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'{{other people||Keith Murray (disambiguation)}} {{BLP sources|date=February 2011}} {{Infobox musical artist |name = Keith Murray |image = | caption = |background = solo_singer |birth_name = Keith Omar Murray |birth_place = [[Long Island]], [[New York (state)|New York]], [[United States|U.S.]] |birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1974|9|13}} |origin = |genre = [[Hip hop]] |instruments = [[Vocals]] |years_active = 1993–present<ref>{{cite web|author=Keith Murphy|url=https://www-vibe-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.vibe.com/index.php/amp/2012/06/full-clip-erick-sermon-runs-down-his-catalogue-ft-epmd-rakim-more-0?amp_js_v=a2&amp_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQCKAE%3D#aoh=15694377256023&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vibe.com%2Findex.php%2F2012%2F06%2Ffull-clip-erick-sermon-runs-down-his-catalogue-ft-epmd-rakim-more-0|title=Full Clip: Erick Sermon Runs Down His Catalogue Ft. EPMD, Rakim & More|publisher=[[Vibe (magazine)|Vibe]]|date=2012-06-04|access-date=2019-09-25}}</ref> |label = {{flatlist| * [[E1 Music]] * [[Jive Records|Jive]] * [[Bertelsmann Music Group|BMG Records]] }} |associated_acts = [[Def Squad]] [[Redman (rapper)|Redman]] [[Tyrese]] [[Erick Sermon]] [[Shane Dollar]]}} '''Keith Omar Murray'''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ascap.com/repertory#ace/writer/337990426/MURRAY%20KEITH%20OMAR|title=ACE Repertory: MURRAY KEITH OMAR|publisher=[[ASCAP]]|access-date=December 25, 2017}}</ref> (born September 13, 1974) is an American [[rapping|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 was a known member of a local rap collective in Long Island called Legion of Doom (L.O.D.) which included fellow rappers 50 Grand, Ron Jay, and Kel-Vicious. Murray is more famously known for being a member of the Hip Hop trio the [[Def Squad]], which includes fellow rappers [[Redman (rapper)|Redman]] and fellow Long Island native [[Erick Sermon]], previously the co-founder of the legendary Hip-Hop group EPMD (from neighboring town Brentwood). Murray debuted his spaced out, complex, multi-syllable rhyming style on Erick Sermon's ruggedly produced song 'Hostile' off his first solo album 'No Pressure' which was released in 1993, and was Sermon's first project since splitting with former rhyming partner Parrish Smith. In 1994, [[Jive Records]] released Murray's debut single, ''[[The Most Beautifullest Thing in This World (song)|The Most Beautifullest Thing in This World]]'' which was quickly followed up by his debut [[The Most Beautifullest Thing in This World|album of the same name]], released to both critical acclaim and commercial success. Along with his solo work, Murray is known for his association with the Def Squad, with whom he released an album, [[El Niño (Def Squad album)|''El Niño'']] in 1998. ==Music career== === 1990–1995: Early years === 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. In 1994, he was introduced to Erick Sermon of [[EPMD]] by his friend [[K-Solo]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.whomag.net/keith-murray/|title=Keith Murray|website=Who?Mag |first=Will|last=Hernandez|quote="Through K Solo. I heard Erick lived in the town over to Central Islip, Long Island. He moved to my town and we ran into him and K Solo when we used to be hustling at selling crack. He came up there and I told him to take to Erick Sermon because I didn’t know him them. He took me and it’s been popping ever since."}}</ref> Sermon included Murray on his album ''[[No Pressure (Erick Sermon album)|No Pressure]]'' on the single "Hostile", with critics praising Murray's lyrical ability. His appearance on Hostile led to Murray being signed to [[Jive Records]], and work began on his first album. Murray's debut single, ''[[The Most Beautifullest Thing in This World (song)|The Most Beautifullest Thing in This World]]'' was released in 1994 and was a hit. The song was produced by [[Erick Sermon]] (who also provided background vocals) and peaked at number 50 on the [[Billboard 200]] and number 3 on the [[Hot Rap Songs|Hot Rap Singles chart]]. Murray's debut album ''[[The Most Beautifullest Thing in This World]]'', was named after the single and released in 1994 to widespread critical acclaim and commercial success, being certified Gold by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA) in August 1995.