Keith Murray

Keith Murray

BEATING THE RAP

After a Prison Stint, Rapper Keith Murray Makes a Comeback
The year was 1994, and life was lookin' good for Long Island rapper Keith Murray. The young MC was a member of EPMD’s rising Def Squad; his debut single, “The Most Beautifullest Thing in This World,” was tearing up the charts; and his debut disc of the same name quickly went gold. Things began to fall apart in 1995, when Murray was convicted of assault. He started serving a three-year prison sentence in 1998. Now free and signed to Def Jam Records, Murray hopes that his fourth album, He’s Keith Murray, will help him reclaim his spot in hip-hop history. The rapper recently sat down with Barnes & Noble.com’s Anslem Samuel to speak about the inspiration behind the album, working with R&B legend Patti Austin, and his new lease on life.

Barnes & Noble.com: What can fans expect from this album?

Keith Murray: What's different between this album and my last album is the fact that I opened up my life on a personal, honest note. I expressed my ups, downs, my achievements, and my setbacks. I'm taking the listener on an emotional roller-coaster ride of Keith Murray.

B&N.com: So is that why you changed the title of the album from Oh My Goodness to He's Keith Murray?

KM: Yeah, and Rakim's [forthcoming] album is called Oh My God, so I didn't even want to go there. I want you to walk away from this album and be like, 'You know what? I know a little bit more about Murray.'

B&N.com: I definitely got that, especially on "Christina," where you talked about all the deaths in your family and the dark cloud that's followed you throughout the years. Why did you decide to get so personal on that song?

KM: I wrote "Christina" while I was locked up because there are young people that don't know me. So I had to make those records so when they want to talk about the pain and the harshness of reality they don't overlook me, because if you don't tell them, they won't know. They might think it's all about fun and games, 'cause they see me and Redman and Erick [Sermon] laughing and joking [in videos].

B&N.com: I also noticed an old-school vibe on your album as well, like when you and Def Squad remade the Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight." Is that something you did on purpose?

KM: I have a lot of older fans, too. I started [my career] when I was young and came across older people that love me and want to hear music from me too. I'm just an old soul.

B&N.com: You, Redman, and Erick Sermon sound like you're having fun on your new single, "Yeah Yeah You Know It," but how did it feel being incarcerated while their careers where blooming?

KM: I wrote bits and pieces of the album when I was locked up. But when I first heard Red & Meth's Blackout! I did 2,000 push-ups. Straight up in the hallway, like boom, boom, boom, 2,000! I was like, "[I] can't wait. I got to come back and bite some heads off."

B&N.com: One of the first records you did after your release was "Fatty Girl" off the FUBU compilation Good Life. How was that experience?

KM: It was an opportunity. I got to do a record with LL [Cool J] and Ludacris on my return. It was great because it gave me a chance to show my versatility and [that] I can hold my weight with the guys doing well in the industry. So it put me right back where I left off.

B&N.com: That record was also the first time I heard the expression "badunkadunk," which went on to become a part of hip-hop slang. Where did you come up with that?

KM: Me and my man Kel was talking on the phone one day when I was in the halfway house. We was talking about some girl and he was like, "Yo, she got a badunkadunk." I was like, "Badunkadunk? What the f**k is that?" It was real funny to me, so when I was writing that rhyme I thought of our conversation and I put it in there.

B&N.com: Were you ever worried your fans would forget you?

KM: Never that. I mean, I've always been remembered. I got in the [rap] game and did my thing, so I never really felt people would forget me, 'cause I know that I provide that energy for them to remember. There's nobody like me; I represent a point in hip-hop that's not occupied by anyone else. So when I come to do my thing, I do my thing.

B&N.com: Your Def Poetry Jam performance several months ago was really powerful. Have you always been into poetry?

KM: I used to do it in jail, so when Russell [Simmons] came with the opportunity, I jumped on it just to show people I'm more than just an individual that gets on the microphone and yells a bunch of words. I'm more than that. I'm a musician who has relevant things to say about society. I'm a thought-provoking individual who can build with the best of them on some real-life issues.

B&N.com: Speaking of the best, how did you and Patti Austin link up for your next single, "Candy Bar"?

KM: A lot of people don't know Patti Austin, but she's a famous R&B singer that came up through the ranks of Quincy Jones. But Sony didn't want to let me have the sample, 'cause they had a dispute with Island [Records]. So I said, "You know what? Let's go get Patti Austin to do the record. They can't say [anything] then." And she was down to do it and came to the studio and blazed that for me.

B&N.com: With all the love you're receiving now, do you feel like the dark cloud over your head has finally lifted?

KM: Yeah, [it] feels like the most beautifullest thing in the world. I'm free. I'm young. And I understand the business better. I just want to please my fans -- to give them what they deserve from Keith Murray. Right now, I'm just here to reestablish myself.

July 8, 2003