Murs (rapper)
Murs | |
|---|---|
 Murs (right) and 9th Wonder performing at Paid Dues in 2008. | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Nicholas Carter |
| Born | March 16, 1978 |
| Origin | South Central, Los Angeles, California |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation | Rapper |
| Years active | 1996-present |
| Labels | Definitive Jux Rhymesayers Entertainment DD172, BluRoc EMI Veritech |
| Website | www |
Nick Carter (born March 16, 1978), better known by his stage name Murs, is an American rapper. His name is an acronym (or backronym) that he himself has created multiple meanings for such as "Making the Universe Recognize and Submit" or "Making Underground Raw Shit."[1]
Murs is a member of the hip hop groups such as Living Legends along with Luckyiam, Sunspot Jonz, The Grouch, Scarub, Eligh, Aesop Fables, Bicasso and Arata,[2] 3 Melancholy Gypsys along with Scarub and Eligh,[3] Felt along with Slug,[4] and Melrose along with Terrace Martin.[5] He is also a lead vocalist of The Invincibles along with Whole Wheat Bread.[6]
On June 11, 2013, Murs released an album as lead vocalist of a band called The White Mandingos. The album is titled The Ghetto is Tryna Kill Me.[7]
Career
Murs formed 3 Melancholy Gypsys with fellow Alexander Hamilton High School classmates Scarub and Eligh.[8] The group became friends with Mystik Journeymen, and joined them in the Living Legends collective in 1996.[9] His solo debut album, F'Real, was released on Veritech in 1997.[10]
Murs has worked with Slug under the name Felt since 2002.[11] The End of the Beginning, his debut album on Definitive Jux, was released in 2003.[12] Murs released Murs 3:16: The 9th Edition, an album entirely produced by 9th Wonder, in 2004.[13] Taking a more thoughtful approach than gangster rappers, it prompted Andy Gill of The Independent to say "eschewing bogus glamour for emotional realism, Murs manages to say more about the corrosive cancer of hip-hop's gun culture than all the thousands of column inches lavished on 50 Cent's bullet wounds".[14] After another collaborative album with 9th Wonder, Murray's Revenge, in 2006,[15] Murs signed a contract with Warner Bros., his debut album for the label being Murs for President.[16] It was preceded by Sweet Lord which was given away free to fans.[17]
Murs released Varsity Blues 2, a follow-up to his Varsity Blues EP, with production duties handled by Aesop Rock, Terrace Martin and Droop-E in 2011.[18] He released This Generation, a collaborative album with Fashawn, in 2012.[19]
Murs was invited by Sacha Jenkins, a hip hop journalist, to join the group The White Mandingos, a collaboration between Jenkins and Bad Brains bassist Daryl Jenifer.[20] They released their first album, The Ghetto is Tryna Kill Me, on June 11, 2013 under the Fat Beats record label.[21] Murs has stated that the recording is a loose concept album about a man from "the hood" who struggles to maintain his identity while recording as a rock artist. The band members have acknowledged that the album is partially based on their own experiences.[7]
In December 2013, Murs launched his own record label, 316. Kosha Dillz, Jabee, Cash Lansky and Marley B, Optimal, and Reverie are all expected to release their albums there in the first half of 2014.[22]
Discography
Solo albums
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S.[23] | U.S. Rap[24] | U.S. Ind[25] | ||
| 1997 | F'Real
|
— | * | — |
| 1999 | Good Music
|
— | * | — |
| 2000 | Murs Rules the World
|
— | * | — |
| 2001 | Murs Is My Best Friend
|
— | * | — |
| 2003 | The End of the Beginning
|
— | * | 27 |
| 2008 | Murs for President
|
45 | 11 | — |
