Nicholas Neil Carter (born March 16, 1978), better known by his

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Murs, is an American rapper. His name is an

acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

(or

backronym A backronym is an acronym formed from an already existing word by expanding its letters into the words of a phrase. Backronyms may be invented with either serious or humorous intent, or they may be a type of false etymology or folk etymology. The ...

) for which he himself has created multiple meanings, such as "Making the Universe Recognize and Submit" or "Making Underground Raw Shit." Murs is a former member of the rap group Living Legends, along with Luckyiam, Sunspot Jonz, The Grouch, Scarub, Eligh, Aesop, Bicasso and Arata. He is currently a member of several groups: 3 Melancholy Gypsys (along with Scarub and Eligh),

Felt Felt is a textile material that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing fibers together. Felt can be made of natural fibers such as wool or animal fur, or from synthetic fibers such as petroleum-based acrylic or acrylonitrile or wood ...

(along with

Slug Slug, or land slug, is a common name for any apparently shell-less terrestrial gastropod mollusc. The word ''slug'' is also often used as part of the common name of any gastropod mollusc that has no shell, a very reduced shell, or only a ...

), and Melrose (along with Terrace Martin). He is also a vocalist in The Invincibles, along with Whole Wheat Bread. On October 13, 2016, Murs set a

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

for

rapping Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

for 24 hours non-stop during a

live stream Livestreaming is streaming media simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real-time over the internet. It is often referred to simply as streaming. Non-live media such as video-on-demand, vlogs, and YouTube videos are technically streamed, but n ...

on Twitch. On June 11, 2013, Murs released an album as lead vocalist of a band called

The White Mandingos The White Mandingos are a rock supergroup from Woodstock, New York consisting of rapper Murs, former Rolling Stone journalist and MTV / VH1 producer Sacha Jenkins and Bad Brains' bassist Darryl Jenifer. Biography The band was formed in late 2012 ...

. The album is entitled ''The Ghetto is Tryna Kill Me''.Frannie Kelley (August 13, 2013).
The White Mandingos: Music That Defies Definition
. National Public Radio. Murs signed with Strange Music in 2014 and has released three studio albums through the label. His record deal with Strange Music was a three-album deal.

Career

Murs formed 3 Melancholy Gypsys with fellow Alexander Hamilton High School classmates Scarub and Eligh. The group became friends with

Mystik Journeymen Corey Johnson, better known by his stage name Sunspot Jonz, is a rapper from Oakland, California. He is a founding member of Living Legends, a conglomerate of underground hip hop artists from California. He is also one half of Mystik Journeymen ...

, and joined them in the Living Legends collective in 1996. His solo debut album, ''

F'Real ''F'Real'' is the first album by hip hop artist Murs. It was released by the Independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; t ...

'', was released on Veritech in 1997. Alongside

, Murs has been part of the group

since 2002. '' The End of the Beginning'', his debut album on Definitive Jux, was released in 2003. Murs released '' Murs 3:16: The 9th Edition'', an album entirely produced by

9th Wonder Patrick Denard Douthit (born January 15, 1975),
better known as 9th Wonder, is a Murray's Revenge ''Murray's Revenge'' is the second collaboration album from California rapper Murs (of Living Legends) and North Carolina producer 9th Wonder (formerly of Little Brother (band), Little Brother). Like their first collaboration '' Murs 3:16: The ...

'', in 2006, Murs signed a contract with Warner Bros., his debut album for the label being ''

Murs for President ''Murs for President'' is the sixth studio album by American emcee MURS. The album was released on September 30, 2008 under Warner Bros. Records, making this his only album to date to be released under a major label. Release The album debuted a ...

''. It was preceded by ''

Sweet Lord ''Sweet Lord'' is the third collaboration album from California rapper Murs (of the Living Legends) and North Carolina producer 9th Wonder (formerly of Little Brother (group), Little Brother). Like their other collaborations the album feature ...

'' which was given away free to fans. Murs released ''Varsity Blues 2'', a follow-up to his '' Varsity Blues'' EP, with production duties handled by Aesop Rock, Terrace Martin and Droop-E, in 2011. He released '' This Generation'', a collaborative album with Fashawn, in 2012. Murs was invited by

Sacha Jenkins Sacha Jenkins (born 1971) is an American television producer, filmmaker, writer, musician, artist, curator, and chronicler of hip-hop, graffiti, punk, and metal cultures. While still in his teens, Jenkins published ''Graphic Scenes & X-Plicit L ...

, a hip hop journalist, to join the group

, a collaboration between Jenkins and

Bad Brains Bad Brains are an American rock band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1976. Originally a jazz fusion band under the name Mind Power, they are widely regarded as pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to the use of this t ...

bassist

Daryl Jenifer Darryl Jenifer (born October 22, 1960) is an American musician, widely known as the bassist for the hardcore punk band Bad Brains and for the rap-rock group The White Mandingos. He appeared in ''TV's Illest Minority Moments presented by ego trip ...

. They released their first album, ''The Ghetto is Tryna Kill Me'', on June 11, 2013 under the Fat Beats record label. On February 7, 2014, it was announced via

Tech N9ne Aaron Dontez Yates (born November 8, 1971), better known by his stage name Tech N9ne (pronounced "tech nine"), is an American rapper. In 1999, he and business partner Travis O'Guin founded the record label Strange Music. He has sold over two ...

's Facebook page that Murs was signed to his record label

Strange Music Strange Music is an American independent record label specializing in hip hop music and founded by Tech N9ne and Travis O'Guin in 1999. History In 2009 Skatterman & Snug Brim fulfilled their commitment to Strange Music and left the label. In ...

. Later that year, Murs teamed up with fellow Strange Music members Mayday! to drop the ''!Mursday¡'' album as his first release on the label. He then released ''

Have a Nice Life Have a Nice Life is an American post-punk band founded in Connecticut in 2000 by Dan Barrett and Tim Macuga. History Have a Nice Life was formed in 2000 by Dan Barrett and Tim Macuga of Connecticut. They have mentioned the likes of My Bloo ...

'' on May 18, 2015, '' Captain California'' on March 10, 2017, and ''A Strange Journey into the Unimaginable'' on his birthday in 2018 – all through Strange Music. In between projects, Murs partnered once again with 9th Wonder to create ''

Brighter Daze ''Brighter Daze'' is the sixth collaboration album by Murs and 9th Wonder. It was released on December 31, 2015 by It's a Wonderful World Music Group, Jamla Records. The album is produced by 9th Wonder and features guest appearances by Rapsody ...

'', which was released on December 31, 2015.

Personal life

Murs has one adopted child. He remarried and had another child in April 2018. He and his wife also have a third son. He is an advocate for

gay rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, , ...

; the video for his song "Animal Style" features his character kissing another man. Murs is known as a fan of

comic books A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are oft ...

; there are videos on the internet of him at

Midtown Comics Midtown Comics is a New York City comic book retailer with three shops in Manhattan and an e-commerce website. Gustines, George Gene (May 8, 2019)"As Comic Book Industry Grows, Smaller Publishers Learn to Adapt" ''The New York Times''.Gustines, G ...

in New York City.

Discography

* ''

'' (1997) * '' Good Music'' (1999) * ''

Murs Rules the World ''Murs Rules the World'' is the third solo album by United States, American hip hop artist Murs (rapper), Murs. Most of the tracks are produced by Mum's The Word. It was released on October 10, 2000. Track listing