M
urs’ name is actually an acronym for Making Underground Raw Shit, and he definitely lives up to it. The L.A.-native has seven albums to his name and has worked with the likes of Shock G (Digital Underground) and E-40, but his name still doesn’t ring a lot of bells. This year he released Murray’s Revenge, the second of two collaborative efforts with producer 9th Wonder to rave reviews. Here he talks about not being the stereotypical L.A. rapper, his views on immigration, how his mother helped him make his latest album and why he is proud to be “backpacker.” What is like working with one producer for an entire project as opposed to working with a bunch of them? If you have different producers they all want to make their track the best track on your album. But if you get one great producer, he is trying to make your album the best album possible. You have the same goal in mind; your focus is on the same project, which can only be a good thing. It’s helped me because know if I worked with a Timbaland or Just Blaze or a bunch of producers, I can have them make one cohesive unified sound for my album. 9th has helped me develop a better ear. The first album you did with 9th Wonder, Murs 3:16, received critical acclaim. Were you trying to recreate that with this album? Nah, we were trying to do something completely different. This one was more upbeat. If you ask 9th he’ll tell you that he wanted to make his version of [Outkast’s] ATLiens, so that’s what it is to him. He had all the beats picked before I even got to North Carolina, he had the album in order and the beats he wanted me to rap on already. You’ve said that you wanted this album to be your version of Ice Cube’s Death Certificate. Do you think you succeeded? Nah [laughs] I didn’t get to say what I wanted to say because the beats were already made. You wouldn’t hear songs like “Love & Appreciate” on Death Certificate. Hopefully on the next one I get to do my thing. Why did you want to a Death Certificate-type album? I was dating this girl from Crenshaw and I put on Death Certificate one day and she ain’t know what it was. Most people think Cube is the “We Be Clubbin’” guy or the actor. On Death Certificate he was rapping about safe sex, but not in corny way, but in a way that niggas will listen. Niggas should do that where it’s not like Kanye, dead prez or Talib Kweli. Me, I just talk like a regular nigga, not even a hood nigga, just in between. I think coming from someone like me the kids will listen. At least hear it once to get it in their head: “Stop fucking these hoes without condoms.” I’m not telling you to be holy, but be careful. Keeping along those lines, you didn’t curse on this album because of something your mom said? For years she told me I was so articulate, and she knew I could do it. So she asked me to do it just one time, just for her. Especially since I’m good with kids and I’m always baby-sitting my goddaughters and nieces and nephews and I can’t let them listen to everything I say. So I met her halfway. I didn’t make my lyrics juvenile, it’s my seventh album, so I figured I could do one without cursing. Out of all the projects I do, I figured I could do one for my grandmama. I think that’s something the game needed. Most people don’t realize it until they’re finished listening. I was surprised could do it, because shit, man, I curse in real life [laughs]. It was hard, I didn’t want niggas to think I was corny. But it came out good. On your song “L.A.” you rapped, “We’re a lot more evolved with the way that we bang.” What do you mean by that? I’m not saying the gang situation got better, but people think it’s just two gangs. In my hood it’s all Crips, but everyone don’t get along with each other. I’m just telling the people worried about what color they got on that it don’t matter, because if you wearing either one someone can still get you. Niggas used to shoot up the party at the beginning, but now niggas wait until they get a couple phone numbers and fight at the end. People don’t bang as hard as they did in ‘86 when it was brand new. Some niggas were trying to bring it back, but its calmed down now. How do you feel when you see people trying to bring it back? I really feel like it’s primitive. We got the best weather and the bestlooking women, so if we could get along we would have a great time. It hurts my heart to see people wanna take it back to that mid-80s era. But it’s always a reflection of the economic and political environment. The country is at war, war is on TV, war is on video games, so it’s only gonna get worse. Hopefully we can make a positive change. I’m gonna do what I can. I know a lot of rappers are talking about Sudan and Iraq, but I wanna try to focus on home. I know those things are important but I wanna make change at home. I heard it spread to ATL with niggas fighting over
