PTSD: the diagnosis is often reserved for those who come back from war, but what if the war-zone is where you live?

In this DJ Booth editorial, MURS addresses this condition that unfortunately plagues many ghetto inhabitants. The Have A Nice Life emcee points out the societal discretion: that many who suffer post-traumatic stress disorder are suffering because of conditions that happen right at home.

“I’m from a neighborhood where more people die than war zones,” he says. “They’re war veterans, some of my friends, even me to a certain extent, but we’re not taught that what we’re going through is a serious thing. So I wanted to do a song [‘PTSD’] to show we have a legit disorder.”

Expanding ideas about who needs treatment for PTSD to include those who grew up in the inner city isn’t exactly your typical subject matter for a rap song, but Murs is too deep in the issue to make music about anything else. It’s his life. “There’s another song, ‘Woke Up Dead,'” he continues. “I always have dreams that I’m getting shot. Especially when I was recording the album, I was living in my mom’s house. Just being in L.A., I’d wake up in a cold sweat. And nobody talks about it. Everybody talks about being tough, but nobody talks about living in fear, living in constant fear for your life. For me, from age 13, since I had my first gun pulled on me, when I first started having friends get shot, I’ve lived in fear. And I can admit that, yeah, I’m fucking scared.”

The riveting DJ Booth editorial also gives a glimpse into MURS’ personality as he traverses through SXSW 2015, the kind, generous and loving emcee that’s just as much a man of the people as he is a titan of hip hop.

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• Do you think the PTSD that plagues ghetto inhabitants is worth the same scrutiny and treatment as that of veterans?

Let us know in the comments section below.

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