The Chicago, IL-based
Rhymefest (born Che Smith) first gained national attention as the co-songwriter of
Kanye West's Grammy-winning "Jesus Walks." His association with
West actually went back several years prior; the MC's independently released Raw Dawg, issued in 2001, was produced entirely by a pre-fame
West. Later signed to
Mark Ronson's J-distributed Allido label,
Rhymefest put together
Blue Collar for a March 2006 release date. Its first single, "Brand New," also featured production work from
West, as well as extensive assistance from No I.D. (
Common,
G-Unit). Nearly four years later, after inking a new deal with the dN|Be label,
Rhymefest issued his
EMI-distributed follow-up, El Che. The album featured guest contributions from
Phonte,
Darien Brockington, and Saigon. ~ Andy Kellman