Rapper Mr. Lif and producer Stu Bangas recently teamed up for new project called Vangarde and released a new sociopolitical single, “8 Minutes 46 Seconds,” featuring Puma Ptah, Reef the Lost Cauze, Bluprint and Murs. Their debut self-titled full-length is due November 13 via Fat Beats.
“8 Minutes 46 Seconds” is named in reference to the death of George Floyd, and Mr. Lif and the features pack a lot of commentary into 4 minutes 30 seconds. He raps, “I can’t breathe/What part of that you don’t understand?/What has you so convinced that I’m not a man/Just like you’re a man, I’m somebody’s son/I am a husband, I am a father, not a subject for slaughter.”
Puma Ptah’s dancehall-style hook bridges the song to the guest verses. There’s also notable lines about the election and white privilege. “So liberal, you think you get it/So privileged, but you won’t admit it/When white rappers drop an album, you all go and get it/But when we drop an album, you seem to forget it.”
Stu Bangas production calls back to the classic boom bap sound, but Mr. Lif’s lyrics are rooted in the present and look forward to the future. Previously released singles, “Shelter in Place,” “Basquiat” and “The New Normal,” deal with relevant subjects such as the COVID-19 pandemic and their ideas about ignorance.
Mr. Lif also made a comment on “Shelter in Place” featuring Blacastan, since that song is also new. “‘Shelter In Place’ is a demand for the American government to do better not only in coronavirus response, but in functioning to increase the moral capital of communities rather than solely increasing the financial capital of the wealthy.”
The group also released a DJ mix put together by legendary turntablist J Rocc, titled Countdown to Vangarde. It features “The New Normal,” “8 Minutes 46 Seconds” and a lot of classic Mr. Lif tracks with some remixed instrumentals and Vangarde leaks mixed in.
Tracklist
1. Global Shift (feat. Insight)
2. Shelter in Place (feat. Blacastan)
3. Basquiat
4. 8 Minutes 46 Seconds (feat. Puma Ptah, Reef The Lost Cauze, Bluprint & Murs)
5. Old World Brokenness
6. Wave the Flag (feat. Eternia & Insight)
7. Sonar (feat. Akrobatik)
8. New World Adjustments
9. Now Is Only Now
10. The New Normal
11. No Hitter
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