white and black t-shirts. They even got gangs in New York now. How is the relationship between blacks and Latinos in L.A.? The Black and Latino situation is deep rooted in the prison system. It’s a problem, and now they’re having the immigration marches and that is building even more animosity in the black community. Black people won’t admit it but they’re jealous that they have a movement and we don’t. So when the Mexicans do that, they further separate themselves from Black America. We’re already separated from White America and now all the people of color are saying “We’re immigrants” and that just further alienates the black people and makes us feel even more powerless. I’m not saying that Mexicans shouldn’t fight, but people must realize that it’s separating the black community from all other people of color and white people. So the strain is gonna get worse between blacks and Latinos. But for the most part regular working class people get along fine because we all have the same basic moral and religious values. My grandmama loves Jesus and worked at a cafeteria with a bunch of Mexican ladies who love Jesus and they get along fine. They both love God and that is the basis of anything. But the folks with the guns don’t like each other and that’s a problem. Like when the Mexican mafia put the word out on any black male with a long white t-shirt and baggy pants, they didn’t say all black people; they said all black gangbangers. I can kinda respect that, because let it be known that they had beef with just the gangbangers. My only problem with gangbangers is when they don’t handle their business. There should be no drive-bys, but if you walk up on another banger and shoot him point blank, I have no problem with that. I know it sounds bad but you signed up for that. I just don’t like it when innocent people get hurt, but if they go at it and kill each other, hey, that’s just less idiots in the street as far as I’m concerned. Is it difficult being an L.A. rapper who doesn’t fit the mold that the world has grown accustomed to? It’s hard to not be the traditional gangbanger. Even in real life if you wasn’t in a gang you weren’t cool, girls liked that stuff when they was young and stupid. But now that I’m older it seems like the same thing, if I’m not a gangbanger or stupid I’m not cool. The West coast doesn’t have a lyricist like Nas or Jay-Z or Andre 3000 or Ludacris or T.I. or Big Boi, you know, niggas that can actually rap. People dig Snoop because he’s a character, people like Dr. Dre because he’s a name, or Cube because he’s a character, but no one is looking to the West for lyrics. We don’t get any Hip Hop Quotables, they just gave E-40 his first one after 10 albums. We gotta take our lyrical respect. We can shoot out with the best of them but we already get credit for that, so let’s go to another level. When people say, “Hip Hop is dead,” how does that make you feel? I take it personally, just like when people say they bringing the West back. I’ve been to Australia throwing up the W, I’ve been in the Tunnel in NYC when it was really jumping, throwing up the W, but you’re saying you’re bringing the West back. Same thing when people say Hip Hop is dead. You’re not listening, you’re not even trying. Get on the Internet, go to a club, ask people like me and you what we listen to. But don’t make statements like Hip Hop is dying, because people aren’t looking. How do you feel about being labeled a backpacker? I claim it. The funny thing is, when I was doing what I wasn’t supposed to be doing, that’s where I kept my weed and my gun. I had a gun, spray paint and an ounce of weed in my backpack everyday, in school. So when people call me a backpacker, that just means I’m prepared for any situation. I don’t know how it was in New York or Atlanta, but in L.A. you had to keep one. You’re on the bus for 3 hours going through different neighborhoods. You may wanna sell some dope, tag your name, you may steal something and have to hide it. I kept a book in there too, though. All the thugs had backpacks growing up. To me it’s like the duality of the black man. You may pull out a suit or sweater to cover up your t-shirt. I know “backpacker” has a negative connotation but to me it means being prepared and I ain’t never had none of these anti-backpacker rappers say shit to me. That’s another open challenge. If you wanna see me, go head up, we can fight in the middle of the street, if you think I’m a punk or think backpack music is soft. I’m not gonna change my music, I’m not gonna try to out-kill you on records, but if you wanna see me tell your bodyguard to chill out, and I’ll knock you smooth out, with my backpack on. Okay then, well, is there anything else that you want to share? Peace. That’s all I want to say. I know I said I’ll fight you, but I’ll hug you too. Anger is a passing feeling, so deal with it like that. It don’t need to be handled with guns. It can be handled with your fist or a talk. I know people be thinking it’s some punk shit, but you get more pussy and get more money when things are peaceful. 99