{"id":8761,"date":"2011-10-11T05:26:20","date_gmt":"2011-10-11T05:26:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theredphoenixapl.org\/?p=8761"},"modified":"2011-10-11T05:26:20","modified_gmt":"2011-10-11T05:26:20","slug":"review-of-sun-rise-aboves-mf-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redphoenix.news\/es\/2011\/10\/review-of-sun-rise-aboves-mf-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Review of Sun Rise Above’s “MF Life”"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

This mix-tape by Sun Rise Above with beats by MF DOOM is overall a very good album. It is short, precise, and of great quality, flowing excellently from one song to the next. Great songs such as “Deficit” use highly articulate lyrics to maximize the impact on the listener, driving their message home.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCheck your man’s flows exposing Uncle Sam’s scams right<\/span>
\n Kind of like Contra-Iran, the Bushes pushing grams<\/span>
\n They took this land away by force in a genocide<\/span>
\n So when I ride, I knock ’em off their high horse like Custer<\/span>
\n What the fuck? Murderizing, bomb dropping<\/span>
\n And I’m the one who got the cops knocking on my door?<\/span>
\n An enemy of state, reading The State and Revolution<\/span>
\n By Vladimir Ilyich, got no time for the silly shit<\/span>
\n Yea, grabbing the cartridges and launching this attack<\/span>
\n Shut down the ports and raise the consciousness<\/span>
\n General strike, take a break like an interlude<\/span>
\n Won’t mine a mineral or butter a fucking dinner roll<\/span>
\n Then we’ll rule and institute \u201ca change you can believe in\u201d<\/span>
\n Happiness in abundance when capitalists stop thieving<\/span>
\n Leaving this behind as a message and a testament<\/span>
\n Want to stop the crisis? Assassinate the precedent<\/span><\/p>\n

They say they’re spreading freedom, what a fucking mockery<\/span>
\n In America there’s a deficit of democracy\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Capturing the spirit of the imperialist foreign policy of United States, Sun Rise Above proves his understanding of Marxist-Leninist ideology and his capabilities as an artist. Most striking is his use of lyrical feats and plays on words, such as using “precedent” in place of “president,” and so on.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Rent” is another excellent song on the mix-tape personifying the tedious and angering reality encountered by the millions of Americans trying to make it paycheck to paycheck. Sun Rise Above exposes an essential failure of the capitalist system. Feeling as if society simply cannot be changed and the only option that remains is to yield to it, so many Americans become depressed and disillusioned with life because they resign themselves to living under capitalism.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYea<\/span>
\n It’s that time of the month<\/span><\/p>\n

I’m flat broke, word to my landlord<\/span>
\n Can’t afford to pay rent, stab him with a dam sword<\/span>
\n Been listening to too much of the Wu-Tang Clan lord<\/span>
\n At the bar holding up the wall like a band board<\/span>
\n I am bored, and drinking never changes shit<\/span>
\n Go to sleep drunk but then you wake up to the same old shit<\/span>
\n Still chug a brew or six ’cause I’m futureless<\/span>
\n My whole generation left hanging on a crucifix<\/span>
\n Not new to this, a decade of spitting rhymes<\/span>
\n You wanna get paid? Okay, hey get in line<\/span>
\n Soup kitchen, or you can troop to the new mission<\/span>
\n Who’s dissing who doesn’t matter if you listen\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“Busking” is yet another excellent song on the CD:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAin’t even got two pennies to rub together<\/span>
\n My two cents, life’s a beach if you love the weather<\/span>
\n You can take it for what it’s worth<\/span>
\n An out of work beggar on the train in a hooded shirt<\/span>
\n He came by shaking a can<\/span>
\n Asked me for a nickle but I gave him a grand<\/span>
\n Well, that was my plan, but I’m worse off than he’s been<\/span>
\n Time running out, candle burning from each end<\/span>
\n Light’s disappearing, darkness is impending<\/span>
\n So I offered change, but it’s not what he intended<\/span>
\n They just raised the fare to 2.25<\/span>
\n Sometimes I swear they don’t even care if we’re alive<\/span>
\n Left broke and starving, and can’t afford food<\/span>
\n So pardon me if I’m in a poor mood<\/span>
\n I’ll say I can’t complain but still do<\/span>
\n ‘Cause shit builds up like mildew until it kills you<\/span><\/p>\n

Exact change, the facts bring progress<\/span>
\n All this adds up to a mathematic match up”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Finally, “Austerity” focuses on the literal meaning of austerity from the view of the working poor. In capitalism, whenever governments decide to cut back on spending, it is never the armed forces or capitalist wallets that take the hit, but rather the social services. When the capitalists make an economic mess, they do not suffer the consequences; it is the working class who lose their jobs and their homes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYea, dedicated to all the cutbacks<\/span><\/p>\n

