Keith Omar Murray (born May 29, 1974) is an American rapper from New York. Murray grew up on Carleton Ave, in Central Islip, which is located on the South Shore of Long Island in Suffolk County. Murray was a known member of a local rap collective in Long Island called Legion of Doom (L.O.D.) which included fellow rappers 50 Grand, Ron Jay, and Kel-Vicious. Murray is more famously known for being a member of the Hip Hop trio the
Def Squad, which includes fellow rappers
Redman and fellow Long Island native
Erick Sermon
Erick Sermon (born November 25, 1968) is an American rapper, musician, and record producer. He is best known as one-third—alongside PMD & DJ Scratch—of 1980s/1990s hip hop group EPMD and for his production work.
Career
Sermon started prof ...
, previously the co-founder of the legendary Hip-Hop group
EPMD
EPMD is an American hip hop duo from Brentwood, New York. The duo's name is a concatenation of the members' names "E" and "PMD" or an acronym for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars", referring to its members: emcees Erick Sermon ("E" a.k.a. ...
(from neighboring town Brentwood).
Murray debuted his spaced out, complex, multi-syllable rhyming style on Erick Sermon's ruggedly produced song 'Hostile' off his first solo album 'No Pressure' which was released in 1993, and was Sermon's first project since splitting with former rhyming partner Parrish Smith. In 1994,
Jive Records released Murray's debut single, "
The Most Beautifullest Thing in This World
''The Most Beautifullest Thing in This World'' is the debut solo studio album by American rapper Keith Murray. It was released November 8, 1994 via Jive Records. Recording sessions took place at Rockin' Reel Studios in East Northport, New York and ...
", which was quickly followed up by his debut
album of the same name, released to both critical acclaim and commercial success. Along with his solo work, Murray is known for his association with the Def Squad, with whom he released an album,
''El Niño'' in 1998.
Career
1990–1995: Early years
Murray initially got his start in the music industry under the name MC Do Damage, but later decided to just go by his birth name.
In 1994, he was introduced to Erick Sermon of
EPMD
EPMD is an American hip hop duo from Brentwood, New York. The duo's name is a concatenation of the members' names "E" and "PMD" or an acronym for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars", referring to its members: emcees Erick Sermon ("E" a.k.a. ...
by his friend
K-Solo
Kevin Madison, also known as K-Solo (born April 17, 1968) is an American rapper from Brentwood, New York who, along with Redman, EPMD, Das EFX, and Keith Murray, was part of the Hit Squad in the 1990s.
Career
K-Solo was a member of EPMD's "Hit S ...
. Sermon included Murray on his album ''
No Pressure'' on the single "Hostile", with critics praising Murray's lyrical ability. His appearance on Hostile led to Murray being signed to
Jive Records, and work began on his first album. Murray's debut single, ''
The Most Beautifullest Thing in This World
''The Most Beautifullest Thing in This World'' is the debut solo studio album by American rapper Keith Murray. It was released November 8, 1994 via Jive Records. Recording sessions took place at Rockin' Reel Studios in East Northport, New York and ...
'' was released in 1994 and was a hit.
The song was produced by
Erick Sermon
Erick Sermon (born November 25, 1968) is an American rapper, musician, and record producer. He is best known as one-third—alongside PMD & DJ Scratch—of 1980s/1990s hip hop group EPMD and for his production work.
Career
Sermon started prof ...
(who also provided background vocals) and peaked at number 50 on the
Billboard 200
The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of ar ...
and number 3 on the
Hot Rap Singles chart. Murray's debut album ''
The Most Beautifullest Thing in This World
''The Most Beautifullest Thing in This World'' is the debut solo studio album by American rapper Keith Murray. It was released November 8, 1994 via Jive Records. Recording sessions took place at Rockin' Reel Studios in East Northport, New York and ...
'', was named after the single and released in 1994 to widespread critical acclaim and commercial success,
being certified Gold by the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in August 1995.
The album was also given "4 mics" by ''
The Source
''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the ma ...
''.
Murray continued to enjoy a high media-profile by appearing on a
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...
advertisement and as a featured guest on
Mary J Blige
Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...
's "
Be Happy",
Total's "
Can't You See",
R Kelly's
"Home Alone" and both versions of
LL Cool J's "
I Shot Ya
"I Shot Ya" is a song by American rapper LL Cool J featuring Keith Murray, from his sixth album ''Mr. Smith''. The remix version, which featured Prodigy of Mobb Deep, Fat Joe, and Foxy Brown, of the song was released as a B-side to " Hey Lover" ...
".
However, his appearances of both versions of "I Shot Ya" led to brief friction with rapper
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...
, who believed that the song was a diss towards him being shot and robbed at Quad Recording Studios, regarding the timing, title, and lyrical content. Sometime in the following year, Tupac Shakur approached Keith Murray at the California
House Of Blues
House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants. It was founded by Isaac Tigrett, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film ''The Blues Brothers''. The first location opened at Ha ...
, wanting to know if the record was a diss to him. Upon questioning, Murray made it clear that the record was not about Shakur, peacefully resolving the situation. Murray has continued to publicly addressed this in several interviews over the following years.
1996–1998: Def Squad
Murray's second album ''
Enigma
Enigma may refer to:
*Riddle, someone or something that is mysterious or puzzling
Biology
*ENIGMA, a class of gene in the LIM domain
Computing and technology
* Enigma (company), a New York-based data-technology startup
* Enigma machine, a family ...
'' was released on November 26, 1996, on
Jive, once again to critical acclaim.
The album peaked at number 39 on the U.S.
Billboard 200
The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of ar ...
and reached number 6 on the
R&B Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated J ...
chart.
