>>PREVIEW
MR. LIF
Tuesday, November 21
Broken City
The world is going down the tubes – politically, socially and environmentally. The icecaps are melting. The gulf between rich and poor is getting wider. There’s a warmongering Republican in the White House. There’s no shortage of issues to address.
The world of hip hop has never been a place to hold your tongue, and while the rap game is full of emcees ready to fight the power, none are as eloquent as Mr. Lif. Mo’ Mega, the latest album from Lif on the excellent Definitive Jux label, is full of big beats and deep grooves, but it’s the message with the music that makes it one of the best albums of 2006. Taking aim at a fast-paced North American culture, Lif has his sights on speaking up and speaking out.
"I just say what's on my mind because I'd probably go nuts if I didn't," says the Boston-based rapper. "Everything about living my life gives me inspiration. It's not musical inspiration. It's just constant evaluation of my own feelings and the feelings of the people around me."
Lif’s wide-eyed approach means he’s cracking down on the government, fast food and even the hip hop game. Since Lif isn’t one to waste words, Mo’ Mega isn’t just a catchy title, alliteration or gratuitous Ebonics. Lif uses the two words to illustrate the growing gulf between the haves and have-nots. Mo’ represents the street, the less fortunate, the third world, while Mega, not surprisingly, is the industrial world’s quest for bigger, faster, more. The resulting album is populated by those who fall between the cracks.
"People would say that I'm living a glamorous life because I'm a musician, but I put in my hours in my own office consistently to make this work," he says. "A 10-year career doesn't happen by accident. I'm at a stage in my life where I'm realizing the full impact of that disparity, so I felt that everything I was experiencing during the making of the record was a reflection of the emotional ebb and flow of this era."
But that is only half the story. A successful solo artist, Lif also clocks time with the Perceptionists. Akrobatik, Fakts One and Lif form a hip hop triad that works so well together, it’s easy to forget there is more than one emcee rockin’ the mike. Their 2005 debut Black Dialogue, also on Def Jux, is more crispy than the old-school style that Lif drops on his own, but it’s no less impressive.
"Doing the Perceptionists record gave me an opportunity to make music with some good friends and just have fun with the process," says Lif. "It's great when you can sit back sometimes and have the opinion of two other gifted musicians like Akrobatik and Fakts One lend their ideas to the soundscape. My solo work gives me an opportunity to isolate and just do what I want to do. It's great to have both options at my disposal."
Lif drops tight rhymes, but he still has an ear for beats. He’s socially aware and he’s got a great sense of humour. He works well with others and he kills going solo. Mo’ Mega shows that there are two sides to every story, but what are the two sides of Mr. Lif? After 10 years in the hip hop game, Lif knows it’s never as simple as black and white.
"There are way more than two sides." |
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