Murray's Revenge

Though he’s a veteran of Los Angeles’ storied Living Legends collective Murs has always favored the sort of straightforward storytelling style pioneered by rappers like Slick Rick and Kool G Rap, rather than the self consciously experimental, Kool Keith-derived verbal boundary pushing of many of his Los Angeles cohorts. Though some of Murs’ earliest efforts found the rapper smothered by obtrusive avant-garde production, 2004’s Murs 3:16 - The 9th Edition was a critical and commercial breakthrough, and found Murs delivering compelling stories over crisply produced, old-school minded productions from 9th Wonder. Murray’s Revenge duplicates 3:16’s successful formula and is, if anything, a more compelling work than its predecessor. 9th Wonder’s languid, soul saturated productions, which borrow from the seamless early ‘70s sound of groups like the Chi-Lites and the Delfonics, give Murs plenty of room to develop the self-deprecating yet fiercely critical persona he introduced to such great effect on 3:16. “Yesterday & Today” serves as a sort of career retrospective, while “L.A.” finds Murs reflecting on his place in the titular city’s rich musical history.