| 2011 | Love & Rockets, Volume 1: The Transformation
|
— | — | — |
| 2012 | Yumiko: Curse of the Merch Girl
|
— | — | — |
| TBA | Love & Rockets, Volume 2: The Declaration
|
— | — | — |
Collaborative albums
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S.[23] | U.S. R&B[26] | U.S. Rap[24] | U.S. Ind[25] | ||
| 2001 | Pals (with the Netherworlds)
|
— | — | * | — |
| 2004 | Murs 3:16: The 9th Edition (with 9th Wonder)
|
— | 87 | — | 16 |
| 2006 | Murray's Revenge (with 9th Wonder)
|
166 | 70 | — | 15 |
| 2008 | Sweet Lord (with 9th Wonder)
|
— | — | — | — |
| 2010 | Fornever (with 9th Wonder)
|
— | — | — | — |
| 2011 | Melrose (with Terrace Martin)
|
— | — | — | — |
| 2012 | This Generation (with Fashawn)
|
164 | — | — | — |
| 2012 | The Final Adventure (with 9th Wonder)
|
— | — | — | — |
| 2013 | The Ghetto Is Tryna Kill Me (with The White Mandingos)
|
— | — | — | — |
EPs
- Comurshul (1996)
- Bac for No Good Reason (1996)
- 3:16 the EP (1999)
- Do More + Yeah EP (2000)
- Varsity Blues (2002)
- Def Cover (2003)
- Walk Like a Man (2005)
- Varsity Blues 2 (2011)
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Sales | US R&B Sales | |||
| 2003 | "Def Cover" | — | — | The End of the Beginning |
| "God's Work" | 64[28] | — | ||
| "Risky Business" / "Brotherly Love" | — | 73[29] | ||
| 2005 | "Bad Man!" / "3:16" | — | — | Murs 3:16: The 9th Edition |
| 2005 | "H-U-S-T-L-E" / "Bartender" | — | — | |
| 2007 | "Better Than the Best" | — | — | Murs for President |
| 2008 | "Can It Be (Half a Million Dollars and 18 Months Later)" | — | — | |
| "Me and This Jawn" | — | — | ||
| "Time Is Now" (featuring Snoop Dogg) | — | — | ||
Mixtapes
- Mursworld 2011 Winter/Spring (2011)
Compilations
- Walk Like a Man (2005)
- The Genocide in Sudan (2005)
- Murs 3:16 Presents... Murs and the Misadventures of the Nova Express (2007)
DVDs
- MCTV (1998)
- Walk Like a Man (2005)
- Murray's Revenge: The DVD (2007)
Guest appearances
- Eligh - "7 Years (Wandering)" from A Story of 2 Worlds (1997)
- The Opus - "First Contact" from First Contact 001 (2002)
- Luckyiam - "Fuck Heroes" from Justify the Means (2002)
- Pigeon John - "2 Step" from Is Dating Your Sister (2002)
- RJD2 - "Final Frontier (Remix)" from The Horror (2003)
- Omid - "Live from Tokyo" from Monolith (2003)
- Scarub - "Aye Dios Mio" from A New Perspective (2004)
- Big Pooh - "Now" from Sleepers (2005)
- Subtitle - "Crew Cut (for Sale)" from Young Dangerous Heart (2005)
- DJ Z-Trip - "Breakfast Club" from Shifting Gears (2005)
- Oh No - "In This" from Exodus into Unheard Rhythms (2006)
- Mr. Lif - "Murs Iz My Manager" from Mo' Mega (2006)
- Mestizo - "Even" from Dream State (2007)
- The Grouch - "The Bay to LA" from Show You the World (2009)
- Bicasso - "It's On" from Rebel Musiq (2009)
- Skream - "8 Bit Baby" from Outside the Box (2010)
- 2Mex - "Rollercoaster" from My Fanbase Will Destroy You (2010)
- Kendrick Lamar - "She Needs Me (Remix)" from Overly Dedicated (2010)
- Isaiah Toothtaker - "Get Housed Homeboy" and "WTF You Say" from Illuminati Thug Mafia (2011)
- Potluck - "Hands Up" from Rhymes and Resin (2011)
- Tabi Bonney - "Hip Hop & Love" from The Summer Years (2011)
- Ab-Soul - "Big Payback" from Longterm Mentality (2011)
- ¡Mayday! - "Hardcore Bitches" from Take Me to Your Leader (2012)
- Self Jupiter & Kenny Segal - "Altered States" from The Kleenrz (2012)
- Isaiah Toothtaker - "LA Nights" from Sea Punk Funk (2012)
- Cadalack Ron + Briefcase - "Dead Horse" from Times Is Hard (2012)
Video game appearances
- "L.A." appeared on the soundtrack of the E.A. video game NBA Live 2007.[30]
- "Transitions az a Rydah" is featured in Tony Hawk's Underground.
