Murs

From pioneering the independent rap hustle to starting his own festival, Cali emcee Murs has always been a trailblazer. To that end, he proudly presents Yumiko: Curse Of The Merch Girl, a brand new album and graphic novel available exclusively through Kickstarter. The album and novel unite to tell the story of Yumi Morales, a girl living the fabled tour life working the merchandise table for her boyfriend Dominick’s band Murder Acts. The 124-page graphic novel is illustrated by Jose Garcia, written by Josh Blaylock and the ten-song album – whose lyrics are printed in their entirety throughout the novel – is produced entirely by DJ Foundation. Yumiko is available only via the project’s Kickstarter page, where a range of different pledge options will get you everything from the novel and CD to exclusive apparel, custom download cards illustrated by David Mack and Jim Mahfood, and a personal thank-you note and Twitter follow from Murs. Followed by the release of the album and book, an animated music video will officially be unveiled at Murs’ party during the Comic-Con convention in San Diego. “Yumiko is hip hop and comics done correctly,” says Murs of the project. “Comics have always been a huge inspiration to me. And having the chance to publish my own comic is truly an honor. Working with my partners to create this book was a lot of fun and we are looking forward to making our dream a reality with the help of the fans.”

Murs is cerebral and complex. The term “real” gets thrown around a lot but Murs is as real as it gets. We sat down with him and he talked about what shaped him in becoming an MC. He covers everything from the impact of Eazy-E and LL Cool J to growing up in a Crip neighborhood to Oreo cookies. He even shares that he was laughed at the first time he wrote a rhyme. This is the story of Where It All Began in hip-hop for Murs.

Murs talks about Paid Dues, how he picks his acts, how independent hip-hop was relegated to nightclubs and the new indie scene. He also explains what he sees as commonalities between himself, Will-i-am and Tyler, The Creator, and finally how the world is his.