Hip-hop fans take their music seriously, spending a disproportionate amount of their time worrying about the future of the genre. In 2002, however, Definitive Jux Records went a long way toward extinguishing some of these fears. Creatively, the label lived up to the promise they demonstrated with their previous releases from Cannibal Ox and Aesop Rock. Their 2002 releases dominated best-of-the-year lists, comforting worried hip-hop fans and even hinting that commercial success might be on the horizon for Def Jux artists in the future.
Def Jux artist RJD2's album, , for instance, stormed the college charts, winning praise for the producer's ability to mold bizarre collages of samples into cohesive songs. This skill is perhaps best demonstrated on his track \Ghostwriter,"" an upbeat instrumental held together by unlikely choral samples from Elliott Smith's track ""I Didn't Understand."" The song is currently being used in a Saturn commercial, a promising sign for RJD2's future considering that commercials have played a large role in the rise of similar-minded artists such as Moby and Dirty Vegas.
Equally praised was rapper El-P's album , a politically charged blend of angry old-school beats mixed with blasts of abrasive electronica. won El-P some press, including MTV coverage, and his additional roles as producer and founder of Def Jux records have earned him a strong reputation in the industry. Rumors are still circulating that El-P has worked on Zack De La Rocha's highly anticipated solo debut, which, if ever released, would inevitably make El-P an even larger figure in the public's eye.
While El-P seems determined to completely reinvent hip-hop, another Def Jux artist, Mr. Lif, seems content with merely perfecting it. His latest album, , showcases Lif's playful flow and as he tells a series of intertwined vignettes about life in the modern world.
""All the songs on the album are stories,"" Mr. Lif explained. ""Eleven different stories told a bunch of different ways through a bunch of different perspectives. I felt that there needed to be an examination of everyday life, issues that we would otherwise just consider too mundane to even really think about it.""
This ambitious concept album works because of Lif's attention to detail, which establishes him as one of the most skilled griots in hip-hop today. ""Live From The Plantation,"" for instance, finds the album's protagonist dealing with his dehumanizing office job, while ""Success"" details the tragic irony of Lif's character working 12-hour days in order to support his wife and son, only to lose them in his absence. ""I was someone that my wife and child thought they no longer needed,"" Lif raps, ""And before I could say 'Where's John?' I looked down and he was clinging to her arm. I realized I'd done them wrong, blacked out and by the time I came to they were gone.""
Although it's clearly a solo album, Lif did receive some help from El-P and other Def Jux artists who lent a hand with guest appearances on production or on the mic. Lif explained that collaboration is one of the things he loves most about the label in addition to creative control.
""El-P's the CEO and he's consistently pushing the envelope and redefining what hip-hop could sound like. If I need to talk to anyone about how to bring my ideas into fruition, I talk to El about it.""
Despite completing a landmark year, the label shows no signs of slowing down. Yesterday, Mr. Lif performed at another in a series of anti-war rallies, and he's currently working on ""Devolution,"" an online trivia game designed to educate users about social issues, available at http://www.mrlif.com. Meanwhile, El-P continues to produce artists in the studio and run Def Jux as the label prepares for its next series of releases from artists such as Aesop Rock and Murs.
""I'm definitely reinforced by the way that Def Jux has taken off,"" Mr. Lif said of their reception. In the face of increased attention outside the underground, the label is still maintaining its do-it-yourself spirit.
""We don't have a million-dollar budget, we don't have videos on MTV or BET, so we have to be more resourceful than anyone out there,"" Lif explained, while remembering what seperates Def Jux from the rest of the industry. ""It's just a great experience being part of a label that I feel stands for something.\
