Boston rapper {$Mr. Lif} has made a name for himself as a thoughtful, often incendiary lyricist. On the {^Emergency Rations} EP, {$Lif} plays the latter part of that equation to the hilt. This is a concept album, the premise being that {$Mr. Lif} has been kidnapped -- in the middle of a live performance -- by unidentified (read: government) agents and is now missing. What made the diminutive MC so dangerous? The eight tracks quickly set out to answer that question, showcasing {$Lif}'s direct, uncompromising attacks on civil rights, censorship, and especially -- in the wake of September 11, 2001 -- U.S. foreign policy. {$El-P} and {$Akrobatik} contribute haunting, dissonant production that helps set the mood with strong undercurrents of alienation and paranoia and the rest is left in {$Mr. Lif}'s capable hands. The lyrics are as thoughtful as they are confrontational, and {^Emergency Rations} is a provocative, well-crafted album that proves hard to ignore. ~ Martin Woodside, All Music Guide