Murs-athon Pt. 18 - Captain California

Jesus, I've been slacking on this Murs-athon. I haven't written about an album from Nicholas Carter for a fucking year, even after seeing him live in November (which was awesome), when I was reminded that I still have like 5 albums to go in this discography run through. As you can probably tell by my lack of posts on the subject, Murs' discography has gotten... less interesting with time. He's still a great rapper, but thanks to a lack of risk taking and increasingly generic song and album structures, the last time I was truly blown away by one of his records was with 2011's Love & Rockets Vol. 1: The Transformation, an album you can often catch me playing to this day. Thing is, every album since then has definitely been likeable (his worst work, Sweet Lord, appeared much before that album), but nonetheless not something that stands out enough to revisit. I did think the last album I reviewed from him, Brighter Daze, was an improvement over the three projects before it though, so hopefully today's review will be successful. And if not, at least it'll open up the gateway for the two projects after, which I'm actually pretty hyped to hear. 

However, the subject of today's post, 2017's Captain California, is an album that I rarely ever see talked about when it comes to the Murs catalogue, even though it houses a song with one of the worst titles I've ever seen ("God Bless Kanye West" - if this title isn't begging for clout then I don't know what is). Yes it came out during Murs' tenure with Strange Music, a period in which he was arguably at his most commercially successful thanks to a newly found audience of Technicians, but in comparison with his previous record with the label Have a Nice Life (which is a... fine album) this one has no hits, and didn't land on the Billboard charts. It probably didn't help that this album came out while Tech N9ne's music was entering freefall after his legendary run ended via the mediocre The Storm (I'll probably get around to reviewing that album in roughly 73 years), but still, surely a Krizz Kaliko feature would have maybe convinced a few more of the Strange fandom to purchase this one?

Truth be told, I'm not really expecting this album to be much different from the last couple, even if there is one production credit I'm intrigued to hear. Have a Nice Life was entertaining enough thanks to the hit singles and fairly intriguing production choices, but being that the bland "Colossus" is my only taste of Captain California thus far, I'm wondering if this project will hold up at all. 

Still, it's Murs, so it's bound to be at least somewhat good. Then again, he did make Sweet Lord...

1. Lemon Juice (feat. Curtiss King) (prod. Michael "Seven" Summers)

Already, I'm excited, because this was possibly better than any fucking song on Have a Nice Life bar the title track. Since when did modern Murs become so tasteful? Firstly, the instrumental from Seven here completely erases all the memories of his woeful work on Tech N9ne's Dominion album from this same year, with beautiful sound effects and nice drums creating a bright and surprisingly melodic backdrop that feels incredibly rich - I keep telling people this guy is fucking underrated. And not only is the beat great, but the chorus is too! Not just "better than expected", but actually great and really catchy! And while I expect the rapping to be of a certain quality, this shit is just seriously hilarious, with Murs and Curtiss trying their best to get the attention of the same lady by putting each other down on wax. This was unique, catchy, and a brilliant way to start things. I could see myself coming back here, straight up. 

2. Shakespeare On the Low (feat. Rexx Life Raj) (prod. Wax Roof)

Alternatively, this ridiculously titled song (with equally ridiculous names on its collaborators - I mean, "Wax Roof"? Are you serious?) was merely alright. Rexx Life Raj isn't blowing anyone's mind with his generic, PartyNextDoor esque performance on the hook here, and I thought we'd already worked out that these fairytale aping storylines were a bad idea on 2010's "West Coast Cinderella". Whatever, at least the instrumental was of decent quality. 

3. GBKW (God Bless Kanye West) (prod. K-R.O.K.)

Mercifully, Murs' praise for Kanye doesn't extend beyond the first line of the chorus here - this song is much more serious and moving than its silly title may imply. The track is actually about how everyone needs a prayer, whether it be a young Target worker who finds himself constantly chastised by gang members/police officers (whom is the subject of the excellent verses on this track), or a multi-millionaire who is constantly chastised by the press and general public for his every action (and remember, this was 2017, before Kanye started doing things that really did deserve all the scrutiny). Musically, this song is awesome, with the instrumental building and deconstructing itself at appropriate times to make for something very intense, while Murs drops great verses and memorable hooks that once again aren't annoyingly repetitive, like some that appeared on his previous few records. This was really great. 

4. Colossus (prod. DJ Rek)

On this more generic trap banger that brings up memories of "Two Step", Murs raps from the perspective of the bloke depicted on the single cover of this record, and it's... not really that inspiring. Murs was never the correct rapper for these types of instrumentals, especially when he's talking tough as nuts with total disregard for the softer persona he conveyed on almost every record since Murs 3:16: The 9th Edition - and it seems a little ridiculous at the age he is here in particular, even if, yes, he's speaking about someone else. This just doesn't move me, and seems especially jarring after the genuinely awesome previous track. Also, the hook sucks. 

5. Another Round (feat. Krizz Kaliko) (prod. Michael "Seven" Summers)

After some intial synths that are more than a little similar to those on "Pussy and Pizza" (sorry, I'd better stop the Have a Nice Life comparisons), Seven drops in his second hitter of the night in this great track that's only slightly marred by Krizz Kaliko's incredibly overdramatic vocals. Look, I'm a Krizz fan (I even, shockingly, own a couple of his albums), but when he starts singing in that ridiculous operatic tone I really have to tune out, At least the melody is solid, and it gives Murs room to drop two powerful (if somewhat hypersexual) verses that really hit you in the feels, and a short and sweet hook as well. Let's hope that this album doesn't keep up with this up and down streak - because when it's on, it's some of the most interesting Murs shit in a while. 

6. Xmas and Thanksgiving (prod. DJ Fresh)

A bit of an iffy one this, although it certainly isn't outright weak. One of the first instances of Murs teaming up with DJ Fresh (who I believe went on to produce 2020's Love & Rockets Vol. 2) is a shorter track about the story of a woman who ended up becoming a full time prostitute, and quite a successful prostitute at that. The problem is... I'm really not sure what this song's message is. The track seems very insensitive about the subject, which to me is that of someone who's lost their way in life - it's almost as though Murs is making fun of this person, especially in the bullshit hook, easily the worst element of the track. Of course, do what you want with your life, but is this really the correct way for Murs to address this? At least the beat was dope though, and excluding the hook the verses are decently written, offering insight on what leads one to this path. But overall, this just feels incomplete and, how can I put this.... slightly off. Hmm.

7. Summer (prod. MOD)

Although this track does bare similarities to a song I previously slated, "Colossus", I actually really dug this joint, produced by yet another bloke I've never heard of in my life (according to Genius.com this is in fact his only credit). The instrumental on here is booming, creative, and definitely gets the head nodding with it's deep 808s. I love it. And Murs sounds right at home, rapping from the perspective of a gang member who watches his friends get arrested and killed, yet continues to bang and even enjoy it, as that's all he knows. And unlike "Colossus", this song truly feels tragic, with the synths in the beat creating a tension that kind of exemplifies the hopelessness of the track, and the powerful return to "and I can't wait til the summer comes" as each chorus comes back around, showing that the ways will never change no matter what the protagonist goes through. See, when Murs gets serious he can create something truly great - this is excellent. 

8. 1000 Suns (prod. Michael "Seven" Summers)

Murs drops an ode to his wife, one that seems much more positive than the previous one of those we heard, "If This Should End" off of Brighter Daze. Here, it seems like Murs' marriage is still going well, which is of course great for him, except I am aware his next album is largely about their divorce, which makes this song much more tragic in the cold light of day - I think Murs has since found a new wife, which is great news of course. Seven's third and final instrumental of the night is as quality as you'd expect, if it feels a little skeletal at times, and Murs' rhymes are deep and really well thought out. This is one of the most mature songs he's done yet - excellent work. 

