This came into my head out of absolutely nowhere while I was trying to fall asleep. I played it and almost cried from the nostalgia. 31. Wishing I was 15.
I'm almost 30 but when I listen to this, I feel like I'm 14 again. Kinda cool how much nostalgia is here, but those lyrics pull me back to reality. Visiting that childlike mindset and simultaneously reflecting on the state of my adult life makes 14 year-old me pretty bummed out. This is a very special piece of music, even if the emotions it evokes aren't all good. THUG life, yall. Don't ever forget.
I AM ALMOST 30 and I feel the exact same way bro let's link and make a cover of this song like I already know the lyrics by heart but I want to add something new Underrated GOATED song
“Single mother, who are you? (I phantom) Office worker, who are you? (I phantom) Caught up in the system, who are you? (I phantom) Tryin’ to earn a living, who are you? (I phantom) Depressed and uninspired, who are you? (I phantom) Hard-workin’, broke and tired, who are you? (I phantom) Seekin’ education, who are you? (I phantom) Can’t get ahead no matter what you do? (I phantom)” this is one of the most powerful verses I have ever heard in song, in reality we're all phantom's.
This is the song that lowkey got me deeper into conspiracies when I was in high school. That El-P beat is so haunting I love how it makes me feel anxious.
At 3:10, he asks "Single mother, who are you?" and at 3:25, he asks "Seeking education, who are you?" The same lady voice responds "I, Phantom" in both instances. It always struck me as interesting that Mr. Lif would use the same voice clip for both, but now that my wife and I are about to have a baby, it made me think about how she would support herself if I were gone. Props to all the single mothers out there that don't have much support from family or the government, where the only way out of that rut is to seek an education that would most likely result in hefty student loans that would take years to repay, on top of the costs associated with raising a child.
Haha I will never understand life. One day I'm doing something right, then the next day it's not right, especially with a 6 month old baby. The only thing I understand is that I may never fully get it, and that's okay.
I remember liking this song A LOT when I was a kid. Now that I’m 31 and looking back, I’m so glad I remembered it. Very powerful lyrics and innovative beat. It’s like ASAP ripped the beat schematics and left the lyricism. Very ahead of its time. Beautiful.
Same here. I'm 33 and I haven't heard this in 20 years since a few days ago. I remember this was the only hip hop/rap track I would put on my T.H.U.G playlist (Tony Hawk Underground) for PS1 around 2005 or '06
Jon Coffee its growing and breeding. a strong tree has deep roots, let the "rootless" trees have their spotlights. if you want some input, maybe i can help you with some artist. but do me a favor and check out "Tekneek" he is a A+ british conscience-/spiritual/anti-elite rapper :) cheers mate, one!
dont worry mcees like me who love this beautiful art and understand how it blesses a man and his people are become even more strong real rap isn't going any where
Makes me think of skating in New Jersey on THUG. El-P killed this beat. Mr. Lif’s flow on this perfectly characterized what Def Jux was all about. Pure nostalgia right here.
I wasn’t alive when the game came out cause I was born in 2006, but I did grow up playing it on my older brother’s PS2 and every time this was playing I got that feeling of Nostalgia right away🥲
I’m 30 and been back and fourth to this video since I was 16( or whatever age I was playing thug)the fact that this is almost to 1 mill views is showing……………..yeah
holy shit man I remember listening to this song when I was 14 and had just started smoking weed, I would listen to this and be blown away.... So happy a few lines of this song randomly popped in my head this morning I totally forgot about this joint
[LIF] Check it out I been waitin', playin', for a long time X amount of thoughts carried out in my mind I turn on the TV, I see crime Script written diligently and aired on time Push the power button, now I'm to devour somethin Opened up my fridge and found nothin Tipped to my room with an aura of gloom Wishin' I could write another tune But my hands are paralyzed, plus my eyes Wanna shed tears, but it's not possible, there's The burden of things I couldn't bear Feelings weren't dealt with properly Remorse follows me With his good friend, the threat of poverty Here's where I am, versus where I think I oughtta be There's a certain chance I'm a victim of circumstance I take a look at myself and at first glance I see who I recently thought to be me Based on identities public and private Behold the radio pirate, ya nigga A felon, chillin' with a gun to your melon A pimp with his pockets swellin', a jester A slave with wounds that fester, the wanna-be Pre-med 3-D dread an academic reject Hoping to detect why we wrecked what God gave Human laws are laid, we go to war Come back and come up with