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Murs (March
2006) | Interview By: Justin
Dubcnn recently had the opportunity to attend Murs' music video
shoot for his new single "L.A.". We were able to speak to Murs
about his new album "Murray's Revenge", the "Paid Dues Festival",
upcoming projects, participation in the "Hip Hop Gaming League", and much more.
Be on the lookout for exclusive behind the scenes footage of the "L.A." music
video. Also be sure to make it out
to the Shrine Expo Hall this Saturday, March 11, for the "Paid Dues" independent
hip hop festival.
Read or watch to this exclusive Dubcnn interview,
and leave feedback on our forums or via email. .......................................................................................... Interview
was done by camcorder in March of 2006
Questions Asked By:
Justin
Video Interview
with Murs: Click
Here Video
Interview with Murs (For iPods):
Click Here
***To those who have purchased tickets for the Paid Dues Festival, please
be aware that the venue location has now changed to the SHRINE EXPO CENTER in
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES. It is no longer being held in San Bernardino.***
..........................................................................................
Dubcnn: This is DUBCNN and we're here with Murs today.
Why don't you give yourself a brief introduction.
Murs: I'm
Murs. You rap? I'm better than you. I'm Mid City Los Angeles. You better than
me at rapping? I could probably beat your ass because that means you're more of
a nerd than me, and there is not a bigger rap nerd than me. So one or the other,
I'm going to do this kicking your ass on the microphone or physically. There's
no in between.
Dubcnn: Why don't you speak about "Murray's
Revenge" coming out this month?
Murs: Check this out, me and 9th
Wonder got together again because niggaz didn't pay attention the first time.
We did a new one, it's called "Murray's Revenge". Better than the second
one, not as good as his first one, I don't know. It's dope though. Ten songs again,
so motherfuckers get mad already, but get ready to give up your money because
this shit is hot. Nobody is fuckin with me on the mic, nobody is fuckin with him
on the beats. You want it?Come see me, right here, Cloverdale Avenue. I'll battle
you, square off with you from the shoulders, from the head, off the top of the
dome! Whatever you want, I'm here! What is it?
Dubcnn: Why don't
you speak about the "L.A." music video shoot that we're at today?
Murs:
"L.A." music video shoot man. A lot of people say if you travel the
world, all this anti-American sentiment, anti-capitalism. I've been all around
the world, there's no better place than America. Within America, there's no better
place to live than Los Angeles. At least for me, I can not, I've tried to live
in other places, I can not. It's the mentality, it's the upbringing, it's the
way, post traumatic stress, whatever it is will not allow me to live anywhere
else. I cant relate anywhere else, and when it comes to L.A., I'm from Mid City.
Nobody represents from out here. Some people call it West L.A. when something
good happens, South Central when something bad happens. This parking lot that
we're standing on used to be a grocery store. It burned down in the riots, they
still ain't built it back, but you know how that is. This is South Central then.
Now when they charge a million dollars, for the house that my homeboys and me
got done shot at in front of and shot at niggaz in front of, its West L.A.
Anyways,
so L.A. the song basically as a tribute to L.A., and that's what it is, it's just
a tribute to a city. Every song about L.A. that has been made, no disrespect,
about L.A. for the most part, are made by niggaz who aren't from L.A. I'm born
and raised, nothing else. I don't know nothing than this. Most of my life, born
and raised right here, I lived in different houses all around Mid City. And for
those of you who don't know, its from Olympic South, sometimes to Jefferson, sometimes
to Exposition, from Western to Fairfax. That's it, that means West Boulevard,
BPS, Rollin 20s, 18s, Drifters, Mid City Stoners, Mansfield, Marvin, Geers, Playboys...
not Playboys, I think Playboys are little outside, but even then its all good.
I rep for everybody. No color lines, no Mexican, I rep for everybody....Hey shut
that shit up! They think that's funny.
Dubcnn: So what's going on
with "Paid Dues"?
Murs: "Paid Dues", March 11th,
it's an independent festival I decided to bring together as a platform to promote
my genre of hip hop which is independent hip hop. During the summer, if you're
independent hip hop really, your money slows down, because our college fans are
out of school, and plus a lot of our fans are fourteen, they can't come out to
night clubs. So I decided the best thing to do is for us to have something like
"Warped Tour". I went on "Warped Tour", and I'm the only person
that's worked with every crew in underground hip hop, independent hip hop. If
you anybody, you know me, you fuck with me, and if you're really about making
money and about good music, you fuck with me.
So I got all my homies together,
we doing one big festival to show sponsors and everybody that we can do this.
