Mr. Lif's always been one of my favorite MCs, for the simple fact that he has a dope balance of politics and raw skills throughout his body of work. Amazon is saying that his forthcoming album, I Heard It Today, is set to drop April 21st, but I'm hearing other dates. In any case, it's coming... check out the tracklist for this magnum opus (along with some liner notes from Lif himself).1. ‘Welcome to the World’ (prod by Batsauce) - This song was inspired by all the emotions I felt when it was formally announced that the U.S. economy collapsed. This song is meant to capture the fear, paranoia, and angst so many of us felt as our financial futures became completely up for grabs.
2. ‘What About Us?’ (prod by Batsauce) was written as a response to the passing of the initial 700 billion dollar "Bailout" bill.
3. ‘Breathe’ ft Bahamadia (prod by Batsauce) presented a great opportunity to work with a legend. I was amped when Bahamadia agreed to be a part of this song. Our focus on this song was to capture the all too familiar sentiments of daily stress we all feel.
4. ‘Collapse the Walls’ (prod by Edan co produced by Cut Chemist) was born from one of many great conversations I've had with Edan. While discussing the ills of society, we came to the conclusion that the goal really is to transcend all the stresses of our society in search of a healthier way of life. This song is an attempt to achieve freedom and peace of mind through the power of the imagination.
5. ‘Folklore’ ft Dumbtron and Vinnie Paz (prod by Batsauce) expand on the notions of redefining reality touched upon in "Collapse the Walls". The goal for each MC was to be as vivid as possible with no regard to any boundaries. The "walls" are officially collapsed as all four of us display the power of imagination through free form verses.
6. ‘Police Brutality’ (scene) (prod by Ray Fernandes (skit) co produced by Decaye) - This comes off as a mistaken identity incident. However, the cops are actually beating me because I have been sighted as a threat for spreading the radical ideals expressed in ‘Collapse the Walls’ and ‘Folklore’.
7. ‘Gun Fight’ ft Metro (prod by J-Zone) - Metro and I explore a range of issues pertaining to police brutality and imprisonment.
8. ‘PNN’ (prod by Paten Locke aka Therapy co produced by Nik Jhatakia) - My boy Cas calls me from jail and I immediately rally resources to regain his freedom.
9. ‘Hatred’ (prod by Mr. Lif) deals with the issue of self hatred in the Black community, and rallies people of colour toward the immeasurable power that can be unlocked through self esteem.
10. ‘Homecoming’ (scene) (prod by Mr. Lif) - Cas finally gets out of jail, so we threw a welcome home party for him.
11. ‘Head High’ (prod by Paten Locke aka Therapy) was written during the initial conflict between Barack Obama and Jeremiah Wright. It was depressing to see the same "crabs in a barrel" mentality that far too many of us act out in the Black community being acted out on the world stage against Obama. The situation lead me to pack a bowl, sit back, and think about the world.
12. ‘I Heard It Today’ (prod by Willie Evans Jr.) - The "housing crisis" is proof or the harsh reality that nothing is sacred. The American government allowed big business to gamble with people's ability to shelter themselves. I wrote this song to represent the voices of those adversely affected.
13. ‘The Sun’ (prod by Headnodic) is a song meant to provide inspiration and hope for people who lost their homes and for all of us struggling through these difficult times.
14. ‘Dawn’ (prod by Willie Evans Jr.) - A reminder to live life to the fullest.
I love that he has a running narrative throughout, kind of like I, Phantom. Grab this when it drops!
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