more I'm kind, friendly, your worst enemy Charming, crass, and potentially Dangerous, have you ever heard of such? I'm invisible and impossible to touch [EL-P] This is not my beautiful melting identity The thoughts that I can't manipulate for the safe line Is personal, one amongst many is the macro Made from the pain of the fragile (repeat 3x) [LIF] I still say fresh dope and things of that sort I don't shoot up, smoke crack, or take shorts Your thoughts are always welcome, I seldom Won't enter another's perspective, corrective lenses Are somethin' that I wear, so I can see the globe real clear Look, there's famine over there, plus the families in fear Of disease and distress that lingers in the air These are the words of a man in purgatory Words of a simpleton living in oblivion Is this the model for life you will envisionin Free as can be in a world of imprisonment? I dare you to check new territory American dream? Time for another story One where I don't choke to keep afloat I'm sick of livin' on false visions of hope With a knife to my own throat Stick of dynamite inside my overcoat Because I know the ropes Reality in this world is bought and sold A very limited scope of life is shown And I'm just one of the mold, fully controlled Left to erode in my humble abode You won't hear me because I got no loot You don't hear me because you don't compute I'm docile, psycho, have you heard of such? I'm invisible and impossible to touch Single mother, who are you? (I phantom) Office worker, who are you? (I phantom) Caught up in the system, who are you? (I phantom) Tryin' to earn a living, who are you? (I phantom) Depressed and uninspired, who are you? (I phantom) Hard-workin', broke and tired, who are you? (I phantom) Seekin' education, who are you? (I phantom) Can't get ahead no matter what you do? (I phantom)
I swear it sounds like el says "this is not my beautiful melting identity, corrupts what I can't manipulate." I know genius also says " the thoughts" but I'm just not hearing it...
No matter your skin color or whether you listen to Rap/Hip-Hop regularly there is not many people who cannot relate to the lyrics in this song. This joint/EP album dropped in 2002 but the lyrics are even more bare bone true now than it’s ever been. Peace Mr. Lif. I understand Brotha. I understand.
Thats the truth. Have you heard his album I Phantom too? Also his albums "Sleepyheads" are compilations of miscellaneous tracks, they got a lot of gems on there too. I'm about to check his new album he just dropped too called Vanguard
I got that masterpiece I-Phantom also @Anthony Truman I don’t have the Sleepyheads compilation album though. That last album you mentioned is that the one with Stu Banga?
I managed to get ahold of this album as soon as it came out. It was late-october or early-november 2001. Think about those dates. This dude produced the whole EP within less than a month of 9/11. Lif knew what time it was immediately.
I heard this on THUG and I couldn't stop listening to it. That one of the other reasons why I like those games, they bring in other types of music you might not always listen to. I am a rock / metal type of guy, but I found I liked a lot of these styles of tracks. Awesome!
Tony hawk Underground brought me hear 15 years ago. This song lead me to dive deep into hip-hop. Bought this cd at 16. Downloaded off limewire. Here in 2023 and I'm turning 31 in a week. Thanks Mr.Lif for letting me break outta classic rock. This song made me for real.
@@isrv Definitely the 2000s were a uniquely different and fun time to be a teenager it was an evolution from the 90s with music pre technology and good music was still around along with a cool extreme sports culture like skateboarding and snowboarding that has died off now a days. That’s why the 2000s holds a special place for me because no one will have teenage years like we did we were the last generation of trendy teenagers this country’s had today is just pathetic how kids are.
alexanAlexander yeah, except for 9/11, Iraq, the great recession. We'll just pretend they didn't happen because you're being blinded by nostalgia. The 2000s were terrible.
@@yemi1776 People tend to forget that life has always been shitty. Kinda ironic that they forget that when this song is about a lot of the things you mentioned.
Actually, as much as I'd like to agree to this, we have mindless rap for a reason, its so that we can learn to truly appreciate music like this once we find it, its like a yin and yang balance between positive and evil energy.
I haven't heard this song in years and rarely listen to hip hop anymore but this is still untouchable! One of the best hip hop tracks ever recorded period! This song hits me in so many different ways, it's just a beautiful piece of art.
to be honest i mostly listen to very heavy metal music, death metal / black metal / thrash etc. but i must say, hiphop like this is so talented i can't help but listen. the intelligence, structure etc. are something to be admired. mr.lif is definitely at the top of my list of real artists! fuck lil wayne.
