Mr. Lif
Encyclopedia
Mr. Lif is an American
hip hop
artist from Boston, Massachusetts
. Often noted for his political lyrics, he has released two studio albums on El-P's Definitive Jux
label
and one on Bloodbot Tactical Enterprises. Mr. Lif is also a member of the hip hop group The Perceptionists
with long-time friends and collaborators Akrobatik
and DJ Fakts One
.
Mr. Lif grew up in the neighborhood of Brighton in Boston, Massachusetts
. After attending the Dedham, MA private school Noble and Greenough School
, he went on to attend Colgate University
for two years, and he eventually dropped out. He became a performer in 1994. Mr. Lif's family ancestry is Bajan
.
. Working closely with producer and Definitive Jux
label head El-P, Lif released a series of critically acclaimed singles and EPs, starting with Enters the Colossus in 2000. In 2000 and 2001 he won the Kahlua Boston Music Awards
for Outstanding Rap
/Hip Hop
Act. Touring kept him busy for the next year, but he still found time to release the Cro-Magnon single and a live CD. His track "Pull Out Your Cut" was featured in the soundtrack to the ESPN Video Game ESPN NFL 2K5.
In 2002 Mr. Lif released 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 DJ Fakts One
to form The Perceptionists
, who released Black Dialogue, also on Definitive Jux
. One year later, he returned with Mo' Mega, his follow-up to I Phantom, featuring eight productions from El-P and features from Murs, Aesop Rock
, and Blueprint
. Mr. Lif has also collaborated with Otis Grove, Thievery Corporation
and Anomie Belle
.
I Heard It Today, was released in 2009 on Bloodbot Tactical.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
artist from Boston, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. Often noted for his political lyrics, he has released two studio albums on El-P's Definitive Jux
Definitive Jux
Definitive Jux is an independent record label based in New York City, United States. It was co-founded in 1999 by Jaime Meline and Amaechi Uzoigwe. The label was initially known simply as Def Jux, but in 2001, popular hip hop label Def Jam Recordings sued Def Jux over the name similarity...
label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
and one on Bloodbot Tactical Enterprises. Mr. Lif is also a member of the hip hop group The Perceptionists
The Perceptionists
The Perceptionists are an American hip hop group on the Definitive Jux label. The group is made up of MCs Akrobatik and Mr Lif, along with DJ Fakts One. They hail from Boston, Massachusetts...
with long-time friends and collaborators Akrobatik
Akrobatik
Akrobatik is a rapper from the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. He has collaborated numerous times with many fellow Boston rappers , and recently formed a hip hop collective named The Perceptionists with Mr. Lif and DJ Fakts One....
and DJ Fakts One
DJ Fakts One
Fakts One is an American hip hop DJ & producer from Boston, MA. Fakts One is also a member of the hip hop group The Perceptionists with long-time collaborators Akrobatik and Mr...
.
Mr. Lif grew up in the neighborhood of Brighton in Boston, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. After attending the Dedham, MA private school Noble and Greenough School
Noble and Greenough School
The Noble and Greenough School, commonly known as Nobles, is a coeducational, nonsectarian day and boarding school for students in grades seven through twelve. It is located on a campus in Dedham, Massachusetts. The current enrollment of 550 students includes a balance of boys and girls, of whom...
, he went on to attend Colgate University
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
for two years, and he eventually dropped out. He became a performer in 1994. Mr. Lif's family ancestry is Bajan
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
.
History
Mr. Lif released his first single, Elektro, in 1998, attracting the attention of labels Grand Royal and Definitive JuxDefinitive Jux
Definitive Jux is an independent record label based in New York City, United States. It was co-founded in 1999 by Jaime Meline and Amaechi Uzoigwe. The label was initially known simply as Def Jux, but in 2001, popular hip hop label Def Jam Recordings sued Def Jux over the name similarity...
. Working closely with producer and Definitive Jux
Definitive Jux
Definitive Jux is an independent record label based in New York City, United States. It was co-founded in 1999 by Jaime Meline and Amaechi Uzoigwe. The label was initially known simply as Def Jux, but in 2001, popular hip hop label Def Jam Recordings sued Def Jux over the name similarity...
label head El-P, Lif released a series of critically acclaimed singles and EPs, starting with Enters the Colossus in 2000. In 2000 and 2001 he won the Kahlua Boston Music Awards
Kahlua Boston Music Awards
The Boston Music Awards is an annual set of music awards that showcase talent in the Boston, Massachusetts area. The awards were founded in 1987 and were presented as part of the annual NEMO Music Showcase and Conference until that event's final presentation in 2006...
for Outstanding Rap
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
/Hip Hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
Act. Touring kept him busy for the next year, but he still found time to release the Cro-Magnon single and a live CD. His track "Pull Out Your Cut" was featured in the soundtrack to the ESPN Video Game ESPN NFL 2K5.
