Mr. Lif, or little Jeffrey Haynes as his mates, Aes Rizzy and Can Ox refer to him, is an emcee's emcee. Aesop stated quite emphatically that if you ever need to describe to someone who doesn't 'get' hip-hop what an emcee is you describe Lif. Having rolled out singles and the odd EP since 1997, this man has gone from strength to strength. "Madness", "Electro", "Triangular Warfare", "Enters The Colossus" and various guest appearances have helped to cement Lif's status as One Of Those Cats Who Makes You Say "Oh Shit". This album was recorded live at the Middle East club in Lif's hometown of Boston last year, and the crowd instantly warms to their local hero. A selection of new tracks are dropped including the tongue-in-cheek "Get This Paper" which parodies the jiggy overnight sensation emcees out there ("I got all my guns, all my ice, all my minks… and my underarms stink") and the aptly titled "Earthcrusher". Lif also throws firm favourites such as "Inhuman Capabilities" (f/Insight) and the mighty "Be Out" (which, incidentally, triggers a Pavlovian type response in the Home Counties crew). Listening to this you get the impression that this kid is truly having fun with what he's doing. He invites his old cypher buddies (Insight again, some cat called Akbar and Akrobatik) onto the stage for a 15 minute freestyle session. Lif, however, leaves us in no doubt who the star of the show is delivering the rhyme "Yes, Lif is like Hannibal Lecter/I rip off ya face and disappear on a stretcher!". The warts and all live format sees Lif rewinding a couple of tunes he is less familiar with so he can get the lyrics right but this doesn't detract from the album. If you're not convinced yet, I'll break it down even further.
BUY.THIS.ON.SIGHT.
Mr. Lif, or little Jeffrey Haynes as his mates, Aes Rizzy and Can Ox refer to him, is an emcee's emcee. Aesop stated quite emphatically that if you ever need to describe to someone who doesn't 'get' hip-hop what an emcee is you describe Lif. Having rolled out singles and the odd EP since 1997, this man has gone from strength to strength. "Madness", "Electro", "Triangular Warfare", "Enters The Colossus" and various guest appearances have helped to cement Lif's status as One Of Those Cats Who Makes You Say "Oh Shit". This album was recorded live at the Middle East club in Lif's hometown of Boston last year, and the crowd instantly warms to their local hero. A selection of new tracks are dropped including the tongue-in-cheek "Get This Paper" which parodies the jiggy overnight sensation emcees out there ("I got all my guns, all my ice, all my minks… and my underarms stink") and the aptly titled "Earthcrusher". Lif also throws firm favourites such as "Inhuman Capabilities" (f/Insight) and the mighty "Be Out" (which, incidentally, triggers a Pavlovian type response in the Home Counties crew). Listening to this you get the impression that this kid is truly having fun with what he's doing. He invites his old cypher buddies (Insight again, some cat called Akbar and Akrobatik) onto the stage for a 15 minute freestyle session. Lif, however, leaves us in no doubt who the star of the show is delivering the rhyme "Yes, Lif is like Hannibal Lecter/I rip off ya face and disappear on a stretcher!". The warts and all live format sees Lif rewinding a couple of tunes he is less familiar with so he can get the lyrics right but this doesn't detract from the album. If you're not convinced yet, I'll break it down even further.
BUY.THIS.ON.SIGHT.
