S. Samuel
Chicago rapper Rhymefest recently discussed his upcoming sophomore album, El Che, and why he wants to stop being looked at as the comedic rapper.
Comparing the project to his 2006 debut, Blue Collar, Fest says his lyricism will be noticed on the new album.
“I think this album is a lot harder than Blue Collar, because as an artist I feel that I am deeper than the practical joker that I was made out to be on the previous label,” he said in an interview. “I felt like they were trying to stick me in a box to where I couldn’t explore and show fans my conscious and lyrical side, which is wild because that’s who I am. One thing I know about the joker is that he is never looked at as the one who is taking the company to the next level and I definitely want to show people that I am more than the funny guy; so this album is way more of me than before.” (XXL Mag)
Earlier this year, Fest spoke with SOHH about not rushing out his new album.
“I feel like because of the break that I took, the years that I took, I want to maximize and sell as many records as possible when El Che comes out. I feel like I lost a lot of fans, like, I lost a lot of people’s attention. So now, I have to do things in order to make the sale and the sales of this new album successful. I have to try and get as many of those eyes and ears back as possible. Basically, I ain’t about just dropping an album. I gotta go out and be a live n*gga.” (SOHH)
A tracklisting for El Che has already been released online.
01 Intro: The Agent 02 Talk My Sh*t 03 Say Whassup [ft. Phonte] 04 How High [ft. Little Brother & Darien Brockington] 05 Chocolates 06 One Arm Push Up 07 Prosperity 08 Truth on You [ft. Twone Gabz] 09 Intermisson: Juan Carlos 10 Chicago 11 Agony [ft. Glenn Lewis] 12 Last Night 13 Give It To Me [ft. Saigon & Adad] 14 Intermission: No Help 15 City Is Fallen [ft. Slique] 16 Celebration (El Che)
The album marks his follow-up to 2006’s Blue Collar.
Blue Collar is the debut album by Grammy Award winning songwriter, Rhymefest. It was released July 11, 2006 on J Records, and includes the single “Brand New,” which features Kanye West. (Wikipedia)
Check out a recent SOHH Rhymefest interview down below:
