Don’t Look Down (US Import)

Welcome to “Don’t Look Down,” Mr. Lif’s first solo album in seven years, a chronicle of personal evolution, internal strength, and the ebbs and flows of life. It’s the most introspective and harrowingly personal work from the ex-Def Jux legend—a record borne from successes, failures, and hard-learned lessons.

The Boston prophet’s first new work for Mello Music Group directly addresses the difficulties of keeping your head up amidst duress. You hear and feel the intensity of the fight, the sense of falling into despair, the helplessness of drowning, and the power of being able to save yourself.

Over a 10-song cycle, Lif delivers poetic testament that avoids preachiness. These are agnostic sermons written to conceal and nurture him during a bleak period—cathartic confessionals that offered a conduit to bliss. The structure of “Don’t Look Down” mirrors this personal descent and rebirth, a hero’s journey worthy of Joseph Campbell.