Clearly a Bad Man, doing his best to pretend, MURS on this track off the 2004 album MURS 3:16 The 9th edition.
MURS (born Nick Carter on March 16, 1978 in Los Angeles, California) is a West Coast underground MC. He is signed to the independent label Record Collection and is a member of the hip hop groups Living Legends, Felt, the 3 Melancholy Gypsys, and previously the "elusive" Log Cabin crew.
The name 'MURS' is an acronym for Making Underground Raw Shit. He hails from the Los Angeles neighborhood of Mid-City.
He is currently set to release his seventh studio album, Murs for President, on September 30th, 2008.
MURS 3:16: The 9th Edition was released on the Definitive Jux label. Vocals are provided by MURS and production is entirely handled by 9th Wonder, formerly of the group Little Brother.
The title of the Album is a reference to MURS's birthday of March 16, as well as 9th Wonder's involvement in the album.
Keith Matthew Thornton, better known by his stage name Kool Keith, is an American Hip Hop MC. A former member of Ultramagnetic MCs, Thornton is best known for his solo work under aliases such as Dr. Octagon, Dr. Dooom and Mr. Nogatco. Thornton is best known for his abstract lyrics and music created without the use of sampling.
After the release of Ultramagnetic MCs' debut album, Critical Beatdown, Thornton was institutionalized in Bellevue Hospital Center. Following the unsuccessful release of Ultramagnetic MCs' second album, Thornton released his first notable solo single, "Earth People", in 1995, under the name "Dr. Octagon", followed by the release of Dr. Octagonecologyst the following year.
The album's production by Dan the Automator and scratching by DJ Qbert was acclaimed by critics, and the album was released nationally by DreamWorks Records, who also issued an instrumental version of the album, titled The Instrumentalyst (Octagon Beats). Thornton followed the album with Sex Style in 1997 under his own name.
In 1998, Thornton collaborated with Tim Dog for the single "The Industry Is Wack", performing under the name Ultra. In 1999, he released the album First Come, First Served under the name "Dr. Dooom", in which the album's main character killed off Dr. Octagon on the album's opening track.
On August 10, 1999, Thornton released Black Elvis/Lost in Space. It peaked at #10 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, #74 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and #180 on the Billboard 200.
On July 25, 2000, Thornton released the album Matthew. It peaked at #47 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. The same year, Thornton collaborated with Ice-T, Marc Live, Black Silver and Pimp Rex for the album Pimp to Eat, under the group name Analog Brothers, with Keith performing as Keith Korg and Ice-T as Ice Oscillator.
Thornton, Marc Live and H-Bomb formed the group KHM, releasing the album Game on November 19, 2002, changing their name to "The Clayborne Family" by the release of their second album. On October 12, 2004, Thornton released the mixtape Official Space Tape. The same day, Real Talk Records issued the unauthorized release Dr. Octagon Part 2. The album was discontinued by court order.
On April 25, 2006, Thornton released the album Nogatco Rd. under the name "Mr. Nogatco". On June 27, Thornton released The Return of Dr. Octagon, the official follow-up to Dr. Octagonecologyst.
This Track Earth People of the 1996 released album Dr. Octagonecologyst. Produced by Dan the Automator, and featuring additional vocals by C Note and Phil Bright on guitar.
The Lords of the Underground (L.O.T.U.G.) are a hip-hop trio based out of Newark, New Jersey. MCs Mr. Funke and DoItAll Dupré met DJ Lord Jazz (a native of Cleveland) when all three were undergraduates at Shaw University.
The three are perhaps best remembered for the singles "Funky Child", "Chief Rocka" and "Tic Toc"; all of which were wildly eccentric manifestos. The music video for "Funky Child" features one of the group members parading around in a diaper.
Their chief producer was Marley Marl's protégé, K-Def. Pete Rock remixed their songs "Flow On" and "Check It" in 1994 .
