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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