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Emergency Rations (EP)

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Untitled

Emergency Rations is the second EP by American rapper Mr. Lif, released on June 25, 2002, by Definitive Jux. It was recorded on February 28, 2002, at Bandulero Sound in Berlin, Boston Butta Beats in Boston, and The Pool Room in New York City.[1]

Music and lyrics

Emergency Rations is a concept album whose premise centers around Mr. Lif's fictional kidnapping presumably by government agents. It showcases his defiant perspective on themes such as civil rights, censorship, and U.S. foreign policy.[2] He also raps about societal ills such as gender socialization, the vapid state of pop culture, and the dehumanizing effects of capitalism.[3] Lif's thoughtful, confrontational lyrics are backed by Akrobatik and El-P's dissonant production, which evokes feelings of paranoia and alienation.[2]

Critical reception

Emergency Rations received positive reviews from music critics. Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club praised its "solid blast of social consciousness" and wrote that the EP has "a raw, unfinished quality that more than lives up to the urgency of its title."[3] Allmusic's Martin Woodside called Lif "a thoughtful, often incendiary lyricist" and gave Emergency Rations four out of five stars, calling it "a provocative, well-crafted album that proves hard to ignore."[2] Robert Christgau from The Village Voice found him to be a "funny" and "angry guy", and gave Emergency Rations an "A–",[4] indicating "the kind of garden-variety good record that is the great luxury of musical micromarketing and overproduction.[5] Christgau wrote that Lif uses the EP as both a set up for his subsequent concept album, I Phantom (2002), and as "an excuse to drop random science about the place of hip hop in the military-industrial complex."[4]

Track listing

  1. "Intro (Missing Person's File)" – 2:22
  2. "Jugular Vein" – 3:19
    • Produced by Mr. Lif
    • Scratches by Doc Fu
  3. "Heavy Artillery" – 3:41
    • Produced by Edan
    • Scratches by Edan
  4. "Home Of The Brave" – 3:46
    • Produced by Mr. Lif
    • Scratches by DJ Hype
  5. "Pull Out Your Cut" – 3:30
    • Produced by DJ Hype
    • Scratches by DJ Hype
  6. "Get Wise '91" – 3:21
    • Featuring Edan
    • Produced by Edan
    • Scratches by Edan
  7. "The Unorthodox" – 4:00
  8. "Phantom" – 4:18
    • Featuring El-P
    • Produced by El-P

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.[6]

  • Akrobatik – vocals
  • Keith Atkins – engineer
  • DJ Hype – cut, producer
  • Edan – producer
  • EI P – producer, vocals
  • Fakts One – cut, producer, vocals
  • Ray Boy Fernandes – engineer, mixing
  • Marc Johnson – engineer
  • Dan Ezra Lang – art direction, design, illustrations
  • Mr. Lif – primary artist, producer
  • Nasa – engineer, mixing
  • Ghazi Shami – development

References

  1. ^ "Mr Lif - Emergency Rations CD Album". CD Universe. Muze. Archived from the original on March 12, 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ a b c Woodside, Martin. "Emergency Rations - Mr. Lif". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  3. ^ a b Rabin, Nathan (October 18, 2002). "Mr. Lif: Emergency Rations EP". The A.V. Club. Chicago. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  4. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (February 11, 2003). "Consumer Guide: The Prelude". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  5. ^ Christgau, Robert (2000). "Key to Icons". Robert Christgau. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  6. ^ Emergency Rations (CD liner notes). Mr. Lif. Definitive Jux. 2002. DJX030-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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