Listen to Aesop Rock. Be sure to search for the lyrics on Rap Genius (Google it) whilst listening at the same time. Don't be put-off by one song, listen to several. He is the most cryptic and technically impressive lyricist to grace this earth. If you like Mr Lif, hopefully you will like Aesop Rock. Funnily enough, he's best friends with El-P (the voices you hear at 1:33).
WakeWorkRepeat i live aesop rock, his song no jumper cables is my favorite, i love graffiti so that song speaks to me. thank you though! if their is anyone else you can think of that maybe i haven't heard please let me know
I remember hearing this for the first time on Tony Hawk's Underground, loved it ever since. Greatest song to skate to on the whole game. The beat, the lyrics, it's all hot. "With the knife to my own throat, stick of dynmite inside my overcoat, because I know the ropes."
Wow. This song is basically speaking in many terms. FE, reality, science, pandemics, gematria, mainstream media. The more and more I listen to it. My mind gets blown.
Mr. Lif was interviewed for the book series *HOW TO RAP* and *HOW TO RAP2*, and shared his rapping techniques. Here he talks about recording a track. "To a large extent, [I have the delivery worked out beforehand], but then you get in there and it’s kind of a process of trial and error. Sometimes there’s an inflection that I had planned to put on a word that might not be quite the right approach-you always have to refine that and that’s why you have to do several takes, to really crystallize it."
I normally not a fan of rap what so ever but i love Mr Lif's Work he truly has a lyrical talent and ability to make songs that are far deeper than most the crap that people call Rap... As a few have said here underground rap is a hell of a lot better and he is one of a few that proves it.
when i hear this song brings back so many marries i started playing tony hawk my favorite game as a kid in 2007 i was only 5 at the time now im 15 and still listin to the songs and play that game
I discovered Lif shortly after this EP dropped. My roommate got a hold of it. It came out in the middle of 2002, right after the Patriot Act had been passed. It was relevant at the time. It is possibly even more relevant today.
heard this on THUG and it blew me into the hip-hop community, specifically the “lyrical rap” things that make you think. i’ll never forget being around 8 years old watching my sister play THUG and hearing this in the playlist. little did i know it’d project me into music that makes me feel. what a vivacious song, if only i could go back
don't worry about pop songs getting more hits than this peeps, the mainstream is what keeps the clutter away from the true heads and those who respect art and not image. big respect to Lif, always been one of my favourites, this is one of those songs that always stirrs my emotions.
Here's a disturbing fact: This song was on iTunes for a time, as was all of the EP. The review pretty much highlights the subliminal story of the EP - which basically says that Lif was taken by 'government agents'. However, after about 1 MONTH of being on the music shop, the album vanished from existence. I still have the MP4 from back in 200X, I can't remember when. There are many rumors why it vanished, but let's be honest. It was pulled because it was a word of wisdom that nobody wanted to hear get out to the listeners.
THUG really is an all time greatest setlist for games. So much music I still listen to many years later that I found through THUG. Mr. Lif, Cannibal Ox, Alkaline Trio. Great music.
That was the first song after I found out my homie died when I was 15. Didn't even had it on CD just put on my Gamecube with THUG in it repeated the song for hours. Thx Lif and El for the help
I remember playing thug 1 and hearing this song for the first time I didn't understand the meaning back then, but now after countless financial set backs and with working 2 jobs I get it now.
Probably the greatest rap song ever written, lyrically, in my eyes. The rest of the album couldn't touch this, and neither could his second record unfortunately. But he'll always have this.
Hell yes. You can call the late 80's/early 90's the golden age of hip hop but this was the silver age. When mc's used to drop knowledge, and meaningful lyrics were important. Count my blessings I grew up during the latter. Canibus, Killah priest, Lif, Cage, Aesop rock, Sage Francis, Cannibal ox were all peaking around this time. Dope producers too, El:p, krush, shadow, stoup and alchemist were probably at their best too.
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
It's really hard to overstate how much THUG and this song specifically shaped my musical tastes growing up
^
Agreed my brotendo
You and me both
Def jux for life.
El-p is a monster
This came into my head out of absolutely nowhere while I was trying to fall asleep. I played it and almost cried from the nostalgia. 31. Wishing I was 15.
Couldn't agree more
30 here
The same feeling 😢
Same age and same thought
39 and the same shit just happened tonight
"Reality in this world is bought and sold. A very limited scope of life is shown."
youniverse thats deep cuzzim
Greatest line in rap history
😎
Still hits.
