Kanye West, Common Writer Rhymefest Discusses Working Extensively For Both Artists

It is no secret that Kanye West gets a lot of help with his songs. "All Day" had a total of 21 different writers on it. In hip-hop just being in the room and throwing out one single idea can land you in the credits, but the help that Kanye gets on his music is well known. Now one such man who has been instrumental, dare say vital, throughout his career, Chicago wordsmith Rhymefest is now speaking out on his involvement with Kanye West and Common's music in attempt to try and push his own solo music.

The linkage between the two artists has been strong for a long time. They met when they were both 16 years-old when Kanye was making beats and Rhymefest was rapping and teamed up. This was when Rhymefest started to write for Kanye, including "Jesus Walks," which is considered one of West's most personal songs.

"I've written for all of Kanye's albums with the exception of 808s & Heartbreak," he says in an interview with the Daily Beast, adding, "There are a lot of songs that my name isn't even on."

"It does kind of bother me that I go to my friends' $20 million houses, and last year I was trying to figure out how to pay my mortgage. It's not their fault, totally," says Rhymefest. "When you look at the way artists get paid now, streaming has decimated the income of the writer, so the writer doesn't really have a career anymore. My ASCAP royalty checks went from a lot to almost nothing."

Rhymefest has a very interesting take on rappers like Chief Keef, who he says is being exploited.

"I think many rappers these days have afflictions, such as Asperger's, bipolar disorder, or autism. They need advocates, but we turn it into entertainment. The media is turning autism into entertainment. When I look at Chief Keef, I clearly see someone who has autism. Look at the way his face is structured, or his insensitivity to violence. He needs an advocate. But someone put him out there and exploited that child."

According to Rhymefest, the idea for "Glory" came from a phone call between him and Common one day after Common called him saying that he needed a song.

Tags

Kanye West, Rhymefest, Common