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Keith Murray - The Beautifullest
Interview by: Quinton Hatfield
 It’s the most beautifullest thing in this world and if you love hip-hop you know that’s the well known slogan by the lyrical monster Keith Murray. Many of us remember the days not too long ago when the Def Squad with Keith Murray, Redman, and Erick Sermon was killing the industry with the dopest records of music you could hear. Now that those days are gone it’s been a while since you've heard from Keith Murray. Now no longer with Def Jam and back in the game Keith Murray is ready to give you “Rap-Murr-Phobia” The Fear of Real Hip-Hop. When you first heard “Weeble Wobble” and then was hit again with “Nobody Does it Better” Keith Murray fans all over the world felt good to hear that their favorite MC with the illest vocabulary was returning.
 If you already didn’t know Keith Murray is coming back out on Koch Records. While Koch has been called a graveyard label by many it is on some real talk giving our favorite all time MC’s a second chance at making the best hip-hop we ever heard. I mean they are veterans and you who knows the culture better than the original vets who laid down the foundation for hip-hop. Keith Murray is one of those veterans and we're glad to have him back. With taking time out to show some love for Nobodysmiling.com Keith has something to say. Everything is on touched in this interview as to him returning to the game with “Rapp-Murr-Phobia”, the best days of Def Squad with Redman and Erick Sermon, and what he would change about the music business.
Nobodysmiling.com : First I want to ask how it feels to be a vet in the game coming back out?
Keith Murray : I’m kind of anxious for people to hear the tape and get with the program.
Nobodysmiling.com : What it is that will make this album one of the dopest to come in hip-hop?
Keith Murray : Like you said with me being in the game for so long and then being amongst new-comers in the crowd it’s still relevant, it’s still got things to offer in the game for the movement of hip-hop. It’s what makes the album real fly, the real energy and passion, the hard-work and determination that was put into the project. We make albums, my album is an album, every song from song to song ya’ll get to sing it like it’s on the radio.
Nobodysmiling.com : You are a veteran so what you think most hip-hop fans are missing about you?
Keith Murray : They just missing my whole style and what I bring to the game. Their missing all of my energy, my magnetism, my vocabulary, and my flow.
Nobodysmiling.com : A while a ago you did your thing with Def Squad with Erick Sermon and Redman so what were the best of those times working with those dudes?
Keith Murray : Being brothers and just living out the true essence of hip-hop. It’s just priceless with the experience itself you know. A lot of dudes around here talking about down south ain’t rap it is hip-hop. When you’re a part of a crew that has a living legend producer and a living legend artist man it’s the most beautifullest thing in the world.
Nobodysmiling.com : How you feel about Redman coming back out doing his thing?
Keith Murray : Man I’m glad Redman came back out, but I’m pissed off his album ain’t getting the look that it should be. The album is a well-rounded album and it’s hot to death. I’m just real disappointed in the units, because Redman is always on the road. I don’t understand they say that touring is supposed to be something that puts consumers in the buying mood. He’s nice and I don’t understand what happened.
Nobodysmiling.com : Well at least you keeping it real.
Keith Murray : That’s all I can do baby.
Nobodysmiling.com : How you feel about working with Erick Sermon and the relationship ya’ll had back in the day?
Keith Murray : Man I had to go back at Def Jam and I tried those producers at first and I was taken out of my zone early. Erick puts me in my zone and I’m at peace with the boy you know what I mean. I can sit there get the records right and get an honest opinion, because he’s the only one that understands. You got producers that don’t know how you should sound and they think that you should sound a certain way when you should sound like Keith Murray.
Nobodysmiling.com : You know Erick Sermon did his thing with the legendary EPMD back in the day, Keith how you feel about the impact EPMD made on hip-hop?
Keith Murray : Oh my goodness EPMD will go down in the all times in hip-hop history. Me being a part of it with the knowledge, the wisdom, and understanding was a good thing in that moment.
Nobodysmiling.com : Keith how you feel about the hip-hop out right now?
Keith Murray : Me personally I’m a fan of hip-hop and what ever hip-hop has to offer I’m gonna listen to it. I’m gonna look at it and I’m gonna critically analyze it and in today’s hip-hop I don’t hear too much lyrics. I hear subject matter you know with how people live, what they think, but I’m not really being entertained like “Yo is that his peak”. You know a lot of dudes out here I like and it’s a lot of dudes out here I think should take “MCing 101”.
