Catch up with Mr. Lif in part 2 of our massive in-depth feature

How important is your live act in terms of reaching out to the fans? I have left too many hip-hop shows feeling disappointed but every time I have seen Mr. Lif I left thinking “that is what a hip-hop gig should be about.”

That’s a great compliment man and I thank you for that. I just feel like that is as important as the music. For me to spend the time making an album and then hot dog it up onstage without a plan, I would just be making a mockery of myself.
Even if the show is going well I’m never satisfied. You can talk to any DJ or MC I have ever worked with and they’ll say I am always like ‘What went well tonight? what didn’t go well?’

Just because the fans are smiling doesn’t mean we are going to rest on our laurels. There are people at this point of my career, who have seen me three or four times and for me it’s like “What are we going to do next time so they see/hear something they didn’t hear tonight?

Now the package I’m rolling with has visuals that I project on to a screen during my set – I incorporate that with skits and of course the music. I like everything to be thematically tied in: I want people to feel like they are watching something thematically sound, something that has a narrative. I think in terms of a Broadway Production rather than a regular rap show.

A big inspiration to me is George Carlin… especially in his later years, when he was on an even more socio-politcal commentary level. I know my subject matter is heavy but my goal, when I am at a show, is to make it feel like a party. I want people leaving inspired not depressed, you know!

Back in the day you put out an album, ‘Live at the Middle East’ What made you decide to put a live album out there?

One of the things that made me want to do it was that we were touring ‘Enter the Colossus’ – that was my first CD back in 2000. We had gotten to such a level of proficiency with performing the songs. You know what, I was like ‘This is such a great era that only comes around once’. You’ve just released your debut CD and it is getting well received. I was like ‘Yo man, let’s capture this’.

The Boston scene was also at fever pitch at that point in time. I was like “Yeah, this needs to be documented.” I gave the same guy who recorded ‘Enter the Colossus’, some dough and I was like “Run your equipment down to the Middle East, set up all those mics and we are recording everything.” Yeah, we ultimately captured a great night, did some minor editing to it and put it out there for the public to
consume.

What makes you pick up a pen and write rhymes?

Man, right now? Necessity! I have an opportunity to do some great collaborations. A collaboration with Stakic Selecta I am working on right now. I am doing something for Def Jux Presents Part 4 that I am working on. I am not sure if that is going to crystallize as I am waiting to get beats and the deadlines definitely hanging over my head. Also there is a Def Jux artist called Danny, who is the new kid on the label and, you know, I am going to be writing a song with him. We are supposed to make a video and all that.

Right now I am trying to swing a little bit away from the politics because I did so much about it for the ‘Heard It Today’ album and just try to have a little bit of fun with word play. The catch is, that I need to finish all this things before I go on tour. So I am just writing my ass off. But I am feeling inspired.

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?

Huh, I know I am going to have spend a section of my life living in Amsterdam, even if it just six months. I definitely have the option to spend some more time in Boston since I have been gone since the early 2000s. I would love to live in Northern California again too. Maybe the old me would have thrown in someplace sunny with beaches to relax, but I have recently tried that in Mexico, and, yo man I like being in the hustle and bustle. I am saving that shit for retirement. Right now I have got so much energy I don’t want to be in an area that is too relaxing.

I would have said I’m fine where I am right now. I’m based in Philly and really enjoying that. My family is still in Boston so I get to have the best of two cities. Then, maybe at some point I will branch out but I have got feeling that I’ll end up in some place I am not even thinking about right now. That will be just fine for me.

Aside from hip-hop do you have any other good skills?

One of my best assets that I haven’t really utilised yet is I’m a good sports talk show
host, you know. I am very passionate about American football and I am also very diplomatic about adhering to what is going on with everyones’ teams and having a good conversation with people that is relatively un-biassed.

I heard you did some talk show on American football, is that right? When was this?

In the 2006 season before I got into the bus accident. I think we started in week 4 and went up to week 10 or something like that, they were testing a sports talk radio show, and in 07 Acrobatic and I did a couple of bigger tests. But I think that’s on the horizon for me.

I don’t think I will ever really be done with music but once I have decided to maybe shift the intensity of my focus, it will be probably sports talk radio. It is what I love doing.

I also love real estate. I obviously loved it a lot more before I found out a lot of it was hoaxed. But the core of it is still people finding a place for themselves, hopefully in an area that they can afford and hopefully in a clean home. I think that I would like to help people with that as well and be involved in the industry. I just love seeing different homes in different parts of the world and seeing how people are living… the lifestyles they have.

Look out for the massive part 3, in the upcoming Bonafide Magazine issue 03

Read Part one…

Filed under: Bonafide Exclusives by P.A.