Mr. Lif
When he began releasing singles in the late '90s, party rap and gangsta rap were the dominant styles most MCs favored, but Mr. Lif's lyrical agenda was a political and socially conscious one that recalled the rap stars of the late '80s and early '90s -- Public Enemy, Gang Starr, and Boogie Down Productions. Born Jeffrey Haynes, Mr. Lif grew up in the Boston, Massachusetts suburb of Brighton, attending college for two years before focusing on a music career. He released his first single, "Elektro," in 1998, attracting the attention of labels Grand Royal and Def Jux. Working closely with producer and Def Jux label head El-P, Lif released a series of critically acclaimed singles and EPs, starting with Enters the Colossus in 2000. Touring kept him busy for the next year, but he still found time to release the "Cro-Magnon" single and a live CD, Live at the Middle East.
His most ambitious work to date followed in 2002 with a pair of concept releases; the Emergency Rations EP bookended collaborations with Edan and Akrobatik in an MC abduction scenario, while the I Phantom full-length formed a saga that led him from birth to apocalypse. He revisited his Akrobatik collaboration in 2005, when the pair joined producer Fakts One to form the Perceptionists, who released Black Dialogue, also on Definitive Jux. One year later he returned with Mo' Mega, his proper follow-up to I Phantom, featuring eight productions from El-P and appearances from Murs, Aesop Rock, and Blueprint. I Heard It Today, released in 2009 on Bloodbot Tactical, contained some of the most pointed lyrics of his career. The aptly titled Don't Look Down followed seven years later on the Mello Music Group imprint and was filled with "agnostic sermons," ones that got the Boston MC through a particularly dark time in his life. The label also released The Life & Death of Scenery, Lif's collaboration with abstract beatmaker L'Orange, in October of 2016. In 2017, Lif and Akrobatik revived the Perceptionists, resulting in the full-length Resolution. He also collaborated with Balkan brass ensemble Brass Menazeri for an album titled Resilient, which was released by Waxsimile Productions.
© Wade Kergan /TiVo
Discography
18 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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I Phantom
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Mello Music Group on 27 nov. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I Heard it Today
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Bloodbot Tactical Enterprises on 21 apr. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Don't Look Down
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Mello Music Group on 15 apr. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Life & Death of Scenery
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Mello Music Group on 14 okt. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Let Go - Single
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Mello Music Group on 5 apr. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Don't Look Down (Instrumentals) (Instrumental)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Mello Music Group on 5 aug. 2016
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vangarde
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Fat Beats Records on 13 nov. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Sun
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Bloodbot Tactical Enterprises on 14 okt. 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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World Renown (Dan The Automator Remix)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Mello Music Group on 14 jun. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Obama
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Bloodbot Tactical Enterprises on 20 jan. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cadence Poisons the Minds of the Children - Plus Bonus Tracks
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Pro Se Recordings on 12 aug. 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Shelter In Place
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Fat Beats Records on 3 nov. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Welcome to the World
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Bloodbot Tactical Enterprises on 4 nov. 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I Heard it Today (Single)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Bloodbot Tactical Enterprises on 2 sep. 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
World Reknown - Single
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Mello Music Group on 15 mrt. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Whizdom - Single
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Mello Music Group on 12 feb. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Knowledge Shine Bright Remixed EP 1
Funk - Released by Fort Knox Recordings on 2 jun. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo