Mr. Lif (born Jeffrey Haynes) is a Boston rapper who is currently signed to… Read Full Bio ↴Mr. Lif (born Jeffrey Haynes) is a Boston rapper who is currently signed to New York independent label Definitive Jux. Besides his solo career, Lif is also a member of the hip hop group The Perceptionists with long-time friends and collaborators Akrobatik and DJ Fakts One. Mr. Lif grew up in the neighbourhood of Brighton in Boston, MA. For two years he attended Colgate University, dropping out after becoming enamored with the hip hop music being produced at the time. He became a performer in 1994. In 2000 and 2001 he won the Kahlua Boston Music Awards for Outstanding Rap/Hip Hop Act. Mr. Lif's family ancestry is Barbadian, and his faith Rasta.

Return of the B-Boy
Mr. Lif Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

[Verse One]
Seconds after I have been swept off my feet
Open through the doors and in steps the beat
Complete with medical packs and four fours
Looked at me and said "damn this nigga need god"
Bored, apart in the streets he got beat
The meat, a disinfranchised he left wheat
Me, these images I could'nt ignore

Personas of the rhythm who just walked through the store
This man's slim, sported a red glim, notcing damage within
We remove bullets and pack skin
The kickdrum slur reopen my eyes, he say don't worry
At the clerk he say don't fire rounds in the flurry
And I have bad, tied the hostages with his gat
Told 'em break the fuck out and never look back
They have the form like meiogy for the kamikaze
Then they got me walking out pass the local paparazzi
I see y'all re animated, sure kick get damned a flavor
We came to save ya and we came to, pull back the data
I repay a major situation across town, my music is lost sound
Cause they had us locked down.
They meaning sucka rappers had us heard past
Comic clowns who be making shit sounds and laughs
Then they facing masteries, just fittin lack of pieces
what's dope and hope that we accept the wack atheists, jesus
where's the chamber? Allow me the become the scum rearranged uh
They said "focus ya anger" and bring the rhymes that you wrote
Because these folks will hang ya
I accepted their concerns turn to him and said
"fuck that written shit I'll flip that kid off the head"
What about the feds? Ayo we left them a decoy
We didn't want the beats to know we brought back the be -Boy

[Chorus]
Hip, Hip-Hop (I'm a bring it back) x4

[Verse 2]
Hip hop is so wack, the beats are fighting back
And I was sent to attack, so I'm following the map
X's mark the rappers out with two head with
Furocious cademies that only need with the next spliff
Step by step I'm headed toward the set to analyze the threat
And make him regret, the day that we met
I suspect he got a smooth box, I head into the rooftops
Where I'll make me strategy so I can splatter them
They were only half of them, five less rappers alive
So we can vibe the stand and then, dope they didn't coincide
They were half religious, and vicious, with dark wishes
Which is to assure the core of hip hop which is snitches
I dropped dimes on how to travel back in time
So they can melt and miss the nine pioneers patterns to rhyme
And I'm furious, seething at what I'm seeing
Soon those niggaz won't be breathing
I've seen what I got so I'm leaving
Cause I want to, set up to stop up for the evening
Niggaz hopped on my shitlist with a swiftness
I'm about to rip this, come fear witness

[Beat plays for About 20 seconds]
[chorus] x2

[beat changes]

