My favourite Irish act of 2014 is undoubtedly, God Knows and mynameisjOhn, the Limerick and Clare rap duo who released the best Irish album of the year (no Choice) in Rusangano Family.
If you’ve dug deeper and seen the boys live then you’ll know, it’s not just the frenetic work of a duo but a trio, the unnamed MuRli serves as the wingman, the fellow MC and is a key part of the energy that makes God Knows and mynameisjOhn’s stage show the best thing going in Ireland right now.
The 24 year-old Togolese MuRli now gets his own time in the spotlight with a new 7-track EP where he’s running things featuring production from mynameisjOhn and Naïve Ted.
The EP serves as a nice companion piece to Rusangano Family but also allows MuRli to establish himself through tracks like ‘Both Sides’ with its “you don’t have to be like me / I don’t have to be like you” mantra a frequent track in the live set. There is help and support from fellow MCs God Knows and Guide, as MuRli examines a dark time in his life.
“With no job, no money, and hence an eternity of time on my hands, I entered a stage of deep reflection. I started to question my earlier choices in life, and my overall role in society. What have I got to do to be more like the people around? What have I got to do to get to their levels? What’s wrong with the world? How come society seems to be on a downward slope at a time when we have achieved so much in terms of technological development, among others?”
The artwork is by the well-known Irish LA-based photographer B+.
