The Wake

“Well, we find it important to incorporate pentameter, as a sort of homage,” says M. Rich about his structured approach to songwriting. Like the other mainstream hip-hop artists of today, M. Rich and H. Money Fresh call on legends of the past for inspiration. Their personal muse: William Shakespeare.

“If you think about it, Bill was actually the original master of rhymes and beats,” says Fresh. Her five “remixes” of Sonnet 18 (“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”) have earned her a reputation as one of hip-hop’s most innovative and artistic women.

Meanwhile, her accomplice Rich has made a name for himself as the premiere free-style sonnet performer in the industry. Rich has come a long way from his troubled past in poetry class at the University of Minnesota. His fight towards the top is documented in his first feature-length film, To Battle Or Not To Battle: That is the Question.

As I’m sure we’ve all heard, Nelly has recently spoken out against Rich and Fresh, saying that ripping off Shakespeare is lame, and that being a “poetry-reading pansy” doesn’t make them good rappers. Besides, Nelly adds, “Fresh and Rich is just a rip-off of that lame-ass country band.” So when I sat down with the dynamic duo for their first interview in over six years, the first question I had was, “What is your response to Nelly’s allegations towards you?” Fresh and Rich looked at me, their eyes welling up in sadness. “Well,” said Fresh, “I just wish that he could get past his jealousy or anger, or whatever, and come hang out at a show. We just want to be friends.”

M. Rich had this to say: “If he doesn’t like my Bill Shakespeare stuff, well he can bite my thumb—I mean, it’s all about the seventeenth century if you ask me.”

I caught up with Rich and Fresh later in the week at their rehearsal space, the group study room at Wilson Library. The room was hot, and I could see that their wool sweater vests were beginning to confine them. Money had taken off her penny loafers and had her argyle-clad feet resting on a stack of books. While Rich’s trademark tweed newsboy cap, an Irish family heirloom, was resting snugly on top of his head, but I could see that beads of sweat were starting to form underneath his thick, brown beard. I got a chance to hear Rich do a little free-styling, part of his notorious creative process for writing new songs. “People are always asking for my lines / I give ‘em words so stylish and fine.”

Meanwhile, Money stood in the corner, lips pursed in concentration over her clarinet. As the first few notes emerged, I gasped. I had known about her incredible ability to play and beat box simultaneously, but seeing it in person was almost overwhelming.

As I left the library, I wondered what was ahead for Fresh and Rich. Certainly fame and fortune, but would they ever resolve their differences with the greater hip-hop community?