Rhymefest - The Manual

I reviewed Rhymefest's most recent mixtape, The Manual, for RapReviews this week.
I heard about it when Nathan Rabin gave a scathing critique of the homophobia in it on the AV Club a few weeks back. I think I'm jaded because I wasn't so much offended by the homophobia as I was disappointed. Simply put, it's dumb. The review takes the form of a letter to Rhymefest letting him know my thoughts. I hope that he just drops the issue - doesn't come out defensive, doesn't make an issue out of it, just leaves gays out of his rhymes altogether. He's too good a rapper, and he has too much to say to waste his time on homophobia.

You can download The Manual free and legal here.

While your at it, download the mixtape he did in 2007 featuring Mark Ronson, of Amy Winehouse fame, and Michael Jackson. It's called Man In The Mirror, and it features covers and interpolations of Michael's songs, plus skits where Rhymefest has conversations with the man himself, via snippets from interviews. It's pretty awesome. Rhymefest was doing tributes to MJ before the man even died.