Murs – Captain California (Strange Music, 2017)
Los Angeles underground rapper Murs, opens his album up with the track “Lemon Juice.” Just when you thought all rappers today were starting to sound the same, this track swoops in to dismiss that generalization. As refreshing as its name, “Lemon Juice” is a clever and humorous rap dialogue between Murs and featured rapper Curtiss King. In the track, both spit rhymes to see who can win over a woman they both find attractive. In “Shakespeare on the Low,” his flow is quick and sharp as he tells a story of being so madly in love that it ends up killing him. The song fuses beautiful verses with an original hook, one that stands out throughout this album. In GBKW (God Bless Kanye West), he raps about different scenarios and struggles that black men face, such as police brutality. “He’s running for his life, this happens every other night. Walking out the door, he just wants to make it home. A young black male trying to make it on his own.” If you’re searching for underground raw hip-hop, Murs has got you covered with this record.
Trial Track: “Shakespeare on the Low”
Rating: 8/10