More relevant today then when the song released.
This is possibly the most soberingly powerful piece of hip hop music I've ever heard.
😎
El fucking Produco man, the guy is top 3 producers in Hip Hop.
@@hawkeyedsentinel4648 a bit late i know but out of interest who are your top 2?
Try success Mr Lif prod El P feat Aesop rock . You’ll love it even more 👀
Agreed
I never understood why they left this off the actual "I Phantom" album, this song is amazing.
Right
Yea great point
Yep
Found it on his Bandcamp looked it up right after I read your comment, cheers!
Not even on Apple as a single 😢
Crazy this isn't on Spotify. Thug days. Good times. This song is crazy nostalgic. The vibe is incomparable
Isn’t on Apple Music either, he’s got his other work up. Sadly I don’t think this’ll ever see those streaming platforms.
"I'm sick of living on false visions of hope."
That's a lyrical gut punch, right there.
"with a knife to my own throat"
In THUG 1 I always played this song during the final match with Eric. Such a fitting song for a climax :)
Victor Sutherland 🔥🔥
Me Too! Lol
I literally just did that and then was like oh shitt is that El-p????
Same lmao
Eric is such a fake friend lol
I'm almost 30 but when I listen to this, I feel like I'm 14 again. Kinda cool how much nostalgia is here, but those lyrics pull me back to reality. Visiting that childlike mindset and simultaneously reflecting on the state of my adult life makes 14 year-old me pretty bummed out. This is a very special piece of music, even if the emotions it evokes aren't all good. THUG life, yall. Don't ever forget.
I AM ALMOST 30 and I feel the exact same way bro let's link and make a cover of this song like I already know the lyrics by heart but I want to add something new
Underrated GOATED song
@@thekrazyhatter5063 that's funny as hell man I hope you can cover this song
Same here, and next year I’ll be an adult so I’m saying goodbye to my childhood early.
I feel the exact same way myself, damn near shed a tear thinking 0f how life was back then
I'm with you bro, nearly 32 myself and I'm guessing you are now 2 years later from or og comment.
It's good stuff man.
every few years I remember this song out of nowhere and get shaken up as though it were the first time. And it deserves to be felt that way.
Been nearly a decade for me. Holy shit.
Same here 🤜🏼🤛🏼
This brought me back to my childhood playing thug it put me in a trance of home and peace really love this these were great times
“Single mother, who are you? (I phantom)
Office worker, who are you? (I phantom)
Caught up in the system, who are you? (I phantom)
Tryin’ to earn a living, who are you? (I phantom)
Depressed and uninspired, who are you? (I phantom)
Hard-workin’, broke and tired, who are you? (I phantom)
Seekin’ education, who are you? (I phantom)
Can’t get ahead no matter what you do? (I phantom)” this is one of the most powerful verses I have ever heard in song, in reality we're all phantom's.
@nippy2405 ^*all phantoms, not all phantom’s
@@spanqueluv9erreally?
It's not that we are all phantoms. It's that we are treated as phantoms. Ghosts. Nobody sees us or our struggles.
@@spanqueluv9ershut up
One of the best beats of all time
This song becomes more relatable every year, it’s criminal
20 years later and this is still probably my favorite hip hop song. It's still as relevant today as it was then, maybe even more so.
Facts bro
Tonyhawk underground had the best rap songs agree?
Mann Tony hawk underground is where I learned about dope rap music
+Snowerzzz true Underground Music
+Snowerzzz Ya man. So many great songs were in that game.
+TheUnOfficalJoeBudden nah man there is loads of them :)
thug #1
damn son the 2003-2004 memories playing and vibing to this on Gamecube
This is the song that lowkey got me deeper into conspiracies when I was in high school. That El-P beat is so haunting I love how it makes me feel anxious.
Iconic PFP
Conspiracies???
This song holds a special place in my mind
A place I wish I could go bacc to I often don’t wanna go bacc to it I wanna get to it
I might have them play this at my funeral it's so beautiful and such a powerful song
At 3:10, he asks "Single mother, who are you?" and at 3:25, he asks "Seeking education, who are you?"
The same lady voice responds "I, Phantom" in both instances. It always struck me as interesting that Mr. Lif would use the same voice clip for both, but now that my wife and I are about to have a baby, it made me think about how she would support herself if I were gone. Props to all the single mothers out there that don't have much support from family or the government, where the only way out of that rut is to seek an education that would most likely result in hefty student loans that would take years to repay, on top of the costs associated with raising a child.
