Murs Talks Will.I.Am, Gives Advice for Young Rappers

When you think of the West Coast musical movement, Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.I.Am isn't the first name that comes to mind, but according to friend and collaborator Murs -- he should be. Will, who is a native of East Los Angeles, is the man behind hits for Usher, Fergie, and John Legend leading Murs to believe that Will's contribution need not be overlooked.

"I think another forgotten element of this West Coast movement is Will.I.Am," he told The BoomBox. "He's been able to work with Game, Sergio Mendez, Justin Timberlake, work for the president -- and still work with me and dominate hip-hop. I think that he's undefined -- he's not seen as a West Coast artist."

The two recently worked together on Murs' major label debut 'Murs for President' which fell by the wayside after parting ways with Warner Brothers. "I looked at him for inspiration," Murs says of Will. "People know that I'm a West Coast artist but I'm able to do stuff with Brother Ali, Atmosphere, and Snoop Dogg and whoever else. Hopefully I inspire a lot of these people because I think a lot of our forefathers have been waiting around for one individual to make one record."

Murs hopes to set the example for young kids, that anyone can be a self-starter and achieve their goals. "I think there's a lot more that's coming out -- New Boyz, Dom Kennedy -- then you still have the traditional kids like Jay Rock," he adds. "They're coming out [under] their own umbrella. No disrespect, but they don't need an official stamp from Snoop or Dre or anyone. They come out and do their thing. To me if you're gonna be a gangster that's really gangster. Stepping out on your own, but applying that mentality to your art and your business."