Rhymefest

Blue Collar, the sophomore release from Chi-Town rapper Rhymefest, is dope. Story tracks such as the tragic "Bullet" and the ostensibly life-affirming "Tell a Story" are technically mesmerizing, but the album's best songs ("Devil's Pie," "More" and "Fever") are more relaxed, as if the rapper's technical virtuosity is merely the icing on the cake, and not the sole focus of the song. Combine this casual charisma with a dab of populist themes, and you have the Kanye West recipe for success.

Cynics will dis Kanye's buddy as this year's socially responsible faux mainstreamer even though anybody who rhymes "I'm down like syndrome" and "I should be lynched I'm so high-strung" isn't guarding his p.c. ratings. Word-slinging about day-to-day struggle and bullets gone astray, he either knows whereof he speaks or hires good researchers, and his beats lively his facts just right--only things that sound faux are the street tracks in the middle, one posse and two sex. Kanye bumps up two songs. But the decisive guests are Chris Rock preaching to the heathens and ODB partying from the grave. (Grade - A-)