He gained attention because his lyrics were both witty and honest, and addressed the daily struggles that the average working person goes through, and not the over-glorified life of a drug dealer or clubgoer. He returned to Scribble Jam in 2003, where he defeated Yo Momma's Pimp to capture the title. Rhymefest was born July 6, 1977 on the south side of Chicago in Jeffrey Manor. Although he dropped out of South Shore High School, he would go on to earn his GED and even enroll in college at Columbia College in Chicago to study radio broadcasting at night school. He also worked as a substitute teacher to inner-city preschoolers at the time. In addition to all this, he was also building a reputation as one of the better known freestyle battle rappers in the Midwest. After enrolling at Columbia however, he learned his girlfriend was pregnant. He married her and moved to Indianapolis because she had been attending Purdue University in nearby West Lafayette. His son, Solomon, was born in 1998 and Rhymefest was forced to work various low-paying jobs, including one as a janitor at a university, to support his family while his wife went to school. When his wife graduated and went on to get a job as a chemical engineer, Fest was then able to devote his time to his true passion, music.
While living in Indiana with his cat named Greshy, Rhymefest was introduced to Mark Ronson by then manager Ron "DJ Indiana Jones" Miner. Greshy was later the inspiration for the hit single "Brand New" because Greshy only likes stuff that is brand new, and you would occasionally see Greshy in a whip that is brand new. In February 2003, Rhymefest signed his record contract with producer and DJ Mark Ronson's Allido Records, a subsidiary of Sony BMG's J Records, managed by Clive Davis. This was despite an offer on the table from long-time friend and producer Kanye West to sign with his own record company, GOOD Music. Fest attributes this decision to having a better musical relationship with Ronson and also not wanting to be in an "employer-employee" relationship with West[citation needed], where difficulties in business could lead to a disruption of their musical relationship and even friendship. Fest had a great admiration for Ronson's ability to mesh music of different genres.
Rhymefest was featured on the track "Bout to Get Ugly" on Ronson's album "Here Comes the Fuzz" in 2003 along with Anthony Hamilton. He was also featured on the official soundtrack to the films The Rundown, Take The Lead, and Big Momma's House 2 with the track Private Dancer along with We Got Action. Fest was also a part of the Marc Eckō video game, "Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure" in 2005 and was most recently featured on the Kanye West track, "We Can Make It Better", on "Hurricane Relief: Come Together Now", a tribute CD for Hurricane Katrina.
A mixtape released in 2001 entitled "Raw Dawg" was largely produced by the then relatively-unknown producer, West. More recently and most notably, he collaborated with West on the record "Jesus Walks", from the ground-breaking album The College Dropout. On February 15, 2005, Rhymefest earned the Grammy Award for Best Rap Song, along with West, for co-writing the song. Rhymefest had the initial idea for the song and discovered the sample used in the song, Arc Choir's "Walk with Me." Rhymefest played the song for West and then gave it to him to use for the album West was working on at the time, The College Dropout. Fest didn't have a record contract at that time and he knew that if West could produce it and become famous, he would be able to gain some notoriety from it as well. Fest co-wrote the chorus and first verse with West and even wrote and performed a third verse that did not make the final cut, but is performed on his mixtape, "A Star is Born".
Rhymefest's much-anticipated first album "Blue Collar" was released July 11, 2006. On the album he works closely with long-time collaborator and producer Mark Ronson, as well as with producers Kanye West, No I.D., Just Blaze and Cool and Dre. The first single off the album is entitled, "Brand New", and is produced by and features West with a video featuring renowned Hip hop model Bria Myles. Artists he collaborates with on "Blue Collar" are Citizen Cope, Carl Thomas, Mario and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. Rhymefest's second album is scheduled to be released Spring 2009. The album titled "El Che" is expected to show growth and dynamic talent.
In January 2008, Rhymefest released a mixtape album dedicated to the pop star Michael Jackson. Produced by Mark Ronson, the album was called Man In The Mirror after the Jackson song of the same name. During the course of the album, which features samples of Jackson's music interspersed with humorous mock-up conversations between Jackson, Ronson and Rhymefest, the latter proclaims himself to be "the world's biggest Michael Jackson fan".
