Mo' Mega (CD - 2006)

Boston-bred emcee Mr. Lif is a formidable hip-hop artist who makes a virtue out of not following trends. Lif's brand of socially conscious rhymes is the antithesis of hip-hop's current climate of escapism and consumerism in the new millennium. His 2006 effort, MO'MEGA is an agit-prop magnum opus--a galvanizing treatise against the societal ills of materialism and political obfuscation. Taking to task such targets as the Bush administration, the media, and corporate behemoths like McDonald's, Lif's imagist raps flow like stream-of-consciousness poetry over producer El-P's hard-hitting beats.

Mixing acerbic rhymes with clear political intent, Lif creates stark, apocalyptic images that come across like the "black CNN" of Chuck D and Public Enemy. On the menacing rock dirge "Brothaz," Lif describes the darker side of urban life as a cycle of self-destruction approaching near genocide. "Washitup," on the other hand, takes a lighter approach by riding a rolling dancehall beat over a humorous rap about hygiene. Combining the worlds of politics and entertainment, MO' MEGA is an engaging and powerful statement by an artist at the height of his powers. minimize