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Keith Murray, one of my favorite hip hop artist sat down with Soundslam for an interview.check it out. (propz to Soundslam)


Artist: Keith Murray
Interviewer: Alexander Fruchter


He's Keith Murray, known almost more for the things that have gone wrong, than the things that have gone right. Despite his industry recognition, hardcore fan appeal, and originality, Keith Murray has 'just missed it' in most recent times, rather than hitting the homeruns. In this exclusive interview, the Most Beautifullest emcee recognizes that he has played a role in his misfortune by "shooting myself in the foot." Instead of calling it a day, or resting on his laurels, Mr. Murray scrapped all pretenses and sought to return to the passion, fun, and creativity he experienced while making his debut album, the very successful The Most Beautifullest Thing. The result was the new album, Rapp-Mur-Phobia (The Fear of Real Hip Hop). In this exclusive interview Murray talks about how he has evolved by staying the same, intellectual violence, and more. Fellow Koch emcee Sheek Louch drops by too. Check it out!

SoundSlam: How are the interviews going?
Keith Murray: All in a day's work baby...

SoundSlam: I wanted to start by talking about the past then moving into the present. You have the debut album, The Most Beautifullest Thing. What was the most 'beautifullest' thing back then when you put that out, and what is the most 'beautifullest' thing to you now?
Keith Murray: My notion for murderous poetry in motion.

SoundSlam: So the same thing?
Keith Murray: HmmmHmmm.

SoundSlam: Have you seen yourself change as an artist? That was album was over 12 years ago, you've gone through a lot of things since then. As you've changed as a person how have you seen that change in your music, if at all?
Keith Murray: Nahhh...I was tainted as I went along.

SoundSlam: Really?
Keith Murray: Yeaah. Now I made a metamorphosis back to that mind state from the first album, the second album cause I created this album the way I created those albums, in that mind state. "F**k that, this is what I'm doing. I'm going to take it to the world, and they're going to love it." That's what they're doing, loving it.

SoundSlam: Was there a moment when you realized, 'man I've gotten away from something and I want to get back?'
Keith Murray: Yeah. It was the way that I did the last album. It came out, and I thought the hottest s**t didn't come out because it stopped being fun. It stopped being the creative process that I did. Therefore my own thinking was left field. Then it became a tug of war, and it stopped being fun. My whole thinking was, 'yo, get back to like how I was with the first album.' That feeling, how I rocked that, get back there cause that's what they love me for.

SoundSlam: I like that. I think a lot of people go through that. Even people in regular jobs get to a point when things just stop being fun. You got to get back to doing it for you, for the love of the art.
Keith Murray: Due to the circumstances and the situations that occurred, I had to back track. It took a minute to back track. 'Wait a minute...Do your history.' I did a history of myself. I like to think this album is harder than Enigma, but more lyrical than Most Beautiful.

SoundSlam: I was on your Myspace page earlier. I saw you have a mixtape out called Intellectual Violence. I really like that title. Not that many rappers put 'intellectual' in the title of their stuff. It's like they don't want to be attached to that word, like it's almost a bad word. But that's you right there.
Keith Murray: I consider myself an intellectual thug.

SoundSlam: What does that mean? A lot of people might think you can't be those two things, they don't match.
Keith Murray: That's the best thing to be. I was taught at an early age through mathematics to be intelligent. A fool is a dummy. You want to be smart. You want people to perceive you as being intelligent, and you can use your smarts. You don't want to be a f**king dodo bird. That's how it is where I come from.

SoundSlam: Continuing with the new album, and getting back to your old style. You came up in the 90's, what a lot of people call the 'Golden Era' for Hip Hop. With the way the music business, and Hip Hop has changed since then, how do you see yourself fitting in to the way it is today?
Keith Murray: Keith Murray is the same. When you look at me, I'm the same. I don't look like I'm older. I'm the same. I'm immersed in the fountain of youth. I go outside they receive me. So I'm always relevant. I am a representation of the culture so I gotta be the s**t. And I have to tell you that, and show you that. Motherf**ker...Really get it right, this is how it's supposed to be done. Ain't no speculation when it comes to this n***a. So, that's how I fit in. I occupy a point in the spectrum of Hip Hop that is not occupied by anybody else cause I'm original. That's what it is....
Excuse me for a minute, Sheek Louch just walked in. He wants to say 'what's up to you real quick.('more here)