After seven years away, Mr. Lif will return on April 15th with his new album, Don’t Look Down. The Boston emcee’s first record since 2009’s I Heard It Today is also his first at his new label home of Mello Music Group. Over ten tracks, Mr. Lif traces the arc of a hero from confrontation to self-doubt, hope to revelation. He doesn’t make this journey alone, however, as he’s bolstered by the likes of Edan, Akrobatik, and Del the Funky Homosapien. The latter shows up on freshly revealed track, “World Renown”.
“Brought my portable lab over to Del’s crib to capture this madness,” Lif tells Consequence of Sound about recording the track. “Wore my engineering cap and wielded my poetic license simultaneously to harness the chemistry of what has now become a long friendship between Del and I. Our goal was to bring you the uncompromised raw.”
Storywise, “World Renown” takes place at the end of the second act as Lif’s protagonist is redoubling his efforts to succeed by his own creative rules. Over a beat that’s as throwback as it is refreshing from Pas Doo, Del and Lif trade verses and lines equally. “Cataclysmic wisdom is wizardry with lyrics,” Del flows in his first few bars, affirming that his creative wit can trump the petty politics of his peers.” Defeat the fictional/ It’s minimal/ A figment of imagination.” Lif sums up the confidence he and his partner have in their rhyme superiority with his final verse: “We’re designed with an iron mind/ You see the raw then leave in awe/ Part men part meteor.”
Check it out below.
Pre-orders for Don’t Look Down are going on via iTunes and Bandcamp.
