I am a
fan of music.
Music is something that I don't think I could live without, I
swear. I like all kinds of music,
everything except
country really. That is why I decided to
shed a little light on some
good hip-hop with this writeup. I'm not some wanna-be rap
chick, I probably wouldn't fit into any
stereotype whatsoever. I am me, don't hate me 'cause I like hip-hop.
:)
Mr. Lif is by far the hottest hip-hop act to come out of Boston, ever. He has slowly but surely crawled out of the darkness into light, with his ryhmes and lyrical genius reaching the ears of fans worlwide.
I saw one if his 12" records at the Fat Beats in Amsterdam. Woohoo!
I have been listening to Lif for roughly three years now, but he has been on the scene for much longer. Lif started writing rhymes in 1992 and was part of Brick Records' close-knit Rebel Alliance back in 1995.
Brick Records is an independent record company that is based in Boston Massachusetts, underground to the core.
His performance skills were so impressive that he eventually attracted the attention of the infamous Del(those who are worthy will know who he is) and El-P, formerly of Company Flow, now of Def Jux Records.
Lif has succeeded thus far, in my opinion anyway, because not only does he have sick battle skills when it comes to "spitting" rhymes, but his style is highly intellectual and aware. He provides commentary on issues ranging from the negative effects of the social system, to the suffering of political prisoners. He is "real" hip-hop in a nutshell, and is not out there to win over the majority, or to rule the market.
He wants to reach people, inform people, and move them. And he does this 100%, to the brim, no questions asked.
Another great thing about Lif is his intense dedication to his fans. Any faithfull listener knows that if you get to a show ealry enough, there is no doubt that you'll run into Lif, and there is also no doubt that he will talk to you and that he will listen.
This past summer I drove down to New York City to chill with "the boys" from school and we went to see Lif, Aesop Rock, Atmosphere, Cannibal Ox, etc....there were mad MC's at this show it was surreal.
Anyway, we were all chillin outside the venue and up walks LIf with Aesop, and we were all like, "Word, whasssuupp Lif!" And he was so psyched to hear that I had come down from MA to support the scene, and he and I went off a little bit about political shit and Mumia, which was really cool. We all talked to him for a while, and then he happily signed some flyers that we all had before he had to go backstage for pre-show "antics." I've talked to Lif a few times now at shows waiting in line and he never fails to impress me with his friendly demeanor.
His discography, which mainly consists of 12" recordings is as follows:
- 1997-Rebel Alliance LP
- 1998-Elektro 12"
- 1999-Farmhand 12"
- 2000-Front on This EP
- 2000-Mr Lif: Enters the Colossus LP
- Datablend
- Cro-Magnon
- Pulse Cannon
- Enters the Colossus
- Avengers-Featuring Akrobatik
- Front on This
- Arise
- Retrospect
- 2001-Cro-Magnon 12"
Mr. Lif has also contributed to various other tracks with other grand-master MC's. Some of my favorite comp's are:
- Speech Cobras from Violent By Design Jedi Mind Tricks, 2001
- Orion's Belt from World War One: The Voice of Reason Virtuoso, 2001
- Masterminds
- "Push Button Objects" featuring Del
- Edan-crazy, completely phenomenal MC
- Akrobatik
- "Fulcrum" featuring Opio
- "Madness in a Cup" featuring Insight and T-Ruckus
- And the ever-impressive, "Triangular Warfare"-Released by Brick Records 1999, produced by El-P
To repeat myself here, Lif is definately one of the most talented MC's out there today. With the recent release of the live cd from the Middle East Cafe in Boston, (this is a fantastic, little venue in Boston), he has proven yet again that when it comes to performance skills, Lif is one of the kings. If you like underground hip-hop, music that is educational as much as it is reflectional, emotional, and intense, check Lif out.
www.mrlif.com
www.rhymesayers.com
www.hiphopinfinity.com
I am going to link more of the tracks on Mr Lif: Enters the Colossus as soon as I get the time to do so. Peace