Chicago-based rapper Rhymefest, who released his second album El Che earlier this year, has shifted his life into a more political and less lyrical route recently, announcing recently, as reported by Time Out Chicago, that he will be entering the fray of local Chicago politics and is seeking the position of Alderman for the city’s 20th Ward. For all you non-Chicagoans, it means he wants to be on the city council.
On Friday the 21st, Rhymefest a.k.a. Che Smith took to the streets of Chicago and announced his candidacy at a South Side auto detailing shop while surrounded by friends and family, some who have been residents of the 20th Ward for decades. The rapper, best known for co-writing Kanye West’s Grammy-winning single “Jesus Walks,” told the crowd of supporters and journalists: “We don’t have to reinvent the wheel, we need to reinstate it.” Rhymefest also stated that he is not running against a man (incumbent Alderman Willie Cochran) but against the poverty of the area.
For more information, political updates, and how to help (if you feel so inclined), you can head to the Friends of Rhymefest website.
• Rhymefest: http://www.elchethemovement.com
[Photo: M. Spencer Green]
