he release of The End of the Beginning is a sad day for misguided souls championing Def Jux as one of the last bastions of "intellectual" hip-hop. The dense layers of technological excess combined with equally dense political prose that made Fantastic Damage a claustrophobic milestone is nowhere to be found here. Do not expect elaborate metaphors relating to labor matched by unobtrusive backgrounds of cinematic music, either. For most hip-hop heads however, this will be the most accessible long player on the label since Fondle 'Em Fossils. There's also a good chance it will be the first time most people actually listen to Murs, despite already releasing four solo albums.


Instead of using seemingly arrhythmic cadences and verbose rhymes that take repeated listens to fully appreciate, Murs prefers playing the role of straightforward storyteller. By adopting this method, he works with his natural charisma, wit, and dominant voice, while still being able to convey thoughts and emotions as vividly as any other Def Jux MC. (Sometimes less is more.) Like any storytelling MC worth his weight, Murs can switch from philosopher and voice of the disenfranchised to battle MC and comedian, depending on the song concept. The proud older brother who offers life advice like "keep it gangsta in your CD changer, not your residence," is also the man lamenting on how some legends continue to perform well past their prime and the flippant jester cracking about personality-altering prescription pills.


On previous albums, Murs was usually marred by substandard production and recording. Here, the presence of multiple beatsmiths makes the production a mixed bag. For every inventive beat, such as the grinding-wheels meet sitar skateboard anthem, "Transitions az a Ridah," there is a passable Madlib-lite attempt at a thick, soulful R&B tinged anthem. Fortunately, this is the first album for Murs where every track sounds crisp and professional, so the lesser moments are not magnified by poor recording levels or hiss.


Like the production, Murs' rhymes can range from inducing indifference to inspirational. This problem usually comes to the fore when Murs spends time venting his frustrations concerning losing touch with the fans and the imperfections of the independent music industry. Although his intentions are genuine, the opening track, "You & I," wears quickly with a combination of overthanking the listener and repeating "It's about meeee! It's about youuuu!"


One of the highlights included is a guest collaboration with Shock G and alter ego Humpty Hump on "Risky Business," a reinterpretation of the Tom Cruise flick; the track makes one almost forget how wretched some of the latter-day Digital Underground releases have been. However, the album's centerpiece is "God's Work," a blues guitar-driven production that serves as a modern-day folk anthem for the working class, scraping by in hopes to carve out a better life. (Think Aesop Rock's "9-5ers Anthem," except a feeling of pride for enduring is evoked, instead of shame for being a corporate pawn.)


In the end, what we have is a collection of songs, some amazing, some forgettable, by an artist who is improving with each release. What does that mean to the average listener who isn’t mired in the quibbling about style hierarchy? Hail Def Jux as a purveyor of quality hip-hop -- period.