9. One Uh Those Days (feat. Reverie) (prod. DJ Mr. Len)

In the intro paragraphs I mention one song I was particularly hyped for based on the producer, and this one here is that very song, as of course Mr. Len is of the legendary Company Flow, one of the greatest hip-hop groups of all time, and the starting point for my favourite artist El-P. I'm not sure how this collaboration ended up coming together in 2017, but I'm damned glad that it did, as this beat is sick as hell, sounding much more like a proper underground tune than anything else from this album. This cut as a whole in fact almost reminds me of the Murs Rules the World days, as Nick's storytelling here is fascinating, with a funny ending that is also kind of powerful when you realise how close the guy he's following came to losing his life, only for one action to unknowingly save him. Reverie's guest appearance is also pretty awesome, as she comes with her signature "fuck this dumbass bitch" style. In fact, my only question is why the hook is so repetitive - the melody is fine, but when it's only the title repeated over and over it just sounds like they forgot to record over a placeholder audio. Whatever, this song is dope anyway. 

10. G Is For Gentrify (prod. Wax Roof)

Murs takes a moment to get all conscious hip-hop on us here, and over a jazzier instrumental from Wax Roof (him again!) to boot, albeit one with a slightly jarring drum loop that works well during the chantable chorus, but feels a little out of place during the verses. This track discusses the gentrification of L.A., as well as the insensitive ways that gang violence is often portrayed by the news and media, and it's definitely a well written track that incorporates elements of storytelling that are evidently essential to what this record is trying to do. While I was put off by the gimmicky title of the song initially, I find this to be a good one, even if it's best moment is perhaps when the pleasant instrumentation plays out towards the end - it is always nice when rap albums give the music some room to breathe sometimes. 

11. Animals Damnit (feat. Beleaf) (prod. Buttercream Bob)

Buttercream Bob. That's the name of the guy who produced this. God help me. Still, his work here ain't half bad, certainly good enough to forgive him for that ridiculous fucking choice of a stage name - the beat really does make you feel like you're traipsing through the jungle, especially with those weird ass noises that come in during Beleaf's passionate chorus. Murs' incredibly long verses on this one are pretty cool too, even if by the end it does feel like the song is overstaying it's welcome, given the simplicity of the instrumental that doesn't really change up at any point. But I guess the focus of this one should be mainly on the rapping anyway, and the performance from Murs is dope as he recounts tales from the hood that are fitting with the mood of this record. Could have done without the silly intro news report skit though. 

12. Ay Caramba (prod. Anthony Cruz & ARCiTEC)

Kind of an unexpected sound for this album to head into, but a welcome one - this beat is nice, with some very interesting 808s waving around these trap drums and a bouncy synth that make for a soundscape that sounds skeletal but also bangs hard, and has actually aged pretty well. Still, I'm not sure this was the best instrumental for the topic at hand - Murs' affair with the chick from "The Worst" (I'm just guessing that the tracks are connected) has gotten even more out of hand, and she's about to have his baby. Ay Caramba, right? Aside from the repetition of the title which was slightly annoying, this was a pretty nice banger - but again, I think the musical direction on the aforementioned song "The Worst" was definitely more appropriate for this type of concept. 

13. Wanna Be High (feat. Big Too Big) (prod. Wax Roof)

Oddly, the album ends with a very long skit in which Murs converses with Big Too Big over some pleasant music. Murs never really included anything in his discography like this before, and while it does bring up memories of older classic mainstream releases that would have these long-ass interludes (think Supreme Clientele in particular), I can't say this'll be one I play out every time. Still, it's fun. 

Like with every Strange Music release since roughly 2009, this album had pre-order bonus tracks which weren't available on the CD - however, the two tracks here are easily accessible as they were also released as singles on streaming platforms. So let's check them out. 

14. Survivor (prod. Oh Gosh Leotus)

An autobiographical one verse wonder which I guess was meant as a teaser for the album, as it was released as the lead single around a month in advance. This track doesn't appear to have much traction, which is a shame, as Murs does a great job over this powerful instrumental rapping about his career and his impact - you know, it's amazing how humble and yet simultaneously confident one man can come across on the same song. But Murs is certainly a unique figure, and it's great when an artist can reflect on certain things like this in a song - it's clear Murs is feeling a little better here than he was when he wrote the somewhat bittersweet "Have a Nice Life" (which felt similar in structure to this one). Honestly, if "Lemon Juice" wasn't so awesome then I'd question why this wasn't included as the opener. Dope stuff. 

15. Same 'Ol Day (feat. iMAYDAY! & Eric Biddines) (prod. Bernz)

Murs has historically teamed with Florida group iMAYDAY! ever since he signed with Strange Music in 2014, but since I never listened to their collaborative record, this is pretty much the first taste I'm having of what their collaborative music sounds like (excluding their Strangeulation Vol. II cypher), and it's pretty good, if clearly more of a iMAYDAY! track than a Murs one. Bernz' smooth bassline makes for a calming backdrop to this track about putting on a smile through the worst of times. It's a nice track - the hook is fun, and the guest rappers make the most of their time here, especially Bernz who probably does the best (our host sounds a little out of it on this one). This is certainly decent, although not exactly something that's got me jumping to listen to iMursDay! just yet. 

So, there you have it. Murs' sophomore Strange Music solo venture (try saying that quickly 3 times in a row). Honestly, while this thing is pretty inconsistent at times, and doesn't appear to have any real direction (although Murs stated that it was "a return to his L.A. storytelling roots", so that's something to go on), I liked it quite a lot. This album has aged far better than most of the blatantly mainstream sounding Have a Nice Life, and yet also sounds like it's going to be much more replayable than the 9th Wonder collabo Brighter Daze - in fact, it might just have those two beat, which I'm finding surprising since this silly album title/cover and amalgamation of unknown producers stacked the decks very much against it. Captain California is a legitimately good record, especially once you get through the initial wobbles of "Shakespeare On the Low", a concept that was never going to work, and "Colossus", a concept that simply didn't work regardless. Generally, the ideas for these songs as well as the execution and overall sound makes this album far more appealing from front to back than Murs' inconsistent previous solo work, even including the two pre-order bonus tracks. The highs are just as high, with "Lemon Juice" and "GBKW", as well as later cuts like "1000 Suns" and "One Uh Those Days", stacking up to "I Miss Mikey" and "Woke Up Dead" (although admittedly nothing could surpass the title track from that album) - only without the added baggage of blandness ("Pussy and Pizza"), overproduction ("Mi Corazon", "No More Control") and plain old stupidity ("Black Girls Be Like"). And this is coming from someone who actually enjoyed Have a Nice Life! Having come into this record expecting it to be pretty uninteresting, I've left with even more excitement about what's to come in the next few Murs records, and another great album from the dude to add to the ever-growing list. How I ever lost faith in the guy I don't know, because Murs of course again delivered. He's fucking dope! 

Expectations: Exceeded 

Best Track: "GBKW (God Bless Kanye West)"

Worst Track: "Colossus"

A shit-ton of other Murs reviews are available over here!

Murs-athon pt. 17 - Brighter Daze

The years 2014 and 2015 were some of the most successful of our old friend Murs' entire career. In 2014 he pulled a strong career move, aligning with the at-the-time red hot Strange Music label just as they were hitting their heyday. In this year he not only showed up multiple times on Tech N9ne's Strangeulation album, but he also teamed up with ¡MAYDAY! for a collaborative album called ¡MursDay!, which I may write about on here one day if I feel like it. These both created some of the more recognisable Murs tunes, such as "Hard (A Monster Made It)" and "Tabletops". And to top this off, in 2015 Murs released yet another solo album to add to his illustrious catalogue, called Have a Nice Life, which happened to include his most streamed song ever, "Okey Dog", which I must say is a bit of a banger. 

Personally, I liked Have a Nice Life but I didn't love it. Some of the music in there was a little too mainstream, and some of the lyrics a little too corny, even if there are some fantastic songs throughout it as well. It's a solid album in my opinion, not unlike the last couple of 9th Wonder collaborations. And you see what I did there? That's right, ladies and gentlemen, I cleverly transitioned into talking about the subject of today's post - yet another Murs & 9th Wonder project. Because I guess we just haven't heard enough yet. 

