| I Phantom | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 17, 2002 (2002-09-17) | |||
| Studio | Boston Butta Beats inBoston; Def Jux Studios, Steel Acres, and The Danger Room in New York | |||
| Genre | Hip hop,underground hip hop | |||
| Length | 47:23 | |||
| Label | Definitive Jux | |||
| Producer |
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| Mr. Lif chronology | ||||
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I Phantom is the debutstudio album by American rapperMr. Lif. It was produced mostly byalternative hip hop artistEl-P, among others, at Boston Butta Beats in Boston and theNew York City-based Steel Acres, The Danger Room, and Def Jux Studios. Mr. Lif composedI Phantom as aconcept album about the working life of anAfrican American who is pressured into pursuing the dubious rewards of theAmerican dream.[1]
The album was released on September 16, 2002, byDefinitive Jux. A widespread critical success, it was acclaimed for El-P's sparsehip hop production and Lif's incisive,everyman lyrics.
To see conscious rap disappear to the point where people are almost shocked that I could make such a record is disappointing. How did we get lulled to sleep like this?
I Phantom is aconcept album described as "an exploration of the dynamics of everyday life, and the pursuit of our dreams, in a rapidly decaying society." The narrative begins withdeath ("A Glimpse at the Struggle") andresurrection ("Return of the B-Boy") and ends withnuclear holocaust ("Earthcrusher", "Post-Mortem"). Theliner notes provide instructions on how the story should be followed.[3] Mr. Lif recorded the album at Boston Butta Beats inBoston and theNew York City studios Steel Acres, The Danger Room, and Def Jux Studios,[3] in the same sessions that produced his debut extended playEmergency Rations (2002).[2] The album features beats made byalternative hip hop producers such asEdan,DJ Fakts One, andEl-P, as well as guest raps performed byAesop Rock,Jean Grae, andAkrobatik.[2]
I Phantom expands on theeveryman persona that he debuted onEmergency Rations, of which he said in an interview for theChicago Tribune: "We're wasting time if we're not talking about issues that affect us and the planet in our music. I grew up in an era whenBoogie Down Productions,Public Enemy andEric B. and Rakim were dropping serious science on their records. They didn't ignore what was going on around them at the time, and neither should we. We're talking with each other through this music."[4] While his debut EP was an intensely political diatribe onU.S. foreign policy and theBush administration,I Phantom focuses more on working classblack America.[5]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 81/100[6] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
| Alternative Press | 7/10[8] |
| Blender | [9] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [2] |
| NME | 7/10[10] |
| Pitchfork | 8.3/10[11] |
| Rolling Stone | [12] |
| Uncut | [13] |
| Vibe | 4/5[14] |
| The Village Voice | A[15] |
I Phantom was released byDefinitive Jux on September 16, 2002, in the United Kingdom and on September 17 in the United States,[16] where Mr. Lif had begun a national tour on September 14 to promote the record.[17]
I Phantom received widespread acclaim from critics. AtMetacritic, which assigns anormalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received anaverage score of 81, based on 12 reviews.[6] Moira McCormick of theChicago Tribune called it "a heady, lyrically dazzling, unsparing" hip hop concept album told "with humor, heart and a sorcerer's way with words",[1] whileBlender deemed the record'sfunk-influenced beats "innovative" and Lif's rhymes "engaging ... [He] brilliantly avoids the pitfalls of vacuous bling-drones and 'real hip-hop' whiners alike."[9] InThe A.V. Club,Nathan Rabin called it "really audacious and ambitious", writing that it mixes El-P's "icyB-boy futurism with Lif's nasal-everymanflow, to powerful effect."[18]Village Voice criticRobert Christgau saidI Phantom showed an ambitious concept, specific insight into life working and raising a family, and a critique comparable toBoots Riley. He said the "musically pleasurable" album "fleshes out its cohesive narrative and cogent ideas with beats that respect the spare antipop ethos without abjuring such wayward rhythm elements as femme chorus, bass-drum-whoop jam, and $20 synth loop".[15]
For the annualPazz & Jop critics poll, Christgau votedI Phantom as the 15th best album of 2002.[19]Kludge ranked it at number seven on the magazine's list of the year's 100 best records.[20]
| No. | Title | Producer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bad Card" | Nasa | 2:09 |
| 2. | "A Glimpse at the Struggle" | El-P | 3:28 |
| 3. | "Return of the B-Boy" | El-P | 7:35 |
| 4. | "Live from the Plantation" | Edan | 3:58 |
| 5. | "New Man Theme" | DJ Fakts One | 3:23 |
| 6. | "Handouts" | Insight | 0:40 |
| 7. | "Status" (featuring Insight) | Insight | 4:00 |
| 8. | "Success" (featuringAesop Rock) | El-P | 4:16 |
| 9. | "Daddy Dearest" | El-P | 0:57 |
| 10. | "The Now" | El-P | 3:48 |
| 11. | "Friends and Neighbors" | DJ Fakts One | 2:34 |
| 12. | "Iron Helix" (featuring Insight) | Insight | 2:41 |
| 13. | "Earthcrusher" | Insight | 3:46 |
| 14. | "Post Mortem" (featuring El-P,Jean Grae andAkrobatik) | El-P | 4:01 |
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[3]
| Chart (2002) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USHeatseekers Albums (Billboard)[21] | 20 |
| USIndependent Albums (Billboard)[22] | 16 |
| USTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[23] | 80 |
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