Not since the days of Suge’s former house of terror has the West Coast seen a year so pivotal to its musical future. Game, Nipsey Hussle and Dr. Dre are all slated to release projects this year and E-40 has already checked in with Revenue Retrievin. Pencil Murs in for doing more than enough to put the Left Coast on his back. The man with the outrageous dreadlocks would be releasing 10 albums worth of music in 2010. The first of the set finds Murs teaming up with a familiar partner–the Tar Heel State’s own 9th Wonder for Fornever.

The duo’s fourth collaborative project kicks off on an energetic note with title track. Over a sample heavy uptempo track, Murs invites Dogg Pound OG Kurupt along for the ride that’s smooth aside from the repetitive sample chomp. All is forgiven with the next record, “The Lick.” Murs and 9th both shine on a track which serves as the soundtrack to everyday life in California equip with corner store trips, the finest California weed known to man and the constant pursuit of the opposite sex.

The real draw regarding 9th and Murs is their chemistry. This couldn’t be more evident on their more subdued tracks, the female fatal-ed “Vikki Veil.” Combined with a soul backdrop from Wonder, Murs paints a vivid picture of a porn star (Roxy Reynolds?!?) who captured his heart only to break it in the long wrong. He even questions his own motives: “Why the hell I have to be the one to fall in love with a nympho?” Longtime rap passenger Suga Free adds to the creative process as he shines on “Let Me Talk” and will likely be one of the tracks found on repeat once the entire album is digested.

Moving along, the West Coast veteran revives the concept Common made famous during the mid-90′s. “I Used To Love Her (Again)” is an interactive trip of the progression of Hip-Hop through the eyes of Murs. “The Problem Is” is a decent attempt to expose the introspective side of Murs, Sick Jacken and Uncle Chucc, but only serves as a set up for arguably the album’s most “authentic” West Coast record, “West Coast Cinderella.” The funk and soul provided by 9th allow the rapper to set the scene of a young lady named Cindy who attempts to beat the odds society has unfairly placed upon her.

By the time 2010 is ready to close its curtain, it remains to be seen where Murs and 9th Wonder will stack up amongst the Murs’ other alleged projects dropping this year. Fornever, like every other project, is one that is hit and miss. At just ten songs deep, tracks like the corny “Asian Girl” make up for unnecessary fluff. Thankfully, this more hit than it is miss. At the end of the day, Murs and 9th Wonder take the listener on a tour of SoCal living with the rapper, obviously, assuming the role of tour guide and the producer as the driver. The only thing missing are 40′s lodged in brown paper bags and the Hollywood sign serving as the backdrop.