- "Dreadlocks" is featured in the EA Sports NFL Football game Madden NFL 08.
- "Lookin Fly" is featured in Midnight Club LA.
- "SWC" is featured in WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009.
- "DJ Hero", also featured with "2009 DJ of the Year" DJ Z-Trip, is featured in DJ Hero, mixed with Foreigner's "Jukebox Hero"
- "The Problem Is...." is featured in Fight Night Champion.
- "Fresh Kicks" is featured in the iPhone version of Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2.[citation needed]
References
- ^ "LAist Interview: MURS". LAist. October 7, 2008.
- ^ Eric K. Arnold (April 1, 2005). "The Living Legends' Hip-Hop Masterpiece". XLR8R.
- ^ Anna Almendrala (May 18, 2012). "LACMA Hip Hop Concerts: Murs Of 3MG Kicks Off Summer Series (VIDEO, PHOTOS)". The Huffington Post.
- ^ Adam Figman (November 30, 2009). "Felt - Felt 3: A Tribute to Rosie Perez". URB.
- ^ "Murs & Terrace Martin: On Melrose (Music Video)". Baller Status. January 5, 2011.
- ^ "Murs & Whole Wheat Bread Are The Invincibles (Free EP + Video)". Okay Player. July 6, 2012.
- ^ a b Frannie Kelley (August 13, 2013). "The White Mandingos: Music That Defies Definition". National Public Radio.
- ^ "LACMA: Through The Mic featuring Murs and 3MG". The 5th Element Magazine. May 31, 2012.
- ^ Bradley Torreano. "MURS Biography". Allmusic.
- ^ Luke Fox (November 2011). "Murs - Interviews". Exclaim!.
- ^ Tom Breihanon (September 3, 2009). "Aesop Rock, Atmosphere's Slug, and Murs Team for Felt 3". Pitchfork Media.
- ^ Matt Kallman (April 23, 2003). "Murs: The End of the Beginning". Pitchfork Media.
- ^ Rollie Pemberton (March 15, 2004). "Murs: Murs 3:16 - The 9th Edition". Pitchfork Media.
- ^ Gill, Andy (9 April 2004). "Album: Murs". The Independent.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Peter Macia (March 21, 2006). "Murs: Murray's Revenge". Pitchfork Media.
- ^ Michael Denslow (October 15, 2008). "Album Review: Murs – Murs For President". Consequence of Sound.
- ^ Omar Mouallem (September 2008). "Murs & 9th Wonder - Sweet Lord". Exclaim!.
- ^ Jake Paine (April 13, 2011). "Murs Releases Sequel "Varsity Blues 2," Production By Aesop Rock, Droop-E". Hip Hop DX.
- ^ Luke Fox (September 24, 2012). "Murs & Fashawn - This Generation". Exclaim!.
- ^ Jay Balfour (July 5, 2013). "The White Mandingos Analyze Adam Yauch's Role In Their Formation". Hip Hop DX.
- ^ Jake Crates (March 4, 2013). "Murs and New Group “The White Mandingos” Announce New Concept Album". All Hip Hop.
- ^ Lukas Trs (December 13, 2013). "Murs Starts 316 Record Label, Drops "S.O.S." Video". HipHopLT.com.
- ^ a b "Murs: Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
- ^ a b "Murs: Chart History: Rap Albums". Billboard.com. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
- ^ a b "Murs: Chart History: Independent Albums". Billboard.com. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
- ^ "Murs: Chart History: R&B Albums". Billboard.com. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
- ^ Jeffries, David (November 13, 2012). "The Final Adventure - 9th Wonder, Murs : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ^ "Billboard chart search" (XML). Billboard.com. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
- ^ "Billboard chart search" (XML). Billboard.com. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
- ^ "EA unveils NBA Live 07 tracks". GameSpot.com. September 25, 2006. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
External links
- Official website
- Murs discography at Discogs