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Written by Andrew Friedman Thursday, 20 April 2006 11:00

Now, out of nowhere, Murs has teamed up with 9th Wonder, a producer so hot that Jay-Z had to have him for The Black Album.

Murs told Spin magazine that he once toured the country with no money and a box of his tapes. In order to eat, he had to sell his music; in order to sell, he had to talk or muscle his way on stage to do opening spots for local shows. But his powers of persuasion  go well beyond hand-to-hand sales. He essentially schmoozed his way out of the weird, self-perpetuating Los Angeles rap scene, first cutting a bizarre full-length collaboration with indie rap superstar Slug of Atmosphere, then signing with heavyweight label Definitive Juxtaposition. Now, out of nowhere, Murs has teamed up with 9th Wonder, a producer so hot that Jay-Z had to have him for The Black Album.

This is great for Murs, who has never struggled with lyrics, but whose Def Jux debut, The End of the Beginning, was plagued by inconsistent production; Murs’ varied alliances resulted in a different style on basically every song. 9th Wonder steps up, sounding like the heir to Gangstarr’s DJ Premier’s throne. Biting Primo is nothing new, but 9th takes the percussive chopping and gives it a new, smoother texture. Only on “And This Is for…” is the influence too overt. Also, 9th Wonder honors Primo’s other, more subtle trademarks: slow, single-sample intros and the use of multiple beats per song. Only Gangstarr’s classic “I’m the Man” switches up better than the wrenching “Walk Like a Man.” Also, like Premier, 9th Wonder has a tendency to make excessively sparse or simplistic drum tracks, but given the overall quality of Murs 3:16, 9th Edition, that can be easily excused.

Murs, as previously stated, is no lyrical slouch. The ladies are the subject for three tracks and Murs handles all angles, expertly complaining for two tracks, then dropping the names of all his past female conquests. The latter, “Freak These Tales,” is an always appreciated homage to Too $hort, but could have done without the details of Murs losing his virginity. “Walk Like a Man” follows the emcee through a revenge tale, but the dark crime angle is balanced by the quick and funny failed robbery jam “Trevor an’ Them.” Murs’ rhymes are quality straight through, even staying on point for the two battle jams, usually the low point of any underground rap album. “The Animal” somehow manages to be the best track here, despite being typical dick-waving in an album full of Slick Rick–worthy stories.

For an album this good, it’s a damn shame that “And This Is for…,” whose second and third verses flip race issues, has hogged much of the press. Everything Murs says in those verses needed to be said a decade ago, when many white people started thinking of rap appreciation as making them impervious to racism. But, as completely on point as lines such as “We ain’t the same color when police show up” may be, one would hope that quality would trump the controversy of a black rapper calling out his mostly white fanbase. Murs 3:16, 9th Edition bangs for all races.
— Andrew Friedman