Murs is just days away from his second Strange Music solo album, Captain California. The veteran, with histories tied to Def Jux, Rhymesayers and his own Living Legends squad moves towards a March 10 LP with a powerful single. “God Bless Kanye West” may sound like its simply about ‘Ye, but it’s far deeper than one man. And while Murs loves big concepts (and Felt’s history shows that he loves a good celeb dedication), this does not appear to be that either.

Instead, the Mid-city Los Angeles native chronicles how young Black men face stress of surviving each other, police, and society…on top of having to dealing with pressures and challenges so many teens and young adults face regardless of race, image, or messages transmitted through politics, media, and elsewhere. While Murs does wish Kanye West (whose challenges with mental health went public in 2016) some ease of the stress, he makes it clear that this is happening all around.  This well-shot music video shows three young Black men dealing with these very things on a daily basis.

Black Thought, Del, Murs & Fashawn Make An All-Star Collabo About The Fight Within (Video)

“As a people, we need therapy,” Murs says in a press statement. “If Black America was one person, it would need a lot of therapy. But in our community, we don’t get a lot of help. The people that are surrounding Kanye are not giving him the help required. But people are criticizing him coming out and saying he needs help. Kanye’s been through a lot. We’re all going through it and we don’t have the mental health services that are necessary in our community.”

Stream Murs & 9th Wonder’s Brighter Daze Album (Audio)

Black lives clearly matter to Murs, but he urges all of us to look beyond simply staying alive. Quality of life, stress, and proper releases go under-discussed in the eyes of this thoughtful MC.