Honestly, Blue Collar could have been one of the best hip-hop albums of the year. A few months ago, when he first caught my attention, around two-dozen Rhymefest songs were already circulating the Internet. More than half of these are undeniably some of the best mainstream hip-hop tracks in recent history. Rhymefest, who is already a Grammy winner as co-writer of Kanye West's "Jesus Walks", uses a mixture of gritty charm and classic hip-hop swagger to create a naturally confident style that is as engaging as it is welcoming.
Finally, after numerous delays, Blue Collar has been released to the masses. Unfortunately, it is not exactly the record that I was expecting. Half of the album presents some of the amazing tracks that initially won me over. "Dynamite" kicks open the door with an exhilarating fury driven by horn heavy samples as well as some of Rhymefest's most urgent lyrics. "Brand New" (produced by and featuring Kanye West) not only finds Fest at his most humorous, it also effectively highlights Kanye's usually well-masked lyrical mediocrity. A few more from my 'best of Fest' list occasionally appear throughout the record, but a couple of his most flattering tracks are mysteriously absent. "These Days", which is quite possibly the greatest of all Rhymefest tunes, and "Go Out Clothes" have both somehow disappeared from the album. Apparently, the original version of Blue Collar included both of these. Unfortunately, these two pure gems were omitted in favor of the cute but slightly embarrassing "Stick" as well as a rather uninspired collaboration with Citizen Cope called "Bullet." The actual sequencing of the tracks is also quite a mystery. While surprisingly void of skits and filler, Blue Collar does not flow as seamlessly as it could. Some of the more upbeat tracks have been oddly grouped together, leaving a rather daunting second act. Fortunately, the album concludes with "Tell A Story" and the ultra-charming "Build Me Up". The latter brings Blue Collar to a bittersweet close with a vocal rendition of "Build Me Up Buttercup" provided by the late Ol' Dirty Bastard.
Don't get me wrong, Blue Collar still eclipses the majority of mainstream hip-hop releases. However, it's still only half the album that it could have been, which is utterly disappointing. It almost seems like it was sabotaged at the last minute (which would explain the delay) by the power of a certain hip-hop artist/producer who may have felt a bit threatened by his one-time collaborator. It's only a theory, but maybe its time for Kanye to suck it up and pass the torch.
