Murs (rapper)

Not to be confused with Mars (rapper), Marz (rapper), or Olly Murs.
For the Multi-Use Radio Service (MURS), see Multi-Use Radio Service.
Murs
Carter (right) and 9th Wonder performing at Paid Dues in 2008
Carter (right) and 9th Wonder performing at Paid Dues in 2008
Background information
Birth nameNicholas Neil Carter[1]
Born (1978-03-16) March 16, 1978 (age 46)
OriginLos Angeles, California, United States
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • songwriter
Years active1992–present
Labels
Member of
Formerly ofLiving Legends
Websitewww.mursraps.com

Nicholas Neil Carter (born March 16, 1978), better known by his stage name Murs, is an American rapper. His name is an acronym (or backronym) for which he himself has created multiple meanings, such as "Making the Universe Recognize and Submit" or "Making Underground Raw Shit."[2]

Murs is a former member of the rap group Living Legends, along with Luckyiam, Sunspot Jonz, The Grouch, Scarub, Eligh, Aesop, Bicasso and Arata.[3] He is currently a member of several groups: 3 Melancholy Gypsys (along with Scarub and Eligh),[4] Felt (along with Slug),[5] and Melrose (along with Terrace Martin).[6] He is also a vocalist in The Invincibles, along with Whole Wheat Bread.[7]

On October 13, 2016, Murs set a Guinness World Record for rapping for 24 hours non-stop during a live stream on Twitch.

On June 11, 2013, Murs released an album as lead vocalist of a band called The White Mandingos. The album is entitled The Ghetto is Tryna Kill Me.[8]

Murs signed with Strange Music in 2014 and has released three studio albums through the label. His record deal with Strange Music was a three-album deal.

Career

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Murs formed 3 Melancholy Gypsys with fellow Alexander Hamilton High School classmates Scarub and Eligh.[9] The group became friends with Mystik Journeymen, and joined them in the Living Legends collective in 1996.[10] His solo debut album, F'Real, was released on Veritech in 1997.[11]

Alongside Slug, Murs has been part of the group Felt since 2002.[12] The End of the Beginning, his debut album on Definitive Jux, was released in 2003.[13] Murs released Murs 3:16: The 9th Edition, an album entirely produced by 9th Wonder, in 2004.[14] After another collaborative album with 9th Wonder, Murray's Revenge, in 2006,[15] Murs signed a contract with Warner Bros., his debut album for the label being Murs for President.[16] It was preceded by Sweet Lord which was given away free to fans.[17]

Murs released Varsity Blues 2, a follow-up to his Varsity Blues EP, with production duties handled by Aesop Rock, Terrace Martin and Droop-E, in 2011.[18] He released This Generation, a collaborative album with Fashawn, in 2012.[19]

Murs was invited by Sacha Jenkins, a hip hop journalist, to join the group The White Mandingos, a collaboration between Jenkins and Bad Brains bassist Daryl Jenifer.[20] They released their first album, The Ghetto is Tryna Kill Me, on June 11, 2013 under the Fat Beats record label.[21]

On February 7, 2014, it was announced via Tech N9ne's Facebook page that Murs was signed to his record label Strange Music.[22] Later that year, Murs teamed up with fellow Strange Music members Mayday! to drop the !Mursday¡ album[23] as his first release on the label. He then released Have a Nice Life on May 18, 2015, Captain California on March 10, 2017, and A Strange Journey into the Unimaginable on his birthday in 2018 – all through Strange Music. In between projects, Murs partnered once again with 9th Wonder to create Brighter Daze, which was released on December 31, 2015.

After leaving Strange Music officially on March 9 2019, Murs teamed up once again with 9th Wonder to release their album together The Iliad Is Dead & The Odyssey Is Over. Since then, he has released multiple collaborative projects and singles, including Thees Handz with The Grouch and Love & Rockets Vol. 2: The Declaration. On June 10 2022, Murs announced his impending retirement,[24] but still intends to give the fans one more album before this, speculated to be a third volume in the Love & Rockets series.