[Mr. Lif begins rapping]
Mic Check!
We had ill static, over illmatic, I reached for it
This nigga said I couldnt have it
So tragic they try to counter my magic, I'm rabid
I reached for his fuckin face and grabbed it
Nigga, how the fuck did you figure
You can Interfere with the music so potent
That I need to just go for a moment
Before I moved on.
Then I heard two songs
Spit flavor from those head up the 36 chambers
I'm about to bring this nigga danger
He was illucive an uncle tom carry a nuciance
Strong and spiritually useless
I gave him flashbacks, of niggaz gettin treated like labrats
Beatin with sticks and straps
Hidden with conscience, held a mirror up to his face
The motherfucker jetted out of the place
Who's next to get me vexed this rapper making idle threats
Claiming that he got contacts, I stepped to him slow
Looked deep in his eyes, see another person was within him
Cause he's living a lie
A rap nearly operation
Told him that man was not meant to leave earth's population
These talks left him pacing, now he suffers from brain disintergration
No thoughts or information, it started raining visibility low
This had no effects on my abilities though
To murder an MC is standing procedure
Looked and see this cat gone follow the leader
But I'm a cheater, the abdomen and chester leader
The primary feature, my intense earth to to bleed ya
All this blood stream, and I'm steadily aiming
To find the next nigga for naming
that's when the death sticks came in, hand me
This mega large nigga tried to brand me
I thought the mega blast to enemies
Then my mind aged to centuries
Futuristic data, for a complex matter
This power left to cater, I can compete with the equator
Smiled I can see him through the earth's vapors
Looked him up and down, as we walked toward solid ground
What mind, jaw dropped looked what I found
Classics like Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, EMPD and RUN DMC
But when we get three feet
Criminal mind takes a nation a mill, Time to kill
Run DMC self titled, this nigga my arch rival
Survival, not liable, got up close and what I signed couldnt believe
My enemy was a genetic replica of me
That means self is the biggest tour
It could me the bigger fall, a truly vicious type of war
So now I'm thrown off, taken back to back, I didn't know how to react
To lack a plan of attack, but it was in full effect, connect
He didn't affect my intellect, but thoughts I couldnt accept
Images of my grandmother in that old folks home
Became Very vivid in my dome, this method of rap is telepathic
Damage of my mental fabric, hell a vibe or I have it
Criminal I can't stand it,or understand it yet my torture was expanded
By thoughts that he commanded, had a vision of my uncle sitting down
By himself, meanwhile he's breaking down my physical health
Chronicle inseperable thoughts, to my head
98 percent of which were absorbed by my dreads
The other 2 percent I accepted, just so I can feel the heat again
Had a vision of my defeat of him
So now I'm back, strapped and intact
Increasing my brain waves to maximum impact
Thoughts were un holdly, slowly up he looked me up and down coldly
Like I'm the motherfuckin chrome be
And I am damned I dropped the mic from my hand
Saw some open land so I ranned
But as the gem has past hearts, my man had blast shots
Bloodcots stopped ciculation from my nog
My ego's dead my humiliation to mumble feeble shit
Suddenly had a dream of desert eagle clips
So who's me, maybe this oozie, cold hard and steel
With a sign that says use me
I call on Susie, and tell what you see
Usually, I wouldn't let a biter confuse me
Much of this instance, make a difference
So started to think with, the innocence fit infants incents of incest
Burn in inscents, I'm intense
Funny how the powerful scent just dense his senses
don't even comment on the senses, I sent this razor sharp tone
To relentless, sequences that leap fences
beating all human kind to defenseless
So I shift for, never sick for
with a swift sword, clipped and flipped this mic for
Speechless, never wit weakness
he tried to use the heat of his desire to beat Lif
Be my guest, take a guess who was left to mess
And at peace request
I summoned the sun to burn a whole in his chest

[Mr. Lif Talking to the end]

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Mr. Lif's song "Return of the B-Boy" describe a man who is visited by embodiments of hip-hop culture, including the beat itself, who have come to rescue him from the "sucka rappers" who have taken over and are "making shit sounds and laughs." The singer is called to fight back against these "wack atheists" and "comic clowns," and he accepts the challenge with rage and defiance. He encounters various obstacles and enemies, but he ultimately triumphs over them through his skillful rapping and his dedication to the music.

Throughout the song, Mr. Lif uses vivid imagery and complex wordplay to convey the urgency and intensity of his message. The beat drives the narrative forward with a relentless energy, mirroring the singer's determination to reclaim hip-hop from those who would dilute or destroy it. There is a sense of righteous anger and rebellion in the lyrics, as if Mr. Lif is calling on the true believers in hip-hop culture to rise up and overthrow the impostors who seek to profit from its popularity without understanding its roots.

