Murs Celebrates The MCs & Books That Taught Him He Is Powerful (Audio)

Murs is roughly six weeks away from his upcoming album, A Strange Journey Into The Unimaginable. Releasing on the veteran MC’s March 16 birthday, the LP is a full collaboration with Missouri-based producer Michael “Seven” Summers, known for producing some of Tech N9ne’s most celebrated work. The Strange Music album campaign launched late last year with video, “Melancholy.” Amidst the holiday season, Murray explained why 2017 was not his best year, in a way that was not rooted in self-pity, but rather an honest realization that life has its ebbs and flows.

Second single “Powerful” opens a different dimension for A Strange Journey… This song shouts out the messages of Black Power that Murs gravitated to as a teen, and gave him a voice. For the last 20-plus years, the member of Felt, Living Legends, and other collectives has used that voice to inspire others.

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The first verse states the Los Angeles, California MC’s sources of inspiration: “They call me slept on, guess I’m the one they dreaming ’bout / But when they finally woke, it’ll be my name that they’ll be screaming out / Been walking this path from an early age / Reading books by the Panthers, building up my rage / At age 14, read Soul On Ice / Spook Who Sat By The Door, read that joint twice / Ice Cube, Brother J and Ice-T / These are the professors that would set my mind free / ‘F*ck Tha Police,’ To The East…, and ‘Cop Killer’ / These were my textbooks, sorry, it was not Thriller / That Pop music was filler, no disrespect to Mike / But I was fed up and focused, I was ready to fight / The power / With Flavor Flav and Carl Ridenhour / Now merged my energy with Public Enemy for many hours / Towers of Babylon that radiate pollution / Are the same ones we’ll be using to stream the revolution.

The lyrics reference books by Sam Greenlee and Eldrige Cleaver, as well as Chuck D’s birth name. In the second verse, Murs calls for more substance and less singing in present-day Rap music.

He also released a mini-music video performing the track:

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In 2017, Murs released Captain California on Strange.