Like a lot of hip hop fans, I was genuinely intrigued by the announcement of this collaboration. Murs recorded two of my favorite hip hop albums of all time, with the back to back albums Murs 3:16 and Murray’s Revenge, and Fashawn made one of the strongest debut albums I’ve ever come across with 2009’s Boy Meets World. Granted, I haven’t been thrilled by the last couple of Murs records, but the pairing of these two talented California emcees definitely held a lot of promise.

What made Boy Meets World so special was the way in which Fashawn was able to discuss his difficult background in his rhymes in a very smart and mature fashion, while also keeping things entertaining and delivering some creative and catchy choruses. Of course, it didn’t hurt matters that the album also featured some of Exile’s most inspired production. The same could be said of the first two albums Murs made with 9th Wonder. The music wasn’t that far out there, but the smart and complicated discussion of growing up in L.A. and his complex thoughts and emotions about race, sex, and beyond really helped set Murs apart from most emcees. So on paper, the pairing of these two artists had the potential to be really special. Unfortunately, the album doesn’t really tap into the potential of either artist, and they get the worst possible outcome of the collaboration - an album that’s more or less forgettable. For This Generation, they enlisted the production skills of Beatnick and K-Salaam, a production duo from New York. If anything, their uninspired work just goes to show how both of these emcees need a strong creative partner on the beats to help guide and push them to get the best out of themselves. None of the songs are terrible, but absolutely nothing stands out - just a couple of non-Californians delivering generic brand West Coast beats. It’s never a good sign when I’ve listened to album at least four or five times and I don’t remember what any of the songs on the album are, and I’m not interested enough to want to loop it back around to the beginning. I don’t know how well this album would sound if Murs and Fashawn would have worked with producers better suited to their skill sets, but I’d sure like to find out. On paper, this reads like an exciting collaboration of two really strong California emcees. In reality, it’s a boring album with absolutely no chemistry or magic.

There are few things more frustrating than listening to albums from obviously talented artists that don’t deliver the goods. I can only hope that both Murs and Fashawn will get back on track soon, because they are too good to be delivering something this bland and forgettable.