilton, setbacks with former label J. Records and even Wale's subpar debut album sales; "Even before Wale bricked, I tried to pull him to the side and say that the white boys won't sell yo sh*t". Fest then jumps into the radio friendly Say Wassup, a song that men and women can enjoy and featuring Phonte singing (very well) keeps the album balanced.

On How High, Rhymefest brings on R&B sensation Darien Brockington and even re-unites rap duo Little Brother for another stellar track. Everyone on this song absolutely shines, Brockington handles the chorus while Phonte, Rhymefest, and Big Pooh deliver a solid verse each.

The album's first forgettable track is Chocolates. The chorus begins to get annoying real quick and while Rhymefest still delivers solid verses, the song as a whole is something you wouldn't miss if it was never created. However, he brings the magic back on One Arm Push Up. The beat is solid and Rhymefest talks about being down and making it despite the downfalls.

The most creative moment of El Che has to be the track Prosperity. The up-tempo song is about a infomercial he saw late night about a pastor promising health and riches by selling them anointed clothes; "My pastor said it's a path for me, if I pay him a half a G, he'll go to you on behalf of me. On TV I seen it, they sell forgiveness so convenient, master, visa the sh*t's ingenious, why go to church, stay home with Jesus". The final lines of the song sums up why he even did the song in the first place; "You thought you were sick till he layed hands, now you on the floor just shaking, still got cancer when you awaken. And I don't know what right is and I ain't all self-righteous, I just wanna know what Christ is, I just wanna know what Christ is".

Rhymefest and Twone Gabz then take time to address rumors and haters on Truth On You. Each artist pokes fun at each other addressing rumors about each other. Twone Gabz pokes fun first with "What’s up with Plugg City, is you and Fest in beef, did T Hunt kick you to the curb, did you get Jet Li'ed?" It's much to love about the track, especially how both artists flip their criticism and turn it into a great song.

On the street single Chicago, Rhymefest goes in on the new swag era of Hip-Hop. Perhaps the greatest line of the whole album is the first part of Chicago: "Rap is like a setup, yup yup a set up, no more 2Pac tellin' b*****s keep they head up". This is the one song that stands out when Rhymefest is really flowing and rhyming bar for bar. Scram Jones handles the bulk of production on El Che and Chicago is certainly a head nodder.

Another subpar moment on El Che is the track Agony. The song features Glenn Lewis and with a reggae chorus, the song overall is hard to vibe with and doesn't seem to fit well between the songs. Another filler is Last Night, a song about a drunk night that he just can't remember. The beat and loop becomes repetitive and actually overpowers Rhymefest's lyrics all together.

Scram Jones gets it right on Give It To Me. The beat will have heads rocking back and forth and Rhymefest delivers one of the funniest lines of 2010 with "When you trying to bang the chick with the mustache, I was hanging out with Tiger Woods when his truck crashed, Dog is that yo wife, aw sh*t n***a duck fast!" The line is better heard combined with the gunfire chorus. Saigon also assists on the track.

Production duo Best Kept Secret laces the perfect soul track for the latter part of the album with the City Is Falling. Rhymefest gets personal and speaks on relationships issues with the mother of his child; "Why they name a hurricane Katrina, after my baby mama, the death and the carnage, describe the drama, courtroom drama, my best friend became my enemy, fighting over custody stealing my energy." Any man that has ever went through court custody issues or baby mama drama can certainly relate to this song.

Celebration, the last song off El Che continues with soul but with a happier tune and serves as a great song to close the album with after the mood changing City Is Falling.

El Che is an album that doesn't disappoint, but it does lack the depth of revolutionary sound that Rhymefest spoke about on several occasions. The production on the album is pretty solid and even after several delays, Rhymefest still manages to deliver a solid album. Despite a few bumps on the road, El Che is a great ride to enjoy.

Now the question is since he is liberated from major label restraints, will it take 5 years again for him to deliver another album? I say no, Rhymefest, better yet, he has much more to give and this is only the beginning.

- By Eric Merriweather