by Jay Boller for mndaily.com
Mr. Lif first made a name for himself with the release of his 2002 EP “Emergency Rations.” That EP, released in early summer, was a fierce indictment of post Sept. 11 Bush politics and balanced raw, militant production with Lif’s cerebral, monotone verses.
Come fall 2002, Lif struck while the iron was scorching and wowed critics with his debut LP “I Phantom.” The disc, 
largely produced by Definitive Jux label head El-P , drew praise from the likes of Village Voice , Pitchfork and Rolling Stone .
If baggage and stress latched onto Mr. Lif since 2002, his spring 2009 LP “I Heard it Today” appears to be evidence much of it has been shed. Lif released the album not on his longtime home Definitive Jux, but on his own label, Bloodbot Tactical Enterprises. Also, the record is free of El-P’s celebrated production. While context has certainly changed, Lif’s ability and smarts are ever present.
What do you hope the listener walks away with when they hear “I Heard it Today?”
I just hope that people recognize that my passion is at an all-time high for making music and for the art. And that I’m still coming through vicious with it, speaking what’s on my mind, not pulling any punches.
Bush spawned a lot of good protest rap. How do you anticipate writing in the Obama era will be?
I can write about anything in the world, man. I wrote those songs because I was pissed off. And “I Heard it Today” kind of says there are a lot of problems still. Don’t just think they’re going to go up in smoke because there’s a new administration. We’re still going to be struggling. The American government is not all of a sudden this bright, happy entity that functions for the good of its people, for any people. It’s a business, and it functions for the sake of commerce. Our lives will fall wherever they may in the process of them making money.
I have way more insight into the realm of relations then I do into politics, man. I’m much more of an expert on relationships between men and women. Lots of great ideas on how to progress family structure and just better understandings between men and women.
I’d rather write songs about that. People think I’m so angry. I’m actually a very happy person. I’m very much at peace with myself. I laugh constantly. I keep a very tight-knit group of friends. They mean the world to me and they’re always very supportive. I’m a very happy person; I just don’t have any tolerance for bulls–t and I don’t really see why anyone else should.
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