Che Smith (born July 6, 1977 in Chicago, Illinois), better known by his sta… Read Full Bio ↴Che Smith (born July 6, 1977 in Chicago, Illinois), better known by his stage name Rhymefest, is a Grammy Award winning American hip hop artist signed to Mark Ronson's Allido Records. In 2006 he released his debut album Blue Collar, and released his second album, titled El Che, in 2010. In 2005 he won a Grammy Award for the Best Rap Song, along with Kanye West, for his contribution in writing Jesus Walks.

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".

Some of These Days
Rhymefest Lyrics

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(Some of these days)
I wanna bust some heads
(Some of these days)
I'd rather lie inda bed
(Some of these days)
Im out tryna get love
(Some of these days)
I'm just up in the strip club

(Some of these days)
I feel like crying
(Some of these days)
I feel like dying
(Some of these days)
MAA-N!
(Some of these days)
Woooo, thank you very much now

I wanna spaz out
Throw a brick thru' a sucker ass nigga glasshouse - wit cho'
I know the time comin
Child support gonna bust in and try to find something - but no!
My baby momma just don't understand,
I ain't rich bitch it's just an advance - but she know
She better off wit some of these nigs
Whose baby dads don't even care for these kids
I don't kick it wit cowards, this my career you just rap in the shower
You ain't stackin on power, he ain't...??
You ain't ready to ride, get yo' ass out that impala... Holla!
I'm on my grind, be back in an hour.
I'm like a bully up in the class, whose waitin for a chance to whopp yo ass, but then again,
I used to get cheese, kids said they actin white...???? but then again
Ain't no benefit, 'fest can't not lose coz he get ignorant
I ain't innocent, Jesus walked me to the grammies
Thank you god, now i can sin again

I feel like puff daddy, coz i ain't vote and I ain't die
I ain't a hypocrit, I don't hate rap music, i just love my shit
Kanye, common and twista, that's it
But then again, i kinda like eminem, he be funny and dissin
I bought his record, it's a one time listen
But man, some of these days Im mo' black and i be ready to blast
Till i see a white girl with a black girl ass
I wanna take that white girl give her a black girl mask
But if i get a dark italian girl, it just might paaaass.
I wish i wasn't good at rhyming, coz then my dumbass would go dining

But until that time arrive i won't play thug
Just say hey this is tough love

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Rhymefest's song "Some of These Days" are fairly introspective and highlight the internal conflict that the artist is going through on a daily basis. The song starts with the artist going through various emotions that he experiences from time to time. The chorus of the song captures the moments he wants to bust some heads to the moments where he just wants to lie in bed. The artist goes on to detail his life and the struggles he faces as a rapper trying to make it in the industry. He acknowledges that child support agencies come knocking and he also admits his baby momma just doesn't get it.

The song then takes a turn and becomes more about the artist's internal struggle than his external issues. He says he feels like he's an angry person who wants to take his anger out on others. He also admits to being flawed and that he's done things that he shouldn't have. This is an insightful admission on his part because it's common for people to suppress negative emotions and not acknowledge their flaws. However, Rhymefest is candid about his issues and is essentially saying that he's a work in progress.

Overall, "Some of These Days" is a powerful song that showcases the artist's innermost feelings. It's refreshing to listen to an artist talk so openly about their struggles, and it makes the song relatable to a wide audience. The lyrics are emotionally charged and provide a window into the mind of an artist dealing with the pressures of being successful in a challenging industry.

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