The laidback California styling aside, Murs is one of the hardest workers in hip-hop. As a solo-artist with as many group projects under his belt as Lil Wayne had mixtapes in 2006, Murs is back in Madison this Sunday night for the first time since Freakfest 2011, pounding the pavement on his Road to Paid Dues Tour with his most recent collaborator and fellow California-bred emcee Fashawn.
The two, who released the collaborative This Generation in September, are joined on the tour by the frenetic Minneapolis emcee Prof, whose relentless energy in his songs and videos is only matched by his antics on tour.
“I had a knock on my door at 4 a.m. one night [on the tour], and it was just Prof, mooning me,” Fashawn told Jonk Music in a phone interview. “I think I woke up the whole floor with my laughing. Prof is wild.”
The two-month tour started in early February and is just halfway through 40-plus stops before ending March 30 in California at the eighth Paid Dues Independent Hip Hop Festival, which Murs co-founded.
“We go from doing clubs and theaters to a festival,” Fashawn said. “It’s going to be exciting. Every night I get more anxious. It’s going to be a moment; I’m excited for all of that.”
Expect the tour’s momentum to be in full force at the Majestic Theatre on Sunday. Fashawn and Murs didn’t know each other before they started working on This Generation, but if their range on tracks like “Just Begun,” the bouncy “Yellow Tape,” and the kinetic “Slash Gordan” are any indication, expect to end the weekend on a loud note, as the two build off each other’s energy.
“We were doing the song ‘Just Begun,’ the first record on the album, and [Murs’s] first verse was just incredible,” Fashawn said. “That was the moment I thought, ‘I need to step my bars up … I have to really go in’.”
We also recently chatted with Prof. Here is the transcript:
How did you link up with Murs and Fashawn?
“Through shows, the traditional go-to way of meeting people. I’ve met almost all the rappers I know through shows.”
When did you start rapping, and who did you look up to?
“I started rapping in eighth grade, or freshman year in high school. I look up to Van Morrison.”
What has the touring experience been like thus far? Does the reception you’re getting change with where you’re playing, between the Twin Cities and New York or Boston, for example?
“Oh yeah. I can sell out back-to-back shows in Minneapolis at the First Avenue main room. That’s over 3,000 people on some hometown love right there, but take me to Jacksonville, Florida on a Tuesday, a place I’ve never been to before, and of course you’ll get a different story. It’s the plight of an underground rapper, building markets one-by-one. Every city will be different.”
Who is Kaiser von Powderhorn*, and what is his fascination with pregnant girls? Did he impregnate them?
“Of course he did. Next question.
* = Prof’s most recent mixtape is called Kaiser von Powderhorn 3.
What sort of role do you play in the creative process for your videos? I really dig the energy in them. Are there any similarities between your videos and what to expect at your shows?
“For the videos, I sit down and daydream. I meet up with my manager / stophouse co-owner / big boss man Mike and see if any of those crazy ideas are doable with our resources and budget. He’s just as an imaginative and crazy dude as I am, so unfortunately, he usually says ‘Yes,’ and we wind up with some completely stupid videos. The same energy and creativity goes into our live shows. You just gotta catch one to understand.”
Technology has really made the hip-hop world a lot smaller; you probably have fans all over the country, if not the world. What do you think is special or unique about the Twin Cities scene or culture that other places don’t really have, and is that something you consciously try to represent in your music?
“I don’t think there is a ‘MPLS’ sound. There isn’t a real cohesive sonic similarity from, let’s say, Rhymesayers to Doomtree to Stophouse. What you will find thast is very similar, however, is the work ethic. It’s the MPLS work ethic. We don’t wait around for shit. We go get it.”