Line by Line Meaning

Seconds after I have been swept off my feet
Immediately after being overwhelmed, the beat enters the scene

Open through the doors and in steps the beat
The beat arrives with purpose and intensity, entering like a commanding figure

Complete with medical packs and four fours
The beat has everything it needs to heal and amp up the situation

Looked at me and said "damn this nigga need god"
The beat recognizes the artist's need for divine intervention in the current state of hip-hop

Bored, apart in the streets he got beat
The artist is stuck in a stagnant environment where the beat is the only saving grace

The meat, a disinfranchised he left wheat
The meat, or the basic elements of hip-hop, has been abandoned and left to rot in the disillusionment of hip-hop culture

Me, these images I could'nt ignore
The singer cannot ignore the vivid and powerful images of the beat and hip-hop culture that he witnesses

Personas of the rhythm who just walked through the store
The beat represents various characters and personalities that embody the essence of hip-hop

This man's slim, sported a red glim, notcing damage within
The artist describes a specific character within the beat that he notices is in pain

We remove bullets and pack skin
The artist and the beat work together to heal and restore the damaged character

The kickdrum slur reopen my eyes, he say don't worry
The beat awakens the singer and reassures him to not worry about the situation at hand

They meaning sucka rappers had us heard past
The artist identifies the problem as the subpar and inauthentic rappers in hip-hop

Comic clowns who be making shit sounds and laughs
The bad rappers are likened to clowns who produce nothing but ridiculous noises and empty laughter

Then they facing masteries, just fittin lack of pieces
The bad rappers are trying to mimic the masters of hip-hop but are missing the essential elements that make great music

what's dope and hope that we accept the wack atheists, jesus
The bad rappers hope that audiences will lower their standards and accept mediocre music, likening it to a religious conversion

where's the chamber? Allow me the become the scum rearranged uh
The artist expresses his desire to transform hip-hop and become a transcendent entity within the culture

They said "focus ya anger" and bring the rhymes that you wrote
The beat encourages the artist to channel his anger into his music and deliver powerful rhymes

Because these folks will hang ya
The bad rappers will metaphorically hang the singer if he does not stand up and fight back with his music

We didn't want the beats to know we brought back the be-Boy
The beat secretly brings back the essence of the B-Boy culture within hip-hop

Hip hop is so wack, the beats are fighting back
Hip-hop has become subpar and uninspired, causing the beats to rise up and fight back against the culture

And I was sent to attack, so I'm following the map
The artist is on a mission to attack and restore hip-hop to its former greatness

Step by step I'm headed toward the set to analyze the threat
The artist analyzes the state of hip-hop and its threats as he approaches the scene

I suspect he got a smooth box, I head into the rooftops
The singer suspects the threat to be related to a specific style of production and heads to the rooftops to strategize

So we can vibe the stand and then, dope they didn't coincide
The bad rappers' goals are not in line with the goals of true hip-hop culture

They were half religious, and vicious, with dark wishes
The bad rappers have a twisted and misguided relationship with hip-hop culture, treating it like a religion

I dropped dimes on how to travel back in time
The singer drops rhymes that transport listeners back to the golden age of hip-hop

To make him regret, the day that we met
The singer wants to make the bad rapper regret crossing paths with him

He was illucive an uncle tom carry a nuciance
The bad rapper is deceptive and trying to appease the mainstream at the expense of hip-hop culture

I gave him flashbacks, of niggaz gettin treated like labrats
The artist reminds the bad rapper of the oppression and struggles that black people have faced in hip-hop culture

Told him that man was not meant to leave earth's population
The singer challenges the bad rapper's motives and warns him that he is going against the natural order of things

These talks left him pacing, now he suffers from brain disintergration
The bad rapper is mentally deteriorating as a result of the singer's words and the realization of his misguided actions

I summoned the sun to burn a whole in his chest
The artist uses his powerful words to metaphorically destroy the bad rapper and his negative influence on hip-hop culture

Chronicle inseperable thoughts, to my head
The artist's thoughts and experiences in hip-hop are deeply ingrained in his mind and difficult to separate from

Burn in inscents, I'm intense
The artist is filled with intensity and passion for hip-hop culture

Funny how the powerful scent just dense his senses
The singer's passion and intensity overwhelms those who are not truly committed to hip-hop culture

I'm intense
The artist reasserts his passion and intensity for hip-hop culture

Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS