Jeffrey Michael Haynes (born December 28, 1977), better known by his stage name Mr. Lif, is an American rapper from

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, Massachusetts. While being praised because of his political lyrics, he has released two studio albums on

Definitive Jux Definitive Jux was a record label based in New York City. It was co-founded in 1999 by El-P and Amaechi Uzoigwe. History Definitive Jux was initially known as Def Jux. However, popular hip hop label Def Jam Recordings sued Def Jux over the name ...

and one on Bloodbot Tactical Enterprises. Mr. Lif is also a member of the hip hop group The Perceptionists with long-time friends and collaborators Akrobatik and DJ Fakts One.

Early life

Haynes grew up in the neighborhood of

Brighton, Boston Brighton is a Municipal annexation in the United States, former town and current Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, located in the northwestern corner of the city. It is named after the English city of ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. After attending the Dedham private school

Noble and Greenough School The Noble and Greenough School, commonly known as Nobles, is a coeducational, nonsectarian day and five-day boarding school in Dedham, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. It educates 638 boys and girls in grades 7–12. The school's campus border ...

, he went on to attend

Colgate University Colgate University is a Private university, private college in Hamilton, New York, United States. The Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York ...

for two years, and he eventually dropped out. He became a performer in 1994. Mr. Lif's family ancestry is Bajan. Haynes adopted the stage name "Mr. Lif" after ingesting

psilocybin mushroom Psilocybin mushrooms, or psilocybin-containing mushrooms, commonly known as magic mushrooms or as shrooms, are a type of hallucinogenic mushroom and a polyphyletic informal group of fungi that contain the prodrug psilocybin, which turns into t ...

s at an outdoor

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman, and keyboardist Page McConnell, all of whom perform vocals, with Anastasio being the ...

concert during his freshman year at

in 1994. He imagined a fictional character called The Liftedly Man while under the influence, which gave way to "Mr. Lif". He later said in an interview for the ''

Times Colonist The ''Times Colonist'' is an English-language daily newspaper in Victoria, British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific ...

'': "I don't know any Phish songs. I went to the show, and I still don't know anything about them now."

Career

Influenced by legendary MC's like

Chuck D Carlton Douglas Ridenhour (born August 1, 1960), known professionally as Chuck D, is an American rapper, best known as the leader and frontman of the hip hop group Public Enemy, which he co-founded in 1985 with Flavor Flav. Chuck D is also a me ...

KRS-One Lawrence "Kris" Parker (born August 20, 1965), better known by his stage names KRS-One (; an abbreviation of "Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone") and Teacha, is an American rapper from the Bronx. He rose to prominence as part of the ...

, and

Rakim William Michael Griffin Jr. (born January 28, 1968), better known by his stage name Rakim (), is an American rapper. He is one half of Golden age hip-hop, golden age hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, with whom he released four albums: ''Paid in Full ...

, Mr. Lif began releasing singles in the late '90s, when party rap and gangsta rap were the dominant styles for hip hop music, but Mr. Lif's lyrical agenda was a political and socially conscious one. Mr. Lif released his first single, ''Elektro'', in 1998, attracting the attention of labels Grand Royal and

. Working closely with producer and Definitive Jux label head

El-P Jaime Stuart Meline (born March 2, 1975), better known by the stage name El-P (shortened from his previous stage name El Producto), is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Starting his career as a member of Company Flow, he has ...

, Lif released a series of critically acclaimed singles and EPs, starting with ''Enters the Colossus'' in 2000. In 2000 and 2001, he won the Boston Music Award for Outstanding Rap/

Hip Hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

Act. Touring kept him busy for the next year, but he still found time to release the ''Cro-Magnon'' single and a live CD. His track "Pull Out Your Cut" was featured in the soundtrack to the ESPN Video Game ESPN NFL 2K5. In 2002, Mr. Lif released a pair of concept releases. ''The Emergency Rations'' EP bookended collaborations with Edan and Akrobatik in an MC abduction scenario, while the ''I Phantom'' full-length formed a saga that led him from birth to apocalypse. He revisited his Akrobatik collaboration in 2005, when the pair joined producer DJ Fakts One to form The Perceptionists, who released ''Black Dialogue'', also on

. One year later, he returned with ''Mo' Mega'', his follow-up to ''I Phantom'', featuring eight productions from

and features from Murs,

Aesop Rock Ian Matthias Bavitz (born June 5, 1976), better known by his stage name Aesop Rock, is an American rapper and producer from Long Island, New York. He was at the forefront of the new wave of underground and alternative hip hop acts that emerg ...

