Murs Tops Culture Room's Hip-Hop Bill

Knotty hip-hop wordsmith Murs just can’t stop. With more than 20 albums to his credit since the mid-’90s, he has just dropped Fornever, a collaborative album with producer 9th Wonder. The album marries two creative types obsessed with pushing the boundaries of hip-hop, including a fresh revisit to Common’s classic “I Used to Love H.E.R.” Before that, the workaholic rapper stayed busy recording as Felt with Atmosphere rhymer Slug and rocking out with Florida punks Whole Wheat Bread in a group dubbed the Invisibles. With this level of hustle, it’s no surprise that his last solo joint was titled Murs for President.

Opening act Nocando (like "no can do" run together) is a Los Angeles underground hip-hop artist who built his career with battle raps and hasn't lost any of the cutting wordplay in his recording career. Look no further than "Two Track Mind" featuring Busdriver off this year's Jimmy the Lock, which closes with the line "Life's a bitch, so it's hard to keep my fists bound/ But I would never strike a chick down, I ain't Chris Brown."