J-Records
2006
Blue Collar (Explicit)
About This Album
Rhymefest won a Grammy before he released this, his first album for Mark Ronson's J-distributed Allido label. As one of the writers behind Kanye West's "Jesus Walks," the Chicago-raised MC gained some above-ground notoriety after several years spent paying dues as a battler (he beat Eminem at Scribble Jam '97) and featured guest (Ronson's "Bout to Get Ugly," West's "We Can Make It Better"). And, as he is eager to point out, he hasn't been paid all that much -- he has cycled through a fair share of low-paying jobs. Blue Collar, which involves production work from Ronson, West, Just Blaze, No I.D., and Cool & Dre, tends to remain true to its title and establishes Rhymefest's role as a down-to-earth, no-larger-than-life figure who happens to be exceptionally talented. With a slight lisp, his gruff voice projects several verses that are humbled and humorous without sacrificing any sense of swagger: "Blue-collar rap, why I call it that?/Sh*t, I know more real n*ggas that U-Haul than haul crack" ("Dynomite"); "I know I'm ahead of my time/But I'm behind on my rent" ("Devil's Pie"); "Workin' hard for scratch/Talk sh*t, get your jaw detached" ("All I Do").
Track List (try tracks 3,4,5,9,11,12 and 16)

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