Great catch. All the times I heard this song never made the connection
Damn ... Took me ten years to realize this😮
Yeah called real life .... Great that you've just understood now
Haha I will never understand life. One day I'm doing something right, then the next day it's not right, especially with a 6 month old baby. The only thing I understand is that I may never fully get it, and that's okay.
@@datbang5072 lmao
I remember liking this song A LOT when I was a kid. Now that I’m 31 and looking back, I’m so glad I remembered it. Very powerful lyrics and innovative beat. It’s like ASAP ripped the beat schematics and left the lyricism. Very ahead of its time. Beautiful.
Same here. I'm 33 and I haven't heard this in 20 years since a few days ago. I remember this was the only hip hop/rap track I would put on my T.H.U.G playlist (Tony Hawk Underground) for PS1 around 2005 or '06
Love this shit. Real rap like this is a dying breed
Jon Coffee its growing and breeding. a strong tree has deep roots, let the "rootless" trees have their spotlights. if you want some input, maybe i can help you with some artist. but do me a favor and check out "Tekneek" he is a A+ british conscience-/spiritual/anti-elite rapper :) cheers mate, one!
Run the Jewels.
Unfortunately it is fuck drake and lil Wayne and all those dumbass fools this is real!!
much like akala?
dont worry mcees like me who love this beautiful art and understand how it blesses a man and his people are become even more strong real rap isn't going any where
The subject matter in this song holds up today more than it ever did.
Amazing track, not surprised that THUG won the best soundtrack in a video game award with a gem like this.
Makes me think of skating in New Jersey on THUG. El-P killed this beat. Mr. Lif’s flow on this perfectly characterized what Def Jux was all about. Pure nostalgia right here.
I wasn’t alive when the game came out cause I was born in 2006, but I did grow up playing it on my older brother’s PS2 and every time this was playing I got that feeling of Nostalgia right away🥲
I lost a very dear friend to an overdose a couple years back this was our anthem as teens miss you brother think about you most days 💔
❤
Single mother who are you? Eye phantom
Hardworker working tired who are you ? Eye phantom
Tony hawks Underground player who are you? Eye phantom
"Tony hawk's underground player who are you? EYE phantom!" thank you for allowing me to see that right now
oww you making me miss my old xbox.
the good thing im back at skating.
Thank you tony hawk games for introducing awesome music this is a classic and of course it made me wanna shred on the board
office worker who r u.
Eaze the Alien best video game soundtrack ever
I’m 30 and been back and fourth to this video since I was 16( or whatever age I was playing thug)the fact that this is almost to 1 mill views is showing……………..yeah
Phantom
holy shit man I remember listening to this song when I was 14 and had just started smoking weed, I would listen to this and be blown away....
So happy a few lines of this song randomly popped in my head this morning I totally forgot about this joint
Dude same with your whole comment!
Remember those friend's you had when you first started smoking weed together? Best times.
Michael Gregurek still have those friends.. They're the best type: P
Must be the week that blew you away bro epic tune though
[LIF]
Check it out
I been waitin', playin', for a long time
X amount of thoughts carried out in my mind
I turn on the TV, I see crime
Script written diligently and aired on time
Push the power button, now I'm to devour somethin
Opened up my fridge and found nothin
Tipped to my room with an aura of gloom
Wishin' I could write another tune
But my hands are paralyzed, plus my eyes
Wanna shed tears, but it's not possible, there's
The burden of things I couldn't bear
Feelings weren't dealt with properly
Remorse follows me
With his good friend, the threat of poverty
Here's where I am, versus where I think I oughtta be
There's a certain chance I'm a victim of circumstance
I take a look at myself and at first glance
I see who I recently thought to be me
Based on identities public and private
Behold the radio pirate, ya nigga
A felon, chillin' with a gun to your melon
A pimp with his pockets swellin', a jester
A slave with wounds that fester, the wanna-be
Pre-med 3-D dread an academic reject
Hoping to detect why we wrecked what God gave
Human laws are laid, we go to war
Come back and come up with more
I'm kind, friendly, your worst enemy
Charming, crass, and potentially
Dangerous, have you ever heard of such?
