Fornever

After making the leap to a major label with 2008's MURS For President, MURS is back on the indie circuit with Fornever, his fourth collaboration with 9th Wonder. The ex-Little Brother producer's presence is always a plus, and that's still true with this disc–the old-school soul vibe of the title track is completely infectious. Lyrically, MURS kills it on several tracks, notably “The Problem Is…” an inspiring tune that any struggling musician will relate to. Fifteen years in, the 32-year-old MC still oozes with passion for his craft, and he's most on point when he's talking about his love of making music. He's also pretty good at dissecting relationships, so it makes sense that he'd cover Common's “I Used To Love H.E.R.”–while he tweaks a few lines and the title, it's essentially the same tune. Of course it doesn't come close to the original, but it's a good fit for MURS' personality. Other songs like “Asian Girls” and “Let Me Talk” fall short, mostly because they sound like incomplete ideas. Though fans may expect these collaborations to be less structured than a MURS solo record, there's a few songs that just leave you feeling unsatisfied. That being said, Fornever is still a solid disc, and will please the average indie-rap fan.

SMC http://www.smcrecordings.com