Although we're only eight days into 2023, Murs is certainly off to a busy start to the year. On January 3, he dropped Unreleased, a collaborative EP with Isaiah Toothtaker.
Only three days later, he returned for the release of a solo EP, Guide To World's Greatest Cities. The project contains five songs and runs for nearly 17 minutes. Throughout its runtime, the L.A. rapper follows an interesting concept.
Over the course of the EP's five songs, the 44-year-old pays homage to different cities around the world; Tokyo, New York City, Oakland, Ethiopia and Minnesota. He uses his storytelling abilities and descriptive language to paint pictures and set scenes based on his experiences in these places.
He kicks it off by expressing his love for Tokyo and telling the stories of some formative encounters while there. "No google translate back in '98 / When I was runnin' these streets, tryna find a date / I did alright, I fell in love twice / And love don't need to language when it's done right," he raps.
However, not every track is entirely positive. On the outro, "MPLS (Punk Ass Promoter)," he reflects on a show gone wrong while in Minnesota one night. He vows to never spend another winter in the city and never do another show with a "punk ass promoter" again. Regardless, the experience is evidently one that Murs can look back and reflect on. Furthermore, his ability to candidly reflect on it represents his maturity and artistic expression.
Additionally, each song's production reflects the city he's rapping about in their respective songs. Produced entirely by GLDN EYE, he provides Murs with a diverse range of beats for him to reflect over.
Although known best for his 2015 track, "Okey Dog," the 44-year-old is continuing to make waves over two decades into his career.
The new project follows up his three full-length releases from last year. The last of which is Three's Company, which serves as a collaborative album with fellow California natives, The Grouch and Reverie.
Make sure to stream Murs' Guide To World's Greatest Cities EP on Spotify down below. Comment your top three tracks afterwards. Finally, make sure to stay tuned to HNHH for all of the latest music releases and stories.
Guide To World's Greatest Cities Tracklist:
- T-O-K-Y-O(Bullet Train Backflip)
- NYC (Golden Apple)
- Oakland (Luv)
- Ethiopia (Addis Ababa)
- MPLS (Punk Ass Promoter)