In 2002 Mr. Lif released a pair of concept releases. The Emergency Rations EP bookended collaborations with Edan
Edan
Edan aka Edan Portnoy is an American alternative hip hop artist. He is an emcee, DJ and record producer.Edan is known for his unique/unlikely take on hip hop culture, where traditional rap songs are often skewed by 60's rock samples, tape echoes, and foreign language choruses, not to mention the...
and Akrobatik
Akrobatik
Akrobatik is a rapper from the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. He has collaborated numerous times with many fellow Boston rappers , and recently formed a hip hop collective named The Perceptionists with Mr. Lif and DJ Fakts One....
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
Akrobatik
Akrobatik is a rapper from the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. He has collaborated numerous times with many fellow Boston rappers , and recently formed a hip hop collective named The Perceptionists with Mr. Lif and DJ Fakts One....
collaboration in 2005, when the pair joined producer DJ Fakts One
DJ Fakts One
Fakts One is an American hip hop DJ & producer from Boston, MA. Fakts One is also a member of the hip hop group The Perceptionists with long-time collaborators Akrobatik and Mr...
to form The Perceptionists
The Perceptionists
The Perceptionists are an American hip hop group on the Definitive Jux label. The group is made up of MCs Akrobatik and Mr Lif, along with DJ Fakts One. They hail from Boston, Massachusetts...
, who released Black Dialogue, also on Definitive Jux
Definitive Jux
Definitive Jux is an independent record label based in New York City, United States. It was co-founded in 1999 by Jaime Meline and Amaechi Uzoigwe. The label was initially known simply as Def Jux, but in 2001, popular hip hop label Def Jam Recordings sued Def Jux over the name similarity...
. One year later, he returned with Mo' Mega, his follow-up to I Phantom, featuring eight productions from El-P and features from Murs, Aesop Rock
Aesop Rock
Ian Matthias Bavitz , better known by his stage name Aesop Rock, is an American hip hop artist and producer. He was at the forefront of the new wave of underground and alternative hip hop acts that emerged during the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was signed to El-P's Definitive Jux label until it...
, and Blueprint
Blueprint (rapper)
Blueprint is an American rapper and hip hop producer from Columbus, Ohio. He is the founder and owner of Weightless Recordings and is also signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment...
. Mr. Lif has also collaborated with Otis Grove, Thievery Corporation
Thievery Corporation
Thievery Corporation is a Washington, D.C. based recording artist and DJ duo consisting of Rob Garza, Eric Hilton, and their supporting artists, including current drummer Jeff Franca...
and Anomie Belle
Anomie Belle
Anomie Belle is an American musician and activist. Originally a classical violinist and songwriter from Portland, Anomie began performing and recording her own music as a child. She has since worked as a musician and producer in Madrid, Glasgow, Amsterdam, New York, Buenos Aires, and London...
.
I Heard It Today, was released in 2009 on Bloodbot Tactical.
Solo studio albums
- I PhantomI Phantom-External links:* * * at RapReviews...
(Definitive JuxDefinitive JuxDefinitive Jux is an independent record label based in New York City, United States. It was co-founded in 1999 by Jaime Meline and Amaechi Uzoigwe. The label was initially known simply as Def Jux, but in 2001, popular hip hop label Def Jam Recordings sued Def Jux over the name similarity...
- 2002) - Mo' Mega (Definitive Jux - 2006)
- I Heard It TodayI Heard It Today-External links:* via...
(Bloodbot Tactical Enterprises - 2009)
EPs
- Enters the ColossusEnters the ColossusEnters the Colossus is the debut EP by American hip hop artist Mr. Lif, released November 14, 2000 on the Def Jux record label.-Track listing:#"DataBlend" – 3:20#*Produced by Mr. Lif#"Cro-Magnon" – 3:56#*Featuring Illin P#*Produced by DJ Fakts One...
(Definitive Jux - 2000) - Emergency Rations (Definitive Jux - 2002)