Yea, kind of reminds me of last night<\/span>
\n Walking around blind like I couldn’t find a flashlight<\/span>
\n Rich folks, poor folks, more folks<\/span>
\n Forget a door man, in my housing plan the door’s broke<\/span>
\n Anyway, fame’s meaningless<\/span>
\n You can ask all the dead authors on my reading list<\/span>
\n Gotta stay awake or you’ll really miss<\/span>
\n If you sleep through it, it’ll be a bed bug feeding fest<\/span>
\n Don’t make me go ape shit and start beating chest<\/span>
\n With more rhetoric than a Glenn Beck freedom fest<\/span>
\n He’s a pest, best blow him off stage<\/span>
\n Then jet like a runaway slave running away<\/span><\/p>\n

They declare: \u201cprepare for austerity,\u201d fuck that<\/span>
\n Knife to the throat, show politicians some cut backs<\/span>
\n Blood in the Streets it’s deep, up to my knees<\/span>
\n I’m swimming in it, sweat dripping in my fatigues<\/span>
\n These wet footprints as I scream like Sam Kinison<\/span>
\n When is the dead innocent bled from red menacing<\/span>
\n Maybe, inoculate the population medicine<\/span>
\n Better let us in ‘fore they begin the scarlet lettering<\/span>
\n A veteran, lately, head splitting Excederin<\/span>
\n Still, better than ever in whatever in I’m meddling<\/span>
\n Baby, please plant a kiss on the cheek<\/span>
\n As I proceed to take a leak on the mic, music is obsolete\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The beats on the mix-tape by MF DOOM are worthy tributes to his usual melodic and abstract style. His beats are minimalist but unique, and much like Sun Rise Above himself, DOOM is extremely underrated. The soundtrack greatly enhances the potency of the lyrics, the beats usually building up to a crescendo during the song as Sun Rise Above contributes his raw and aggressive style.<\/span><\/p>\n

While in Sun Rise Above\u2019s previous album \u201cEvery Day I Wake Up On The Wrong Side Of Capitalism,” Rosa Luxemburg got a brief mention, on this mix-tape S.R.A. name-drops State and Revolution<\/em> by V.I. Lenin. “MF Life” shows Sun Rise Above evolving. <\/span>S.R.A.’s “MF Life” mix-tape adds up to be a superb continuation by a very insightful lyricist, showing his growth as a musician and his developing capabilities as a revolutionary voice in a genre defined by opulent celebration of the corrupting influence of capitalist celebrity-hood.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recommended for download:<\/strong><\/span>
\n A Life<\/span>
\n Rent<\/span>
\n Austerity<\/span>
\n Busking<\/span>
\n Job<\/span><\/p>\n

Sun Rise Above\u2019s website<\/strong><\/span>
\n http:\/\/www.sunriseabove.net\/<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Page to download the album<\/strong><\/span>
\n http:\/\/sunriseabove.net\/mflife\/index.html<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

SRA\u2019s Myspace<\/strong><\/span>
\n http:\/\/www.myspace.com\/sunriseabove<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

SRA\u2019s Facebook page<\/strong><\/span>
\n http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Sun-Rise-Above\/44843159557<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Track List<\/strong><\/span>
\n 1. Intro<\/span>
\n 2. Interest<\/span>
\n 3. Rent<\/span>
\n 4. Job (featuring Abrupt)<\/span>
\n 5. Late Fees (featuring Abrupt)<\/span>
\n 6. Austerity<\/span>
\n 7. Bitter Fruit<\/span>
\n 8. Busking<\/span>
\n 9. Deficit<\/span>
\n 10. Hangman<\/span>
\n 11. A Life<\/span>
\n 12. Outro<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This mix-tape by Sun Rise Above with beats by MF DOOM is overall a very good album. It is short, precise, and of great quality,..<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39057,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[152,43,48,97],"tags":[229,197,347],"class_list":["post-8761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-media-culture","category-music","category-us-news","tag-economic-exploitation","tag-imperialism","tag-workers-struggle"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/redphoenix.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/mflife_8761_9fb82.jpg?fit=375%2C375&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/redphoenix.news\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/redphoenix.news\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/redphoenix.news\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redphoenix.news\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redphoenix.news\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8761"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/redphoenix.news\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8761\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redphoenix.news\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/redphoenix.news\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redphoenix.news\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redphoenix.news\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}