Murray also continued to work with other artists, appearing on tracks by
Busta Rhymes,
UGK
UGK (short for Underground Kingz) was an American hip hop duo from Port Arthur, Texas, formed in 1987, by Chad "Pimp C" Butler and Bernard "Bun B" Freeman. They released their first major-label album, ''Too Hard to Swallow'', in 1992, followe ...
,
Redman and
Jamal.
In 1998, Murray and The Def Squad released their debut album, ''
El Niño
El Niño (; ; ) is the warm phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and is associated with a band of warm ocean water that develops in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific (approximately between the International Date ...
'', which peaked at number 2 on the
Billboard 200
The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of ar ...
and was certified Gold by the RIAA.
Murray's third solo album ''
It's a Beautiful Thing'' was released in 1998 while Murray was incarcerated for assault.
2001–present: He's Keith Murray and release from Def Jam
After Murray was released from prison, he signed with
Def Jam who released ''
He's Keith Murray
''He's Keith Murray'' is the fourth solo studio album by American rapper Keith Murray. It was released on April 29, 2003, through Def Jam Recordings, making it his only studio album for the label. Production was handled by Erick Sermon, Jamie Fox ...
'' in 2003, once again to critical and commercial success. The album contained the single "
Yeah Yeah U Know It
"Yeah Yeah U Know It" is the lead single released from Keith Murray's fourth album, ''He's Keith Murray''. It featured verses from Murray's fellow Def Squad members, Erick Sermon and Redman and was produced by Just Blaze. The single was released ...
.", and featured guest appearances from
Busta Rhymes,
Redman and
Jamie Foxx
Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He became widely known for his portrayal of Ray Charles in the 2004 biographical film ''Ray'', for which he won the A ...
, among others.
The same year, Murray was featured as a playable character in the video game ''
Def Jam Vendetta
''Def Jam Vendetta'' is a 2003 professional wrestling video game that combines hip hop with pro wrestling. It was released for the PlayStation 2 & GameCube by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports BIG label in North America & Europe, and the E ...
''. Despite the success and acclaim of his first album on Def Jam after this, Murray was dropped from the label just one day after its release after being accused of choking two label employees, although he said the confrontation was limited to words. After being released, Murray announced plans to continue recording music independently.
He released his fifth solo album ''
Rap-Murr-Phobia'' on July 31, 2007. It debuted at number 52 on the U.S.
''Billboard'' 200 chart.
The lead single was "Nobody Do It Better" featuring
Tyrese
Tyrese Darnell Gibson (born December 30, 1978) is an American actor and singer. He released his self-titled debut album in 1998, which featured the single " Sweet Lady", peaking at number twelve on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100. His second ...
and Junior.
Personal life
In May 25, 1995, Murray was arrested after being accused of hitting a man with a barstool in a fight and released on bail. After being sentenced to three years in 1998, Murray, who maintains his innocence, fled from authorities until October 1998, when he turned himself in. Murray filed a lawsuit for
wrongful conviction
A miscarriage of justice occurs when a grossly unfair outcome occurs in a criminal or civil proceeding, such as the conviction and punishment of a person for a crime they did not commit. Miscarriages are also known as wrongful convictions. Inno ...
, and later dropped the suit in exchange for his sentence being reduced by three months. Murray served the latter portion of his sentence in the Maple Street Halfway House facility before being released on May 14, 2001.
[
]
Discography
Studio albums
* ''The Most Beautifullest Thing in This World
''The Most Beautifullest Thing in This World'' is the debut solo studio album by American rapper Keith Murray. It was released November 8, 1994 via Jive Records. Recording sessions took place at Rockin' Reel Studios in East Northport, New York and ...
'' (1994)
* ''Enigma
Enigma may refer to:
*Riddle, someone or something that is mysterious or puzzling
Biology
*ENIGMA, a class of gene in the LIM domain
Computing and technology
* Enigma (company), a New York-based data-technology startup
* Enigma machine, a family ...
'' (1996)
* '' It's a Beautiful Thing'' (1999)
* ''He's Keith Murray
''He's Keith Murray'' is the fourth solo studio album by American rapper Keith Murray. It was released on April 29, 2003, through Def Jam Recordings, making it his only studio album for the label. Production was handled by Erick Sermon, Jamie Fox ...
'' (2003)
* ''Rap-Murr-Phobia (The Fear of Real Hip-Hop)
''Rap-Murr-Phobia (The Fear of Real Hip-Hop)'' is the fifth solo studio album by American rapper Keith Murray. It was released on July 31, 2007 through Koch Records. Production was handled by Erick Sermon, except for two tracks which were produc ...
'' (2007)
* ''Intellectual Violence'' (2008)
* ''Puff Puff Pass'' (2008)
* ''Lord of the Metaphor'' (2018)
* ''Lord of the Metaphor 2'' (2019)
Collaboration albums
*''El Niño
El Niño (; ; ) is the warm phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and is associated with a band of warm ocean water that develops in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific (approximately between the International Date ...
'' with Def Squad (1998)
*Canibus & Keith Murray are The Undergods (2009)
*In Gods We Trust – Crush Microphones to Dust (2011)
References
External links
Keith Murray
on Myspace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Keith
1974 births
Living people
African-American male rappers
Rappers from New York (state)
Def Jam Recordings artists
Jive Records artists
Songwriters from New York (state)
East Coast hip hop musicians
People from Central Islip, New York
Hardcore hip hop artists
20th-century American rappers
21st-century American rappers
Def Squad members
20th-century American male musicians
21st-century American male musicians
African-American songwriters
20th-century African-American musicians
21st-century African-American musicians
American male songwriters