Posts Tagged “Murs”
Here’s an incongruous pairing: Ed Banger Records producer Busy P and Murs the Living Legend together on “To Protect and Entertain.” Murs’ punchy raps and Busy P’s patented electro-funk beats makes for a oddly appealing and funky mix. Meanwhile, Murs rhymes about making out with girls high on coke and E, which is what usually happens when a hardcore rap kid goes to a rave. The track is kinda dope, though. Here’s “To Protect and Entertain,” which appears on the new Ed Rec Vol. III compilation.
Today, Murs heads out on the road for a long tour that will incorporate just about ever major city in the continental U.S. And then he’ll probably tour some more. With his major label debut Murs for President (not counting the major label-distributed Murray’s Revenge) hitting stores last week, the L.A. MC plans to work hard to spread his message to the people. Kidz in the Hall lend support.
Jul
15
2008
 
Murs releases “Murs for President”Posted by plugoneboss in News, tags: Murs, Warner Bros.
Murs has scheduled a release date for his long-awaited sixth album and major label debut. Reprise/Warner will issue his sixth album, Murs for President, on September 30. Interestingly, if the initial track listing is correct, Murs for President doesn’t include last year’s single, ‘Better Than the Best” b/w “Dreadlocks.” However, the 15-track disc features collaborations with Snoop Dogg, will.i.am and DJ Premier. “This one is for all the marbles,” Murs says in a press release. “If this don’t go, it don’t go. This is it for me. I’m almost 30. I’ve been doing this and if I don’t know how to do it by now and I can’t make a platinum record, I’ve failed.” That’s a tall order for a rapper who, while hugely popular on the West Coast, has never dominated the indie rap medium like MF Doom, Atmosphere or Little Brother. Plus, very few artists of any genre go platinum anymore. But hey, when you’re running for president, you’ve got to dream big, right? August 12 update: The track listing for Murs for President has changed. One song has been removed in favor of “Everything,” and “Away Too Long” was retitled as the single “Can It Be?”
May
20
2008
Rock the Bells and Paid Dues return for 2008Posted by plugoneboss in News, tags: Guerilla Union, Murs, Paid Dues Festival, Rock the Bells
Okay, I know this is old news, at least by Internet standards. In case you didn’t know, however, Rock the Bells and Paid Dues Festival are returning for another year. Rock the Bells, the first touring hip-hop festival since Smokin’ Grooves ended in 2002, is famous for hosting the last concert appearance of the complete Wu-Tang Clan lineup at its inaugural event in 2003. Murs began organizing Paid Dues as an L.A. indie festival in 2006; after partnering with Rock the Bells’ promoter Guerilla Union, it became a multi-city endeavor and a little brother of sorts to the bigger Rock the Bells. The bad news is that both festivals have much shorter itineraries this year. Rock the Bells only encompasses ten shows, while Paid Dues features a piddling four concerts. (Last year’s editions lasted 19 and 13 shows, respectively.) It seems that while Rock the Bells sold out in major cities like New York and Los Angeles, it struggled to fill arenas and amphitheaters in secondary markets such as Atlanta and Salt Lake City. Hence, a scaled-back schedule this time around. Rock the Bells doesn’t jump off until July, though, so there’s a chance that more cities may be added. The good news is that Rock the Bells is offering a more diverse lineup than last year’s old-school icons and backpack kings. Participating artists include A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, Mos Def, De La Soul, Method Man & Redman, Rakim, Raekwon & Ghostface, B-Real, Immortal Technique, dead prez, Murs, Spank Rock, Kid Sister, Santogold, the Cool Kids, Jay Electronica, Wale, B.O.B., Kidz in the Hall, Amanda Blank, DJ Green Lantern, Just Blaze and Black Violin. Best of all, Rock the Bells has scored another coup by reuniting the original Pharcyde: Fatlip, Slim Kid Tre, Imani and Romye a.k.a. Bootie Brown. This will mark the quartet’s first run of shows together since Fatlip got kicked out of the group back in 1996. On the Paid Dues end, you’ve got Rakim, De La Soul, GZA, Blackalicious, Sage Francis, Little Brother, Hieroglyphics crew, Murs & 9th Wonder, Buckshot, Supernatural & Scratch, Kidz in the Hall, Yak Ballz, Sollilaquists of Sound, Braille and Bernard Dolan. Since I’m too lazy to detail exactly which artists are appearing in each city, please visit Paid Dues Festival and Rock the Bells’ respective websites. The general tour itinerary is below.
Mar
10
2008
Living Legends re-up for 2008Posted by plugoneboss in News, tags: Bicasso, Living Legends, Murs, Sunspot Jonz, the Grouch
Living Legends has been on a tear this year. You’ve already heard about the massive stealth campaign swirling around Murs’ highly anticipated new album, Murs for President. But other crew members have been getting down, too. Sunspot Jonz dropped a new solo album in January, Never Surrender. The Grouch is coming out with a new album, Show You the World, next month. And Bicasso came out with an EP, Rebel Musiq, in February; it was available for free for a limited time. All this activity is a prelude to the crew’s fourth album later this year. Before that comes The Gathering, a EP with all eight members that you can purchase at one of their shows; the retail release date is April 8. “The EP is 7 songs deep, and each of the Living Legends is on EVERY SINGLE SONG!” reads the Living Legends newsletter. “The Gathering is a warning of things to come as the Legends will be releasing a full length LP later this year.” The Living Legends are on tour throughout March — shit, it’s already half over. But for posterity’s sake I’ve compiled all of the dates. And don’t worry, hipsters — they’ll be at SXSW this week, too.
3/13: SXSW
Next month, Murs will host another edition of his increasingly successful Paid Dues Festival in San Bernardino, Calif. But fans of the veteran West Coast rapper will get another treat by this summer: a new album titled Murs for President. Details are still forthcoming on Murs for President, which is scheduled for release in the next few months on Warner Bros. It is clear, however, that 9th Wonder doesn’t handle all of the production like he did on Murs’ last two albums, including 2006’s Murray’s Revenge. He contributes several beats, though. Other guest appearances come via DJ Quik and Snoop Dogg and Supreeme, Murs’ proteges. So far, Murs has released two teaser singles from the album, “Dreadlocks” and “Better Than the Best.” He shot a video for the latter, which you can watch below.
Jan
23
2008
Paid Dues Festival returns for 2008Posted by plugoneboss in News, tags: Murs, Paid Dues Festival
In 2006, Paid Dues Festival emerged as the indie conscience of the fast-blossoming Rock the Bells Festival. Organized by Murs’ 3:16 Productions and Rock the Bells’ Guerilla Union, it championed many of the smaller artists that had helped launch Rock the Bells as a major event. Last year, it even served as a “sister” festival, touring through several small cities and holding down the opening stage at Rock the Bells installments in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. The 2008 edition of the Paid Dues Festival will jump off at the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino on March 22. Some people will argue that its lineup, which features familiar faces such as Sage Francis, Dilated Peoples, and Boot Camp Clik, reflects a certain conservatism within the indie hip-hop scene towards “true school” backpack acts. But in a press release announcing the event, Murs points out several relative unknowns on the bill as well. The full announced lineup is listed below. “What we’re trying to do with Paid Dues as we go into our third year is: Number one is focus,” says Murs. “Being that it’s a festival birthed on the west coast we wanted to tailor the bill to appeal a little more to the region so we brought on local staples such as the A-Team, Omni and Fatlip. To knock it out of the park we added the three major west coast crews Living Legends, Hieroglyphics and the Visionaries.” “The second thing we are doing is expanding by grabbing more artists outside of the traditional indie hip-hop family (i.e. Def Jux, Rhymesayers, Living Legends) so we approached Dilated Peoples and Little Brother,” continues Murs in the press release. “We also wanted to show some love to the decorated veterans of the independent scene so we reached out to Boot Camp Clik and Kool Keith. Third and most importantly we wanted to give back to the awesome fans who’ve supported us over the past two years to make this the biggest and best Paid Dues yet. My partner Chang [Weisberg of Guerilla Union/Rock the Bells] says the third year is always the greatest and it seems to be like he’s going to be right, again.” 3/22: Paid Dues Festival w/Sage Francis, Little Brother, Dilated Peoples, Jedi Mind Tricks, Living Legends, Hieroglyphics, Visionaries, Boot Camp Clik, Kool Keith, POS, the A-Team, Mac Lethal, Fatlip & Omni, Yak Ballz, Bernard Dolan, Isaiah
Jun
11
2007
Rock the Bells, Paid Dues rock the nationPosted by plugoneboss in News, tags: Guerilla Union, Murs, Paid Dues Festival, Rock the Bells
As expected, the Rock the Bells festival — which built its reputation in 2003 by featuring the last live appearance of the complete Wu-Tang Clan (RIP Ol’ Dirty Bastard) — has expanded from a two-day blowout to a summerlong holiday. This year’s bill includes the mighty Clan (who will hopefully finish their 8 Diagrams comeback before heading on the road), Nas, Talib Kweli, Pharoahe Monch, David Banner, Immortal Technique and Jedi Mind Tricks. Freestyle phenom Supernatural and beatboxer legend Rahzal host. As an added bonus, Rage Against the Machine, Cypress Hill and UGK will appear on select dates. Rage and Cypress Hill are slated for Rock the Bells shows in New York, San Bernardino and San Francisco. Every concert date will include numerous special guest performers. Meanwhile, the previously announced Paid Dues Festival is gearing up for its own national jaunt. Felt (Atmosphere and Murs), Living Legends, Sage Francis, Brother Ali, Cage, Mr. Lif, G&E (the Grouch and Eligh), Hangar 18 and Luckyiam.psc. Just like Rock the Bells, Paid Dues will be brought to you by Guerilla Union, in association with rapper/executive Murs 3:16. For those who want to attend Paid Dues and Rock the Bells, the two processionals will unite for one massive showdown on June 28-29 in New York and August 11 in San Bernardino. Book your airplane tickets now. “After announcing our historic shows with Rage Against The Machine & Wu-Tang Clan headlining earlier this year, we are overwhelmed with the enthusiasm of fans who want ROCK THE BELLS brought to their cities. There is no other hip hop music festival more vital to the artists, community, and fans it serves than ROCK THE BELLS,” says Guerilla Union head Chang Weisberg in a press release. “We want to build an annual event in all of these cities to serve their musical communities and prove that quality hip-hop is NOT dead. Actually, over 130,000 people have already disproved the notion and bought their tickets.” Here are the dates for Rock the Bells:
7/28-7/29: w/Erykah Badu, Rakim, Mos Def, MF Doom, Boot Camp Clik, Public Enemy, DJ Hi-Tek, Mike Relm, C-Minus, Rocky Rock And here are the Paid Dues gigs:
www.rockthebells.net |
Powered by WordPress, Mandigo theme by tom.
Entries (RSS)
and Comments (RSS).
