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Keith Murray - It’s a Beautiful Thing by VOFO.
by Rapjoint Lagos
It's a Beautiful Thing is the third solo studio album by American rapper Keith Murray. It was released on January 12, 1999 via Jive Records, making it his final record for the label. Recording sessions took place at Mirror Image Recording Studios in Dix Hills, New York. Production was handled entirely by Erick Sermon, who also served as executive producer. It features guest appearances from Déjà Vu, Canibus, Erick Sermon, LL Cool J, Redman and Too $hort. The album peaked at number thirty-nine on the Billboard 200 and number nine on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in the US.
Keith Omar Murray (born May 29, 1974) is an American rapper from Long Island, New York. Murray grew up on Carleton Ave. in Central Islip, which is located on the South Shore of Long Island in Suffolk County. Murray initially got his start in the music industry under the name MC Do Damage, but later decided to just go by his birth name.
He was introduced to Erick Sermon by K-Solo, and Sermon featured Murray on the song "Hostile" from his album No Pressure. Murray's first album, The Most Beautifullest Thing in This World, was released in 1994 on Jive Records, and the title track remains Murray's biggest solo hit.
The recording of the album began during the difficult times of Murray's legal and financial troubles, along with his desire to leave the label. However, the album was unfinished when Murray went into incarceration, with the label deciding to complete and release the album despite Murray's disapproval. AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine considered the album to be a rather indistinctive one in Murray's discography, but did state that "there's enough to make It's a Beautiful Thing a reasonably entertaining listen, even if they aren't enough to make it memorable".
Murray also attained a high media-profile by appearing on a Coca-Cola advertisement and as a featured guest on Mary J Blige's "Be Happy", Total's "Can't You See", R Kelly's "Home Alone" and both versions of LL Cool J's "I Shot Ya". However, his appearances of both versions of "I Shot Ya" led to brief friction with rapper Tupac Shakur, who believed that the song was a diss towards him being shot and robbed at Quad Recording Studios, regarding the timing, title, and lyrical content.
The former Jive recording artist signed with Def Jam in 2001. The signing followed Murray's exoneration on assault charges stemming from a 1995 incident at a Connecticut nightclub. Sentenced to a five-year term in 1997 (suspended after three years), he served 30 months before an eyewitness came forward to say Murray had been wrongfully convicted.
Track listing (gotten from Wikipedia)
All music is composed by Erick Sermon.
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Intro" • Erick Sermon Kawasaki 0:53
2. "When I Rap" • Keith Murray Sermon Simmons Smith Smith Williams 3:21
3. "Incredible" (featuring LL Cool J) • Murray James Todd Smith Sermon Bobbit Brown Wesley 3:03
4. "Some Shit" (featuring Canibus and Déjà Vu) • Murray Germaine Williams Everett Sermon Morricone 3:14
5. "Bodega Skit" • Murray Sermon 0:40
6. "Slap Somebody" • Murray Sermon 3:57
7. "Secret Indictment" • Murray Sermon Raeford 3:41
8. "Radio" • Murray Sermon Davis Debarge Debarge Gatling Griffin Hall Jordan 3:50
9. "Intersection" • Murray Sermon Smith 3:35
10. "Shut the Fuck Up" • Murray Sermon 2:15
11. "Interlude" Murray 0:36
12. "Media" • Murray Sermon Hancock Noble Ousley 3:30
13. "Life on the Street" • Jennings Sample 4:04
14. "Ride Wit Us" (featuring Erick Sermon, Redman and Too $hort) • Murray Sermon Noble Todd Shaw 3:51
15. "Jungle Boogie" • Murray Sermon Bell Boyce Brown Mickens Smith Thomas Westfield 0:56
16. "High as Hell" • Murray Sermon Jackson 3:22
17. "Bad Day" • Murray Sermon Isley Isley Isley Isley Jasper 3:55
18. "A Message from Keith" Murray 2:05
19. "My Life" (featuring Déjà Vu) • Murray Everett Sermon Dozier Holland Holland 3:45
Total length: 51:50
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