Keith Murray (born September 13, 1974, Central Islip, New York) is a rapper and a member of the rap trio Def Squad, which includes fellow rappers Redman and Erick Sermon.

[edit] Music career

Before Murray ever recorded an album, he battled Big Daddy Kane. At that time, Murray went by the name of MC Do Damage. Murray did not win the battle, but he did earn the respect of Kane. Later, Murray would be introduced to Erick Sermon of EPMD by K-Solo. Sermon would feature Murray on his album No Pressure on the single "Hostile". Murray quickly established himself as one of the most creative lyricists in the industry with his first album The Most Beautifullest Thing in This World, released in 1994 on Jive Records. The title track from this album remains Murray's biggest solo hit. This album was given 4 mics by The Source.

Murray's second album Enigma was released in 1996 on Jive. It received similar ratings from critics, but it was not quite as commercially successful as the previous album. In 1998, The Def Squad covered "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang. They would later release their own album, El Niño. Murray's third album It's a Beautiful Thing was released in 1999 while he was in prison. Like the previous album, it received relatively good reviews, but it showed yet another drop in sales. Murray also appeared on the song "Home Alone" by R. Kelly. In 2001, Murray's return to the music industry was announced with a memorable verse on "Fatty Girl." This song was featured on The Good Life, a compilation of songs for Fubu.

While he was in prison, Murray began writing for his next solo album. Upon his release, he would leave Jive and sign with Def Jam. He's Keith Murray was released in 2003. Murray claims to have chosen this title because the album represents him, but many fans saw it as an obvious attempt at crossover success because of singles like "Candy Bar" featuring Patti Austin. The album also featured the single "Yeah, Yeah U Know It." This song has guest appearances from fellow Def Squad members Redman and Erick Sermon. Murray dedicated "Christina" to his sister. That same year, Murray was featured on the video game Def Jam Vendetta.

He released his fifth solo album Rap-Murr-Phobia on July 31, 2007. It debuted at number 52 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling about 13,000 copies in its first week.^[1] The lead single is "Nobody Do It Better" featuring Tyrese & Junior.

Keith Murray's vocals/crowd hyping appears on the song "Elektrobank" by The Chemical Brothers from their album Dig Your Own Hole.

[edit] Criminal history

In 1995, Murray was charged and convicted of second-degree assault stemming from a bar fight in New Britain, Connecticut. Murray allegedly struck sixteen year old David Hughes with a stool after members of Murray's posse had already knocked Hughes unconscious.^[2] Hughes was said to be trying to break up a fight between his brother and members of Murray's crew. After failed appeals, Murray fled. He finally turned himself in in 1998. He was sentenced to five years and served 33 months. Murray still says that he is innocent. He gained the support of many fellow artists including LL Cool J and Britney Spears.^[3] He also was fired from Def Jam after allegedly choking a fellow street team member in 2004.^{[citation needed]} Keith Murray has been hit with a lawsuit stemming from a stabbing at Webster Hall in New York in 2006. The lawsuit was filed in Kings County Court in Brooklyn, New York, claiming that the rapper stabbed a fan during a concert in the early morning hours of Christmas Day of 2004.^[4] The lawsuit was settled between the fan and Webster Hall before going to trial in late September 2008.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Discography

[edit] Studio albums

[edit] Mixtapes

[edit] Compilations

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Keith Murray at MySpace