Blue Collar - Album Review

So I'm finally getting around to doing the review for Rhymefest's big debut. It's... interesting in a lot of ways. I gotta say, I was impressed by some of the things he did here, so I'll just go through it song by song.

1. Feel Free [Intro] (feat. Q-Tip)
Not that this means anything, because it's just a church spoof, but it's worth listening to hear Q-Tip's voice like that.

2. Dynomite [Going Postal]
So the first actual song on the album, and there's really only one word I have to describe it: derivative. Well, the production, anyway. This album just joined a line of albums with a dynamic, rock-style Just Blaze beat in which the rapper generally lets you know how dope they are. We saw it on Fat Joe's All or Nothing, we saw it on Ghostface's Fishscale. However, lyrically it's sorta interesting, because I know he was mainly a battle rapper before Jesus Walks, so... even though this is a bit underwhelming, it's still exciting. To be fair, it's prolly the most appropriate first songf on the entire album, so good choice on that tip.

3. Brand New (feat. Kanye West)
Ahhh, the single. Dunno why, but I like this beat. It's about as simple as Kanye West is ever gonna get, production-wise. His verse was okay, let's face it, a Kanye feature on another rapper's track is rarely the highlight of the song. Rhymefest basically raps about both girls and wack rappers, but hey. The beat is entertaining enough to make the decent raps seem dope. Nice song.

4. Fever
No I.D.'s first beat, and it's a pretty good use of a sample, I guess. I usually find beats that try and go for Latin themes sorta fail expectations, but this one works. Lyrically, guess what it's about. Rhymefest making clever references to hot sex. Whatever. This is the kinda shit Common would be rappin' on if he wasn't Soulquarianized. I can almost hear him on this.

5. All I Do
Best song on the album so far. Another very dynamic beat, but the drum beats have a different riff to them that makes this one stand out. Also, his rapping seems to have upped a level, something he probably needed. Battle themed again, as you might have guessed, but this is one that ends up getting me really hype. More DY-NO-MITE! than Dynomite.

6. Get Down
Beat's actually nice. It's got that new-age classic feel to it. Something that Nas could have put on Street's Disciple that would have sounded good. It's another song about how women are so impressed by him, however. Lyrically, I'm gettin' very restless at this point. I'm like, come on, impress me. Don't worry tho, it gets better.

7. More (feat. Kanye West)
And it's not produced by Kanye West! It's very easy to assume tho, it has that kinda sample/piano loop that the guy is known for in some circles. The first verse is about something different, which is about everyone trying to get what the next man has, until, of course, he starts goin' off about HIV on the second verse. On the third verse, he basically starts dissing faceless people and talkin' about how he rose up from the streets. Still tho, good song. It's weird, it seems like the lyrics are just backin' up the beats on this album, rather than the other way around.

8. Chicago-Rillas (feat. Mikkey & Bump J)
Another faceless diss song featuring two nobody MCs from the Windy City who'll prolly stay that way if they keep rappin' like the Chicago version of Kweli's Strong Arm Steady. This one'll go down as the worst on the album.

9. Stick
Woah. Nice touch here. Sounds like old-school Schooly D beats meet Busta's Touch It by way of the Ying Yang's Whisper. But it's actually a good beat. Lyrical content? Let's just say that the Stick is a very clever metaphor for... you know.

10. All Girls Cheat (feat. Mario)
Okay. I know what you're thinking. But yo, this song ain't bad. Seems like when he has the opportunity to go off on some female-anger tangent, he actually decides to get deep. I mean, it's still about what it's about, but it's not a bad song. Beat ain't so bad either. Not at all.

11. Devil's Pie
I like this song. I actually don't mind the male singing on the hook, so you know it must be good. Basically about all these people who claim they're faithful to their beliefs, but deviate with lust for money, adultery and bloodthirst for power... but the devil will get them for their sins eventually. It ends with him begging God to spare him from that fate. Beat's actually nice. Interesting guitar riff, it'll have your head bobbing.

12. Sister (Mike Payne)
Deepest song on the album, despite the fact that the first sentence he says on the track makes no sense. It's about different women he's encountered in his life, and how they're struggling to keep it together. He's pretty funny actually: "No intermission, I didn't interrupt her/To tell the truth, originally, I just wanted to fuck her, but..." His sister, apparently was on drugs, and it actually gets pretty sad, depending on if you can relate to something close to this. No I.D. produced this beat, but he basically just remastered A Penny for My Thoughts off Common's debut (how dare he), I guess hearing how good Alicia Keys sounded on it. Good song.

Mr. Blue Collar [Interlude] (feat. Malik Yusef)
Another peal of long poetry delivered by Malik Yusef, the Chicago native who wrote that 5 minute long shit on Common's One Day It'll... And this song has the same number of plays as that one on that album: 1. Definitely skippable.

13. Bullet (feat. Citizen Cope)
Scratch what was said on Sister. This is the deepest song on the album. It's also prolly the best song on the album. Lupe screams to be on this track. The beat is sick. Rhymefest spits three different stories, one from a kid who joined the army for tuition, one about his father, who I think caught HIV from his promiscuity, and the third in the first person, looking at the problems in his neighborhood, and lil kids becoming criminals. Great song. I can't decide if it woulda been better off as a single... maybe it's just because I'd really like to see a music video for it.

14. Tell a Story
Don't let the beat fool you, this song gets sorta deep as well. Like Children's Story without stickin' to the child. Except not in Ricky D's caliber. He switches up the flow nicely, which gives more value to the songs before it, because they all seem to stand alone and yet together. Nice song... the beat isn't amazing but it's non-intrusive, and that's good enough here, because you don't have a problem actively listening to the lyrics.

15. Build Me Up (feat. Ol' Dirty Bastard)
Featuring Mr. McGirt on I guess one of the last things he ever did... Even tho it's just a chorus of a famous song. Rhymefest switches up the flow again, and it's impressive how he does so. Basically it's about pursuing a hard-to-get... but I like the song anyway. The beat is light and funny, definitely an unusal type of song to put at the end of an album.


So while this ain't a classic in any way, it turns out to be pretty good for itself. Not as good as Lupe's debut, maybe, but at least the beats were better overall. The reason I did this review was because I just find the album really interesting. Part of me thinks Rhymefest will be going places if he squares away some theme, another part of me thinks that multi-tasking is the only way for him to stay interesting. I guess we'll see, but it's about as solid a debut as any others that you enter not expecting to be classic.

Overall Rating: 8/10