Rhymefest: His Current Struggles

Time often tells me why strange things happened at a show.

Such was the case with the odd moment I mentioned when Chicago Rapper Rhymefest abruptly left the stage during the Hideout Block Party in September.

In an October interview with SOHH, Rhymefest explained that he was battling with suicidal thoughts stemming from the struggles related to his forthcoming El Che album leaking and having to start from scratch.

When I read this interview, what happened and how the show ended made more sense. It also made me think about how, as fans, we often don’t get to know what’s going on inside the head of an artist. This is understandable because not everything is fan’s business, but when an artist can be transparent it can really change a fan’s life and add a sublime moment to the live show.

This story also touched me on a personal level as I’ve had to deal with the suicides of three friends in the last few years. One of the ways I dealt with their deaths was to find comfort in music and writing about what I experienced. You can read more here and here.

I’ve been to several shows since the Hideout show and like I always do, I wonder what’s going on in the mind of the artist and how that impacts their performance.

Have you had a moment of live music wondering lately?