When Keith Murray was brought to Erick Sermon by K-Solo three years ago, he probably had no idea that he would be the leading representative of Sermon's new crew, the Def Squad. On his debut release, this Islip, Long Island, native drops styles like there's no tomorrow, with an inventive and hyperactive flow. Check title single "The Most Beautifullest Thing..." blowing up worldwide and you'll understand the wrath of this madboy's psychosis. Sermon serves up some superb funk on this project, but clearly subscribes to the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" philosophy when it comes to his beats. Not to say that the beats ain't funky--they are. It's just that many of the loops have been cycled and recycled, used and reused already. What about the philosophy of the new artist, new flavor, new beats? Murray, of course, cleverly rides Sermon's simplistic funk by flipping complicated metaphors, as witnessed in the weed fable "Erb is Pumpin'," the brag rap "Psycho Samatic" and "Dip Dip Die," where Keith rants: "We be blowin' up the spot like nitroglycerine/For those who be listenin'/I'm rollin' like Pirellis and Michelins/Simpleton/I get retarded like Bart Simpson." Also featured is Redman (producer of the track "Escapism"), who lends his vocal talents, along with Jamal from Illegal, on "4 Sick Patients." Although the album has its shortcomings, it is a fine first effort from an artist with much potential for longevity. With a little expansion in production and growth of subject matter, Keith Murray is definitely the kid to watch for in the future. - Rap Pages (Feb. 95).
I feel like I don't go back to this album enough, but it feels like yesterday!