It was far more than rumoured at the time of its release that 2012's The Final Adventure was to be the finale for the classic rapper-producer tag team - I mean, look at it's title for God's sake - but I think everyone who's somewhat a fan of hip-hop will know to never believe statements like these. Jay-Z, The Game, even Kids See Ghosts - they all claimed to be retiring or splitting up never to work again, but it would be the spans of two or three years before they would break that promise. And with Murs & 9th Wonder, that was the case too. Enter 2015's Brighter Daze, awful title included, the duo's 6th album together. Brighter Daze received less than ideal promotion thanks to Strange Music practically blotting it out of existence, since they didn't get to release it on their label (meaning no more hits for Murs this time), and there wasn't even a CD released for it, which pisses me off to no end. I need it in the collection Goddammit! The album did differ somewhat from previous Murs & 9th Wonder albums, however, by being 12 tracks rather than 10 like all their previous projects (what a shocker!), and having quite a large guest list as well, with names such as Problem and even Mac Miller making appearances. 

But was this album any good? Well, if it's on the level of The Final Adventure I'll be happy, but if it's anything like that godawful Sweet Lord, then I certainly won't. I hope y'all enjoy the review!

Every song is produced by 9th Wonder

1. The Battle 

Besides the absence of a shout of "what up tho" at the start, something that is sorely missed on some of these later Murs albums, this shit was actually an excellent way to begin the album. 9th Wonder's production is jazzy but also high energy and intense, with fantastic percussion and bass complimenting the sound horns, and Murs' relentless verse that seems like it'll never end is better than almost everything on the previous album (except maybe the title track). Murs' lyrics revolving largely around how you can't fuck with him are nothing to get overly rowdy about, but they are enjoyable nonetheless - a Wu-Tang shout is always appreciated too, even if that particular bar is kind of lame. This serves as more of an introduction than a true structured song, but as intros go - it's pretty dope I have to say.

2. God Black / Black God

It seems Murs has further upped the ante on this absolute banger of a track, with a beat switch towards the end for good measure. The first instrumental on here is pretty beautiful though, with what in my opinion is one of 9th's better sample flips, and Murs spits some dope rhymes on here, where he denounces the legalisation of weed in LA, and also other rappers for glorifying violence. Murs paints himself as a true leader for his people on this track, but somehow doesn't come across as preachy at all, instead bringing some strong points to the table - and it's all helped by the fantastic beat. A second, more hardcore sounding instrumental joins us towards the end as Murs spits a final verse, and I really like that. I've been feeling that Murs' work has been a little too formulaic in my recent reviews of his, so it's cool to have a dope beat switch in there to give me something to be excited about. I fucking loved this one. 

3. How To Rob With Rob

Murs is back on some storytelling shit for this one, with a darker and more harrowing take on songs like "Trevor An' Them" and "L.A. Story Pt. 1", where he tells one concise and very easy to follow story in the form of a verse. The instrumental on here is probably my least favourite so far - the sample is a little too intrusive, and the beat a little too slow paced - but the rapping from Murs certainly makes up for it. I won't spoil the story, as you can go listen yourself, but I will say that it's yet another example of just how great Murs is at laying out a narrative as a rap. He's honestly one of the best. Great track. 

4. Lover Murs

Now this one is not on streaming, as it's one of two songs removed from the streaming edition of the album put out in 2019. And maybe that's a good thing, because while I really like 9th Wonder's incredibly familiar beat, Murs kind of fucks this one up by getting a bit too detailed about his sexual relations with this unnamed woman (potentially the same one he was cheating on in "The Worst"?). I appreciate that you want to express love for this woman, but unfortunately this type of hip-hop is not the place for that. Maybe go collaborate with The Weeknd and then it will work, but unfortunately one whole verse about how you "make them legs spazz" isn't exactly appealing to anyone except for yourself. Thanks, but no thanks. 

5. Get Naked (feat. Problem)

I don't know whether to laugh or cry at that title. This track right here is a collaboration with the man formerly known as Problem, who is now going by the far stupider stage name JasonMartin for some reason. And yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's another explicit sex song. Thankfully, this one is a little less insufferable than the previous one, even if it does have its moments - hell, at least this one seems somewhat self aware of what it is. I think the chorus would potentially have been funny too if they didn't keep repeating that annoying-ass rewinding sound - what the hell is that about? Murs' verses are decent though, barring some of the cringier moments (like when he rhymes "dictator" with, you guessed it, "dick later"), and I actually enjoy Problem's slightly off kilter flow on here a lot too. Yeah, it's still kind of weak compared to the first three tracks, but it's not bad - hell, what could be with this dope ass instrumental?

6. The Shutters (feat. Reuben Vincent & Bad Lucc)

Finally we've left the dodgy sex songs behind, and we're back to the fucking dope shit. Because that is very much what this is. This track is straight up rapping with no bullshit hooks in sight, as the three MC's showcase their unique styles over an intense and positively fire 9th Wonder instrumental. I reckon Bad Lucc might have actually had my favourite verse - he sounds like Big Scoob without the dirty south drawl, and I'm here for it. Reuben and Murs both absolutely kill it too though, with Murs having a fantastic opening verse on here that really sets the tone, and is somewhat prophetic as well ("grey dreadlocks" seems to be exactly what Murs is rocking right now). This was some absolutely dope shit - at this point in Murs' career it really doesn't get much better. 

7. Wait... Back It Up

Yes, this is another "song for the ladies", but it's not really. This song is more about how you shouldn't let your lust control you, because it could potentially end up ruining the relationships with those that truly mean something, and I really fuck with that concept. The track details how Murs is not only acting like a different person and losing touch with his homies, but he's even sinking to the point of not wanting to see his kids because he's too busy spending time with this woman. It shows a new level of growth for Murs, who's older love songs were simple and surface level. And not only that, but the chorus interpolates A Tribe Called Quest, which I love, and the instrumental from 9th Wonder is relaxing and totally beautiful. This is honestly a sick track.

8. If This Should End 

Up to this point the emotional high of this record, a dedication to Murs' wife, who's relationships with our host seem to be getting a little rocky at this point - and I am aware that Murs' 2018 record A Strange Journey Into the Unimaginable is about the divorce they eventually had, so obviously it didn't get better. It makes that transition from "if this should end" to "when this shit end" in the chorus that much more heart-wrenching. I honestly do feel like this song could have been slightly better though, even though I really like Murs' verses and overall concept here, of finding why it's gone wrong and why they need to move on. I think Murs has admitted that he's not great at writing hooks, but for some reason he continues to do them, and this one is... kind of bullshit? It's just too fast for the repetition to work, and even though the transition I mentioned earlier is powerful, the bit before it is just kind of annoying. Furthermore, 9th Wonder's soulful beat doesn't really match the heart-wrenching lyrics at all. This is good, don't get me wrong - I just feel like it could have been better. Also, that "Houston we have a problem" line... oh dear.

9. Walk Like a God (feat. Rapsody & Propaganda)

Another sequel to "Walk Like a Man", and after the mediocre "Walk Like a Woman" from The Final Adventure, I think Murs has redeemed himself, as I loved this shit. However, that's more down to Rapsody than Murs himself, as her verse here is for sure one of the best on the entire record, as she laments on how different religious beliefs, including atheism, don't make you a worse person. But it's her bar at the very end "every saint got a past and every sinner got a future" that I was particularly impressed by - that's a truly excellent line, and one of those that really makes you think. Propaganda, a Christian rapper whom I had never heard of before until today, also shines through on this cut, with the lines "there were times I felt hip-hop was God's gift just for me / can't verify it but sure can't deny it" being some that I'm sure many relate to. My personal beliefs in God? I'm not sure. But I do know that this certainly offered a great commentary on the uncertainty of who or what He is. This was really good. 

10. Otha Fish

An actual cover of The Pharcyde's song of the same name - well I certainly didn't see that coming. This reminds me of when Murs sampled The Pharcyde on "Never Eat" off of Good Music. Man, I still love that album to this day. Unlike his cover of "I Used To Love H.E.R.", this one is pretty much a word for word copy of the original song, so there's not much to say, but I do think it's interesting that he did it. Covers are very much something hip-hoppers tend to avoid (probably due to the competitive roots of the genre), but it makes sense that a spokesperson for peace like Murs would be the one to do one. So I fuck with it. 

11. No Shots (feat. Mac Miller, Vinny Radio, Franchise & Choo Jackson)

Shit is fuckin' DOPE! This posse cut features legend of 2010's hip-hop Mac Miller (R.I.P), alongside a bunch of his apprentices, all over what has to be the absolute best instrumental over the course of this entire record. 9th's relaxing and jazzy beat is perfect for a chill posse cut like this, and no-one disappoints. I absolutely love Mac's singing during this chorus, and his verse ain't half bad either - but it's Murs who might be the star of the show here, with an incredibly strong showing on the final verse, which is long as hell but full of great bars. Man this instrumental is good. Why the hell didn't they put this song on streaming? It's gotta be the best song on the album. I'm sorry, it just has to be. 

12. Murs SuperStar

Murs ends the record on a poignant note with a sentimental instrumental from 9th Wonder, and verses from Murs surrounding his current situation being very different from where he started, and also how he likes being an OG of the game - then again, who wouldn't. He even makes reference to his debut album F'Real on here. This song wouldn't really work that well on its own I don't think, and doesn't have nearly as much replay value as the previous track, but as a closer here it works well, and sounds nice. A dope ending to an even doper album. 

I think I've discovered Murs' best album since 2011's Love & Rockets Vol. 1, and that album was absolutely incredible so that's quite a feat. This thing isn't quite incredible, but it's certainly very goddamn good, and I think that's down mainly to 9th Wonder's production. On Fornever and The Final Adventure, Murs was (almost) always on form, showcasing dope ass storytelling and writing, with his voice that really came into a new, deeper form during his 2010s projects, in a good way that is, of course. However, I felt like 9th could sometimes be inconsistent with the beats on those projects - some were great of course, but some felt a little cheap, with his sampling also often coming across as a bit intrusive. But on this album, 9th Wonder's production is consistently excellent, with almost every beat here not only sounding great, but fitting the lyrical themes of the tracks perfectly as well. In fact, it's Murs who's the more inconsistent here - most of his lyrics are dope, but some of these one liners are painful, and a track like "Lover Murs" should never have been written in the first place. Don't ask me what he was doing with that. But when it comes to the high points on this project, it's all laughs, because there's some truly dope shit, whether that be in the form of great solo cuts like "God Black/Black God" and "Wait... Back It Up", or some of the posse cut tracks on here, with "No Shots" being probably my favourite song on the entire album. This isn't a modern classic - I don't think there's going to be too much replay value here, and it has it's down moments - but it is a great record, and in the right setting it's hugely fun to listen to. Brighter Daze is a nice surprise, and hopefully down the line Murs can continue a solid streak - next up are his other two records with Strange Music, which hopefully aren't quite as overly polished as Have a Nice Life. I look forward to writing about those - for now, you guys go check out Brighter Daze, and make sure you find "No Shots" on YouTube - I'll promise it'll be worth it.

Expectations: Exceeded 

Best: "No Shots"

Worst: "Lover Murs"

Find more of the Murs-athon over here!

Murs-athon pt. 16 - Have a Nice Life

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!

Murs-athon pt. 15 - The Final Adventure

Followers of the Murs catalogue should know by now that from 2004 onwards, every two years there had been a ten track collaborative record between Murs himself and producer 9th Wonder released to the public - they weren't always the main focus of the man's career (Sweet Lord, for example, was pretty much released as a promotional tool for his solo major label debut Murs For President), but they were always something the underground hip-hop audience could look forward to when they entered a new year that ended with an even number. 

So when in 2012, the pair announced they were to release their last collaborative piece, the hip-hop world was very sad. I think. Of course, it's entirely plausible that no-one actually cared, as the reception to their previous project together Fornever had been lukewarm at best, even though I enjoyed it personally. A lot of people were even saying that Murs had entered a rough spot in his career - even though it's difficult to believe that people could hate the wonderful Love & Rockets Vol 1: The Transformation, some still did, and it's fair to say that Murs wasn't feeling the poor reviews on his work at all. Therefore, he must have decided to re-invent himself a bit to appease to a potential new audience, and this meant that the series of albums with 9th Wonder was to be concluded. And so, on November 13th of 2012, Nicholas Carter and Patrick Douthit released The Final Adventure on the latter's own Jamla Records - and I'm sure the title alone struck fear into the hearts of underground heads everywhere. 

Like with all of their previous albums, The Final Adventure is produced in its entirety by 9th Wonder, and aside from a guest appearance on the opening song by Rapsody (a very early-stage career move from her), all the tracks' vocals are handled by Murs. The CD art for this album isn't great if I'm being honest, with a couple of kids walking though one of those LA viaducts I always associate with The Terminator 2, but what does excite me is a) the song "Whatuptho" - not because of the title, but because I've actually already heard the song, and it's great - and b) the generally positive reception on this project - from what I'm seeing people took a lot more kindly to this than some of the other Murs projects released beforehand, and that's always a good sign. Am I excited about this album, then? Yes. Very excited. 

Oh, and before I start this review, I want to say that I'm thinking of doing a Murs-athon Series 2, where I cover all of the collaborative albums with other vocalists that appear in his catalogue, since I've been enjoying his solo work so much. Please let me know if that's something you would like to see, and if there's anything else you feel deserves an introduction on the blog, then feel free to drop it in the comments. 

Anyhow, let's get this one going!

All songs are produced by 9th Wonder.

1. Get Together (feat. Rapsody)

Over an engaging and very tight 9th instrumental, Rapsody takes up a large portion of screen time discussing her admiration for Murs, and also the lyrical prowess that she herself has, and it's pretty bloody great - she's got a powerful voice, great flow and excellent lyrics that made for a highly intriguing performance - that reference to Dr. House made me laugh too. The sooner I check out her work, the better, it seems. Murs pops up again at the end (after dropping a bit of spoken word at the start) to deliver a passionate and braggadocios verse that I was just completely in love with - "what up tho? You know I had to say it". This was a brilliant way to start up the album, and the short length only added to the intense atmosphere. Great track. 

2. Whatuptho

This is the one song on the album that I have already heard, and I can safely say that it is a classic Murs joint. The beat from 9th Wonder is poignant and celebratory, and I love it, and Murs does it justice by dropping three verses full of fantastically quotable lines, and a chorus that will stick in your head for days after you first hear the song. A personal favourite line would be the one where he shouts out "green tea drinkers", since that covers yours truly, but I'd have to say the best lyric on here would be "Ain't no difference between a gangbanger and Malcolm X - the same anger / just misdirected, now neighbourhoods infected / so I gotta speak the truth, by the youth I've been selected". That is just one of the best lyrics Murs has ever spit. Yeah, this song is brilliant, and perfectly justifies the weight of its title. 

3. Funeral For A Killer

Holy shit I did not expect that. So, I don't know if anyone's seen Murs' podcast Best Rapper In L.A., but it's something I have found loads of interest in listening to, and a podcast I have become very familiar with throughout the months since I started this Murs-athon. What I did not know was that the intro music used for every episode of that podcast is actually taken from the instrumental of this song. And what's super weird is that the music did not feel like it fit this song at all - maybe it's the fact that I'm used to it in the podcast, but to me it definitely sounds more like a little introduction piece than something that could fill out a whole song, especially one with lyrics as powerful as this. Still, I enjoyed this a lot, as Murs' lyrics that talk about how he still gets upset at a friend's death despite them being a killer in real life are pretty powerful, and the hook was dark too. Unfortunately, the instrumental on this one meant that I couldn't really have the proper first listen that I would have liked. 

4. Baby Girl (Holding Hands)

The instrumental found on this track kinda reminded me of some of the more unorthodox beats we heard on Murray's Revenge, only it's just not really as good. Yeah, I wasn't entirely sure about this beat - there were elements I enjoyed, but I had to really concentrate to pick them out, and with a dope beat you shouldn't really have to do that. Still, you could say the same about the vocals - I really didn't care for the hook on here, provided by an uncredited Khrysis, and the lyrical content from Murs about falling in love with a girl whilst in third grade was, I don't know, corny, and also slightly uncomfortable. The song isn't bad, since Murs' passionate delivery is still there - this is way better than anything on Sweet Lord for example - but I'm still not entirely convinced by this song. 

5. Walk Like A Woman

Presumably, this six-minute plus track is going to serve as a sequel or companion piece to the brilliant song "Walk Like a Man" from earlier in Murs' career - let's see if it delivers. Oh right - it fucking didn't. This song was six minutes long, but unfortunately it never really clicked with me fully at any point. There was a beat switch in the middle of this one, but going from one bland soul-sample beat into another midway through just to continue on the same basic lyrical tangent isn't going to make the song much more interesting, Murs, dammit!! Honestly, I might have enjoyed this tale of Murs' journey to marriage a bit more if he didn't give it such a name - aside from having a beat switch this is the polar opposite of "Walk Like a Man", and not exactly in a good way either. Sorry, Murs, but I didn't feel this too much. 

6. Tale of Two Cities

Thankfully, this song picked the quality up, and then not only put it back to a good level but lifted it right up into "brilliant" territory - I loved this song. The track drops the lovey-dovey content of the previous couple of songs, and instead talks about gang violence in Los Angeles, and different paths the people could take in order to solve it and bring it to a stop. 9th Wonder's instrumental was powerful, especially the little harmonica hits in there, and Murs' lyricism was profound and insightful - "the future's in our reach, find solutions to the beef / get every shooter in the streets to ride for universal peace". All I can say is "phew" - I thought this album was going to a dark place for a second there. 

7. Dance With Me

Well that song title doesn't look promising. Thankfully, this song was brilliant - Murs' lyrics were really powerful and hit hard, and the instrumental enhanced them in the best way. This song wasn't a corny diatribe of Murs asking some random girl he'd met to "dance" like I thought it would be - instead it was an interesting account of a girl he was friends with whom he kind of had feelings for, but didn't know whether it was a good idea to start a relationship. Eventually they did, it tumbled down, and then they weren't really friends anymore. Sure, the content doesn't scream "L.A. hardcore rapper", but I still found it really interesting, and I loved the beat as well. Honestly, this was one of my favourite tracks on the whole record. 

8. Better Way

This was also a very interesting track, one only slightly hindered by the presence of a repetitive hook that really did not need to be recited twice at the very end. On this song, Murs discusses religion, and how even though he was bought up a Christian he doesn't necessarily entirely believe in the existence of God now. The beat on here was pretty great, and I found Murs' lyrics very relatable - my parents are both pretty much atheist, but sometimes things happen and I'm just not entirely convinced that there's nothing out there. I definitely don't believe in the whole nativity scene, nor the Adam and Eve story, but sometimes I am swayed by theories of re-incarnation - it just seems crazy to me that there is literally nothing after you die. Whatever, I'm going off on one now. Point is, the song is great. There we go.

9. Wherever You Are

Murs spits a one verse wonder over a dramatic and slightly depressing beat, that seems to discuss him meeting a woman, and then becoming confused when she introduces him to eMail. The powerful ending to the track is slightly tainted by the ridiculousness of some of the lyrics in the middle - I mean, why the hell are you focusing on your incompetence with the internet when you're supposed to be discussing love? Still, I did find this song very entertaining, and 9th did a great job once again. Nice stuff.

10. It's Over

Well, that was my fucking favourite song on the whole album. The instrumental on this song was absolute perfection, and Murs absolutely destroyed it with a passionate and heartfelt performance that included three different verses discussing completely different subject matters, with one common theme - the situation is now over. The first verse talks to an ex-girlfriend who would not stop trying to contact him even though the relationship was long finished, and the second verse is about someone who keeps trying to leech off of Murs and his fame, forgetting that he should be making a name for himself just like Murs did all those years ago. The third and final verse that ends the song on an abrupt note is all about Murs' relationship with 9th Wonder, and it's this verse that hits the most, or at least it would if the pair hadn't teamed up twice more for full-length albums - yes, the saga of Murs and 9th does continue, so don't worry about that. However, even if this was the last song they had released I couldn't have been hurt - this is seriously one of the dopest Murs songs in existence. 

I'll admit something - by the time we reached track 5, I was getting quite worried about this album. I loved the first two songs, and I kinda liked track three despite the issues I had with the beat (which was more my fault for listening to that podcast before this album). However, tracks 4 and 5 didn't move me in the way that I would have liked, and both of these songs were standing around the 6/10 area to me - honestly I would give "Walk Like a Woman" more of a 5, which is a pretty damned low rating for a Murs song. However, as soon as we reached the second half this suddenly became a great, consistent, excellent album. The last five songs are not only diverse and musically interesting, but also feature incredibly passionate vocal performances from Murs - one thing I did notice about this project was the fact that Murs sounded very excited to be working on it. In fact, I would say that this was his best rapping performance on an album since Murray's Revenge - and that's pretty high praise. There wasn't any song on here that was quite as good as "Animal Style", "Walk Like a Man" or "God's Work", but nonetheless as an album it worked together really well, and I think I'll probably enjoy those two songs I was questionable about more on future listens, knowing that the album really picks up in the second half. God, I was getting worried about this thing. Thankfully, it turned out to be just what I wanted from Murs - a dope and unique selection of instrumentals covered with relatable lyrics spoken with a passionate delivery that was even more emphasised than usual on this album right here. It would have been a tough thing to accept that Murs and 9th Wonder were ending their streak, but at the same time this project serves as a fitting end to their legacy, blending the sounds of all the albums that made them great, and ignoring the corny, uninspired bullshit that was Sweet Lord (and yes, I still hate that album). I'm very happy with this project, and I'll enjoy spending time with it up until I get to the next Murs solo effort, released three years later. See ya!

Expectations: Matched

Best Track: "It's Over"

Worst Track: "Walk Like a Woman"

Make sure to view some of my other Murs write-ups over here!

Murs-athon pt. 14 - Yumiko: Curse Of the Merch Girl

Welp, here we are. Another reaction to a Murs album, and I can’t lie… I’m very, very sceptical about this one. Some may remember one of the more recent ones I did of these when I discussed Murs’ 2011 EP Varsity Blues 2, and while that EP as a whole was OK, with a couple of really great songs in there, there were a couple that I really didn’t fucking like, and one of those songs happened to be the track “She’s So Lost (Yumi’s Blues)”, a song in which Murs told a story of a girl who sold merchandise at band shows, and who happened to fall in love and get together with the leader of the band. When she discovered he was cheating, however, she… became very sad? The song didn’t have any kind of conclusive ending, and perhaps it was for that reason that the album in discussion today came about. Anyway, the song itself was really, really bad, and not only because of the story, which would maybe work for a comic (wink, wink), but really doesn’t when it comes to a damned hip-hop song. The music on the track was also terrible, with the verses having an inoffensive but in no way enjoyable poppy beat, and the hook incorporating some electric guitars that were about as enjoyable as a broken glass sandwich washed down with a cup of red diesel. I really disliked this track, and so inevitably Murs took its concept and fleshed it out into a whole ten track album (with five most likely useless remixes chucked on the end of that too!!), which he put out in mid-2012 to the reception of absolutely no-one, despite the excellence of his prior effort Love & Rockets Vol 1: The Transformation, which I loved and have in rotation to this day.

Yumiko: Curse Of the Merch Girl (which is a stupid title for an album by the way) was the first so-called “concept album” in the Murs catalogue, and to help him he bought in producer Foundation, mastermind behind absolutely nothing else that you might have heard of, so that’s good. At the moment, my rating for him is about a three out of ten (since he did that “She’s So Lost” song), but hey, it can only get better from here. Oh, and since I haven’t mentioned it yet, “She’s So Lost” does show up on this album too, which leaves me with two problems. A = what’s going to happen after that (it’s track three)? And B = is this album going to have that poppy, occasionally rocky sound we heard on that song, that I myself bloody despise?

