7.5/10
I never really got into Murs. Some people absolutely love the guy, but outside of Felt, I just never really cared for him. He’s very average, and talks like he’s the greatest rapper ever. His last solo release, Murs For President, had a couple of good songs, but was overall forgettable, and I feel the same way about this release.
The music is good. Murs is a good rapper, he just doesn’t stand out to me as being any different than a number of other random average rappers. He needs some sort of extra flair to separate himself from the rest, and I haven’t seen that from him yet. He does alright on this album, nothing sounds forced. He’s always been good about sounding smooth and confident in every line. In an album as short as this one, if you are going to have features, they better be worth it. But they aren’t worth it in this case. A few no-name rappers have guest spots. They’re not horrible or anything, I just don’t think they add to the album at all. “Asian Girl” is a really fun song. I’m not into Asian girls at all, but this song had me smiling and bobbing my head along with it. It’s clever and just enjoyable in general. I also really liked the story-telling style songs like “Vikki Veil” and “West Coast Cinderella”. I’m kind of torn on what to think about “I Used to Luv H.E.R. (Again)”. The original is one of my favorite hip hop songs ever, nevermind one of my favorite Common songs. They do it justice, and it works, but at the same time, I felt like it was the equivalent of a band putting a cover of “Stairway To Heaven” on their album. It just doesn’t seem right to cover it. On the flip side, “Cigarettes and Liquor” is awful. Just bad. The concept has been done over and over, and its more annoying/lame at this point than fun/interesting.
What really saves the album for me, and sets it a step above Murs For President, is 9th Wonder. The production on the album is great. All of the beats are really well done, polished, smooth, catchy, etc. You can’t help but tap your feet or bob your head. I just kinda wish there was a better rapper on them.
Here are "Vikki Veil" and "West Coast Cinderella":
Vikki Veil
West Coast Cinderella
Oddly enough I didn't like the song Asian girl (even though that's like a kryptonite for me lol). Have you heard his previous work with 9th? If so does this compare. I am not a huge fan but I definitely enjoyed the two albums of his I heard.
ReplyDeleteI haven't listened too much to the earlier stuff with 9th, but I remember liking it better than this. Although, I think it's in the same vein of just being average. I'll have to go back and check out the older albums.
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