<ref name="KeithMurrayRIAA">{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=Keith%20Murray&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2010&sort=Artist&perPage=25|title=RIAA - Gold & Platinum - November 15, 2006 : Search Results - Keith Murray|publisher=[[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]]|access-date=2006-11-15}}</ref> The album was also given 4 mics by ''[[The Source (magazine)|The Source]]''. Murray continued to enjoy a high media-profile by appearing on a [[Coca-Cola]] advertisement and as a featured guest on [[Mary J Blige]]’s ''[[Be Happy (Mary J. Blige song)|Be Happy]]'', [[Total (group)|Total]]’s ''[[Can't You See (Total song)|Can't You See]]'', [[R Kelly]]'s [[R. (album)|''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. <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vibe.com/2010/09/tupac-talks-hit-em-vs-who-shot-ya-pg-2|title=Tupac Talks 'Hit Em Up' Vs. 'Who Shot Ya?' (Pg. 2)|website=www.vibe.com|first=Staff|last=VIBE|quote="That’s hip hop. N---- been talking s--- all while I was in jail. “Who Shot Ya?” L.L. got a song “I Shot Ya.” Even if it ain’t about me, n----, you should be like, I’m not putting it out cause he might think it’s about him."}}</ref> Sometime in the following year, Tupac Shakur approached Keith Murray at the California [[House Of Blues]], wanting to know if the record was a diss to him. Upon questioning, Murray made it clear that the record was not about Shakur, peacefully resolving the situation. Murray has continued to publicly addressed this in several interviews over the following years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.30128/title.keith-murray-recalls-tupac-approaching-him-over-i-shot-ya|title=Keith Murray Recalls Tupac Approaching Him Over "I Shot Ya"|website=www.hiphopdx.com|first=Danielle|last=Harling|date=August 7, 2014|quote="Rest in peace to Tupac. I love and respect Tupac to death. I’m not talking bad about Tupac or nothing like that. It’s just an incident. So, he came up. Walked up and he was like ‘Nah, I just wanted to know because we had—I got shot five times. You know what I’m saying? In New York, so I thought niggas was talking about me’…I can understand why he did that…We was squaring off. Everybody had knives on ‘em. But we diffused it and it was peace after that.”}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Keith Murray Recalls Fights With Prodigy & Dame Dash + Being Confronted By 2Pac |url=https://allhiphop.com/news/keith-murray-recalls-fights-with-prodigy-dame-dash-being-confronted-by-2pac-video-clEf5XBjRk2IChJMCNxM9w |website=All HipHop |language=en |date=August 8, 2014}}</ref> === 1996–1998: Def Squad === Murray's second album ''[[Enigma (Keith Murray album)|Enigma]]'' was released on November 26, 1996 on [[Jive Records|Jive]], once again to critical acclaim. The album peaked at number 39 on the U.S. [[Billboard 200]] and reached number 6 on the [[Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums|R&B Albums]] chart.<ref name="BllbrdAlbms">{{cite web|url={{Allmusic|class=album|id=r244007/charts-awards/billboard-album|pure_url=yes}}|title=Enigma, Charts & Awards, Billboard Albums |publisher=Allmusic|access-date=2010-12-01}}</ref> Murray also continued to work with other artists, appearing on tracks by [[Busta Rhymes]], [[Underground Kingz|UGK]], [[Redman (rapper)|Redman]] and [[Jamal (rapper)|Jamal]]. In 1998, Murray and The Def Squad released their debut album, ''[[El Niño (Def Squad album)|El Niño]]'', which peaked at number 2 on the [[Billboard 200]] and was certified Gold by the RIAA. Murray's third solo album ''[[It's a Beautiful Thing (album)|It's a Beautiful Thing]]'' was released in 1998 while Murray was incarcerated for assault.