Rhymefest doesn’t wanna talk about Kanye West (his childhood friend and co-producer on Kanye’s Grammy winning single, “Jesus Walks”). He doesn’t wanna talk about Mark Ronson (who signed him to Allido Records in 2005), and he doesn’t wanna talk about Eminem (who he famously defeated in a Scribble Jam battle back in 1997).  “The past is the past,” explained Rhymefest, “I don’t wanna talk about anybody that has already moved on and done what they’re gonna do in their career. I wanna talk about Rhymefest.”

And with good reason. The Chicago based rapper has spent the past 5 years releasing some of the best hip hop you’ve never heard, including his critically acclaimed 2006 debut, Blue Collar, and his cleverly crafted 2008 Michael Jackson tribute mixtape, Man in the Mirror (which came out a year before Jackson’s death). Now gearing up to release his long-awaited studio sophomore, El Che, Fest took some time to talk about the album, a move to Texas, and the death of hip hop.

Where are you right now?
I’m in Chicago right now. I just got back from the DuSable Museum. They have a new exhibit on the Black Panthers, and they have, like, 50 new pictures and articles from the Black Panther era that were never seen or displayed before, so I took my son there to check it out.

How is your Grammy doing?
The Grammy’s doing fine. Sitting collecting dust on somebody’s mantle. You know, I mean, honestly, that’s not the highlight of my life. And I understand it’s an honor, and I’m thankful for the honor. If it came again, I’d be thankful to God and all of that. However, it’s more of an honor for me to help people. The highlight of my life is when people call me or contact me, I’ve had these calls where people say, I was on the edge of committing suicide, and I listened to your song, and, you know, it made me think that maybe another day is possible. Or for my song, “Bullet,” I’ve gotten letters  where people say when they are in Iraq, when they’re in their tanks, that song is what they played when they had to go out and just think about getting home. It just reminded them of home. This is what artistry should be about. The awards and the money and accolades are all bonuses. It comes with the territory of being good, but it doesn’t equate to your worth as an artist. It has a monetary value, but it doesn’t have a worth.

What were your reasons for scrapping the original recordings of El Che?
Well, some of the songs, you know, it’s been 4 years since I released the last album. 3 and a half, 4 years. And, some of the songs I just feel like, didn’t apply anymore, you know what I mean? Or didn’t apply to what I was going through currently in my life. Some of the songs, I felt like I was flat out wrong, but at the time I thought I was right. I had to adjust, and I think that the product that we have now is the best.

I know that you went through a lot around that time. What track on the album has the most meaning for you?
There’s a track on there that I have with a guy named Twone Gabz that I really enjoy called “Truth on You.” Where it’s like, man, you keep telling lies on me, I’m gonna tell the truth on you. And I feel that a lot of rumors and innuendos that I’ve heard people say about me, I just admitted it. Like man, this is what they’re saying, this is what people in the street think. But these are lies, and if these lies persist, then I will tell the truth on the liars, which is much worse. That’s one of my favorite tracks. Another one of my favorite songs is called “City is Fallen,” but honestly, with these joints, it’s like picking your favorite child. You know what I mean?

You’ve spoken before about a lack of respect in hip hop among the new rappers. How do you feel about the future of hip hop?
Hip hop is dead. Hip hop does not exist in the form of how it was originally defined. When we say “hip hop,” and we’re thinking break dancing, DJing, MCing, that doesn’t exist anymore. The new thing that comes out of the death of hip hop is what we have in Soulja Boy and what we have in Drake. You know? The singing and the rapping all mixed together. So, I would say disco is dead. It is dead, but you can pull out a Donna Summers record, like I can pull out a Rakim record. Then out of disco comes what, bass, electro, stuff like that? And out of hip hop comes what? We have to define that, but as far as hip hop in itself, it is dead. It does not exist.

So, Nas was right?
Yeah, Nas was right. People don’t wanna admit it, but yeah, he was right. Now, people still rap. You know what I mean? Rap still exists, but it ain’t hip hop. And you gotta look at it like this too – what do I think about the new slew of artists that are coming up that are rapping? Some of them are dope and some of them are wack, but that’s the way it’s always been in music.

You sampled John Mayer recently on a track called “Letters”. Does your musical inspiration branch outside of rap?
For El Che, my inspiration was basically life. I wanted this to be an album that, like, when you get in a car and it’s the only album that you have, and you’re like, “awe, I forgot the CDs, but we’re already on the highway,” that you could play this CD for your big 4 hour road trip – all the way there and all the way back. And then you can look back 3 years later, when it comes on the radio or whatever, and say, “Man, remember when we heard this song when we went to whatever whatever when I got my brand new car and this song came on?” These songs have to be part of people’s lives. And so, the inspiration for the music is “if I could have one thing to say that could effect somebody’s life, what would it be?” And I want these songs to be theme songs for moments of your life.

You’re considered one of the more lyrical rappers today. When you record, are you freestyling, or do you write things down for the most part?
A little bit of both, but basically, I try not to take credit for the words. I know that I’m a vehicle. God is using me as a vehicle to deliver a message. This is how I separate myself from the music, whether you like it or not. Whether it sells or not, I insist on delivering a message. My method of writing is however God gives it to me. How was Jesus divinely inspired? How were the writers of the bible inspired to write the bible? That’s the same way I write raps.

What’s next for you once this album comes out?
The album comes out in May – May 18th El Che comes out. I’ll be touring with it, you know? That’s my focus for now, and I’ve got some more projects coming up. I did some TV shows, and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens with shows that I’ve pitched. Just trying to keep it moving. I’m getting ready to move – I’ve decided to move to Texas, so that’ll be a big move for me. Looking forward to it.

Why the move to Texas?
Well, basically, you know, I’ve been reading, and people in warmer climates just live longer lives. They’re outside more, they’re more active. These Chicago winters, they build character, but they’re killing me. You know? They’re killing me slowly. You stay in the house, you eat bad, you hibernate, it’s stressful on your body, your mind, your spirit. I have to be out. I have to be active. I have to be in a community. I gotta walk around. I can’t spend all day hiding from the weather.

That’s very true. I just moved from New York to California, and it’s like night and day.
It is like night and day. And you know, I’m good enough now with warm weather to be able to appreciate everyday. I still keep my Midwestern cold front hustler.