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

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

Murs, is an American

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...

and singer. His name is an

acronym An acronym is a type of abbreviation consisting of a phrase whose only pronounced elements are the initial letters or initial sounds of words inside that phrase. Acronyms are often spelled with the initial Letter (alphabet), letter of each wor ...

(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 Tommy Woolfolk Jr., better known by his stage name Luckyiam, is a rapper from Los Angeles, California. He is a founding member of Living Legends. He is also a member of CMA and Mystik Journeymen. History Luckyiam released ''Most Likely to Succe ...

Sunspot Jonz Corey Johnson, better known by his stage name Sunspot Jonz, is a rapper from Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous ...

, the Grouch,

Scarub Armon Collins, better known by his stage name Scarub, is an American rapper and record producer from Los Angeles, California. He is a member of the collective Living Legends. He has also been a member of Log Cabin, 3 Melancholy Gypsys, and Afro ...

Eligh Eli Nathan Nachowitz (born February 28, 1978), better known as Eligh, is an American rapper and producer from Los Angeles. He is a member of the underground hip hop group Living Legends. Biography Eligh's inspiration for making hip hop musi ...

, Aesop, Bicasso and Arata. He is currently a member of several groups:

3 Melancholy Gypsys 3 Melancholy Gypsys is an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California. It consists of Eligh, Murs, and Scarub. History Eligh, Murs, and Scarub went to Alexander Hamilton High School. After forming 3 Melancholy Gypsys, they were in ...

(along with Scarub and Eligh),

Felt Felt is a textile 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 fiber, acrylic or acrylonitrile or ...

(along with

Slug Slug, or land slug, is a common name for any apparently shell-less Terrestrial mollusc, 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 ...

), and Melrose (along with

Terrace Martin Terrace Jamahl Martin (born December 28, 1978) is an American musician, rapper, singer, and record producer. He is perhaps best known for producing records for several prominent artists in the music industry, including Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dog ...

). He is also a vocalist in the Invincibles, along with

Whole Wheat Bread Whole wheat bread or wholemeal bread is a type of bread made using flour that is partly or entirely milled from whole or almost-whole wheat grains, see whole-wheat flour and whole grain. It is one kind of brown bread. Synonyms or near-synony ...

. 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 British reference book published annually, listi ...

for

rapping Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates " rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backin ...

for 24 hours non-stop during a

live stream Livestreaming, live-streaming, or live streaming is the streaming of video or audio in real time or near real time. While often referred to simply as ''streaming'', the real-time nature of livestreaming differentiates it from other non- live ...

Twitch Twitch may refer to: Biology * Muscle contraction ** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation ** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction ** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle c ...

. 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 titled ''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

with fellow Alexander Hamilton High School classmates

and

. 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'', 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 Definitive Jux was a record label based in New York City. It was co-founded in 1999 by El-P and Amaechi Uzoigwe. History Definitive Jux was initially known as Def Jux. However, popular hip hop label Def Jam Recordings sued Def Jux over the name ...

, 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 an American record producer, record ...

, in 2004. After another collaborative album with 9th Wonder, '' Murray's Revenge'', in 2006, Murs signed a contract with

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

, his debut album for the label being '' Murs for President''. It was preceded by '' Sweet Lord'' 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 Ian Matthias Bavitz (born June 5, 1976), better known by his stage name Aesop Rock, is an American rapper and producer from Long Island, New York. He was at the forefront of the new wave of underground and alternative hip hop acts that emerg ...

and

Droop-E Earl Tywone Stevens Jr. (born February 18, 1988), better known by his stage name Droop-E, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the son of the Bay Area rapper E-40. Biography Droop-E was born Earl Tywone Stevens Jr. on February 18 ...

, in 2011. He released '' This Generation'', a collaborative album with

Fashawn Santiago Leyva (born October 19, 1988), better known by his stage name Fashawn, is an American rapper from Fresno, California. He first gained recognition for his debut studio album ''Boy Meets World (album), Boy Meets World'' (2009), which recei ...

, in 2012. Murs was invited by

Sacha Jenkins Sacha Sebastian Jenkins (August 22, 1971 – May 23, 2025) was 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 publi ...

, a hip hop journalist, to join the group

, a collaboration between Jenkins and

Bad Brains Bad Brains are an American punk rock band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1976. They are widely regarded as pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to the use of this term to describe their music. They are also an ade ...

bassist Daryl Jenifer. 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 and singer. In 1999, he and business partner Travis O'Guin founded the record label Strange Music. He has sold ...

'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 rock band founded in Middletown, Connecticut in 2000 by Dan Barrett and Tim Macuga. The duo is best known for their 2008 debut album '' Deathconsciousness'', which received little attention from professional ...

'' 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'', which was released on December 31, 2015. After leaving Strange Music officially on March 9 2019, Murs teamed up once again with 9th Wonder to release their album together ''The Iliad Is Dead & The Odyssey Is Over''. Since then, he has released multiple collaborative projects and singles, including ''Thees Handz'' with the Grouch and ''Love & Rockets Vol. 2: The Declaration''. On June 10 2022, Murs announced his impending retirement, but still intends to give the fans one more album before this, speculated to be a third volume in the ''Love & Rockets'' series.

Personal life

Murs has one adopted child. He and his wife had another child in April 2018. He and his wife also have a third son. His wife is Brazilian. They have a fourth son, who was born in spring 2023. He and his wife have also lost and buried a child. He is an advocate for

gay rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Not ...

; 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, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

; 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, Ge ...

in New York City.

Discography

* '' F'Real'' (1997) * ''

Good Music GOOD Music (often stylized as G.O.O.D. Music; a backronym for Getting Out Our Dreams) is an American independent record label founded by rapper Kanye West in 2004. The label entered an exclusive long-term worldwide music distribution, distributi ...

'' (1999) * '' Murs Rules the World'' (2000) * '' The End of the Beginning'' (2003) * '' Murs 3:16: The 9th Edition'' (2004) * '' Murray's Revenge'' (2006) * '' Murs for President'' (2008) * ''

'' (2015) * ''Love & Rockets, Vol. 1: The Transformation'' (2016) * '' Captain California'' (2017) * '' A Strange Journey into the Unimaginable'' (2018) * '' Brighter Daze'' (2019) *''The Iliad is Dead and the Odyssey is Over'' (2019) * ''Thees Handz'' (2019) *''He's the Christian, I'm the Rapper'' (2020) * ''Love & Rockets, Vol. 2: The Declaration'' (2020) * ''Take It Easy My Brother Murs'' (2023)

Filmography

* Himself (

The Eric Andre Show ''The Eric Andre Show'' is an American sketch comedy television series created and hosted by comedian Eric André. A parody of late night talk shows, it premiered on Cartoon Network's night-time programming block Adult Swim on May 20, 2012. The ...

) * Cal (Maul Dogs (2017))

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Murs 1978 births Living people African-American male rappers 21st-century American male rappers African-American songwriters Definitive Jux artists LGBTQ rights activists from California Place of birth missing (living people) Rappers from Los Angeles Songwriters from California Underground rappers Warner Records artists West Coast hip-hop musicians 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians Record Collection artists 20th-century African-American musicians American male songwriters The White Mandingos members