Personal life

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Murs has one adopted child.[25][26] He and his wife had another child in April 2018.[27] He and his wife also have a third son. His wife is Brazilian. They have a fourth son, who was born in spring 2023. [28] He and his wife have also lost and buried a child.[29] He is an advocate for gay rights; the video for his song "Animal Style" features his character kissing another man.[30][31]

Murs is known as a fan of comic books; there are videos on the internet of him at Midtown Comics in New York City.[32]

Discography

[edit]
Main article: Murs discography

Filmography

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Nicholas Neil Carter, Born 03/16/1978 in California". Californiabirthindex.org. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  2. ^ "LAist Interview: MURS". LAist. October 7, 2008. Archived from the original on December 11, 2008.
  3. ^ Eric K. Arnold (April 1, 2005). "The Living Legends' Hip-Hop Masterpiece". XLR8R. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013.
  4. ^ Anna Almendrala (May 18, 2012). "LACMA Hip Hop Concerts: Murs Of 3MG Kicks Off Summer Series (VIDEO, PHOTOS)". The Huffington Post.
  5. ^ Adam Figman (November 30, 2009). "Felt - Felt 3: A Tribute to Rosie Perez". URB. Archived from the original on February 13, 2010.
  6. ^ "Murs & Terrace Martin: On Melrose (Music Video)". Baller Status. January 5, 2011.
  7. ^ "Murs & Whole Wheat Bread Are The Invincibles (Free EP + Video)". Okay Player. July 6, 2012.
  8. ^ Frannie Kelley (August 13, 2013). "The White Mandingos: Music That Defies Definition". National Public Radio.
  9. ^ "LACMA: Through The Mic featuring Murs and 3MG". The 5th Element Magazine. May 31, 2012.
  10. ^ Bradley Torreano. "MURS Biography". Allmusic.
  11. ^ Luke Fox (November 2011). "Murs - Interviews". Exclaim!.
  12. ^ Tom Breihanon (September 3, 2009). "Aesop Rock, Atmosphere's Slug, and Murs Team for Felt 3". Pitchfork Media.
  13. ^ Matt Kallman (April 23, 2003). "Murs: The End of the Beginning". Pitchfork Media.
  14. ^ Rollie Pemberton (March 15, 2004). "Murs: Murs 3:16 - The 9th Edition". Pitchfork Media.
  15. ^ Peter Macia (March 21, 2006). "Murs: Murray's Revenge". Pitchfork Media.
  16. ^ Michael Denslow (October 15, 2008). "Album Review: Murs – Murs For President". Consequence of Sound.
  17. ^ Omar Mouallem (September 2008). "Murs & 9th Wonder - Sweet Lord". Exclaim!.
  18. ^ Jake Paine (April 13, 2011). "Murs Releases Sequel "Varsity Blues 2," Production By Aesop Rock, Droop-E". Hip Hop DX. Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
  19. ^ Luke Fox (September 24, 2012). "Murs & Fashawn - This Generation". Exclaim!.
  20. ^ Jay Balfour (July 5, 2013). "The White Mandingos Analyze Adam Yauch's Role In Their Formation" Archived 2014-08-08 at the Wayback Machine. Hip Hop DX.
  21. ^ Jake Crates (March 4, 2013). "Murs and New Group “The White Mandingos” Announce New Concept Album". All Hip Hop.
  22. ^ Rys, Dan (2014-02-07). "Murs Signs With Tech N9ne's Strange Music - XXL". Xxlmag.com. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
  23. ^ "¡Mayday! And Murs Craft A Ripe Summer Album With '¡MURSDAY!' - XXL". XXL Mag. 10 June 2014. Retrieved 2018-04-10.
  24. ^ "Murs Announces Impending Rap Retirement With The Beginning Of The End - HipHopDX". HipHopDX. 12 June 2022.
  25. ^ Baker, Soren (May 17, 2013). "Murs Adopted Two Kids To "Help Change Someone's Life" | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales | HipHopDX". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Archived from the original on May 6, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  26. ^ Hernandez, Victoria (June 22, 2015). "Murs Explains Why He Returned His Older Son To Foster Care". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Retrieved 2017-06-16.
  27. ^ "Murs on Instagram: "Together. That's how we've faced our biggest fear and our brighter future. After losing our first son during delivery. We knew that this…"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved 2018-04-10.
  28. ^ "Instagram". Instagram.com. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  29. ^ "Be Nice (feat. Brady Watt) by Thees Handz, The Grouch & Murs". 17 October 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2023 – via Apple Music.
  30. ^ Grindley, Lucas (July 14, 2012). "Rapper Murs Kisses Another Man to Call Out Hip Hop Homophobes | Advocate.com". The Advocate. Here Media. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  31. ^ Burra, Kevin; Wong, Curtis M (September 16, 2012). "Murs' 'Animal Style' Video: Rapper Supports Gay Rights, Kisses A Man In New Clip (GRAPHIC)". The Huffington Post. AOL. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  32. ^ Fuse, Murs Goes Comic Book Shopping, archived from the original on 2021-12-12, retrieved 2019-01-10
  33. ^ A., Aron (September 19, 2020). "MURS & Dee-1 Team Up On "He's The Christian, I'm The Rapper"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
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