Nobodysmiling.com : [Laughs], you said “MCing 101’?
Keith Murray : Word!
Nobodysmiling.com : How you feel about all these dancing songs out right now?
Keith Murray : Well I be going to the club sometimes checking it out and I’m like “Yo it’s an epidemic with this”. Don’t get it wrong I want people to dance to my music too, but it’s just and epidemic like that’s all it is. It’s a menstrual show like Little Brother said on their last album for real.
Nobodysmiling.com : Keith are there any artists you feeling in the game right now?
Keith Murray : Man I like Fabolous, I like T.I., Devin the Dude, Huey, I like artists like that. I don’t really hate these guys I watch the videos and listen to the radio all day, but the ones I named is the ones I’ll play. I also like Bone Thugs N Harmony and KRS-ONE.
Nobodysmiling.com : Oh yeah KRS-ONE album is fire right now.
Keith Murray : His album is retarded.
Nobodysmiling.com :: Tell me about this deal getting down with Koch Records?
Keith Murray : After the Def Jam situation I knew that record labels look at you funny as a liability. I didn’t even go shop a deal to nobody I just went with the boys that made my album, went down to Koch took it to them, they understood it, loved it, and now their behind the record. It’s getting a good response and I can’t ask for much more than that, but a platform for people to see me showcase my talent. I’m cool with it, I know that the money comes with the back end of all work so I played the game like the block watching the product and the numbers.
Nobodysmiling.com : How you feel about Koch Records giving a lot of veterans a chance again?
Keith Murray : That’s a blessing anytime you get a chance to showcase your talent that’s a sign of life right there baby.
Nobodysmiling.com :: Do you think Koch Records will be the number one label in the future?
Keith Murray : Shit to me they the number one label right now. They helping me and that’s number one to me. If you look at the game majors put in a lot of overhead, but the numbers add up. 100,000 on Koch that’s like 500,000 or more on a major if you see any money back from your advances and the money they shelve out to promote you. Koch is pretty smooth at this time and it really ain’t no big difference between the majors and an indie right now. Koch they still have wrecked the music to a certain degree so they can compete with the majors. Majors they let you do what you want to do, but if you don’t got a single that’s gonna go to radio or video they will put your record and move on to the next one. If your single can catch on to radio and video you competing with the big boys.
Nobodysmiling.com :: So with Koch at least Keith Murray is getting most of his money?
Keith Murray : Well with Koch Keith Murray is getting a chance to showcase his talent to the world with the possibilities of making money.
Nobodysmiling.com :: Talk about this album why you give it that title?
Keith Murray : I named it “Rapp-Murr-phobia”, because it’s an aggressive album. I’ve always been aggressive verbally, with my shows stage diving, and it’s a physical contact thing. Nowadays everybody is touchy feely, they don’t wont strong vocabulary or aggressive music. Hip-hop is taking a real beaten now with the Al Sharpton’s and Don Imus with the media and politicians. They never really understand Keith Murray anyway they only point the finger at Keith Murray. Now I get a chance to make an album I want to make, how my fans want it, “Rapper Murr-Phobia” The Fear of real hip-hop you can’t stop it. This is for those who know and understand it. Fuck who don’t understand it, fuck who is critiquing it, it ain’t for them. All across the nation and across the world I got hard-core fans who want hard-core shit.
Nobodysmiling.com : On the album you worked with Tyrese what it was like working with him?
Keith Murray : Working with Tyrese was cool he’s a real professional. He re-did the song he had some suggestions, we went back changed a few things and I respect him for that. You know a lot of artists don’t wanna tell artists about what they feel about certain parts in songs. I respected him more than ever for not holding back and I changed some things and it got better. He was a pure professional and a friend on that level. I’m real glad for him he’s a famous actor now, professional in all records, and he gives a hell of a stage performance. Those are the things that I like to do too.
Nobodysmiling.com : Keith where you think Tyrese stands as one of the best R&B singers to come in the game?
Keith Murray : Well right now he’s pretty relevant and consistent with his albums. He’s at like 400,000 on the double album and he can actually sing.
