Rhymefest has had a hand in writing some of the biggest hip-hop songs of the past decade, including Kanye West's "Jesus Walks," and the Chicago native recently shared his thoughts on violent lyrics. The writer and emcee told The Daily Beast that there needs to be more of a focus on positive lyrics in rap, and he pointed to Chief Keef, a fellow Chicago artist, whom Rhymefest believes is being exploited.
"I think many rappers these days have afflictions, such as Asperger's, bipolar disorder, or autism. They need advocates, but we turn it into entertainment. The media is turning autism into entertainment. When I look at Chief Keef, I clearly see someone who has autism. Look at the way his face is structured, or his insensitivity to violence. He needs an advocate. But someone put him out there and exploited that child."
Speaking about his own writing, Rhymefest revealed that he's uncredited on a lot of songs he's written for Kanye. He explained, "I've written for all of Kanye's albums with the exception of 808s & Heartbreak. There are a lot of songs that my name isn't even on."
He also added, "I think sometimes people get to a point where they're so busy—'I'm doing fashion, I'm doing this, I'm doing that'—that you lose focus with the foundation of what it is. I think sometimes we... we have so many things, that we're just trying to keep our things, so we lose track of the fact that it wasn't about the things. You shouldn't be trying to keep the things, you should be trying to make new things."
Source: The Daily Beast