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Muhammad |first1=Cedric |title=Hip-Hop Fridays: Exclusive Q & A With Keith Murray |url=http://www.blackelectorate.com/articles.asp?ID=842 |website=BlackElectorate |date=April 4, 2003}}</ref> === 2001–present: He's Keith Murray and release from Def Jam === After Murray was released from prison, he signed with [[Def Jam]] who released ''[[He's Keith Murray]]'' in 2003, once again to critical and commercial success. The album contained the single "[[Yeah Yeah U Know It]].", and featured guest appearances from [[Busta Rhymes]], [[Redman (rapper)|Redman]] and [[Jamie Foxx]], among others.<ref name=halfway>{{cite web |last1=Reid |first1=Shaheem |title=Keith Murray Released From Halfway House |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1443741/keith-murray-released-from-halfway-house/ |website=MTV News |language=en |date=May 15, 2001}}</ref> The same year, Murray was featured as a playable character in the video game ''[[Def Jam Vendetta]]''. Despite the success and acclaim of his first album on Def Jam after this, Murray was dropped from the label just one day after its release after being accused of choking two label employees, although he said the confrontation was limited to words. After being released, Murray announced plans to continue recording music independently.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Reid |first1=Shaheem |title=Keith Murray Declares His Independence After Being Dropped By Def Jam |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1474254/keith-murray-declares-his-independence-after-being-dropped-by-def-jam/ |website=MTV News |language=en |date=July 18, 2003}}</ref> He released his fifth solo album ''[[Rap-Murr-Phobia]]'' on July 31, 2007. It debuted at number 52 on the U.S. [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] chart.<ref>[http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003622881, Billboard.com, August 8, 2007]</ref> The lead single was "Nobody Do It Better" featuring [[Tyrese]] and Junior. == Personal life == In May 25, 1995, Murray was arrested after being accused of hitting a man with a barstool in a fight and released on bail. After being sentenced to three years in 1998, Murray, who maintains his innocence, fled from authorities until October 1998 when he turned himself in. Murray filed a lawsuit for [[wrongful conviction]], and later dropped the suit in exchange for his sentence being reduced by three months. Murray served the latter portion of his sentence in the Maple Street Halfway House facility before being released on May 14, 2001.<ref name=halfway/> ==Discography== {{Main|Keith Murray discography}} ===Studio albums=== * ''[[The Most Beautifullest Thing in This World]]'' (1994) * ''[[Enigma (Keith Murray album)|Enigma]]'' (1996) * ''[[It's a Beautiful Thing (album)|It's a Beautiful Thing]]'' (1998) * ''[[He's Keith Murray]]'' (2003) * ''[[Rap-Murr-Phobia (The Fear of Real Hip-Hop)]]'' (2007) * ''Lord of the Metaphor'' (2018) * ''Lord of the Metaphor 2'' (2019) ===Collaboration albums=== *''[[El Niño (Def Squad album)|El Niño]]'' <small>with Def Squad</small> (1998) Canibus & Keith Murray are The Undergods (2009) In Gods We Trust – Crush Microphones to Dust (2011) ==References== {{Reflist}} == External links == * [https://myspace.com/keithmurray Keith Murray] on [[Myspace]] {{Keith Murray}} {{Def Jam Recordings}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Keith}} [[Category:1974 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:African-American male rappers]] [[Category:Rappers from New York (state)]] [[Category:Def Jam Recordings artists]] [[Category:Jive Records artists]] [[Category:Songwriters from New York (state)]] [[Category:East Coast hip hop musicians]] [[Category:People from Central Islip, New York]] [[Category:Hardcore hip hop artists]] [[Category:20th-century American rappers]] [[Category:21st-century American rappers]] [[Category:Def Squad members]] [[Category:20th-century American male musicians]] [[Category:21st-century American male musicians]]'