We can bring out hopefully 5,000, 3,000 whatever kids to the desert. That means
we can do this in every city in America, or at least ten, and do this every summer,
and keep our genre going. And give the youth a chance to see a real live rap show,
that's not about guns, drugs or whatever, that they can feel safe, that their
parents can feel safe dropping them off for a day to see this. That's the idea
behind "Paid Dues". San Bernardino, Orange Fairgrounds, March 11. Please
come. Chingo Bling, Atmosphere, Brother Ali, Cage, 2 Mex, Living Legends, EL-P,
Felt, Blueprint.
[***Since the time the interview was conducted, the venue
locations have now changed for "Paid Dues". It is now being held at
the Shrine Expo Hall in Downtown Los Angeles. It is no longer being held in San
Bernardino. ***]
Dubcnn: So far you've worked with Living Legends,
you've worked with Anacron and Himself, you've worked with 9th Wonder, Slug. What's
next on the plate?
Murs: Slug, E-40, Jon Cena. Next, hopefully next
for the crazy spot, hopefully me and Chingo Bling will do a project. For the normal
shit, the next records going to be a little bit more west coast. It'll be my first
album, it'll be the first album I get to produce basically, like choosing all
the producers. So you'll probably hear From Fred Wreck, I talked to Primo, it
might be crazy. Who knows?
The next album will definitely be me which
is this, which is skateboarding, which is comic books, which is gangster shit,
all kinds of shit. It's going to be me, which is the Bay. I lived in the Bay for
four years, that's where I got all my independent rap game. I probably wouldn't
be able to make a dollar in the rap game if it wasn't for the Bay Area. I was
hyphy before the hyphy movement started, but you know, I'm down with it. There
might be some of that. If that happens, I don't want people to be like "Oh,
Murs is jumping on the hyphy movement." I was on Telegraph Avenue day in,
day out, selling weed and tapes. Motherfuckers know me from the Town. Living in
East Oakland on Seminary and East 14th. Nick by the Ville.
Dubcnn:
Alright, you're trying to bring your music to a broader audience, like a new sound,
and you've been working with Fred Wreck and J. Wells. Why don't you speak about
that.
Murs: I'm trying to work with Fred, I worked with J a little
bit. That's the music I listen to. That's what I great up on. DJ Quik, the greatest
of all time, Ice Cube, greatest of all time. WC, Suga Free, that's the shit I
grew up to, that's the shit I listen to. I don't listen to none of this other
shit, unless you my homies. But for the most part, right now my fans aren't my
fans. I got Atmosphere fans, I got Aesop Rock fans, I got Def Jux fans, I got
9th Wonder fans, but none of them...I don't think the people who are Murs fans
have really heard me yet. I haven't made my demo yet. I'm going to incorporate
all the Atmosphere fans, all the 9th Wonder fans.. [West L.A...see] ..but you
know I haven't found my Murs fans yet. I grew up with dudes like him, people of
color, Latino people, like more ghetto people, but 50 Cent fans aren't my fans.
So if you're out there and you're intelligent but you grew up in the hood, thats
the music I make, still hood, but I got a vocabulary beyond the ebonics list.
Dubcnn:
You've been doing music for Fight Night, like video games, and you've also had
your movie "Walk Like a Man". So what's next in terms of expanding outside
of making music.
Murs: The video magazine called "MC TV",
first issue drops March 11 at "Paid Dues". We got Atmosphere, 9th Wonder,
Mr. Dibbs, and a couple music videos. That is what's next as far as thats concerned.
I'm trying to work on "Felt" the movie, so I'm going to get into doing
more videos. And I work for Current TV, www.current.tv, channel 366 on your Direct
TV, Time Warner, you got to check the website. I'm guest hosting, Al gore owns
it, that's what I do there. And the "Hip Hop Gaming League", thats another
thing I'm doing. I'm going to be beating your favorite rapper's ass at Madden
and NBA2K. That's all the shit outside of rap.
Dubcnn: You got any
last words for the fans?
Murs: Buy the new album man, or steal it,
just get it. Come out to a show if I'm ever doing a tour. Not just listen, love
it. And hopefully there'll a video version for the whole album coming out for
fourth quarter, by Christmas, September. That's about it man, tell your friends
about it. That's the only way motherfuckers going to find out, because motherfuckers
be hating on me, or not hating because I don't believe in that, but motherfuckers
don't know. If one of your friend's don't know, tell them something, spread the
good word, that's how anything good gets spread. It's word of mouth, so if you
got to burn it from somebody, burn it from them, I don't give a fuck man, this
is not my only way of making money homie, so if you got to burn it, burn it, I
don't give a fuck, but make you share it with somebody. As long as you sharing,
it's caring, and I'm out.
.........................................................................................
Video
Interview with Murs:
Click Here
Video
Interview with Murs (For iPods):
Click Here |
