In this dog-eat-dog world of hip hop, most artists worth their weight in credibility remain on an underground or independent label, either shunning the major labels or never being offered a major record deal in the first place. MURS (‘Making Underground Raw Shit’) is the candidate that could. Releasing his debut album in 1997 on the Veritech label, he later migrated to independent heavyweights Definitive Jux, owned by El-P and continued his steady flow of releases. Not content with doing solo work, Murs was also a member of hip hop groups Living Legends, 3 Melancholy Gypsies and regularly collaborated with Slug as part of Felt. It’s around this time that signs were beginning to show, and people began to take notice; Murs was one of the best underground rappers going around. Boasting a resume most commercial rappers would give their left nut for, it is no surprise that MURS is hip hop’s latest candidate to move into the upper echelons of success, signing a deal with major record label Warner Bros. Critics rallied behind his release Murs 3.16 The 9th Edition, on Record Collection, a label which, ironically, was once part of the Warner Music Group. So with that in mind, Ladies & Gentlemen, I present to you: Murs for President.

Murs kicks off proceedings with an Intro skit of sorts, announcing his candidacy for President. On I’m Innocent, Murs states “Don’t ever let the fact that you can’t be perfect stop you from doing your best”. It’s a recurring theme both in this album and in his career. He utilizes the Green Hornet theme on Lookin’ Fly (featuring will.i.am), but it’s almost out of place from the rest of the album. The mariachi sounding horns and repetitive punctuation has an overly strong Black Eyed Peas feel. On The Science, Murs throws his hand up to talk about racism, but does so in a way that promotes revolution instead of being overly preachy. He spits;

“…now if that ain’t science I don’t know what is / the ingenuity of these young black kids / the Bronx, New York, Sedgwick and Cedar, Kool Herc birthed hip hop true believers / adversity, produces opportunity, anything’s accomplished with strength and unity / the fate of the world is in the hip hop community / the revolution’s here and now with you and me”.

Utilising a Jackson 5 sample on Can It Be (Half A Million Dollars And 18 Months Later), the words of young Jacko crooning “Can it be I stayed away too long?” seem to echo Murs’ sentiments. Here we hear his struggles with moving to a major label. “I could have done a Nas and screamed hip hop was dead / I got up on my ass and I did something instead / signed with the devil brought the scene up a level”. On Think You Know Me, Nottz contributes a West Coast sounding beat, while on Me And This Jawn, Nottz has created a more bouncy number. However, this album is not without its low points. In addition to the will.i.am number, Sooo Comfortable is a track about a car and has an almost sleazy feel to it, (especially in the drawn out pronunciation).

The job of increasing the commercial appeal sees one of the best examples of a performer to straddle the critical and commercial divide, Snoop Dogg, appear as a guest and producer (as Niggaracci) on the radio friendly Time Is Now. Regular Murs collaborator 9th Wonder contributes three tracks to the album, including Breakthrough, which has a line that sounds like it comes from the theme to Family Ties. Murs takes a different route on Everything, with its rock inspired beat and bridge, and an overall uplifting positive message. If you hadn’t sensed the theme by now, you’re never going to get it. Like the political heavyweight and new President of the United States, Barack Obama, Murs is all about promoting change. A change in hip hop that doesn’t necessarily talk about money, guns and bitches, but one that has a more socially conscious voice.

There are some who may say that Murs has sold out just because he’s signed to a major label. I disagree. For someone as hardworking and as prolific as Murs on the underground scene, his signing is his just desserts for a stellar career still in its infancy, but punctuated by over 20 LP and EP releases, concerts, tours, DVDs and even his own Paid Dues festival, known as the “Coachella of indie hip hop”. Murs For President is not exactly his best work, but definitely one of the better releases of 2009. And for that, Murs will be getting my vote.