Maybe Tomorrow
Rhymefest Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Up in the heavenly sky
I only know my heaven is here on earth
Each time you look into my eyes
The way you do baby
Thank you, thank you baby
My beautiful bird, you have flown away
I can see
You're all I need to get by
No one else can make me cry
The way
You do, baby
You are the book that I read each day
You are the song that I sing
(Gonna sing it to you)
You are the four seasons of my life
But maybe tomorrow
You'll change your mind girl
Maybe tomorrow
You'll come back to my arms girl
You're all I need to get by
No one else can make me cry
The way you do baby
'Cause you are the book that I read each day
You are the song that I sing
(Gonna sing it to you)
You are the four seasons of my life
But maybe tomorrow
You'll change your mind girl
Maybe tomorrow
You'll come back to my arms girl
You are the book that I read each day
(Sing it, sing it, sing it, yeah)
You are the song that I sing
(Sing it, sing it, sing it, yeah)
You are the four seasons of my life
But maybe tomorrow
You'll change your mind girl
Maybe tomorrow
You'll come back to my arms girl
You are the book that I read each day
You are the song that I sing
(Gonna sing it to you)
You are the four seasons of my life
But maybe tomorrow
You'll change your mind girl
Maybe tomorrow
You'll come back to my arms girl
Ooh baby I need you (Listen to me girl)
You are the song that I sing
You are the four seasons of my life
But maybe tomorrow
You'll change your mind girl
Maybe tomorrow
You'll come back to my arms girl
You are the song that I sing
The lyrics to the song "Maybe Tomorrow" by Rhymefest are about the singer's love for someone who has left him. He talks about how much he loves her and how much he needs her. He compares her to the four seasons of his life and talks about how much she means to him. The chorus of the song talks about how maybe tomorrow she will come back to him, and he is hoping that she will. The lyrics are filled with feelings of love and longing, and the song is a powerful expression of these emotions.
The first verse of the song talks about the singer's heaven being here on earth with the person he loves. He talks about how much he loves her and how she makes him feel. The second verse is about how she has left him and how much he misses her. He talks about how he held her too tight and how he hopes she will come back to him. The chorus of the song is about his hope that she will come back to him.
The song is a beautiful expression of love and longing, and it is a powerful reminder of the importance of the people we love in our lives. It is a song that can be appreciated by anyone who has ever experienced the pain of losing someone they love.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't know how many stars there are
Up in the heavenly sky
The singer is unsure of the vastness of the universe and the endless possibilities it holds
I only know my heaven is here on earth
Each time you look into my eyes
The singer finds true happiness when they are with their significant other and is grateful for their presence
The way you do baby
Thank you, thank you baby
The singer thanks their significant other for bringing them joy and making them feel appreciated
My beautiful bird, you have flown away
I held you too tight
I can see
The artist reflects on a past mistake where they unnecessarily clung to their loved one, causing them to leave
You're all I need to get by
No one else can make me cry
The way
You do, baby
The artist acknowledges that their significant other is everything they need to be happy, even though they may bring tears to their eyes at times
You are the book that I read each day
You are the song that I sing
(Gonna sing it to you)
You are the four seasons of my life
The singer compares their loved one to the things that bring them the most joy and meaning in life, emphasizing their importance
But maybe tomorrow
You'll change your mind girl
Maybe tomorrow
You'll come back to my arms girl
The singer holds onto hope that their loved one will return to them and they will be together again
Ooh baby I need you (Listen to me girl)
You are the song that I sing
You are the four seasons of my life
But maybe tomorrow
You'll change your mind girl
Maybe tomorrow
You'll come back to my arms girl
The artist pleads for their loved one to listen to them and emphasizes how much they need them and hope they will return
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Freddie Perren, Alphonso Mizell, Deke Richards, Berry Gordy Jr
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind