MURS & 9th Wonder
Fornever
Smc, 2010
www.myspace.com/murs
http://www.9thwonder.com/
http://www.smcrecordings.com/
MURS has never been one of my favorite MC's. It's nothing personal or anything. I'm just not that into him. I love Living Legends and Felt, but not so much his solo efforts. So what really attracted me to this record was Durham's own hometown hero, 9th Wonder.
Basically, this is a record about women and relationships. Or maybe that's just a metaphor for hip hop (it's always hard to tell with these "conscious" MC's).
It starts off decently, and then you're hit with a track all about Asian women and how hot they are. MURS is a little behind the curve here. Techie nerds and Anime fans have been celebrating/worshipping the submissive and borderline pedophilic sex appeal of Asian girls for years now. It's honestly pretty lame and almost unlistenable.
Then I get beat over the head with a track about cigarettes and liquor, which seems a little out of place. And as a pack-a-day smoker, I apparently haven't been shamed enough by those truth.com a**holes, so now I'm being judged by MURS. Outstanding.
There's also a track about the problems that arise from dating a porn star, which could have been really good. Alas, in a shocking twist that I never saw coming, he realizes that maybe porn stars aren't quite relationship material. The track ends with the heartfelt advice to "never let your d**k dictate who you love." Thanks MURS. It's like a hip hop fortune cookie that I didn't even want.
Basically this is a forgettable album, which is a shame considering the talent involved. Even Wonder's not at the top of his game. Granted, his beats are better than 80% of what's out there at the moment, but these sound like the leftovers from his other projects. I really wanted to like this, but honestly, it doesn't stand up to repeated listens. Pick up a Felt record instead or check out Skyzoo's collab with Wonder.