I Heard It Today

Last updated
I Heard It Today
Mr.lif-iheardittodaycover.jpg
Studio album by
Mr. Lif
ReleasedApril 21, 2009 (2009-04-21)
Genre Hip hop
Length39:25
Label Bloodbot Tactical Enterprises
Producer Batsauce, Edan, Cut Chemist, Ray Fernandes, Decaye, J-Zone, Therapy, Nik Jhatakia, Mr. Lif, Willie Evans Jr., Headnodic
Mr. Lif chronology
Mo' Mega
(2006)		I Heard It Today
(2009)		 Don't Look Down
(2016)

I Heard It Today is the third solo studio album by American hip hop artist Mr. Lif. [1] It was released by Bloodbot Tactical Enterprises on April 21, 2009. [2] Written at "the dawn of the Obama administration", the album is "dedicated to capturing the pulse of a tumultuous era in the United States." [3]

Contents

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 70/100 [2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic favorable [4]
The A.V. Club B− [5]
BBC favorable [6]
The Boston Globe favorable [7]
Exclaim! favorable [8]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Pitchfork 5.3/10 [10]
PopMatters Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [11]
Spin favorable [12]
XLR8R 8.5/10 [13]

At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 70, based on 11 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [2]

Max Herman of XLR8R gave the album an 8.5 out of 10, commenting that "taking a break from working with El-P actually benefits him, as the melodic beats crafted by producers like J-Zone, Edan, and Headnodic are the perfect pairing for Lif's selfless lyricism." [13] Andrew Martin of PopMatters gave the album 6 stars out of 10, calling it "one of Lif's most concise and well-rounded efforts." [11] David Aaron of BBC wrote, "it's comforting to know there are still hip hop acts out there trying to give a voice to the voiceless." [6]

Track listing

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Welcome to the World" Batsauce 2:45
2."What About Us?"Batsauce2:59
3."Breathe" (featuring Bahamadia)Batsauce2:44
4."Collapse the Walls" Edan, Cut Chemist 3:06
5."Folklore" (featuring Dumbtron and Vinnie Paz)Batsauce3:23
6."Police Brutality (Scene)"Ray Fernandes, Decaye0:46
7."Gun Fight" (featuring Metro) J-Zone 3:15
8."PNN 1"Therapy, Nik Jhatakia1:11
9."Hatred" Mr. Lif 3:22
10."Homecoming (Scene)"Mr. Lif0:23
11."Head High"Therapy4:27
12."I Heard It Today"Willie Evans Jr.3:38
13."The Sun"Headnodic3:40
14."Dawn"Willie Evans Jr.3:46
Bandcamp edition bonus track [14]
No.TitleLength
15."Obama"4:00
iTunes edition bonus track [15]
No.TitleLength
15."The Gauntlet"3:42

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References

  1. ↑ LeRoy, Dan (June 3, 2009). "Today Is the Day: Mr. Lif bounces back strong after life-threatening injuries". The Riverfront Times . Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "I Heard It Today by Mr. Lif". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  3. ↑ "I Heard It Today". Mr. Lif. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  4. ↑ Rinaldi, Matt. "I Heard It Today - Mr. Lif". AllMusic . Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  5. ↑ Martins, Chris (April 21, 2009). "Mr. Lif: I Heard It Today". The A.V. Club . Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  6. 1 2 Aaron, David (2009). "Mr. Lif - I Heard It Today - Review". BBC . Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  7. ↑ Capobianco, Ken (April 20, 2009). "Mr. Lif, 'I Heard It Today'". The Boston Globe . Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  8. ↑ Jones, Kevin (July 23, 2009). "Mr. Lif - I Heard It Today". Exclaim! . Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  9. ↑ Yates, Steve (April 19, 2009). "Urban review: Mr Lif, I Heard It Today". The Guardian . Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  10. ↑ Greene, Jayson (April 16, 2009). "Mr. Lif: I Heard It Today". Pitchfork . Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  11. 1 2 Martin, Andrew (May 3, 2009). "Mr. Lif: I Heard It Today". PopMatters . Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  12. ↑ Peisner, David (March 19, 2009). "Mr. Lif, 'I Heard It Today' (Bloodbot Tactical)". Spin . Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  13. 1 2 Herman, Max (April 15, 2009). "Mr. Lif - I Heard It Today". XLR8R . Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  14. ↑ "I Heard It Today | Mr. Lif". Bandcamp . Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  15. ↑ "I Heard it Today by Mr. Lif". iTunes . Apple Inc. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
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