I once had this discussion with my rap cat comrade: peering past the customary Kings (Nas, Big, Jay, etc.) that dominate many a Top 5 or Top 10 most beloved emcee listings as such actions may aswell be considered flower picking from a field that blossomed firmly in the 1990s, we tried intrepidly to compile a list for this binary-nought era (the Year 2000 onwards). Having said that a number of these rhymers first appeared in the very late 90s, though hadn’t established themselves fully or gained wider recognition until a new millennial curtain-raise hence why we saw this decade as their career’s podium. Between us we awarded distinction to Elzhi (of Slum Village), Phonte (of Little Brother), Vast Aire (of Cannibal Ox), Lupe Fiasco, Ludacris and Saigon amongst rare few others in what has arguably been a period of decline for Rap song-writing and catalogue quality. Yet conceivably the highest successor on that list which we almost synchronously agreed on was in fact, this chap, Murs.
Why Murs? Because he’s perhaps the realest motherfucker on the mic. A versifier that strikes his chrome stand equidistantly between emotionally frank, self-mythologizing lover and buoyant, kick-flipping, kerb-dwelling, rogue with obligations to his tumultuous LA birthrights. He charismatically narrates on beats with a voice that feels as if it’s drained directly from the boldness in his gut, filtered via the front of his temporal lobe and given one final push through the windpipe; reportedly 9th Wonder prohibited him from overlaying his vocals on their collaborative projects, feeling them to be forcefully dynamic enough just on their own. And like prior greats, Murs too is a story-teller, more so driven by concepts that affect the ‘every-man’ embodiment delivered with a captivatingly clear cadence; women and romantic entanglements being a recurrent note alongside friendships, allegiances, wrestling with morality and the commonplace.
In the last few of years as I’ve been in the transitional phase from adolescent to young adult I can honestly say I view Murs as one of the few artists whose songs I can directly relate to at times, so partially it’s a psychosomatic relevance that compels one to hold the dude in high regard. Still his intrinsic chemistry with former Little Brother member/beatsmith 9th Wonder, in my humble opinion, created two Noughties Hip-Hop classics (‘3:16: The 9th Edition’ and ‘Murray’s Revenge’) which cemented my appreciation for his artistry.
My main concern with the new LP is that 9th isn’t quite the potent beatmaker he once was, lacking consistency in the last 2 years (the second Buckshot collabo LP was a tad monotonous) and the poise his earlier productions once had is absent. The breaks are no longer as intoxicating and the structures sound inadvertently cluttered as if compensating for a crap job at crate digging (if I really wanna hear some Heatmakerz sounding shit I’ll just bump Diplomatic Immunity in private). Otherwise, ‘Sweet Lord’ has its moments but the previous two efforts severely exceed it. As for Mr. Making Underground Raw Shit, all I’m waiting on is his major label debut for Warner Bros. (10 years and 10 LPs later) ‘Murs For President’ dropping September, blaow!
Website Download Link Direction (Recommended)
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1. The Intro
2. Are You Ready?
3. Nina Ross
4. Free
5. And I Love It
6. Pusshhhhhh
7. It’s For Real
8. Marry Me
9. Love the Way
10. Mursinatra
My stand-out tracks highlighted in Bold Red above.
Fantasticunt album rating:
6.5 mums out of 10
[This is a free promotional release- appreciate free shit.]
Additional:
Murs & 9th Wonder – Murray’s Revenge
[IF YOU WANT THE ABOVE LINK TAKEN DOWN, E-MAIL US DIRECTLY ON ibootleggedyourmum@gmail.com & IT WILL BE DONE AS SOON AS REQUEST IS SEEN.]
1. Murs Day
2. Murray’s Law
3. Silly Girl
4. Barbershop
5. Yesterday and Today
6. Dreamchaser
7. L.A.
8. Love and Appreciate
9. D.S.W.G. (Dark Skinned White Girls)
10. Murray’s Revenge
My stand-out tracks highlighted in Bold Red above.
Video: Love & Appreciate
Fantasticunt album rating:
8.5 mums out of 10
[If this artist/group deserves your money, click this to buy CD]
Murs & 9th Wonder – 3:16: The 9th Edition
[IF YOU WANT THE ABOVE LINK TAKEN DOWN, E-MAIL US DIRECTLY ON ibootleggedyourmum@gmail.com & IT WILL BE DONE AS SOON AS REQUEST IS SEEN.]
My stand-out tracks highlighted in Bold Red above.
Video: Bad Man
Fantasticunt album rating:
8.5 mums out of 10
[If this artist/group deserves your money, click this to buy CD]
And One More Goddamn Bonus:
Murs – 1st Love
Before I finally crack on with season 3 of The Wire (the greatest television cop drama ever?), as the evening winds down bump this sweet, sombre number off the ‘Murs & The Misadventures of The Nova Express’ mixtape that came out a while back. I personally dedicate to the prostitutes of Amsterdam who will always need love too.
Video: 1st Love
I Bootlegged Your Mum 