It's hard to know where to begin with Murs; he doesn't fit nicely with the pop/party-rap crowd, nor is he an indie backpacker or a "socially-conscious" b-boy. Murs is, however, a wicked storyteller - possibly the best in hip-hop today. Murs has been knocking out record after record, both solo and with crews such as 3 Melancholy Gypsys and Living Legends, since 1996, but he has yet to taste the sweet nectar of mainstream success; a bit surprising, since Murs has an indisputable knack for creating nifty sing-a-long choruses and unforgettable narrative verses. 3:16 wasn't intended as much more as a one-off project with producer 9th Wonder in between tours, but it's ended up the most popular release in this enigmatic character's entire catalogue, and it's not hard to see why: running only 35 minutes, 3:16 is totally devoid of shitty gimmicks, irritating guest appearances, idiotic skits, and any other sort of lazy filler material typical of popular rap albums. Each of 3:16's tracks is razor-sharp, from the fat dub riddim and sweet 'n' sour wordplay of "Bad Man!", the sad-eyed "The Pain", on which Murs claims that he's "more Coldplay than Ice-T", the hilarious and humble story-songs "Trevor an' Them" and "H-U-S-T-L-E", the heartbreakingly tragic and touching "Walk Like A Man", and the outrageously raunchy "Freak These Tales". Murs is that rarest of beasts: the humble MC with more talent in one dreadlock than most of the party rappers have in their entire bodies.
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