Apparently, Ari Fleischer forgot to CC: Mr. Lif when he sent out the e-mail that warned people to "watch what [they] say" when questioning the moral authority of America. Mr. Lif, who professes that "my eyes are wide open 'cause my television is off," has been one of the more socially conscious emcees on the recent scene, but with Emergency Rations, an EP released last month, he's crafted his most overtly political work to date, and the most inflammatory album of the post-9/11 era.

That's not to say that hip-hop artists haven't addressed this country's current political climate. Sage Francis' Makeshift Patriot and J-Live's Satisfied both did a wonderful job of addressing their respective misgivings of America's revised nationalism. But while the aforementioned songs express only vague reassurances of continued political consciousness, Emergency Rations is a straight-up, name-calling, policy-specific work of dissent. Think Noam Chomsky with a beat.

Brother PC and frequent Lif collaborator Akrobatik kick off the album with a skit about the apparent abduction of Lif by government agents determined to stifle his free speech rights. It's an unfortunate and sophomoric concept that's referenced both in the liner notes and on brief skits between songs. But on the dancehall scorcher, "Jugular Vein," Lif leaves the silliness behind as he takes the mic and sets shit off properly. The beat is infectious and Lif's observational randomness and aggressive, plainspoken vocal delivery recall both Guru and Rakim. While the slashing cadence can be a bit repetitive over the course of the album, there's a smoothness in his flow, and an intelligence and wit in his observations that rescue him from mundanity.

"Home of the Brave" is the most politically direct and thematically focused song on the album. On the track's second verse, Lif gives us his polemical take on the hype following 9/11: "When they realized we didn't support their attacks, they needed something to distract: Anthrax/ So America's chant while we kill innocent families.../ Here's what the history books won't show, you're a dead man for fucking with American dough." Finally, Lif concludes that "they killed us because we've been killing them for years." Lif debuted the song earlier this year at a club less than a dozen blocks from the WTC site-- an act of American courage that isn't likely to be heralded by George Bush or William Safire.

Although the sentiments are uncompromisingly confrontational and radically political, there's something about both Lif's tone and his flow that don't exude the hard-boiled rage of Chuck D. In his own words, he keeps things on "a positive tip," and his rants are generally more informative and instructive than they are inflammatory and zealous. On "Pull Out Your Cut," Lif even addresses the cultural forces that create eating disorders in girls and dictate "that boys should never cry"-- both topics that I'm pretty sure have never been addressed in hip-hop. The song is astute, kinda quirky and endearing, if not a bit lightweight for hip-hop-- which are all qualities that could describe Lif's persona in general.

This quirky charm is nicely complemented by the album's musical production, which features Lif, Eden, and El-P. With the exception of "I, Phantom" (which is El-P's single contribution), the entire album has either a laid-back dancehall reggae or old-school vibe that's a pleasant departure from the glitch-core futurism that generally distinguishes Def Jux artists.

At times, however, Lif's randomness becomes too much and entire songs spiral out of focus and come off like untouched freestyles. On "Pull Out Your Cut," Lif abandons his dissection of the media's pervading influence and goes off on a tangent about how much he likes GZA and Guru. It's a fair enough opinion, but it's oddly placed and disrupts the song's consistency. And it must be said that nothing on this record demonstrates that Lif can place his political message in real social settings, e.g. The Coup's "Kill Your Landlord" or Public Enemy's "9-1-1 Is a Joke."

But minor flaws aside, Lif shows on this album that he's both topical and talented. Although it lacks the revelatory, genre-melting impact of Cannibal Ox's The Cold Vein or El-P's Fantastic Damage, it stands on its own amongst the Def Jux heavyweights-- which is no small feat. If Lif can maintain his message over the course of an entire album and not be distracted by odd tangents, his forthcoming LP has the potential to be a classic that ranks alongside The Coup's Steal This Album.

-Sam Chennault, July 1st, 2002