Murs for President could get elected
Murs' new album combines politics and upbeat songs
Published Oct. 10, 2008
It's 2008, election time is right around the corner and rapper Murs is throwing his hat into the ring for the presidency.
His seventh album, Murs for President is a strong effort for a strong veteran of the rap game, and because it's his first album with Warner Bros., Murs tries to mix conscious rapping with commercial friendly beats. At times Murs does a great job of getting his message to a larger audience, but the album also has its share of songs that find Murs trying too hard to be commercial.
The album's "Intro" enters with the sounds of a news conference and Murs being announced as a presidential candidate. A journalist asks for Murs' plans for the future while warning him of how easy it can be for a new candidate to succumb to the pressures and demands of the majority. The intro is perfect in letting the listener know what to expect from the rest of the album. Although Murs has an original, memorable voice, he can get caught up in rapping about less significant themes.
Immediately following "Intro" is "I'm Innocent," an upbeat song with a nice combination of piano and a sample of '70s funk song "Innocent 'Til Proven Guilty." The samples, mixed with lyrics like "Dying to be different, down to die to make a difference," make Murs overwhelmingly likeable. From the start of the song to its end, Murs fills listeners with hope and desire to do their best to change the world.
On first single "Lookin' Fly," Murs works with Will.i.am to create another upbeat song, this one with a sample of the "Green Hornet Theme" - trumpet with equal amounts of drum. Some MTV viewers might remember the song because of the airtime Murs received during his "Choose or Lose" campaign. The song and chorus are catchy, but the effort seems to be misplaced in an album that has already seen Murs showing much more.
Murs gets back to delivering his message and his platform on "Everything." The song features a sample of James Blunt that combos nicely with piano and an effective amount of DJ scratching. He tells the listener to leave the world a better place than the one that was left for them, and in the end, the song is another great example of Murs mixing mainstream sound with more meaningful verses than the average rapper.
Another album gem is "Love and Appreciate II," featuring Tyler Woods. The song finds producer 9th Wonder assisting Murs (the two have frequently worked together in the past) with a sample of yet another '70s song, "Now Is the Time To Say Goodbye." Murs preaches to his male listeners to appreciate and acknowledge their ladies before losing them. Murs emphasizes the importance of leaving guy friends to spend time with their special someone with lyrics like "I like Madden, but I love orgasms,/and I'm not trying to have the same problems you're having."