Well, I guess the only way to find out is by jumping headfirst into this project. And who knows, maybe it’ll be better than I think? Still, a whole concept album based on this concept?? I really don’t see how this is going to work.

Oh, and all of the songs are produced by Foundation, in case I didn’t make that clear before.

1.     1. Love

Well, consider me surprised, because this song was great, and honestly such a strong way to open up this album. Foundation brings us an instrumental that’s wonderfully gritty, with the chorus containing some nice little synths too which really help with the emotional progression of the track, and Murs went in on this one, describing a relationship that was also seen in “She’s So Lost”, where the man leading the band is a bit of a dickhead, and the girl is none the wiser, despite apparently being right there on tour with him. The production on here was honestly impeccable, and Murs killed it with a great delivery and an enticing story to tell. Honestly, I think I was a bit harsh in the intro paragraphs. This might not be too bad.

1.      2. She’s So Lost

This was the song that I had already heard on the Varsity Blues 2 EP, but I was pleasantly surprised anyway to find out that the shitty instrumental used on that version is nowhere to be found here, replaced by something more intense, and also a lot more hip-hop centric. It still has some godawful guitars in the hook, but still this beat is good. And one reason why it’s so good is that it very much changes the tone of this song to mark the dire situation being described as something more intense and important, and this is plainly for the best – that beat on the older version of this song really did bring it down. I’m still not hugely enthralled by this content, and the imagery painted in the second verse gets uncomfortable to hear, but still, I’m glad this version is better sonically now.

2.     3. On Your Own

Aside from Murs’ insistence to include a terrible chorus that isn’t catchy in the slightest, but instead just serves to interrupt his narrative for no apparent reason, this song was pretty great too. The instrumental from Foundation is well made and sounds great throughout the track, and Murs addressing the girl he’s told the story of in the last two songs was also very necessary. This one isn’t essential listening by any means, but it serves its purpose well next to these other two songs. I liked this one.

3.     4.  An Eye For An Eye

Naming your song after a phrase that’s been used in hip-hop about 274,000 times before? Interesting. Instrumentally, this song was really good, as Foundation provides an instrumental that DMX might have rhymed over in the late ‘90s, had he not fallen for the terrible sound Swizz Beatz was pioneering at that time. The dark pianos and the slow pace make for a dark and haunting atmosphere, which leads to my problem here – these lyrics don’t match it at all. Murs talks to the listener about the pain one might feel when their heart has been broken, and while this is all very sad, why exactly did it warrant this excellently creepy beat? It makes no sense to me. Yeah, this track should have been good, but unfortunately the lack of communication between lyrics and beat pull it down a notch for me. Also, the hook is terrible.

4.    5. God’s Gone Crazy

      Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting this. What I was expecting from this album was fairly uninteresting storytelling over bad, commercial beats, and what did I get on this song? Easily one of the best Murs tracks I have ever heard. Not only was the instrumental on here incredible, with a generally creepy air put in by the electronic sound effects, but Murs’ lyrics were easily some of his best yet so far. Murs kind of abandons the concept of the album for this track, instead talking about how crazy it is that people cause hurt and death so often purely because of religion – something that Murs rightfully states here as not being provable anyway. The song isn’t anti-religious at all, but instead encourages peace, but in a way that’s incredibly clever and insightful, not annoying and pretentious. I think one line sums this one up pretty well – “Murdering in the name of your god is still murder”. What an incredible track.

5.     6.   Mr. M

Uhh… I guess Murs really has given up on the (admittedly terrible) concept this album had, as this track is all about the devil himself, who Murs personifies as “Mr. M” for some reason that probably makes sense to the people in his office block. I didn’t care for the beat here at first, as it sounded too bouncy and honestly a little silly, but as the song went on I found my interest increasing, and I thought Murs’ “everything bad that happens is because of the devil!!” subject matter to be fairly well executed, even though it’s a recycled topic. Also, we got some record scratching here, which is always appreciated, even if the scratches are horribly placed.

6.     7.  Falling In Flames

Murs actually seems to return to the concept of the album here, all the while offering an explanation for the last song and why it was placed on this album – because the guy who he’s talking about fell for the temptation the devil instigated in him, silly! This one is about a guy who effectively sold his soul (as they say) for fame, and it’s quite a harrowing tale with an interesting connection back to Yumi, who hasn’t even been mentioned since, like, track three. I mean, what’s up with that? The instrumental here was dope as hell, and Murs killed the lyrics. I really liked this one. Nice video, too.

1.   8. Loki & Puck

Murs starts off by telling us that this one is about to change things up into some “hood shit“, and the results are pretty great. Foundation provides a more rock influenced instrumental here, but thankfully it’s easily fast enough to keep things going, without the song getting boring at any point. Meanwhile, Murs continues the tale of this album by recounting Yumiko’s next activities – leading on two gang members who were quite well-known in the hood, and in the end shooting them both while they were all in a car together. Well, damn. This song was honestly really entertaining, and with a bit more variation in the beat it could be even better.

2.   9. Piece Now

So… I guess Yumi came back to kill Dom and his bandmate? That’s the only thing I can discern from this storytelling track, but then again I’ll probably need more listens of this album to really understand this whole story. This track was short and sweet, and that instrumental was nice as hell. Not necessarily a massive standout, but still pretty great nonetheless. Oh, and the “here’s a little story that must be told” scratch at the end reminded me very much of Common’s song “Book Of Life”, since it’s the exact same sample. That’s dope too!

10. The Only One / Final

Well, I’m not entirely sure what the name for this one is, since streaming and the CD give it different titles, but still, I’ll put them both up there just to avoid confusion. After some terribly grating synths start things up, the full beat comes on, and… I really don’t like it. The synths themselves are bad enough, but having them play a truly horrible melody as well is just the nail in the coffin – this is quite easily the weakest beat on the album. A shame, as even though the first few lines seemed a bit corny, Murs’ delivery on this one was really heartfelt, and I actually really dug most of his performance here. This definitely wasn’t the most potent way he could have ended the album, but it’s OK nonetheless. Oh, and that extended outro music was pretty cool too. 

As I stated in the intro paragraphs, there are five extra remixes stuffed onto the end of some versions of this album, but I'll probably check those out later - and I don't think I require much more to convince me that this album is dope anyway. 

Well, consider me surprised. This album not only surpassed my incredibly low expectations, but it's also made it's way up to position of being one of my favourite Murs albums ever. Honestly, I don't know how this thing doesn't get more props - the beats are sick, the rapping is excellent, and the consistency is there in spades too. The beats on here are less sample based, and sound more modern than some of the stuff Murs has rhymed over on his previous few efforts, and that's a good thing, as these instrumentals are honestly perfect for Murs' voice. Some of the darker beats are my favourites, but even the more light-hearted ones work, and this overall just sounds more inventive and interesting than some of his later albums with 9th Wonder (although the beats don't quite match the ones on Love & Rockets Vol 1: The Transformation in my opinion). Then we come to Murs, who manages to engage throughout this thing with a great storyline that he executes well, and doesn't bore us with either, sometimes going slightly off topic to relate something, and throwing in little twists and things to keep things moving along. And, while his lyrics themselves occasionally swerve into corny territory, a lot of the time they contain very quotable bars and excellent subject matter - this man is overall very dope, even at this later stage in his career. My one gripe with the project would be the underwhelming hooks that appeared on a lot of these songs - most of the time Murs' hooks just sound like four regular bars that happen to be repeated a lot, and more often than not they serve to interrupt, rather than add to the song in a positive way. Still, aside from that, this was a really intriguing concept album, and I'm really, really happy that I liked it so much. It's crazy how the song from Varsity Blues 2 was significantly worse than anything that actually appeared on here - including the version of that song with a new beat. I'd definitely recommend a listen here - it's another project in a catalogue that continuously proves to be one of the more underrated and consistent in the game.

