Happy Birthday, Rhymefest!

Today, July 6, is the birthday of Chicago born rapper, songwriter and politician Che Smith, better known in the rap game as Rhymefest. He is now 41 years of age.

Rhymefest has always been a well verse renaissance man in the hip-hop world and an active pundit in the political world. In 2010, Rhyme ran in the election for Chicago's 20th ward alderman. Though he was defeated, Rhyme still vouches for and gives back to his hometown of the Chi.

Being from the same town as Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco and Common, it makes sense that Rhyme's amazing lyrical talent would cross their paths. Rhyme worked closely with Kanye for years and has songwriting credits on 2004's The College Dropout. Proving his capable in front of the mic as well as behind the boards, Rhyme dropped his own debut album, Blue Collar in 2006 followed by El Che in 2010.

Rhyme boasts songwriting credit on both West's 2004 single, "Jesus Walks" which won a Grammy, and Common and John Legend's 2015 Academy Award winning song "Glory," the theme song of the Martin Luther King Jr. biopic, Selma. When Rhyme isn't chilling and stacking residuals off his credits, he's critiquing his contemporaries.

Happy Birthday, Rhymefest!

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