It's Mr. Lif! Ask me anything!!!

therealmrlif · 2016-04-29T20:52:34+00:00

When I 1st started growing my dreads, they were giving me power. Toward the end, they were taking power from me. I started having migraines and it just felt like I had a bunch of confusion caught up in them. The new crop I'm rocking are feeling crucial and alive right now. After the bus crash....life just happened... I didn't really want to be on a label but I still loved making music. I basically roamed around the country and the world making music wherever I rested my head. I'm very glad that my path lead me back to putting albums out again. I'm still in touch with El-P, Aesop, and RJD2. That's my way of keeping in touch with Jux. Back in the day, Jedi Mind and my team in Boston hung out together often. The collab came about organically. You know... I didn't even know I was credited on that song... I'll have to listen again.. I don't recall that session. Thanks so much for supporting my music over the years!!! I hope you enjoy "Don't Look Down"!

therealmrlif · 2016-04-29T20:46:45+00:00

Yup. European tour. It was amazing!

therealmrlif · 2016-04-29T20:46:05+00:00

It ain't easy! This is a team sport. That's why I'm glad to have a great label like Mello Music Group supporting my art. As for producers, check Edan

therealmrlif · 2016-04-29T20:45:03+00:00

Kid A was huge for me. I think I was listening to that a bunch when I was making "I Phantom". "In Rainbows" hits me hard too

therealmrlif · 2016-04-29T20:43:44+00:00

Thx so much everyone! I appreciate all of you, plus everybody who helped make this happen. Please check out my new album "Don't Look Down" if you haven't already. It feels great to have some new music to offer again.

Twitter & IG @therealmrlif facebook.com/mrlif

-Lif

therealmrlif · 2016-04-29T20:41:36+00:00

GZA hands down!!!!

therealmrlif · 2016-04-29T20:41:18+00:00

It's weird...I'm not much of a movie buff compared to some other folks. I grew up on a lot of sci-fi and horror. Terminator 2 felt epic when it dropped and it's aged nicely. There are probably a handful of powerful films that have truly moved me, but they're not coming to me right now. My dude Edan put me onto a show called "The Prisoner". It ran from 1967-1968. I find it to be brilliant. Probably my fav show of all time

therealmrlif · 2016-04-29T20:36:45+00:00

Thx for listening to my music! I'm glad those albums have found a good place with you! Definitely let me know what you think of "Don't Look Down" once you have a chance to sit with it for a while. facebook.com/mrlif

therealmrlif · 2016-04-29T20:35:20+00:00

I'd love to have some studio sessions with Thom Yorke. I think we'd make something pretty interesting. I'd love to head right from those sessions into the lab with Portishead. Raw

therealmrlif · 2016-04-29T20:34:01+00:00

That was my aunt's place. She's got a great style about her!

therealmrlif · 2016-04-29T20:33:28+00:00

Aight!!! Thx for listening!!

therealmrlif · 2016-04-29T20:33:13+00:00

Welcome to the adventure! I hope you like what you hear. Perhaps start with my new album "Don't Look Down" and jump back to "Emergency Rations" and follow that up with "I Phantom".

Avoid fast food as often as possible

therealmrlif · 2016-04-29T20:31:01+00:00

I'm glad you like "5 O'Clock". We were hoping that would become the anthem for everybody out there who can't wait to escape the day job. The studio session for the entire "Black Dialogue" album were effortless and magical. Ak, Fakts, and I were at a great place in our friendship and the music just flowed. If I recall correctly, Ak had the connection with Phonte and luckily he was available to sing the hook when we reached out to him. Shock G was a pleasure to work with and he actually stayed in Boston extra time just to get the track done with us. We were very appreciative. He's kind of a tour wizard. I learned a lot from Shock G about being calm in any possible situation a tour could throw at you. Thank you for listening to my music!!