Expectations: Exceeded

Best Track: "God's Gone Crazy"

Worst Track: "The Only One"

Catch up on the ever-growing Murs-athon over here!

Murs-athon pt. 13 - Love & Rockets Vol 1: The Transformation

The last Murs project I reviewed on here was Varsity Blues 2, and if I'm being perfectly honest, I didn't feel it much at all. Yes, a couple of the tracks were pretty dope, but one of them was a previously released song anyway, and when it was bad, it was bad. Shit like "Bummed Out Blues" and "She's So Lost" were some of the weakest shit I've heard in this entire Murs-athon. Hell, I'd rather listen to stuff on Sweet Lord than those cuts. Still, the fact that I was unmoved by the album as a whole doesn't turn me off from the excitement surrounding the next project in Murs' catalogue, and the album I'll be listening to today - the extravagantly titled Love & Rockets Vol 1: The Transformation, apparently so called because Murs transitioned from having hair to not having hair during the recording of this project. 

This album was released on October 11th of 2011, and it's disputed where exactly it falls into the Murs catalogue. The only name that is listed on the front cover is that of Murs himself, and so therefore one might assume that this falls in as his 6th solo studio album, a follow up to the stellar Murs For President he dropped back in 2008. However, there are a lot of people who would list this amongst his many collaborative projects, the reason for that being that this album was entirely produced by Ski Beatz (except one track, apparently) - that's the same Ski Beatz who worked on Jay-Z's first two albums, yes, and was the man behind "Dead Presidents". So, already I'm excited for this record - that's no no-name producers cooking up weird rock and folky beats. Instead, we have a revered boom-bap producer who made the beats to some of Jay-Z's best '90s cuts. I mean, how can you argue with "Streets Is Watching"? "22 Two's"? "Politics As Usual"? This guy is clearly a mastermind - the question is, was he still on the same caliber in 2011? 

Well, fans of rapper Curren$y would tell you "yes", as the man had done some work with him, but personally I haven't heard any of his later work, so I don't know. Let's stop talking about him now, though, and instead focus on the star attraction - that's Nicholas Carter, also known as Murs. This album was one of the man's biggest and most successful (it's all relative, remember) to date, with "Remember 2 Forget" being one of his most streamed songs, and "Animal Style" not being far behind - in fact, I've heard the latter of those already, and I can say with confidence it's one of the best Murs songs ever, and one of the most daring song concepts in hip-hop history. Just wait until we get to it, you'll see. The features on this thing are fairly sparse, with the only ones I'm even slightly familiar with being West Coast veteran O.C. and TDE signee Ab-Soul, with the rest of them being names I personally have never come across before. I mean, Locksmith? Tabi Bonney? Come on, no-one knows these guys. Also, we have Dee-1, with whom Murs dropped a project in 2020 titled He's the Christian, I'm the Rapper - not a title that gives me much hope, but we'll see. 

This album is 13 tracks long, and so it's not too lengthy, but still certainly long enough to classify it as a proper album. The question is, is this an album that will improve Murs' discography, or lessen it's worth to a large degree? Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see...

Also, that album cover is fucking sick - that alone makes me more intrigued for the project. 

All songs produced by Ski Beatz except where noted.

1. Epic Salutations

I can't lie, this song title really makes me want to like this one. I know, it's silly, but I guess that's how things go sometimes. Over a fairly unorthodox instrumental that starts off drumless but then builds into something more hip-hop like, Murs raps about a bunch of random shit, including adventures in space, dealing drugs to aliens, and (toward the beginning) his own impact on the genre, and how he believes he's been a substantial part of it. He also mentions how he has quality and quantity, something you can't really deny when looking at his discography so far, even if there has been a couple of iffy moments. This song is just one long verse over some fantastically weird yet equally celebratory music from Ski Beatz, and Murs sounds invigorated and excited to be in the booth. This was probably the best way he could have possibly introduced us to the record. "While I'm slanging moon rocks to these alien fellas!"

2. Remember 2 Forget

Well, it seems that we're at the break up songs already, but I don't mind that, as I actually enjoyed this one. Even though the "2" in the title is irksome, the whole "remembering to forget a relationship" concept of this is really interesting, and probably has given many support when they find themselves in the dire situation where they can't get over a lost love. The instrumental on this thing isn't too down, with Ski Beatz providing a fairly spacey sounding beat with use of a sample that reminds of 9th Wonder, and Murs' actual lyrical content on this thing was good, even if it reminds of other songs in his catalogue, such as "A Part Of Me". Also, the hook is really, really memorable. This was actually a dope track - there's a reason it's one of his most famous. 

3. 67 Cutlass

Murs kicks his first proper storytelling rap of the day, and it's another absolute success. The instrumental on this thing has an old-school boom-bap flavour that I just adore, and it's the perfect place for Murs to spit - and man is this guy good at laying out a story. On this one, we hear a tale of Murs and his buddy rolling around in their vehicle, and with some shrooms in there too, and then they get pulled over by a police car, so they're like "aww, shit". Then, they eat all the shroomz just before the cop gets there, and he tells Murs to pop the trunk. He does, and there's weed in there, albeit not his weed. So, his buddy admits to the cop that it's his weed, and then runs off into the distance, knocking the cop down. As the pig tries to get back up, Murs trips him over, and he hits his head on the side of the car and fucking dies, not a turn I was expecting the story to take. So, Murs and his friend put him in the boot, and head off to the woods to bury him, and just as the police helicopters start circling to find the two murderers, the shrooms kick in. What's funny is that I just told that whole story after one listen, and with no transcription in front of me. That's just how invigorating and fantastic Murs is here. This was another fantastic cut. 

4. Eazy-E

Track four on this album is a light-hearted and celebratory tribute to the West Coast hip-hop artists who paved the way for Murs and others like him, and I absolutely loved it. Murs drops as many names here as you'd hear on the average The Game song, but it works in this instance as he pays tribute to Ice Cube, E-40, WC, and of course Eazy-E, as well as many others. The song also starts with a reference to a line from Ice Cube's "It Was a Good Day", so that was dope too. Ski's instrumental on this thing was simply beautiful, with great melodies and dope drums, and Murs' verses were filled with classic reference for the West Coast fanboys to vibe to. And this had easily the best hook on the album so far, too - that chorus was nice as hell. This was a fantastic tribute cut, and arguably as good as Murs' other dedication to his hometown "L.A.". Well, maybe...

5. Hip Hop & Love (feat. Tabi Bonney)

A collaboration with another hip-hop artist called Tabi Bonney, who I had never actually heard of until now, but whatever. This actually appeared on one of his projects before this Murs one, I believe, and it's easy to tell, as this has a very different atmosphere to what we've seen so far. It's still good, though - this one's a tribute to hip-hop as a whole, and Bonney's opening verse was definitely decent, even if his delivery was a little bit sleepy. The chorus was alright, but really it was Murs who made this better - he uses a deeper voice than usual on this one that reminds me of his performance on "Lookin' Fly", and it's for the better, as the rapping from him on here is dope as hell, especially in his second verse where he shouts a bunch of artists who inspired him. As for the production, it was a pretty basic West Coast upbeat tune that you could ride your convertible to in the sunshine - or at least that's what I got from it. This wasn't fantastic like the first four songs, but I still certainly enjoyed it a lot. 

6. International

Well, Murs has never been one for the most conventional subject matter (remember "West Coast Cinderella"? How about "She's So Lost"? No? Oh yeah - they both sucked), but even if making a whole song about how you like to fly and the act of actually getting on a plane isn't guaranteed to captivate, Murs does a nice job of it on here, especially when it comes to lines like "nope I don't smoke weed, but do I stay high? Yes!". This is of course largely helped by Ski's jazzy instrumental, which is all kinds of excellent, but even without such a brilliant beat, I would most likely still find myself very entertained by Murs' lyrics on this song - there's even a Cheers reference in there, which was appreciated. This song was dope as hell. 

