I Phantom

Mr. Lif | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 17, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Definitive Jux
• ASIN: B00006F7OH
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #143,844 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #36 in Music > Indie Music > Rap & Hip-Hop > Experimental

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow., September 19, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: I Phantom (Audio CD)

This is the newest album from Def Jukie Mr. Lif, who last year released the blistering "Emergency Rations" EP, probably the first hip hop record to comment directly on 9/11 and its aftermath for the country. Mr. Lif is on a roll here, with the new record "I, Phantom". The whole album is a concept record about our capitalist society and the average man's place within it. It begins with the troubled dreams of an everyman, (the tracks are written in his voice), and progresses through his day at work, ending with nothing less than nuclear annihilation. The music definitely fits in the pantheon of other Def Jux releases, particularly the El-P produced "Fantastic Damage" and "Cannibal Ox" albums. El-P provides music for about half of the tracks, along with Boston area indie rapper Edan and another rapper/producer named Insight. For my money the El-P produced songs best fit Mr. Lif's style and content, but the whole album is terrific. It's dark, brooding, political, and utterly brilliant. Mr. Lif's flow is better than ever, sort of a mix between Rakim and Sadat X. Don't sleep on this one. It's gonna end up on quite a few end of the year "10 best" lists.....

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As good as hip-hop gets, October 23, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: I Phantom (Audio CD)

"Mr. Lif's Wackness shocks his old fans, June 23, 2003
Reviewer: deadlytruthz (see more about me) from United States
"Wow a new Mr. Lif disc!" came out of my mouth when I saw I phantom sitting on the shelf amoungst all the independant labels. Obviously I bought it and rushed to the car to play it on the way home, thats when the trouble started... not only was I not feeling one track on the whole disc... but it all sounded like terrible old school. I have heard better beats put together from local artist who dont have a dime to spend... what was mr. lif thinking? I shoke my head as I took it out of the player "Hard to Imagine that Jedi Mind Tricks had this cat on their Cd" . Where is the cd now? probably disapointing another old fan that bought it from me via- online."

This is what truly irritates me about most people who claim to be hip-hop fans. Instead of listening to the music for what it is, you surrendered to your preconceived notions of "what old/new school hip-hop ought to sound like". Despite whether you like it or not, this is not a good reason to say the album sucks.

In my opinion, the album is classic--one of the best I've ever heard. Every track is typical intelligent rhymes/live beats that we should expect from Mr. Lif. It also contains a great story line (from the beginning of man to inevitable nuclear armageddon) into which every song fits and discusses a particular facet of life. But, I would venture to guess that deadlytruthz did not even realize this as he promptly ejected the CD without even giving it a chance.

If you have more than a superficial love for hip-hop, then this CD is for you. The beats by El-P, Insight, Fakts One, and Edan are all excellent, and the rhymes are well-constructed, insightful, and thought-provoking, including features by (MC's) Insight, Aesop Rock, El-P, Jean Grae, and Akrobatik.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Forget production, five stars for lyrical content alone!, November 19, 2002

By 

Eddie Montgomery (Santiago, Dominican Republic) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I Phantom (Audio CD)

Clearly this is Boston's finest emcee since Guru and Ed O.G. Boston currently has one of the best and most slept on hip-hop scenes and Mr.Lif proves why. Lif can ride any beat, and he's smooth like butter! Lif, with his political lyrics reminds me of KRS and Chuck D combined into one emcee, and if you've ever had the opportunity to see him do a live show, then you know he can rock that as well. This lp follows a similar format to that of Prince Paul's "A Prince Among Thieves" in that it begins with the return of Lif (check the last ep, "Emergency Rations), asking a friend for a gun and from there the story begins. Stand out joints include "Live From The Plantation" (comparing working in american society in which the government steals half your pay in taxes to working on a slave plantation), "Status" connects nicely with "Success" and in turn this success causes him to neglect his family, in turn loosing them, afterwards he gets a new family and in turn neglects his son from his first marriage-"Daddy Dearest & Now." He finishes off with "Iron Helix, Fun Crusher and Post Mortem, three very solid and political joints that addresses the problems of society, majority caused by the governement and those brought on ourselves. When listening to this joint, one can't help but see the validity in the issues raised, namely that the american society is so concerned with the status quo, and that means money is the controlling factor in which many americans have sacrificed everything that is morally upright and important, including the destruction of this planet. With excellent production by El P, Edan, Fatks and guest appearances from El P, Akrobatik, Jean Grey & Edan, this is one of the most complete and important lp of the year!