Heds and Dreds: Uncle Murda, “Warning” Video + More

Words by Jesse Serwer

Can’t say I was much of an Uncle Murda fan, or had more than a passing familiarity with any of his songs, until his new single, “Warning” started gaining traction here in NYC recently. Simply put, it’s the hardest rap song to make it anywhere near radio recently, and its beat is one of the year’s most arresting. At the center of said beat is a chipmunked sample of Barrington Levy scatting his way through “Murderer” that actually makes you think maybe the corpse of chipmunk soul might still have some life in it ten years after The Blueprint and “U Don’t Know.” “Warning” had me revisiting a catalog of a rapper I’d always kinda avoided. Murda is not Caribbean but dude is so thoroughly Brooklyn he has to have at least several raggamuffin-y tunes to his credit, right? Sure enough, he does. Check the recently-dropped video for “Warning” and read on for mo’ Murda after the jump.

Wyclef featuring Sizzla, Mavado, Uncle Murda and Louis Farrakhan, “Welcome To The East”

Did you know Wyclef flipped the Jeru “When the East is in the House” x Q-Tip, “Omygod” sample combo from Blahzay Blahzay’s “Danger” in a dancehall style with Sizzla and Hon. Minister (and reformed calypso star) Louis Farrakhan on violin?!? Yes, this happened, on Wyclef’s 2007 LP, Carnival, Vol. 2: Memoirs of an Immigrant. If that wasn’t enough there’s this remix, which adds Uncle Murda and Mavado to an already. In either form, the tune somehow lives up to its promise, and might just be one of the best ‘Clef tunes since he was down with Mount Zion.

Uncle Murda feat. Wyclef and Mavado, “Informer”

Yup, Unc Murd, ‘Clef and the Gully Gad actually linked up twice. This one was featured on the soundtracks to both Grand Theft Auto 4: Liberty City Invasion and the 2009 movie Brooklyn’s Finest.

DJ Kay Slay feat. Papoose, Tony Yayo, Uncle Murda, Sheek Louch, Jim Jones and Junior Reid, “Don’t Take It”

This track is pretty much your standard overloaded New York mixtape rapper posse cut, ‘cept it’s got Junior Reid on the hook.