One on One with Rhymefest

WBFF sat down with Grammy-Award winning artist Che "Rhymefest" Kweku to discuss music, community, and of course food.

Rhymefest, a nickname he acquired when he was 14-years-old from battle rapping as a teen, has always provided us with thought provoking songs like Bullet feat. Citizen Cope. He is now back with a new project that pays homage to the iconic African-American wordsmiths, James Baldwin and Nikki Giovanni. The composition album is entitled James and Nikki: A Conversation.

The project was inspired by the duo's 1971 conversation and features five up-and-coming female MCs as the voice of Nikki, while Che embodies the spirit of James. He creatively uses words and lyrics to highlight the talk between the two making the powerful conversation accessible to today's audience.

Che continues to live up to the mantra of what he defines as success, which is impact; by providing more than just hip hop music. It is also exemplified through his activism and community involvement in the city of Chicago, from running for the Public School Board to receiving his Honorary Doctorate Degree of Humane Letters from Chicago State University.

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You've done a lot work wise. I wanna take a break..let's talk food. I have a question for you. Chicago deep dish or New York pizza?

I'm gonna answer your question with a question...do you like pie?

Yes, pumpkin is my favorite.

So you love all the ingredients inside a pumpkin pie. Well, that's a deep dish pizza. It's a deep pie but it's warm. It's got spinach in it. If you like meat, it's got meat in it..and if you want pineapples, put it inside the pie. When you're talking about New York, you talking about a slice. I don't want a slice. I want the pie!

In all honesty I enjoy both. There really is no comparison. They both deserve their own lane.

They both have cheese and crust, but one just taste better, and makes you feel more comfortable inside.

Ok, if the WBFF crew comes to Chicago where are we going to eat? And what can you throw down in the kitchen?

I can make anything! I'm gonna say this and it's gonna sound like a flex, but it ain't a flex, I have a chef. My chef specializes in African and Mediterranean cuisines. So if you come to Chicago my chef will cook. Hasan will make sure we don't have to go anywhere to eat. But I needed to do that because there are so many great places in Chicago like Jim's Original, that's been around for years. The Soul Food Lounge which is a soul food luxury experience. There's also Virtue Restaurant in Hyde Park. I can name so many restaurants but it's just really better, if you can, to just eat at home.

Nothing like a home cooked meal!

Exactly.

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James and Nikki: A Conversation is released through Golden State Warriors Entertainment (GSE) and is available on all streaming platforms.