What they have in common is the idea that African Americans must "act now" to make change count, to cut through government restrictions and walls of high finance to find self-empowerment, to cherish friends and family.
"The Apocalypse is the underlying theme of everything I do," Rhymes said from New York City. "My parents taught me to never rely on tomorrows. Tomorrows are never promised. So I am about capitalizing, in every aspect, of never taking time for granted. My faith lies in myself and the Most High, so I am unconquerable. I prepare for the worst-case scenario. I deal with everything we, as a people, go through, what we identify with, what we inquire about."
He laughed.
"Act now for the end is nearly here" is the apocalyptic construct of all of Rhymes' works: The Coming (1996), When Disaster Strikes ('97), and his recent E.L.E.: Extinction Level Event (Elektra). As with George Clinton before him (and contemporaries Method Man, RZA/Bobby Digital beside him), the future has never seemed a rosy prospect.
"The Coming was made to strike an awareness level," Rhymes said, "a bell-ringing for the masses that the end was near. Disaster pointed out that no one was exempt from extinction, not the higher classes, not Princess Di, Notorious B.I.G., Versace or Tupac."
Those misfortunes, Rhymes said, were "the headline for his newspaper," a tabloid that would soon declare war in foreign lands, the Y2K bug and unfurling holocaust. This banner headline provided grist for the mill of E.L.E. - the extremes of a world exploding. To demonstrate this, E.L.E. paints a metaphorically twisted picture of Manhattan caught in the throes of year-2000 problems.
"What would happen if on Dec. 31, 1999, the Y2K stuff was true?" asked Rhymes. "Do you really think anybody would be prepared? That is extinction level: People reacting like they . . . getting ready to be extinct."
