Los Angeles rapper MURS will soon be releasing his ninth studio album, Have a Nice Life.

MURS On ‘Have A Nice Life’

Having released his first solo album back in 1997, MURS has been in the industry making hip-hop music for nearly two decades. For Have a Nice Life, the artist was able to explore and share the essence of the rich years he’s lived thus far.

“I feel like I’ve been through so much. I feel like as a man I can finally do an album. I have something to say. I have so many life experiences to draw upon,” MURS told uInterview exclusively. “We’ve adopted two kids, I’ve been married, I’ve seen the world, I’ve seen the world with my wife. So much has changed. Just becoming a father and a husband. Sonically, I finally have a canvas that is me. Someone that grew up, that knows me and knows what I sound like and I finally know myself through all the experiences I have.”

As for the title of the album, MURS has a fondness for the duality of the phrase, which can be said with sincerity or with derision.

“[Have a Nice Life] is the best way to say something nice to someone, and it’s also the best way to tell someone to f*** off,” said MURS. “It can go both ways, and I think the duality of who I am with being an inner city kid that was into different things there has always been like two sides to me. I think that was the perfect title for this album: I wish the best for everybody truly even if I don’t like you, I love you, and have a nice life.”

Have A Nice Life was produced by “Chandelier” co-producer and co-writer Jesse Shatkin, who also happens to be a childhood friend of Murs. Together, MURS and Shatkin worked on track “No More Control,” which addresses the “Black Lives Matter” movement that evolved following the deaths of Eric Garner and Mike Brown. Aside from the work, MURS was also just happy to spend time with his longtime pal.

“Working with Jesse after all these years was amazing,” MURS admitted. “Just hanging out it was like we were just hanging out everyday man, and for me hanging out with someone I’ve known for a long time, which is rare for me these days. I don’t get to hang out and with [having] kids and what I do for a living, so it was great. We had to build in an hour or so everyday just for talking and catching up and bulls***ing.”

With Have a Nice Life, MURS is unabashedly looking to achieve the mainstream, commercial success that has eluded him throughout much of his career. As an artist, MURS believes that now is the time for him to chase the dream of achieving broader recognition – but organically, on his own terms.

“I’ve never gone at music, in my 20-some odd years of rapping, gone at it with the idea of, “Hey, I do want a Grammy. I do want to be on the radio. I do want to be mainstream.” I do want to do it on my terms and it’s possible,” MURS told uInterview. “I have a canvas that’s not stretched; it’s an organic thing. So, hell yeah. I definitely am going after mainstream success.”

Have a Nice Life is slated for release May 19.