I'm invisible and impossible to touch
[EL-P]
This is not my beautiful melting identity
The thoughts that I can't manipulate for the safe line
Is personal, one amongst many is the macro
Made from the pain of the fragile
(repeat 3x)
[LIF]
I still say fresh dope and things of that sort
I don't shoot up, smoke crack, or take shorts
Your thoughts are always welcome, I seldom
Won't enter another's perspective, corrective lenses
Are somethin' that I wear, so I can see the globe real clear
Look, there's famine over there, plus the families in fear
Of disease and distress that lingers in the air
These are the words of a man in purgatory
Words of a simpleton living in oblivion
Is this the model for life you will envisionin
Free as can be in a world of imprisonment?
I dare you to check new territory
American dream? Time for another story
One where I don't choke to keep afloat
I'm sick of livin' on false visions of hope
With a knife to my own throat
Stick of dynamite inside my overcoat
Because I know the ropes
Reality in this world is bought and sold
A very limited scope of life is shown
And I'm just one of the mold, fully controlled
Left to erode in my humble abode
You won't hear me because I got no loot
You don't hear me because you don't compute
I'm docile, psycho, have you heard of such?
I'm invisible and impossible to touch
Single mother, who are you? (I phantom)
Office worker, who are you? (I phantom)
Caught up in the system, who are you? (I phantom)
Tryin' to earn a living, who are you? (I phantom)
Depressed and uninspired, who are you? (I phantom)
Hard-workin', broke and tired, who are you? (I phantom)
Seekin' education, who are you? (I phantom)
Can't get ahead no matter what you do? (I phantom)
I swear it sounds like el says "this is not my beautiful melting identity, corrupts what I can't manipulate." I know genius also says " the thoughts" but I'm just not hearing it...
No matter your skin color or whether you listen to Rap/Hip-Hop regularly there is not many people who cannot relate to the lyrics in this song. This joint/EP album dropped in 2002 but the lyrics are even more bare bone true now than it’s ever been. Peace Mr. Lif. I understand Brotha. I understand.
Thats the truth. Have you heard his album I Phantom too? Also his albums "Sleepyheads" are compilations of miscellaneous tracks, they got a lot of gems on there too. I'm about to check his new album he just dropped too called Vanguard
I got that masterpiece I-Phantom also @Anthony Truman I don’t have the Sleepyheads compilation album though. That last album you mentioned is that the one with Stu Banga?
@@shottashabazz6721 late reply but the sleepyheads compilations are on RUclips and bandcamp. And yes the Vanguard one is Mr. Lif and Stu Bangas
el-p....most underrated producer in rap...
This aged well x
I managed to get ahold of this album as soon as it came out. It was late-october or early-november 2001. Think about those dates. This dude produced the whole EP within less than a month of 9/11. Lif knew what time it was immediately.
Wow ! 😮😊😁😂😂😂
This period of Alt-hip hip from the late 90s to early 00s was magical.
The most underrated hip hop song ever
I heard this on THUG and I couldn't stop listening to it. That one of the other reasons why I like those games, they bring in other types of music you might not always listen to. I am a rock / metal type of guy, but I found I liked a lot of these styles of tracks. Awesome!
This song is perfection. The lyrics are on point because its Mr. Lif. And the production is so good I can play it over and over
Tony hawk Underground brought me hear 15 years ago. This song lead me to dive deep into hip-hop. Bought this cd at 16. Downloaded off limewire. Here in 2023 and I'm turning 31 in a week. Thanks Mr.Lif for letting me break outta classic rock. This song made me for real.
Early 2000's Def Jux, Immortal Technique, Tone Def, JMT and Rawkus was running the underground
def. one of the best underground hip hop tracks.
Damn 2006 where did you go? :/
The 2000s were a better time.
Fil alexander the most understandable and relatable for me,my teenage years 🤘
@@isrv Definitely the 2000s were a uniquely different and fun time to be a teenager it was an evolution from the 90s with music pre technology and good music was still around along with a cool extreme sports culture like skateboarding and snowboarding that has died off now a days. That’s why the 2000s holds a special place for me because no one will have teenage years like we did we were the last generation of trendy teenagers this country’s had today is just pathetic how kids are.
alexanAlexander yeah, except for 9/11, Iraq, the great recession. We'll just pretend they didn't happen because you're being blinded by nostalgia. The 2000s were terrible.
