It’s going to be a great day for local music fans. Today, Newport-based hip-hop artist Camden Murphy will release his first feature album entitled “Love Over Everything“.
Born and raised on Aquidneck Island, Murphy says he remembers writing lyrics all the way back to third grade. “I would scribble down rhymes in my notebooks and constantly play with words,” said Murphy while wearing his green “Island Boy” sweatshirt, a node to his latest EP release prior to the Love Over Everything album.
The album itself features 8 songs and was recorded by Mertz at The Bridge Sound and Stage in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Murphy’s good friend and music savant Austin Marc served as the album’s main producer, contributing to 7 of the 8 songs featured. The Arcitype, a three-time Boston Music Award winner for “Studio Producer of the Year” and who has worked with the likes of Action Bronson, Scarface, and Royce Da 5’9 helped master the finished product. “Being surrounded by such talent not only inspired me but it also motivated me to work harder every day to improve my craft,” said Murphy.
“This is my best work to date and this album shows my growth as an artist more than anything. I love making music and I feel that as an artist, that’s the best thing I can do right now is try to contribute to people’s happiness. The world is in such a crazy place right now so I hope this album acts as a release to others as much as it was for me.”
The title of the work, Love Over Everything, means just that and Murphy said that the inspiration behind this project was the love he is surrounded by on a daily basis. He was also highly influenced by Aquidneck Island. “I was super inspired by being surrounded by love and making sure people, especially those who are in need or oppressed can feel that same sense of support through my music,” said Murphy. “This island is my home. This place is my heart. I created this album as a “safe haven” of sorts that people can turn to when things start feeling overwhelming.”
Camden first hit the music scene with his mixtape Full Moon Poetry and followed that work up with his recent Island Boy EP. He insists that Love Over Everything is by far his favorite piece to date and strongly believes he has just scratched the surface of his potential as a recording artist.
The album features guest appearances by some familiar names. Andrea Belaidi, the lead singer of the New Hampshire based band ‘Harsh Armadillo’, who has played locally at venues such as Parlor Bar and Newport Blues, contributed in a huge way on this project and collaborated on three different songs. Nico Franc, an Aquidneck Island local, played guitar on one of the records titled “Sunroof Views.” Local rapper DP also contributed a verse on the song “Keep Going” and artist David Daisy created the cover art.
Even without live shows because of the coronavirus pandemic, Murphy has found silver lining in this chaos and has been using the extra time to focus on recording. “It’s been different and I really miss performing, however, it’s something that is out of my hands. You can dwell on the negatives or you can pick yourself up and make the most of a bad situation,” said Murphy.
With hard work has come great success and his reputation for creativity and hard work has grown strong within the New England music community. Recently, his hit song “Slip Away” just reached 110k streams on Spotify. With Love Over Everything being released this September and plans for more music in the near future, Camden has no intention of slowing down his momentum. “I’m so proud of what I’ve put together and I’m excited to keep building, keep growing and keep producing music. This is my passion and I can’t thank all my supporters for following me along this beautiful journey.”
Don’t forget to grab a copy of Love Over Everything, releasing Friday, September 18, 2020. The album is available on iTunes and streaming on Spotify and Apple Music. Be sure to follow Camden on Instagram at @CamdenMurphy and be sure to check out his website for additional information at www.CamdenMurphyVibes.com