Rapper Lif told you so

 Mr. Lif was rapping about housing issues when they were still buried on the business pages and his peers were comparing bling. But even if his concerns suddenly coincide neatly with the headlines, Lif avoids the temptation to say I told you so.

“In my opinion, there’s a small handful of situations where not being humble pays off,” he says from Boston, spending some downtime in his hometown before returning to his current address in Philly to play Johnny Brenda’s.

When we last spoke, in November 2006, he was looking forward to another JB’s show, supporting his album “Mo’ Mega.” A few days later that tour was sidelined when the bus was involved in an accident, flipped over and burst into flames. But as the country has celebrated a cautious renewal so has Lif — his new album, “I Heard It Today,” is fresh out (albeit a few months behind its original Inauguration Day release date.)

Unlike many a “Yes We Can”-er, Lif stops short of uncritical celebration. “Obama is definitely a more positive figure than Bush,” he says, “and more positive than McCain. But are these major problems just going to evaporate?”

While he certainly does not shy from these ideas live, Lif’s shows are far from PBS chatfests. “I approach my shows from a classic MC standpoint,” he insists. “Motherf—ers are gonna be dancing and sweating if I’m in the building.”

Mr. Lif
Tonight, 9
Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 Frankford Ave., $12, 215-739-9684
www.johnnybrendas.com