Damn I haven't done one of these in a while.
I mean, it's not like I've fallen out of love with Murs' music or anything - since late September when I last covered a new Murs album on this blog (Jesus that feels like years ago) I've still been bumping quite a bit of his music from time to time, especially tracks from the first two 9th Wonder collabs, which still hold up as incredible projects. I think the main reason for me not listening to any of his new albums is simply that it was all becoming a bit samey. Murs was releasing so much music in the early 2010s, and with his flow being admittedly quite set in stone, and his lyrical content frequently teetering on the edge of corny while just maintaining more of a sense of relatability, it really just came to the point where I liked what he was making, but never really felt much urge to come back to it. I think having a long break from the Murs-athon was a good idea, as it means his style will seem more fresh to me now. Hopefully, since it was three years since The Final Adventure and the project we're covering today, it'll be more fresh for him too, but I won't get my hopes too high on that front.
The hilariously titled Have a Nice Life is the 16th (!) project I'll be covering in the Murs catalogue, but make no mistake this is no regular release for the guy. Because in 2014, after switching between labels as fast as he was random collaborators for different albums (half of which I didn't even cover), Murs struck up a three album deal with Strange Music, the label headed by one of my favourite rappers of all time, Tech N9ne. This led to three appearances from Murs on Tech's Collabos project Strangeulation, and I still remember the first time I heard Murs' performance on "Hard (A Monster Made It)", incidentally the first Murs performance I heard full stop. I was blown away, as I'm sure a lot of Tech's (at this point) large fan base were as well. For an introduction to a completely new set of fans who would never have dreamed of checking him out before, this verse was phenomenal, as were his other two performances on the project. This meant that Have a Nice Life became one of Murs' most anticipated projects up to this point, and when it was released in May 2015 it charted at no. 94 on the Billboard Hot 100 - his first to land on the chart at all since 2010's Fornever. And this is without a single Strange Music artist even landing a feature - the only name I recognise on the back of this CD is E-40, who wasn't exactly mr. flamboyant anymore by 2015.
The reception to this album was... alright. I'm seeing mixed reviews on the internet, complementing Murs' rapping but criticising some of the album's production. I've already heard two of these tracks, and I really like both, but then again these are two of the most well-regarded on the entire album, so I'm not going to get my hopes too high. What I'm most hoping to get out of this project is simply a different take on the Murs formula - I want an album that pushes Murs out of his comfort zone, into doing something perhaps a bit different to what he kept putting out over and over in the early 2010s. It doesn't have to be perfect, but with any luck it'll at least be interesting.
Right. Let's do this.
1. Have a Nice Life (prod. The Arsonist, co-prod. DOC)
Starting off with one of the two songs I've already heard, the title track of this album is also one that's going to be bloody difficult to beat when it comes to the best track on this album. The song opens with a nice drum loop that soon is complimented by absolutely beautiful piano, and a long-ass verse from Murs that happens to contain some of his best writing ever - I will always remember the bar "I don't wanna dye my grey, I don't wanna hide my hair; 'cause a lot of my homies died before they got there", one of the most poetic and goosebump inducing lines this man has ever written. The verse is also helped my Murs' delivery, which for the first time sounds tired and weary - he sounds like an old man, one who is ready to settle into a veteran status that he has very much earned, and it compliments the reflective and content subject matter within the verse. Instrumentally, lyrically, vocally... this is the best song Murs has made in a long while, and I would be shocked if we get something better than it here. I love this track.
2. Surprises (feat. Ryan "Myagi" Evans) (prod. Bernz & Gianni Ca$h, add-prod. Danny "Keys" Perez)
After such a somber and melancholy opener, I feel like a turn-up track might have been appreciated here, but that's evidently not what Murs has in mind - clearly the rather depressing photography for this album is going to be representative of it's overall sound. I didn't have high hopes for this one when guest vocalist Ryan Evans begun his crooning chorus, but I will admit that the track grew on me as it played through. Murs tells two stories here of people that he grew up with who no longer want anything to do with him, and it's quite compelling - Murs' matter-of-fact style of lyricism has always been put to good use when storytelling, and this track right here is a great example of this. I also like the chorus quite a bit - rather than hopeful and irritatingly pretentious like most of these male R&B hooks rap albums utilise, this one is accepting and agreeable - "nothing surprises me no more". The generic trap beat isn't exactly a winner, but everything else about this song went down as well as I would have hoped. This is a good track.
