|  | | | Customer Reviews: | | | Average Customer Review:
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Great Album Sep 12, 2007
3.5/5
Chicago native Rhymefest made a very good album with his debut, Blue Collar. Rhymefest displays a variety of emotions on this album, transitioning skillfully from heavy to light subject matter at times. Fest's creative story-writing and telling abilities along with his unique flow are omnipresent throughout the whole album, making it a great listen. Standout tracks include the conscientious "All I Do," the brash street single "Chicago-Rillas," the braggadocio "Dynomite" song (although the original version was much better), and "More," a song with a valuable message that features Kanye West on the hook.
Hip Hop Fest Jan 06, 2007
Rhymefest is a new artist from Chitown and I actually think it's one of the hottest albums I bought recently though I accept I owned it way too later than it came out. Kanyeezy helped him a lot on this album, also he has a distinct rappin style, so positive and happy! Big ups for this..
0 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Kanye Jr. Jan 03, 2007
Rhymefest is another Chicago rapper who worked closely with Kanye on making this album. The result is a great album with a lot of high quality beats and a super clean production that one would find on a Kanye album. The lyrics and actual rhyming are pretty damn good, but its in the production where this album really shines.
1 of 7 found the following review helpful:
 Wack Dec 29, 2006
Rhymefest is an Ok rapper and the first two joints are bumping. Man, I thought I was in for a classic hip hop album , It was like the Lakers were
ahead by 30 points then all of a sudden the other team caught up and eventually won the game because after that it was just wack track after wack track. I admire his thought provoking lyrics but if the beat ain't hittin I could care less what you're rapping about. Rhymefest used so many R&B singers I thought I was listening to some old New Edition or After 7 joints not that I don't like those singers but I don't want to hear that on no hip hop album. If you want to hear some real Chicago hip hop check out All Natural the best besides Common to ever come from the city of wind.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Highly impressive, but potential is his greatest asset. Dec 29, 2006
I'll be straight up, when I first listened to Blue Collar, I was not a fan. I'm not sure if it's the particular mood I was in, or not, but Rhymefest did little to capture my interest with his rather peculiar, and not quite polished, flow. I put the album down for awhile, and decided to check out other artists, as 2006 was still jam-packed with major releases. Now that 2006's dwindled down, and 2007 is merely days away, I decided to revisit this Chi-town native's debut album, and I was pleasently surprised on second listen. Rhymefest possesses more energy than I originally perceived, and his flow, while still a little off, is intriguing for its unique qualities.
While this album isn't likely to become a classic among anyone but hardcore Rhymefest fans, it shows than Rhymefest has more than enough potential to drop a classic before he's ever done emceeing. While not as comfortable, or sonically engaging as his Chi-town neighbor, Lupe Fiasco, Rhymefest is quite tight in his own right. Unfortunately, Kanye's contribution(Brand New) isn't as tight as his contributions to Doctor's Advocate and Hip-Hop Is Dead, but his presence isn't that missed, as No I.D. and Mark Ronson are the real bread and butter of production. Of course, Just Blaze and Emile also drop in for some dope cuts behind the boards, providing their usual heat.
So while this album is musically pleasing, and Rhymefest's flow is uniquely engaging, what about the lyrics? No need to worry if you thought Rhymefest came up short there, because this is where he excels. While the flow may not be perfect, and not all of the backdrops are overwhelmingly tight, Rhymefest consistently drops more hot bars than a coal miner, solidifying himself as one of the mainstream's premier lyricists on one album alone. Well-rounded, Rhymefest can kick fly stories(More, Bullet, Tell A Story), and braggadocious verbals with the best of them. While I won't be one of the people who jump on Rhymefest, saying he delivers a message with every opportunity he's given(while Rhymefest is an intellectual, he's hardly a conscious emcee; much like his friend, Kanye), but he does provide some great insight on his own life.
Rhymefest isn't the perfect emcee by any means, but there is unlimited potential that he didn't fully expose on this release. His sophomore album is destined to be better, and I'll be waiting patiently on that; in the meantime, I have no problem giving Blue Collar its share of spins, and you shouldn't either. Recommended.
|
| | |