@@yemi1776
People tend to forget that life has always been shitty. Kinda ironic that they forget that when this song is about a lot of the things you mentioned.
aha had no idea who El-P was then when I was a kid but I love his shit now!! full circle eternal return shit here
Actually, as much as I'd like to agree to this, we have mindless rap for a reason, its so that we can learn to truly appreciate music like this once we find it, its like a yin and yang balance between positive and evil energy.
True shit.
Agreed 👍
I thank you for supporting Lif; this cd is worth the price.
But this track isn't even on the CD!
I haven't heard this song in years and rarely listen to hip hop anymore but this is still untouchable! One of the best hip hop tracks ever recorded period! This song hits me in so many different ways, it's just a beautiful piece of art.
I come to this song for a wake-up call to myself. been humbled by this song so many times
This was my favourite track when I was 15-16 years old. I still love this song. An underground classic!
This song captures my emotions perfectly I don't wanna be a phantom
Me Too
One of the most powerful pieces of
political hip-hop ever.
"You won't hear me, because i got no loot, you don't hear me, because it don't compute"
Needs to be on iTunes
to be honest i mostly listen to very heavy metal music, death metal / black metal / thrash etc. but i must say, hiphop like this is so talented i can't help but listen. the intelligence, structure etc. are something to be admired. mr.lif is definitely at the top of my list of real artists! fuck lil wayne.
Listen to Aesop Rock. Be sure to search for the lyrics on Rap Genius (Google it) whilst listening at the same time. Don't be put-off by one song, listen to several. He is the most cryptic and technically impressive lyricist to grace this earth. If you like Mr Lif, hopefully you will like Aesop Rock. Funnily enough, he's best friends with El-P (the voices you hear at 1:33).
WakeWorkRepeat i live aesop rock, his song no jumper cables is my favorite, i love graffiti so that song speaks to me. thank you though! if their is anyone else you can think of that maybe i haven't heard please let me know
3:12 Begins An Extremely Profound Dialogue Speaking To All of Us.
Beautiful Track!!
whoever chose the soundtrack for THUG deserves a fkin oscar man
Tony Hawk picked it out himself
@@Dangle147 he won enough
The way this song has as much relativity now as it did when it was written and produced is fucking wild (9,2024)
This song carpet bomb my memory today…..this song hits so fucking harder in 24 🤯
Pretty much one of the few greatest songs ever conceived.
"I'm invisible and impossible to touch!"
whoo are u? I'm awesome
Kriptonic Chronic no
Kriptonic Chronic yes !
This song hit me hard when I was 19. Hits me even harder at age 37.
39 and I wish I could go back
Happy (Almost) 40 Birthday dude.
@@noelnastyid rather die than be 40
I remember hearing this for the first time on Tony Hawk's Underground, loved it ever since. Greatest song to skate to on the whole game. The beat, the lyrics, it's all hot. "With the knife to my own throat, stick of dynmite inside my overcoat, because I know the ropes."
This song gives me a whirlwind of emotions like a crying smiling loving depressed happy madman
One of the best songs of all time
Wow. This song is basically speaking in many terms. FE, reality, science, pandemics, gematria, mainstream media. The more and more I listen to it. My mind gets blown.
Mr. Lif was interviewed for the book series *HOW TO RAP* and *HOW TO RAP2*, and shared his rapping techniques. Here he talks about recording a track.
"To a large extent, [I have the delivery worked out beforehand],
but then you get in there and it’s kind of a process
of trial and error. Sometimes there’s an inflection that I had
planned to put on a word that might not be quite the right
approach-you always have to refine that and that’s why you
have to do several takes, to really crystallize it."
ay i have this book!
😎
This song still hits so hard. Mr. Lif was my JAM back in the day. 50% of all the music I listened to for a year or two.
Yo who’s listening in 2020?
😎
I’m here listening to this for the 1,000th time and it’s still amazing after 10+ years
2021 :)
After so many many years I'm still bumping this beautiful piece of art. The feeling you can't compare it to anything. Such an amazing feeling 🔥💖
Tony Hawk's Underground! Also, this dude's beat is sick!
+[adult swim] bumps aka Lelouch vi Britannia The power of El-P
I love this track. Thank-you, Mr. Lif. 100% Hip-Hop.
I normally not a fan of rap what so ever but i love Mr Lif's Work he truly has a lyrical talent and ability to make songs that are far deeper than most the crap that people call Rap... As a few have said here underground rap is a hell of a lot better and he is one of a few that proves it.
