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Mr Lif Information
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'Mr. Lif' (born Jeffrey Haynes) is a rapper who releases
records under the prog-hop independent music label Definitive Jux. Lif is currently a member of the hip hop music group The Perceptionists.
Life
Mr. Lif grew up in the neighbourhood of Brighton in Boston, MA. For two years
he attended Colgate University, dropping out after becoming
enamored with the hip hop music being produced at the time. He
became a performer in 1994. In 2000 and 2001 he won the Kahlua Boston Music Awards for
Outstanding Rap/Hip Hop Act.
Origin of Mr. Lif's name
According to Mr. Lif, his pseudonym comes from a song he heard at a Phish concert.
As Lif recounts in an interview "They had this song, 'Liftedly Man', with
this incredible bass line. I don't know what it was, but the character really
got to me. I thought of him as the 'ultra you', someone that is perceptive,
trying to gain knowledge of self, surroundings, and situations". Later some
friends of his added the "Mister".
Music
When Mr. Lif began making music, the rap scene was, as it is today, heavily
commercialized with little emphasis on substantive matters. In his music,
Lif consciously defies this status quo by incorporating social, political,
and spiritual elements into his lyrics. Much of his early music consisted of
battle raps. Later albums put more focus on social and political criticism
with markedly progressive themes. Some of his more interesting works extends
powerful battle rap metaphors into political diatribes.
In his lyrics, Lif often implies that his music has the same effect as powerful weaponry with regard
to effecting social and political change. Other songs
in this vein are Earthcrusher on I Phantom, Avengers on Enter the Colossus
and Triangular Warfare on Sleepyheads
Lif has also put out two concept albums: Emergency Rations and I Phantom (mentioned above). Emergency Rations tells the story of a corrupt
post 9/11 American government which seeks to oppress its people in the name of
security. I Phantom details a character's experience as he
rises from desperate poverty, enters a demoralizing workforce, and then encounters the trials and tribulations
of success and family. The album proceeds with a discussion on the never ending quest humans have toward
mastery over the world and then finally ends in an apocalyptic nightmare.
Discography
Def Jux
Enter the Colossus (2001)
# DataBlend
# Cro-Magnon (feat. Illin P)
# Pulse Cannon
# Enters the Colossus
# Avengers (feat Akrobatik, and Mr. Lif)
# Front on This
# Arise
Cro-Magnum b/w Fulcrum 12 (2001)
# Cro-Magnon
# Cro-Magnon (inst)
# Fulcrum (Edan mix)
# Fulcrum (Insight mix)
# Retrospect
# Retrospect (inst)
Home of the Brave (album) (2002)
# Home of the Brave (Rawdio)
# Home of the Brave (Shitty mortal combat version)
# Home of the Brave (Mental Side)
# The Unorthodox (Rawdio)
# The Unorthodox (Shitty mortal combat version)
# The Unorthodox (Mental Side)
Emergency Rations (2002)
# Intro(missing person's file)/feat Akrobatik and Brotha PC
# Jugular Vein
# Heavy Artillery
# Home of the Brave
# Pull out your cut
# Get Wise 91'/feat. Edan
# The Unorthodox
# Phantom feat. El-P
I Phantom (2002)
# Bad Card
# A Glimpse at the Struggle
# Return of the B-boy
# Live from the Plantation
# New Man Theme
# Handouts
# Status feat. Insight
# Success feat. Aesop Rock
# Daddy Dearest
# The Now
# Friends and Neighbors
# Iron Helix feat. Insight
# Earthcrusher
# Post Mortem feat. El-P, Jean Grae & Akrobatik
Thought Wizard Productions
Sleepyheads (2003)
# Madness In A Cup
# This Won
# Elektro
# The Nothing
# Triangular Warfare
# Inhuman Capabilities
# Farmhand
# Settle The Score
# Be Out
# Because They Made It That Way
# Day Of Power
# Night Train Radio Freestyle
# Target: Gristl
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