Nobodysmiling.com :: I know you was feeling him when he was coming out with the “Sweet Lady” and everything.
Keith Murray : Yeah no doubt!
Nobodysmiling.com : Who is on the album what’s good?
Keith Murray : Well this album is basically a Keith Murray album, 15-18 tracks, produced by Erick Sermon. I got Redman, Method Man, Erick Sermon of course, and Tyrese. It’s a Keith Murray album, I’ve figured I been away for four years so I gotta give my fans Keith Murray. I don’t wanna camouflage it with a bunch of artists and I got my family on there.
Nobodysmiling.com : You said you have your family on there?
Keith Murray : Yeah L.O.D. Def Squad.
Nobodysmiling.com : Tell me about reaching out to Method Man getting him on the album?
Keith Murray : Well Meth is always around he’s a family member from day one. He was around when it was no problem doing a record with him, but this is my first time doing a record with him so I was excited about that and it came out hot it’s called “What it is”.
Nobodysmiling.com : I remember interviewing Method Man a while ago he’s a cool dude, but he was wilding.
Keith Murray : He do?
Nobodysmiling.com : Yeah, but he was cool as shit though.
Keith Murray : Yeah, what he be tripping on?
Nobodysmiling.com : I don’t know I think when I interviewed him he just got done blazing.
Keith Murray : Oh he was lethargic.
Nobodysmiling.com : Yeah you can say that.
Keith Murray : [Laughs].
Nobodysmiling.com : Keith if you can change anything about the music business what would it be?
Keith Murray : If I could change anything about the music business it would be the artists representing the music. I know people wanna make money, I know people wanna get in it, but put some integrity to it. Everybody is rapping like rap is full-blown, I’m not mad at it but put some integrity in your lyrics. Don’t just something that you think is gonna make you money at the expense of the culture.
Nobodysmiling.com : Do you think for every good rapper fifty are wack?
Keith Murray : Well I don’t know, but I know one thing in their culture the culture is not culture. When people want to make money I’m not downing them, but at the same time you got to at least respect those you came before you. You should understand and know who they are. They don’t know nothing from nothing like “Yo how you even call yourself a representative of this if you don’t know anything”? You don’t know where it came from, you don’t even know why you doing it. That’s like a lot of these niggas running around being Blood and they don’t even know the history of the Bloods. They don’t even know what the Blood stand for they just jumping on the band-wagon.
Nobodysmiling.com : You don’t like the fact that a lot of new comers don’t have respect for the veterans?
Keith Murray :: Not the fact that they don’t have respect it’s the fact that they don’t got respect for themselves to understand what they doing, what they involved with and why they doing it. It don’t matter anyway it’s the corporations, the corporations got a thousand ni**as saying “Yo I’ll be an asshole, I’ll be anything, I’ll be a thug-killer gangsta-thug”. Mean while he ain’t never touch a drug, never touched a gun, he ain’t never been in a cell, but they’ll say it. They will say anything just for the vote of the people see what I’m saying. That’s fallacy and it’s saturated I be on the streets all the time and cats run up to me rhyming. Young cats, older cats and they be on some “I got 40 keys” I’m like “Come on man stop lying”. First of all if you rhyming at least rhyme with some truth to it. They running around with all these fake diamonds, watches and that’s the only thing they got. I don’t need a chain or watch to shine my mind is to shine. Them other ni**as just front like “Yo he gets more jewelry” you know how many times I can buy a diamond watch or diamond ring? That’s there basis they just got the white people looking at it like “America ain’t buying records no more because white kids can see through the lies and truth”. This is the same thing the media was craving for so long while we been going at it with the true essence of the shit. Now they wanna act up, July 31st go get the record and support real hip-hop.
Nobodysmiling.com : We looking forward to that.
Keith Murray : Yeah baby and I will if I can come back nine months again with some more hip-hop.
Nobodysmiling.com : Keith Murray we appreciate the love for Nobodysmiling.com you have anything to say to the readers out there?
Keith Murray : It’s a well rounded album produced by Erick Sermon and I appreciate all the love for Nobodysmiling.com. Go get that album it’s relevant to the game, I’m not saying I’m tryna come and bring hip-hop back I’m just rocking for the people that love it. Word up to Nobodysmiling.com the number one Hip-Hop website in the world, Peace.
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