999, 962: Mr. Lif — Earthcrusher

If you want to zero-in on backpack rap's most glaring deficiency, it's that lyrics inspired by political activism tend to either bore an audience or bum them out. Or both. All the time. Which brings us to Earthcrusher, an apocalyptic jeremiad about nuclear obliteration filled with allusions to Masonic and corporate conspiracies, delivered with such earnestness by Lif that you can't tell if he's kidding or not. In one breath he's describing the horrific effects a biological weapon might have on the human anatomy, and in the next presenting this kind of attack as an annoying obstacle that the working man may encounter on the way to the job. And if someone were in the middle of being incinerated by napalm, would they really stop to wonder where their tax money was going to? One thing that's definitely not a joke is the beat. It starts with a lurching bass harmonica sample before plunging into a thick drum rhythm, while overhead a speedy, almost frantically plucking string player races up his instrument's neck. Hold on, nuclear bombs are headed toward Zaire? We must be really be in a mess. Luckily, Mr. Lif returns fire with his mic, "taking out the US government and then Russia". Well, I'm definitely not bored.

Earthcrusher - Mr. Lif