If you ask anyone, Keith Murray is widely
considered to be one of the best that never made it. Oddly (or perhaps
unfortunately, due to his infamous temper) enough, whenever it seems he is on
the verge, the forces of nature instantly makes all such forward motion naught.
Alongside numerous guest slots on his résumé, such as Erick Sermon’s
No Pressure album, Def Squad teammate Redman’s
“Cosmic Slop,”
R. Kelly’s “Home Alone” and LL Cool J’s classic posse
cut “I Shot Ya,”
the Lyrical Lexicon of the Def Squad released
his first album, The Most Beautifullest Thing in This World, to
critical acclaim and gold sales. But a plethora of roadblocks – most notably
for snuffing out a pre-G-Unit Prodigy and a second-degree
assault charge which led to Murray on the run (and eventually
in prison) for almost five years – kept him from relishing any momentum from
each of his subsequent releases. Once sprung from the pokey, Keith
was immediately signed to the house Russell
built – Def Jam Records – instantly giving him better
visibility and recognition. But despite outshining his label mates Ludacris
and Uncle L on “Fatty Girl,” Murray was once again mired
in turmoil, as he was dropped by the Hip Hop powerhouse for allegedly attacking
a street team member, leaving his fourth album, He’s Keith Murray, to
almost no promotion and poor sales.
With more false starts than a deaf track runner, Keith has
followed the lead of many of today’s rap artists, joining independent label Koch
Records for his fifth go-round, Rap-Murr-Phobia (The Fear of Real
Hip-Hop). After almost a half-decade long wait, with his latest opus Keith
hopes to finally claim the glory that has eluded him for so long.
Kicking off with the slow-burning “Da Fuckery,” Keith
flips a line from his memorable debut single as the hook while shooting down
any rumors of his demise. The lyrical exhibitions on the Def Squad
reunion “U Ain’t
Nobody” and the funky “What It Is” feature a rejuvenated Method
Man absolutely annihilating the groovy, vintage beat from The
Green-Eyed Bandit.
Although the album is full of the lyrical slanguistics fans have known and
loved, Murray adds some introspection to his repertoire.
Apparently tired of the snakes in the game, Keith promises to
“bury those black and white devils” on “Don’t Fuck Wit Em’.”
Unfortunately, times have changed in this arena, with more rappers seemingly
willing to make poor club/radio singles, and Keith is no
exception. On the lead single “Nobody Do It Better,” Keith tries in vain
to take listeners down memory lane, but has any hopes of sincerity dashed by Tyrese’s
wack hook. “Weeble
Wobble” not only suffers from a lame name, but from lazy raps and a
boring beat to boot. Bogging down the album are its three meaningless skits,
but perhaps the worst offense is the blatantly Southern-sounding “Whatmakeaniggathinkdat,”
with a shoddy soundscape, shoddier lyrics and a confusing appearance from
“where you been?” rapper Lil’ Jamal.
Rap-Murr-Phobia could have been the perfect comeback for Keith
Murray, as his razor-sharp tongue and with as not dulled over the past
few years. Sadly, the album is loaded with too many filler tracks, eventually
extinguishing any flames Keith lights.