Dork hip-hop from the West coast

El-P's label Definitive Jux is fastly becoming the place to find the best current hip-hop acts. Cannibal Ox, Aesop Rock, Mr. Lif, El-P himself and now Murs have released tremendous albums for the label in the past three years. Murs, who has been on the scene since 1993, makes his solo debut and quickly projects himself as dually learned and as an outsider. In his captivating tale of street terror in L.A., "The Night Before," he begins by saying, "I'm-a lend my speech to all within my reach to tell what really goes on, from the cells to the streets." Despite the chest-thumping on the surface of his persona, Murs becomes endearing and different because of his geeky and playful wit. Has there ever been a black rapper rhyming about "Star Wars" and skateboarding nostalgically or posing on his album cover with action figures before? Even Humpty and his alter-ego Shock-G make an appearance on "Risky Business" to deliver the most creative moment in music this year. Shock-G: "smacking cheeks until they get reddish/to satisfy my fetish/and getting some lettuce," Humpty: "What you mean, head?" The Def Jux signature comes in the innovative production, bringing a new angle to Murs' West Coast, debaucherous humor and storytelling skills.