3. Mi Corazon (prod. Jesse Shatkin)
Probably the most radio-friendly sounding song Murs has ever made in his life, this tale of love with a near-death experience woven in (easily the most engaging moment of the track) is helped along by a beat and female-sung chorus that could easily pop up on radio 2 in your mum's car. I was half expecting to hear a "this is Heart" followed by a swooshing sound effect after the last ear-worming cry of "tell me that you're never gonna leave me", sung by an uncredited Raquel Rodriguez, passed through my speaker. Murs' storytelling on here is pretty nice, and the music is very competent... but it's very clear that the man is aiming for a completely different audience here to what he was on Good Music and Murs 3:16. Also, the whole Spanish element of this song was completely random and unnecessary. There, I said it.
4. Woke Up Dead (prod. Jesse Shatkin)
Say what you want about Jesse Shatkin, but you can't deny that he's got diversity. After the previous attempt at making a song for the white women, here's a track from Murs that he actually seems to have made for himself - a track about PTSD-induced nightmares where he's getting murdered by people for who he hangs out with - the crips. Murs is no stranger to commentary on gang violence, and here his message is only accentuated by Jesse Shatkin's intense instrumental, that makes you nod your head til it falls the fuck off. It's a great beat, and Murs' rhymes are both engaging and socially relevant, which is a pretty great combo if you ask me. I'm a massive fan of this one.
5. P T S D (feat. E-40) (prod. Curtiss King)
While the synth-heavy beat from Curtiss King was clearly made in mind with the intention of guest E-40, Murs makes a pretty good case for himself over this beat, proving that he can move away from his usual flow and still sound good. Seriously, Murs' vocal delivery and flow have been really nice throughout this album so far. As for E-40... he's okay, but the constant ad-libs are kind of off-putting to me, and don't really help convey the seriousness of his message well at all. The subject matter of this song is good though, and it's sequenced well - Murs goes from talking about his own trauma on the last song to that of others here, and it's a good choice. The track as a whole is good - would've been better with a verse from Tech N9ne though...
6. Okey Dog (prod. Jesse Shatkin)
I'm pretty sure that this is Murs' most streamed song, and the only other song on here aside from the title track that I've already heard prior to today. It is a good track, and you can definitely see why it's so popular, even if personally I think this album has a couple of better tracks so far (especially "Woke Up Dead"). The instrumental is bouncy and percussion heavy, and one that's very easy to dance to - meanwhile the repetitive chorus is an earworm without being excessively poppy like that on "Mi Corazon". Also, Murs exhibits a talent only few other rappers (like Andre 3000) have exhibited in the past - staying true to his storytelling self whilst still being able to make a radio banger. On this track Murs talks about a gang banger that he idolised whilst growing up, and the potent storytelling is only emphasised more by the great video. Overall, this one is a big time banger of a track.
7. Pussy and Pizza (prod. Jesse Shatkin)
Jesse Shatkin's sentimental beat doesn't really reflect Murs' lyrical content on this song, which is about how he'll fucking kill you if you don't provide him with women and junk food. Seems like a good philosophy for life. It's a shame that this song failed to really engage me - Murs' lyrics aren't exactly likeable on here, and the chorus isn't profound enough to be played so many goddamn times throughout. I didn't hate this one, as the beat was nice and Murs still sounds good, but this is the first song where Murs' occasionally corny immaturity is evident on this album. In short: ehh.
8. Two Step (feat. King Fantastic) (prod. Jesse Shatkin)
I think I've heard this one before as well, although it does sound very similar to "Okey Dog", so I'll forgive myself for forgetting that. This track aims to do exactly what that track does, which is make a West Coast-style synthy banger for the clubs, and it does a decent job - again, it has a repetitive yet potent chorus, and this time the addition of King Fantastic (damn that guy must spend a lot of time in front of the mirror) helps out the track, as the guy has that West Coast drawl that Murs is missing. The track does feel like a bit of a rehash of "Okey Dog", but on its own it's still a decent banger that I enjoy a lot. This is pretty good.
9. No More Control (feat. MNDR) (prod. Jesse Shatkin)
I'm only just now noticing how much of this LP is produced by Jesse Shatkin. I mean, he's good, but it's no wonder why there's such a mainstream air about this thing. "No More Control" is an attempt at a protest song from Murs - he claims on the track to want an "educated street movement", and follows it up with the rather incredible lyric "it's fucked up what the police doing / but motherfucker, look what we doing". This isn't the first time a hip-hop artist has mentioned how gang violence is just as if not more detrimental to the black community than police brutality, but it is still a powerful note to end the track on. Meanwhile the instrumental and chorus from MNDR help bring the anthemic movement feel of the track home, and I actually found myself humming this chorus as I was writing this up. Despite myself, I really enjoyed this song. Fuck it.
10. Skatin Through the City (prod. Plex Luthor)
Murs takes things a bit more down-to-earth on this one, talking about his progression as a skateboarder over a relaxing instrumental that's actually one of my favourites on here, and one of the few that sounds like it was made with Murs in mind specifically, rather than any Strange Music artist who would take it. This track is one of the few songs here that you could actually chill out to, and it's very successful at this vibe too - Murs understands the assignment, and makes sure not to drop any clangers of bars throughout, which I commend him for - and this beat is nice as hell (the scratching is also appreciated). Despite the title being a bit iffy, I overall enjoyed this track a lot.
