Rhymefest On Writing For Kanye: “There Are A Lot Of Songs That My Name Isn’t Even On”

In a recent interview with The Daily Beast promoting the new documentary In My Father's House, Rhymefest discussed his longtime working relationship with Kanye West, whom he met in Chicago when he was 16. "I've written for all of Kanye's albums with the exception of 808s & Heartbreak," Rhymefest explained. "There are a lot of songs that my name isn't even on."

Rhymefest suggested that Kanye might have too much on his plate at the moment to focus on writing. "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… we have so many things... 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."

He also claims that he found the sample for "Jesus Walks" and gave it to Kanye because Kanye had "access." As he explains: "He was already signed to Def Jam and had an album slated, so this is the point where you could become selfish or practical. He rapped ["Jesus Walks"] better than I probably would've at that time. He knew more about the industry, and he made that song a success. So he should get the credit for that. But he wouldn’t have all that without my words."

Watch the trailer for In My Father's House below.