Rhymefest

American rapper

Che Armond Smith (born July 6, 1977), better known by his stage name Rhymefest, is an American rapper and songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. He is best known for his work with fellow Chicago rapper Kanye West, with writing credits on his songs including "Jesus Walks" (which won Best Rap Song) in 2004 and "New Slaves" in 2013. He also co wrote "Glory", for Common and John Legend in 2014, which received a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and an Academy Award for Best Original Song. As a recording artist, he signed to Mark Ronson's Allido Records, an imprint of J Records in 2006, where he released his debut album Blue Collar in July of that year.

Born Che Smith in Chicago, Illinois, Che has expanded his gifts beyond the borders of music. The subject of the Showtime and Break Thru Films documentary, "In My Father's House", Rhymefest purchased the childhood home of his estranged father only to find that he'd been homeless for most of Che's life, Rhymefest then embarks on a journey to reconnect and redeem their relationship. Rhymefest's film debut was in Emilio Estevez's 2018 film The Public. He played "Big George", starring alongside Alec Baldwin, Gabrielle Union, Taylor Shilling, Michael K. Williams, Christian Slater, and more. Rhymefest has revealed that he will be releasing an album soon titled Love Lessons Pt. 1. The track "OG Philosophy" featuring Black Thought and Raheem DeVaughn arrived in early 2020.

In 2006, Smith was invited to the British House of Commons to discuss hip hop and policy with David Cameron. In October 2010, Smith announced his candidacy for Chicago's 20th ward alderman. He placed second in the February 22, 2011 election, and was defeated by incumbent Willie Cochran in the April 5, 2011 runoff election, getting 45.4% of the vote to Cochran's 54.6%. In 2016, he hosted a "Truth & Reconciliation" event series to enhance awareness about gun violence in Chicago. He is running for an elected position as a member of the Chicago school board in the inaugural 2024 election for the post. He is running in the 10th district, which is located on Chicago's south side.

Rhymefest is Executive Director and co Founder of Art of Culture (formerly Donda's House), Inc. The organization was originally named after Kanye West's mother Donda West. Artists who were accepted into Donda's House include Hex Hectic.

Rhymefest is Muslim. He has three children and is married to Heather Michele Smith.