I love how this song has such a old school vibe to it. Whoever the composer is, he killed it!
when i hear this song brings back so many marries i started playing tony hawk my favorite game as a kid in 2007 i was only 5 at the time now im 15 and still listin to the songs and play that game
I didn't listen to this song for a while. but it reminds me immidiately of my time in Thailand where i listened to this song very much! great song!
2019. Still hits me deep.
One of the best rap song ever made! The lyrics are pure fire! So glad i know about this song and listen often to it!
Check out Mr. Lif's whole album I Phantom. Almost every song is amazing like this one. Especially Return of The B Boy
used to rap every word of this as a pre teen. had no idea how much he was actually spittin. he was woke before woke was a thing
yea man
I discovered Lif shortly after this EP dropped. My roommate got a hold of it. It came out in the middle of 2002, right after the Patriot Act had been passed. It was relevant at the time. It is possibly even more relevant today.
Facts.
😎
If you listen to Lif's past catalogue he's always been awakened ('woke' no longer holds the same weight) and switched on
heard this on THUG and it blew me into the hip-hop community, specifically the “lyrical rap” things that make you think. i’ll never forget being around 8 years old watching my sister play THUG and hearing this in the playlist. little did i know it’d project me into music that makes me feel. what a vivacious song, if only i could go back
i played a tony hawk game when i was a little kid and i remembered "i phantom"
man, I just love this song! soooo good, I'll never get sick of this one! 😘 Mr Lif!
TONY HAWK'S AWW MAN... I wanna cry now... Miss this shit.
keep listening to music like this dude...13 and uve heard mr lif....ure future is bright son
Company Flow 4 ever...
WheetPunkThe2nd hex ?
😎
charming, crass, and potentially dangerous!!!
why isn't this EP on spotify ????
don't worry about pop songs getting more hits than this peeps, the mainstream is what keeps the clutter away from the true heads and those who respect art and not image.
big respect to Lif, always been one of my favourites, this is one of those songs that always stirrs my emotions.
Damn forgot all about this song. Played it so much in my days. Fucking great lyrics!!! Lif is unique
The lyrics are so good.
dude is clued up on life.
Here's a disturbing fact:
This song was on iTunes for a time, as was all of the EP. The review pretty much highlights the subliminal story of the EP - which basically says that Lif was taken by 'government agents'. However, after about 1 MONTH of being on the music shop, the album vanished from existence. I still have the MP4 from back in 200X, I can't remember when.
There are many rumors why it vanished, but let's be honest. It was pulled because it was a word of wisdom that nobody wanted to hear get out to the listeners.
put down the crack pipe and enjoy the music!
I like the crack pipe.
morefishscale I still have five copies of the CD, one still in its original Definitive Jux sticker tape. If you ask me, CD quality trumps it.
Yet they allow it on RUclips...
liljuve13
the government and police are your friends
Thanks to Mr. Lif we have the best rap/hip-hop songs ever
"Can't get ahead no matter what you do? I Phantom!"
Genious!
Why is this not on Apple Music. I work out to this song
THUG really is an all time greatest setlist for games. So much music I still listen to many years later that I found through THUG. Mr. Lif, Cannibal Ox, Alkaline Trio. Great music.
I really like the CD cover and its message
That was the first song after I found out my homie died when I was 15. Didn't even had it on CD just put on my Gamecube with THUG in it repeated the song for hours. Thx Lif and El for the help
Remember Eric sparrow said he had a record deal in the works? This has to be him! HAHAHHA
I remember playing thug 1 and hearing this song for the first time I didn't understand the meaning back then, but now after countless financial set backs and with working 2 jobs I get it now.
Probably the greatest rap song ever written, lyrically, in my eyes. The rest of the album couldn't touch this, and neither could his second record unfortunately. But he'll always have this.
Mr. Lif was the definition of a visionary. This shit couldn't be any more relevant today.
this track changed my life when I was about 12
Honestly this is one of the best beats ever
"stick of dynomite in my overcoat cause i kno the ropes"
Mr Lif=SICK
Hell yes. You can call the late 80's/early 90's the golden age of hip hop but this was the silver age. When mc's used to drop knowledge, and meaningful lyrics were important. Count my blessings I grew up during the latter. Canibus, Killah priest, Lif, Cage, Aesop rock, Sage Francis, Cannibal ox were all peaking around this time. Dope producers too, El:p, krush, shadow, stoup and alchemist were probably at their best too.