Rhymefest

Born Che Smith, the Chicago, IL-based Rhymefest first drew widespread notice by co-writing Kanye West’s Grammy-winning track “Jesus Walks.” Their partnership had actually begun years earlier, when a still-unknown West handled all production for the MC’s independently issued 2001 project Raw Dawg. After joining Mark Ronson’s Allido imprint, which operated under J Records, Rhymefest prepared Blue Collar for its March 2006 launch. The opening single “Brand New” once again carried production from West, supplemented by substantial input from No I.D., whose résumé already included work for Common and G-Unit. Roughly four years afterward, Rhymefest signed with the dN|Be label and delivered El Che through EMI distribution. Guest appearances on that set came from Phonte, Darien Brockington, and Saigon.