In their initial releases, their first two albums Here Come The Lords (1993) and Keepers of the Funk (1994), earned them an award from Black Entertainment Television in 1993. - Source: Wikipedia
This track, What I'm After features a young Redman and is off the 1994 releases Album Keepers of the Funk.
The album was released in 1994 for Pendulum Records and was produced by Marley Marl, K-Def and DJ Lord Jazz.
Though Keepers of the Funk was not as successful as Here Come the Lords, the album did gain some success, making it to #57 on the Billboard 200 and #16 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Three singles also made it to the charts, "Tic Toc", "What I'm After" and "Faith". - Source: Wikipedia.
The Jungle Brothers are an American hip hop group who pioneered the fusion of jazz and hip-hop and also became the first hip-hop group to use a house-music producer.
They began performing in the mid-1980s and released their first album, Straight Out the Jungle, in 1988.
With Afrocentric lyrics and innovative beats, the Jungle Brothers were critically acclaimed and soon joined the influential Native Tongues Posse.
The trio is comprised of Michael Small (Mike Gee), Nathaniel Hall (Afrika Baby Bam) and Sammy Burwell (DJ Sammy B). Sammy B left the group after the group released Raw Deluxe. - Source: Wikipedia
This track comes off the 1988 released album Straight Out the Jungle.
Mos Def, Pharoahe Monch, and Nate Dogg off the 2000 release compilation Lyricist Lounge volume 2. Tight lyrics, smooth melody, this track pretty much speaks for itself.
MF DOOM featuring Wordsworth and Chubb Rock. MF DOOM's lyrical sound is a mixture of Biz Markie and Notorious B.I.G. He is an alias of Hip Hop artist Daniel Dumile, inspired by the comic book character Doctor Doom.
MF DOOM was born in London and moved to America with his Trinidadian mother and Zimbabwean father - a mixture he says made him "thick skinned" - where he was raised in Long Island New York.
Throughout his career he has worked under a number of other aliases, including Zev Love X, King Geedorah, Metal Fingers, and Viktor Vaughn.
He has appeared in a number of collaborative projects such as Danger Doom (with Dangermouse), Madvillain (with Madlib) and alongside MF Grimm - the two now locked in a bitter rivalry.
As Zev Love X, he formed the group KMD with his younger brother DJ Subroc and another MC called Onyx the Birthstone Kid.
Subroc was struck and killed by a car in 1993 while attempting to cross a Long Island expressway before the release of a second KMD album entitled Black Bastards.
With the loss of his brother, MF DOOM retreated from the hip-hop scene from 1994-1997. Commenting on his situation at the time MF DOOM says he was living "damn near homeless, walking the streets of Manhattan, sleeping on benches".
In the late 1990s, he left New York City and settled in Atlanta. According to interviews with Doom, he was also "recovering from his wounds" and swearing revenge "against the industry that so badly deformed him."
MF DOOM began to rap at open mic events at the Nuyorican Poets Café in 1998 where he withheld his face by putting a stocking over his head.
It was at this point that the MF DOOM identity was born. His new identity was influenced by Marvel Comics supervillain Doctor Doom. He wears the mask while performing and isn't photographed without it, except for very short glimpses in videos such as Viktor Vaughn's "Mr. Clean" and in earlier photos with KMD.
He has also released a series of instrumental albums "Special Herbs" which is now up to volume 9 and he has produced songs and worked alongside a number of major underground and mainstream artists, including: Wu Tang, the Molemen, Quasitmoto and Prince Paul.
Tha Alkaholiks, aka Tha Liks, are a hip hop group from Los Angeles, California. Comprised of J-Ro, and Tash (short for Catashtrophe) on lyrics and DJ E-Swift on beats and production. This track comes off the 2006 Album Firewater. Tha Liks are well known for their live performances and featuring alongside acts like XZibit and Snoop.
Break Em Off is a track off the 2000 MF Grimm and MF DOOM collaberation MF EP. MF Grimm also goes by the aliases GM Grimm, The Grimm Reaper and Superstar Jet Jaguar.