7. S-K-I-B-E-A-T-Z (feat. Locksmith)

This was certainly one of the songs that stood out on this tracklist thanks to the title, and also the feature from a gentleman under the stage name Locksmith - now that's intriguing to me. And this song was bloody good, man. As much as I love Murs' "everything is wonderful" attitude a lot of the time, it's nice to hear him get back to dissin' whack rappers and being a cocky twat throughout this one - even if he discredits his own work at the end of both of his verses, and says "let's get back to the music". Some of the lines on this thing were straight hilarious, such as "she got a crazy body, but she a stupid-ass" - that one genuinely had me laughing. The instrumental meanwhile once again utilises horns, but unlike on the last song which was quite subdued, these ones are loud and triumphant, perfect for the braggadocio displayed in the verses. Oh, and Locksmith came in at the end for a dope verse too, with a faster flow than Murs to make for a change of pace. The scratches on the hook that spell out the song title are just the icing on the cake - this was easily one of the best songs so far. 

8. Westside Love

Remember that song "Freak These Tales" from the classic Murs 3:16: The 9th Edition? Well, this song appears to be in a similar vein at first, as Murs details many meetings he's had with different girls, and all the hook-ups he's had over the years. This is the subject matter he details in the verses, anyway, but during the chorus he gets to talking to this one chick from the West Coast who he really wants to be with, and I have to say that the chorus is probably my least favourite element of this song, all thanks to the weird electric guitar and vocoder sounds that enter during that portion - it just sounds too cluttered if you ask me. Still, the actual rapping on here was cool, and the overall message of the song was nice too. Murs is good at making love songs, and as long as there aren't any more on here, then this one should stand out as a dope joint. We can hope...

9. Life & Time (feat. Ab-Soul & O.C.)

Another more celebratory cut with an aggressive flavour, and also the song with the two star guests on this album. This song is an interesting meet-up - we have a '90s West Coast MC, a 2000s West Coast MC and a 2010s West Coast MC all teaming up, and all delivering equally fantastic verses. And no, that doesn't reflect badly on Ab-Soul - it just shows how damn good O.C. and Murs do on this thing (well, you can expect Murs to be spitting fire at this stage). Murs' first verse disses modern rappers for being too soft (*cough*Drake*cough*), and he actually spits some dope disses in there - "wouldn't throw a cream puff in a cupcake war" being one that I found funny. Ab-Soul spends his verse bigging himself up, which he does a good job of, and he also says on there that if it wasn't for hip-hop he'd probably lose it - I'm sure I've heard that somewhere before? Anyway, O.C. brings up the rear for a dope verse where he compares the old and new scenes, and he does a good job for how long he'd been in the game by this point. The instrumental on this thing was all kinds of fantastic, and I loved the performances from all three MCs. This is the type of shit I love in hip-hop, man.

10. Reach Hire

I can't lie - that song title is stupid as fuck, and does not give me high hopes for this song. But consider me surprised, as I actually found this to be one of the best joints on the whole album. The chilled-out boom-bap instrumental on this song worked perfectly, with the jazzy elements complementing Murs' flow to a tee, and the actual rapping was dope as a muh'fucker too - this wasn't some cringy anthem telling us to "reach for the stars" like I thought it would be. Instead, Murs spends the tune rapping about his own come up, and his journey from local backpack rapper to one of the most respected underground MCs of all time. I honestly can't imagine anyone not liking this - the song title sucks, but everything about this actual song was great. I was literally just chilling and vibing the whole time to this one. Great song. 

11. Dream On (feat. Dee-1)

Another corny title, but will this one surprise me like the last song? Well, at first, I actually thought I was going to dislike this one, because I've never been the greatest fan of Murs & electric guitar together, but as I got further into this song I realised that it actually worked really well. Despite the aforementioned guitar, the beat was still quite chilled out on here, and I really loved the general vibe of it. What I also really liked was the back and forth between the two MCs, who delivered eight bars each on all of the three verses to make for the dopest structure on this entire record. The rapping here was also really good, as the pair of them talk about their own accomplishments, and the dreams that they still aim to pursue. I was slightly disturbed by the line "And I refuse to be that old, lonely dude at home watching porn, forty plus lurkin' around the college dorms" from the guest here, though - I mean, shouldn't you be repulsed by that idea? Just the way he said it made it seem like it was an alternative to him if he wasn't married. Like, that's a fucking disgusting thing to do, you know? Most lonely men probably aren't lurking around college dorms every night! That line really got to me, but otherwise I enjoyed the guest's performance here. I also loved the hook - "what's a dream without a dreamchaser chasing it?" This was a dope cut. 

12. 316 Ways

Murs brings another song title to heavily reference his big day - the 16th of March, or "3:16" as we are constantly reminded of. This song is bloody aggressive, sort of Murs' version of Tech N9ne's "The Industry Is Punks", as he picks apart the flaws of the mainstream industry in hip-hop music, and disses all the rappers who are going around flaunting their wealth, not knowing that they're bound to be screwed over soon enough. The title refers to the chorus - "316 ways to kill the industry" - a chorus that stands as one of the best on this album, by the way. The instrumental on this one is pretty intense, and incredibly enjoyable, and Murs absolutely rips apart his three verses here - he doesn't name names, but that's probably due to the fact that so many companies and rappers could fall under the banners that he addresses. This was one of the best songs here, for sure. What a track. 

13. Animal Style (prod. Embassy the Hitmaker & Royal P)

You know, I literally only just figured out that this song was not produced by Ski. I always thought it was. Anyway, I remember around the time I first started this Murs-athon, I was on his YouTube channel, and I noticed that this was his most popular video. I checked it out, and to say I was mindblown would be an understatement. This is seriously one of the boldest and at the same time greatest hip-hop songs I have ever heard. It's utterly phenomenal. The production on this song is perfect, with loud drums, strange guitars and wonderful synths coming in at different points in the song to match perfectly with the tale that's being told. The tale itself is also unbelievable, and just gives me goosebumps every single time. I'm not going to give it away right now (even though I kind of did give the story of "67 Cutlass" away, but whatever), but if you haven't, then please listen to this. It will seriously give you a new view on life. This shit is fucking incredible. 

Wow... I'm honestly stunned at how good this album was. I actually enjoyed every single song on here, which, judging by its general reception and how much I enjoyed the last project in Murs' catalogue, I was not expecting at all. But it wasn't just that I enjoyed every song - the overall cohesiveness and feel of this album was something to be marvelled at. The production and rapping throughout this album was very diverse, and consistently a point of interest for me. The beats on here ranged from celebratory, chilled out, slightly aggressive, to even tear-jerking on "Animal Style" - the fact that it was the same producer behind all but one of these tracks is incredible to me, as the vibes on this album were pretty diverse, more so than on Murs' work with 9th Wonder up to this point. I actually liked pretty much every beat on here, and it was the same for the features. There were no dodgy sung hooks on here - instead, every feature was a dope MC who bought something to the table to help with Murs' vision. Ab-Soul and O.C. both shone as I hoped they would, but I was also pleasantly surprised by Locksmith and Dee-1, both of whom killed it too. The only feature who I wasn't huge on was Tabi Bonney, but even he had a decent performance, even if it wasn't as good as the other performances on here. And then we come to the host of proceedings, Murs. The rapping on this album is bloody fantastic. By this point, Murs has found a flow and stuck with it, so if you want to give a criticism then let the general flow not changing up much be that. But when it comes to Murs' humour, storytelling and subject matter, everything gets the green light. Not only did I like the break-up tracks, songs dissing whack MCs and songs about following your dreams, but I also loved the more abstract storytelling songs on here too - "67 Cutlass" and "Animal Style" were two of my absolute favourites. This was quite easily my favourite Murs album since Murray's Revenge, and if he follows down this road of intriguing and diverse subject matter teamed with dope production, then things can only continue to be great from here. This album was extraordinary, and I'm very excited to get into more listens of this. I ain't been this excited about a Murs album in a while - what a project!

Expectations: Exceeded

Best Track: "Animal Style"

Worst Track: "Hip Hop & Love", but really I even enjoyed that one.

Catch up on the rest of the Murs-athon here.

Image taken from Album Of the Year.