, and

Blueprint A blueprint is a reproduction of a technical drawing or engineering drawing using a contact print process on light-sensitive sheets introduced by Sir John Herschel in 1842. The process allowed rapid and accurate production of an unlimited number ...

. Mr. Lif has also collaborated with Otis Grove, Thievery Corporation and

Anomie Belle Anomie Belle (an·o·me bel) is an American multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter, producer, and '' artivist'' from Seattle. Originally a classically-trained violinist and songwriter, Belle began writing and recording music as a child. Bell ...

. ''I Heard It Today'' was released on Bloodbot Tactical Enterprises in 2009. Mr Lif embraced ''I Heard It Today'' using the album as a tool to address various political issues affecting people all over the world. ''I Heard It Today'' is the third full-length studio album by Mr. Lif. The album was released on April 21, 2009, on Mr. Lif's own label Bloodbot Tactical Enterprises. Mr. Lif has stated that the album is "dedicated to capturing the pulse of this tumultuous era we're living through." In June 2014, Mr. Lif announced on his Facebook that he is working on an album with The Polish Ambassador that will be released in the fall. In September 2014, the pair embarked on a national 5-week

Permaculture Permaculture is an approach to land management and settlement design that adopts arrangements observed in flourishing natural ecosystems. It includes a set of design principles derived using Systems theory, whole-systems thinking. It applies t ...

Action tour with fellow musicians Ayla Nereo and Liminus. The musicians performed 4–5 days a week and then participated in weekly "Permaculture Action Days" where they held permaculture themed events and activities within the communities they were visiting. The tour raised over $40,000. Lif is also a vocalist for Thievery Corporation and a member of the band's live performance group. In 2011, Lif recorded the title track to their 2012 album, "Culture of Fear". He continues to tour with the band today. Lif also appears on 2017 album "The Temple Of I & I", performing two tracks – the single "Ghetto Matrix" and "Fight To Survive", and on two further tracks from the 2018 album "Treasures from the Temple", "History and "Joy Ride".

Discography

Albums

*'' I Phantom'' (

, 2002) *'' Mo' Mega'' (Definitive Jux, 2006) *'' I Heard It Today'' (Bloodbot Tactical Enterprises, 2009) *'' Don't Look Down'' (

Mello Music Group Mello Music Group (MMG) is an American independent record label based in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 2007, Mello Music has released hip hop compilations and albums by producers and rappers such as Oddisee, Apollo Brown, Mr. Lif, Ghostface Kil ...

, 2016)

EPs

*'' Enters the Colossus'' (Definitive Jux, 2000) *'' Emergency Rations'' (Definitive Jux, 2002)

Collaborations

*'' Black Dialogue'' (Definitive Jux, 2005) – with Akrobatik and DJ Fakts One as The Perceptionists *'' The Life & Death of Scenery'' (Mello Music Group, 2016) – with L'Orange *''Terra Bella'' The Polish Ambassador, Mr. Lif, Ayla Nereo (2016) *''Resilient'' w/ Brass Menazeri (2017) *
Vangarde
' (Fat Beats Records, 2020) – with Stu Bangas

References

External links

Official website
*
Mr. Lif
interview at ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Lif, Mr. 1977 births Living people African-American male rappers 21st-century American male rappers American people of Barbadian descent Indie rappers Rappers from Boston East Coast hip-hop musicians Alternative hip-hop musicians African-American record producers American hip-hop record producers Definitive Jux artists Mello Music Group artists Noble and Greenough School alumni 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American musicians