Hailing from New York, MF Grimm's career began on Sesame Street, he went on to World Supremacy Battle fame, emceed alongside Kool G rap, lived through 2 murder attempts and 10 bullet wounds which left him wheelchair bound, created record label Day By Day Entertainment, was sentenced to life imprisonment on narcotics and conspiracy charges, which was then reduced to 3 years and is an award winning Comic Book and Graphic Novel writer.
Peruvian Cocaine is a political song about drug production, importation, distribution and coruption, over a cut which featured prominently in Scarface during Tony Montana's trip to Bolivia.
Produced by Southpaw, Peruvian Cocaine comes off the 2003 album, Revolutionary Vol. 2, by Afro-Peruvian MC, Immortal Technique.
Immortal Technique is an underground MC and political activist. Through his music he concentrates on the discussion of politics, poverty, religion, social class and racism.
True to his beliefs, Immortal Technique remains unsigned, despite being offered a deal with at least one major record label. He released his first album Revolutionary Vol. 1 without record label backing or distribution, choosing instead to finance it himself using money earned from winning rap battles. He printed around 2,500 and managed to sell 2,400 copies.
After the release of Revolutionary Vol.1, Immortal Technique featured in the Source in November 2002, as the month's featured "Unsigned Hype", which highlights artists that are not signed to a record label.
With the release of Revoltuionary Vol 2. the next year, and still independent, Immortal Technique received the "Hip Hop Quotable" in the Source in September 2003, for the song Industrial Revolution and became the only MC to have a "Hip Hop Quotable" while being unsigned.
Tight lyricist Wordsworth, with the track Gotta Pay produced by Oddisee off the 2004 release album Mirror Music.
Known for his incredible lyrical genius in freestyles and for featuring in a Slam Bush Video where he is seen "battling" a nervous George W. on behalf of the "hip hop generation", Wordsworth is half of Words n Punch alongside Punchline, and is currently a member of supergroup eMC with Masta Ace, Punchline and Stricklin.
Vivrant Thing was Q-Tips first single off his debut solo album Amplified released in 1999. Produced by "your favourite producer's favourite producer" the late J Dilla, Vivrant Thing also appears on A Tribe Called Quest's 1999 compilation The Anthology.
"Yo, some people say it's the real But to us is just sumin we feel Whether or not ya'll consider it hot cuz it's top of the charts it's music and this is Hip Hop."
Oddisee featuring Kenn Starr off the 2003 Compilation CD 7 Heads R Better Than One - 'No Edge-Ups In South Africa' which features artists like Asheru, J-Live, Audessey The Sound Sci, Wordsworth, and El Da Sensei.
This track starts out a bit dysjuncted at first, but gets consistently smoother as it develops into a soulful, jazzy, hip hop fusion.
Oddisee is a Washington based, Sudanese-American Mc and Producer who has worked alongside Talib Kweli, Asheru, Little Brother and J-Live, and is a member of the Low Budget Collective.
Mad intelligent lyracist, DJ, producer, and founder of Triple Threat Productions, J-Live laying it straight down the line with this question-in-the-form-of-an-answer track Satisfied off the 2002 album All of the Above, featuring live instruments including the melodica, first made popular by roots musician Augustus Pablo back in the 70s.
To put it simply, this is just a dope track, I know you gonna dig this.
"The poor get worked, the rich get richer The world gets worse, do you get the picture? The poor gets dead, the rich get depressed The ugly get mad, the pretty get stressed The ugly get violent, the pretty get gone The old get stiff, the young get stepped on Whoever told you that it was all good lied So throw your fists up if you not satisfied"
I might write a bit more later, but this one pretty much speaks for itself "If you think you can ignore it, your ignor-ant".