11. Anyways (prod. Jesse Shatkin)
Another dodgy title? Jeez Murs, anyone would think you'd want the consumer to leave this one at the stores. And that'd be a mistake, because I was actually surprised at how well this turned out. The track is about Murs' resignation to the fact that him choosing to get into rapping rather than drug dealing, and live an ethical life whilst uplifting others, isn't going to stop his neighbourhood from being the drug infested place it has been since he's been growing up. He begins the track by telling us how his father left his mother in pursuit of drugs when he was very young, and how cocaine and other hard substances have plagued his friends ever since. Sure, he can stop taking them, but he feels helpless to the plights of others, and the rather sad instrumental certainly helps exemplify this emotion. The track has a feeling of hopelessness about it, and without a happy ending it becomes one of the more depressing songs on the whole record. Oh, and also one of the best.
12. The Worst (prod. ¡MAYDAY!)
This track, which stood out to me on the tracklist because it shares its name with a certain Tech N9ne album, is all about Murs being unfaithful to his wife, because he can't help having sex with this woman who was at one of his concerts. Musically, this song is really good, and with some better vocals this chorus could have been one of the catchiest on the whole album (even though I fucking hated it at first). However, I can't fully get into this track, because Murs seems to act like his infidelity is only a problem because his life will be ruined if his wife finds out - he expresses absolutely no guilt about his actions in the entire song, and acts like the woman texting him in front of his wife is an inconvenience for him and nothing more. It's like he doesn't even think his wife has feelings. Sorry to come off as some sort of Karen here, but I just really dislike Murs' demeanour on this track. Still, musically... it's good.
13. Black Girls Be Like (prod. Gianni Ca$h)
I appreciate the sentiment, but no. Just no.
14. I Miss Mikey (prod. Jesse Shatkin)
Carrying a very similar vibe to the opening track, this was actually a really sweet closer to this album, even though I do have issues with it. My main problem with this one is that both of Murs' verses only have twelve bars, which is an annoyance because it's always bars 13-16 that hit the hardest, and when the verse cuts off at bar 12 it kind of reduces the impact of the message for me. Still, I liked Murs' flow on here, and I really enjoy the instrumental from Jesse Shatkin. Overall, easily one of my favourite tracks here. Also, it was interesting to hear the "Straaaangeeee Music!" tag on the end - even though I said a lot of the beats sounded like a product of the label, Murs' presence and the lyrical themes made this album feel completely separate from everything else the label had going at this time.
The following song is the bonus track available with the pre-order version of this album.
15. Fun-eral (performed by Felt feat. Ces Cru) (prod. Jesse Shatkin)
Easily the grimiest and most underground song on the album, it's easy to tell why this was relegated to bonus track status - despite Ces Cru's involvement, the Strange Music audience were more used to airy trap beats and futuristic synths at this point in time. On a Rhymesayers release this track would have been promoted better, as it should be, because it's really dope. I love Murs, Godemis and Ubi on here, even if Slug sounds like a random white dad they pulled straight out of an office cubicle into the studio (sorry if that sounds harsh), and we've got more record scratching here too, which is always a good thing. I really enjoyed this track, and the fact that it's not available on a CD pisses me right off.
And so we come to the end of Have a Nice Life (*emits light chuckle*). And... I liked it quite a bit! I feel like Murs did what I wanted of him here and switched up his sound a bit, experimenting with lots of different styles of instrumentals and managing to work his magic over most if not all of them. He also made attempts to switch up his flow on here, which was very much appreciated, and managed to place guests in the right places, without having too many of them (something his label head at the time definitely couldn't relate to). Have a Nice Life isn't without flaws - some of these songs sound way too radio friendly to ever be appearing on a Murs record, some of these song titles make me want to vomit (I mean, "Black Girls Be Like"? That sounds like the title of a two minute racist YouTube video), and occasionally Murs does get a little corny. But on the other hand, his ear for beats seems to be pretty clear on this thing, with variation but still a cohesive sound to the project, and his lyricism is more potent than it has been on some previous releases, with lots of great quotes and messages to be taken away. The overall vibe of this project is one of loss, but also one of acceptance of the ills of this world, and it's a relatable release that I'm sure most of my readers would enjoy listening to. Sure, it's not his best, but what it does do is make me a bit more interested in the Murs catalogue yet to come. So mission accomplished, I'd say.
Best Track: "Have a Nice Life"
Worst Track: "Black Girls Be Like"
Catch up on more of the ever growing Murs-athon here!
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