C-Murder Albums (8)
'Screamin' 4 Vengeance'
Release Date 3/20/2007
Tracks 14
Label Capitol
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
C-Murder's compelling 2005 album, Truest $#!@ I Ever Said, communicated the bleakness, hopelessness, and horror of life in jail in such a manner that it seemed Master P's No Limit empire had impossibly spawned its own Iceberg Slim. On the 2008 release Screamin' 4 Vengeance -- recorded between murder trials and while on house arrest -- C-Murder chooses to return to gun talk for gun talk's sake, with primal rage, boasts of murder, and plenty of other lyrics that should have prosecutors taking notes. The deadpan, almost dead delivery that made Truest so chilling is replaced by a more aggressive, more everyday style, with featured guest stars ranging from Krayzie Bone to Slim Thug. Although talk about "Shawty's so fresh" from someone looking at an extended stay in lockup is incongruous to say the least, the beats from 2Saint and a handful of other C-list producers are serviceable, "Mihita" is an interesting metaphor for gun as girlfriend, and the singles "Be Fresh" plus "Posted on tha Block" have solid hooks. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
'The Tru Story: Continued'
Release Date 10/4/2005
Tracks 24
Label Koch
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'The Truest $#!@ I Ever Said'
Release Date 3/22/2005
Tracks 17
Label Koch
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
It's the "album the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center didn't want you to hear!" from an incarcerated rapper who gets more dissings than he does praise, but C-Murder's Truest $#!@ I Ever Said is compelling for the most part and a major display of the rapper's growth as -- hold on to something -- an artist. Being captured by a hand-held recorder straight from his Gretna, LA, lockup gives the album a sound like no other. C-Murder's bleak and surprisingly poignant/surprisingly assured lyrics are delivered close to the mike and in a subdued manner that's quiet enough to not attract a security guard. There's no indication whether these vocals were done in C-Murder's cell or -- more likely -- the visitor's center, but concrete and glass are close by, adding that last bit of coldness to the man's voice. Besides being an unexpected deep line from the rapper, imagine "See, I'm trained for pain/Even when I lose everything, I gain" delivered in this chilly environment and you've got a taste of the album's fascinating hopeful/hopeless duality. C-Murder offers plenty of insight into day-to-day life in the clink, but what really puts this collection over the top are the tracks that face what he's done to those around him and question whether or not he's a lost soul, forgotten by his homies. "Hustla's Wife" is a shrug of the shoulder to the woman left behind, one that suggests "you know what you were getting into when you got with me" or the gangsta's version of "better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all." "Did U Hold It Down" is a direct question with a tinge of desperation, as Murder hopes the world he built is still there when and if he gets out. Friends are all suspect on the album, which begs the question why the rapper's brother, Master P, is so absent. P and the current No Limit crew are all but forgotten here as C-Murder aligns himself with the dead and buried Soulja Slim, who gets a gloomy thud of a shout-out at the end of the album. The album's most aboveground moment is the redo of Akon's "Locked Up," with the singer/producer himself at the controls for "Won't Let Me Out." It's a success, as are the usual sparse beats and cheap synth numbers, which are rawer than ever. There are a couple of swaggering, thuggish tracks that any prosecuting attorney will be dying to hold up if front of a judge as evidence C-Murder is a killer. They're horribly misguided missteps, but edit them out and you've got one of the controversial figure's best albums and just about the grimmest listen in hip-hop. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Shortly before C-Murder's arrest in 2002, he had been busy at work on Tru Dawgs. Intended as a showcase for the No Limit rapper's many affiliates, the album features a long list of guests, among them Snoop Dogg, Master P, Silkk the Shocker, Keith Murray, Mia X, Bizzy Bone, da Brat, and Jermaine Dupri. In addition, C-Murder also features many lesser-known rap artists on Tru Dawgs. Anyone familiar with the late-'90s era of No Limit, when the label regularly featured innumerable guests on every release, should find a certain amount of comfort in this format. C-Murder himself is more of a presenter here than a performer, only appearing on five of the songs. Yet with so many different guests, some of them seasoned veterans, others hungry rookies, you don't really mind that C-Murder is for the most part missing in action. His guests are just as talented as him, if not sometimes more so, and each no doubt represents the "tru" spirit that C-Murder so ardently embraces. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
C-P-3.Com finds C-Murder collaborating with a new group of rappers, all of them unknown (e.g., T-Bo, New-9, Wango, Bass Heavy, XL). While this makes for a variety of voices, compelling raps are few and far between (including from C-Murder himself). On the plus side, C-P-3.Com doesn't sound like every other No Limit album of the past several years. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Upon an initial listen, it's very easy to dismiss this album as yet another shoddy collection of second-rate tracks carried by one catchy single, "Down for My N's." Upon a closer listen, however, the No Limit crew seems to have risen their standards here. The 24 tracks feature some fairly solid beats by the more competent producers on No Limit -- XL, Ke-Noe, Carlos Stephens -- staying true to the patented drum-machine bounce beats and synth that propelled some of the label's better past tracks. Furthermore, C-Murder manages to integrate some moderately effective choruses into his songs, particularly the anthem chant of "Down for My N's." As good as this album is relative to the many lackluster albums released by No Limit in the late '90s, though, it still seems that C-Murder and his crew will never grow out of the clichés they have defined for themselves. In fact, the album's title is fitting, when you consider how C-Murder seems forever confined to thuggishness, or so it seems judging by his rhetoric: "I'm forever tru 'til I'm dead," "How a thug nigga like it girl?" "What you bout boy?," "You need a thug in yo life," "F*ck them other niggas 'cuz I'm down for my niggas," and so on. Yes, this is pretty much standard No Limit fare, but it's one of the better late-'90s releases the label churned out and thus worthwhile for fans. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
No Limit never apologized for making albums on an assembly line -- and really, considering that nearly every record they released went gold at a minimum, they probably felt no apologies were necessary. Because of this crass practice, it was difficult to differentiate between records and artists, meaning that the subtle pleasures of, say, Silkk the Shocker were lost to most ears. That wasn't the case with C-Murder, however. The youngest brother of Master P and Silkk, C-Murder shares portions of his siblings' talents, and his debut Life or Death illustrated that he was poised to take his Snoop/2Pac delivery to another level. His sequel, Bossaline, unfortunately doesn't follow through on the success of his opening salvo. C-Murder has gotten lazy, choosing to spin out predictable gangsta tales without honing his craft. Before, it seemed as if he was developing a signature style, but here he falls back on cliches. Combine the flat delivery with the flat production on Bossaline and the result is a by-the-books No Limit record, the kind of which will please the devoted but nobody else. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
C-Murder is one of the big boys in the No Limit posse, which may raise your expectations for his debut album, Life or Death. After all, so many members of the No Limit team survive entirely on marketing, not on the music, which often seems like an afterthought. There are times on Life or Death that the music is simply tedious and pedestrian, but those are often saved by C-Murder, who is one of the most charismatic rappers on No Limit. He's not necessarily original -- you can certainly hear elements of Snoop Dogg in his delivery -- but he has the conviction and charm to sell his tales of sex, violence, drugs -- all the things that make the gangsta's world go round. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