The mc's too dark, the producer to white Fam the lyrics too loose, the beats is to tight
Coming off the L.P. Dirty Acres, Valley of Death fits the above description exact with heavily produced beats, and rugged lyrics:
Cuz somebody gets paid, our lemons are simply beginnings My sweat been the sugar in some cracka's lemonade Got my brother in Baghdad, hands clenching grenades While we hustle like house niggas, trying to buy chains Back asswards, for trying to buy change I'ma walk through the valley and rally through my pains nigga
Producer Kno is recognised as one of the best with the beats in the South, and is best known for his remix of Jay-Z's Black Album and also alongside Masta Ace.
The song reminds me of Deliverance by Bubba Sparxx, also from the South, both songs featuring a mix of Gospel sound with an undertone of melancholy.
Referred to by many as the most influential underground hip hop group of the Golden Age, Company Flow are recognisable for their dark dysjuncted beats, and complex abstract lyrical wordplay.
"Company Flow laid the groundwork for nearly all the experimental hip hop that followed. They were an instrumental force in revitalising underground hip hop as a whole". - Source: All Music Guide to Hip Hop by Vladimir Bogdanov et al.http://books.google.com.au/books?id=Wr1lmklsD8QC&output=html
This track comes off their only full length album released in 1997 titled Funcrusher Plus.
Company Flow disbanded amicably in 2000-2001 but its three members, Mcs EL-P, Bigg Jus and DJ Mr. Len have since collaberated on a number of projects and amongst them have recorded and performed alongside a list of some of the best in underground hip hop in the world today.
EL-P went on to form his own record label Definitive Jux, of which he is owner and CEO; he is also a member of the underground hip hop supergroup the Weathermen alongside Aesop Rock, Tame One, Cage Kennylz, Yak Ballz, and Breeze Brewin.
Bigg Jus pursued a solo career, releasing Black Mamba Serums v. 2.0, and is also a member of NMS Nephilim Modulation Sessions, alongside Orko Elohiem.
Mr. Len is a member of the group Roosevelt Franklin with Kimani Rogers from The Masterminds. He also collaborated with Prince Paul to produce The Dix. He released Pity the Fool: Experiments in Therapy Behind the Mask of Music While Handing Out Dummy Smacks on Matador Records in 2001. He also went on to form Smacks Records in 2003.
Something for the real Hip Hop... Masterminds are a three Mc group comprised of Oracle, Kimani and Epod, from New York who met in University in 1994.
This track, Seven featuring EL-P from Company Flow, J-Live, J-Treds, Shabaam Sahdeeq and Mr Complex, comes off their first album The Underground Railroad released in 2000 and followed up by Stone Planet 2 years later.
This track provides an insight into the Mastermind's sound, but also check out "Bring it Back" if you like this one...
Being underground artists makes it hard to source music from the group, but you can also check their myspace page here for more: http://www.myspace.com/themasterminds
This smooth track comes off the 2001 album, "Disposable Arts", from Brooklyn MC Masta Ace.
Masta Ace has been around since the 80s and has released tracks alongside Biz Markie "Me and the Biz", Lord Finesse and D.I.T.C., and was a former member of Crooklyn Dodgers alongside Buckshot and Special Ed to name a few...
His underlying theme is to expose the fakeness, as this track demonstrates, whether it be in Hip Hop, the Music Industry or Life.
Underground lyracist hailing from North Carolina, Supastition spitting about the good old days of gold chains, 4 fingered rings, Charles Barkely, the A Team, Melle Mel, Joysticks, Peace, DJs, back "when noone was stealing money from the artform".
"Nickeled Needles" refers to the practise of DJs weighing down needles to prevent excess movement by sticking coins on either side of the needle, or as we do in Australia with a couple of 5 cent pieces. Using it as a metaphor to distinguish from those that know and the ones that don't.
This track comes of Supastition's 2005 album Chain Letters, if you want to check out something more recent then peep this track "Word Has It" off the 2008 EP Leave of Absence.
Sadat X from the crew Brand Nubian off the 1996 Album, "Wild Cowboys", known for his lyrical precision, high pitched voice, and amped sound.
Even if you never heard of him or his crew you've probably heard about 20 songs he's cameo'd on over the years, once you hear his voice it'll all come back to you... if not, keep sleeping...
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