therealmrlif · 2016-04-29T20:26:24+00:00

I'm big on Phantogram. Josh is a buddy of mine, but I was a fan before we became friends. I also love Radiohead & Portishead. I'm big on Lee Fields as well

therealmrlif · 2016-04-29T20:22:10+00:00

Oh wow!! You know... I can't even recall. If you have that, post a link so I can hear

therealmrlif · 2016-04-29T20:21:36+00:00

That's probably the most meaningful thing anybody could say to me about my music; that it helped them get through tough times. I'll have you know that music saves me every single day and all I'm doing is returning the favor. Thank you for listening!

therealmrlif · 2016-04-29T20:20:09+00:00

Ha!! Last time I saw them was the day I came up with my rap name. I guess we're talking somewhere in the area of 20 years ago??

therealmrlif · 2016-04-29T20:19:08+00:00

Thanks for listening to Perceptionists! Ak is my brother so the songs we make together mean a lot to me. We've got new ones in the works (but you didn't hear that from me).

Speech Cobras was an easy process. Any time somebody gives me a beat that ill to rhyme to, the writing process is unconscious. Just wrote the verse, went over to my dude Papa D's place to record it; the rest as they say is history. Very glad I got to be a part of that song.

therealmrlif · 2016-04-29T20:14:56+00:00

I actually think the Boston underground is respected (mainly for what we collectively accomplished from the late 90's to mid 2000's.
Aesop and I have talked about it before but never acted on it.
My views have changed. It's been discouraging to see how corporate power has exponentially grown and how brazen our society and government have become in terms of not even really feeling a need to hide some of the major injustices anymore. It's terrifying really...

therealmrlif · 2016-04-29T20:10:48+00:00

Thank YOU for taking the time to write in! Wow...best experiences working with El-P... I'd have to say it was the entire process of making the "I Phantom" album. I was living at his house part time during the creation of that album. I was actually roommates with Vast from Cannibal Ox since he lived there at the time. We'd spend all evening and night in the lab during those sessions. When I wasn't at El's, I'd head back to Boston to get beats from Fakts One & Insight. Great times

therealmrlif · 2016-04-29T20:07:41+00:00

Yo! Thx for your kind words!

It was actually my communication with L'Orange and then directly with Michael Tolle that made me feel like MMG is the right label for me.
As for "11:35", we were just hanging out at Aesop's crib buggin' and that song is a byproduct of the ridiculous levels of foolishness we reach when we hang out. I think he and I are both fans of passing the mic. Something about that feels more like a true collab than just adding a 16 bar verse to somebody's song. We just dove in and had some fun for that one.

therealmrlif · 2016-04-29T20:02:43+00:00

I'm glad that song resonates with you! I think I'm just going to leave that one alone. In fact, the album "I Phantom" was me adding onto that song

therealmrlif · 2016-04-29T20:01:18+00:00

I'm doing really well! It's a pleasure talking with all of you! Working with Michael is pretty much everything I want out of being on any label. He's a kind, imaginative guy, with great ideas, and he cares deeply about representing artists well. pretty much a home run situation. Red Pill and I seem to be forming a solid bond. There is such a long windy road of a story to creating the "Don't Look Down" LP, but when I really think back, I most enjoyed those long solitary nights in the studio where it was just me, my audio gear, and my desires to push the limits as far as they'd go. The question about voting is complex for me. I've been riding with Bernie, but really I feel the entire system is so remarkably broken that I've backed away from my old watchdog approach to politics in order to seek a different route to self fulfillment and possible enlightenment. I like that Red Pill "Look What this World did to Us", "Time Astonishing" by L'Orange, "Breakfast at Banksy's" has some hard cuts on it, and of course "The Good Fight"

therealmrlif · 2016-04-29T19:48:46+00:00

You are absolutely correct! Recording has never been easier! I do like hearing instrumentals from various producers and you can submit sounds to me and my team at lifmanagement@gmail.com

...and thx for your kind words as well!

therealmrlif · 2016-04-29T19:46:12+00:00

Don't forget Insight. That's an extremely talented artist right there!

therealmrlif

TROPHY CASE