Review: Rhymefest – Man in the Mirror
Have you ever noticed how the first person to do something gets a thoughtful nod and then people look the idea and 
analyze it for its worth and point out the good and bad points? Have you ever noticed how the next person to attempt that idea gets mercilessly berated as if they have been caught burning the flag at a biker bar? Well, here is a note for the next person who has the idea of creating a mash-up album featuring songs and audio clips of Michael Jackson: Second place doesn’t always get a silver medal.
That being said, being a Michael Jackson fan (not just a fan of Thriller, I mean being a fan of MJ) is like a tight-rope walk ever since that accident that burned his hair. It’s like every year on his birthday, he celebrates by turning up the crazy. But the brave Chicago native, Che Smith, known professionally as Rhymefest is prepared to give us a look into his fanmail outbox. On the 2008 mixtape, Mark Ronson presents Rhymefest: Man in the Mirror, the most interesting rapper alive raps over the vocals of the Wacko-Jacko hits that he has grown to love.
From the beginning of what ‘fest calls the only dedication album ever, Mike is present on each track with hooks, sampled voices, and interview snippets. It’s easy to forgive the rapper for his man-crush on the gloved one as soon he starts to spit on the intro track entitled, the Cipher. From cover to cover, the project has the feel of a bunch of friends messing around in the studio and never tries too hard to pretend that Mike has anything to do with it. It also lacks the polish and professionalism of a studio produced album, which many will undoubtedly find refreshing in the era of over-production and spaceship sounds in hip hop. The skits are memorable pieces of famous interviews with the voice of Rhymefest injected to create conversations that mostly exist to create a window into the relationship of Mr. Smith to Mr. Jackson (or at least his music).
Thematically, the music or personal passions of Michael Jackson are backdrops rather than subjects. Rhymefest maintains his established style of candor, humor, storytelling, and commenting on social issues that are important to him while using Mike’s words to set up his messages.
Highlights: The appropriately named project is an introspective as much as it is a dedication and promotes a lot more honesty within the game. Guest stars on the project are well spaced and never give the impression that they outshine the main star(s). Fest continues his mastery of his storytelling and references current events with regularity to establish (at the least) his temporal relevance. His not a mind-blowing lyricist, but is consistent and technically proficient with a great message.
Lowlights: Spotty production is the biggest downside of the mixtape. A few of the songs seem to be begging for the Chi-town native production of Kanye West, but he never arrives. “Never can say goodbye” is the first time that it becomes apparent as it reminds of the track on the Game’s LAX album which uses the same sample with much better results.
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