Newly freed rapper Keith Murray has signed with Def Jam to resume his recording career. Murray made his debut in 1994 on Jive Records with The Most Beautifullest Thing in This World. He recorded two more albums in 1996 and 1998. Def Jam CEO Lyor Cohen has wanted to sign Murray for a long time. " I've been pursuing Keith Murray for 13 years, ever since I first met him I wanted to sign him, and I got snaked and he signed with Jive. I was sick ever since." Murray shared his love of Def Jam with MTNews in a recent interview. "Def Jam's got a lot of energy, you know? and they represent true hip-hop in its purest form as far as back in the days to now. And that's what I represent, so our missions coincide. I felt I could be promoted, marketed and I could be heard in a manner that I wanted to be heard properly if I made this move. It was nothing personal [against Jive], it was just business." The artist talked about personal changes in his life since his incarceration, which began in '95 after being convicted of hitting a patron over the head with a barstool. One of the most noticeable things about him now is his twenty-pound weight gain. "I was preserved when I went in, when I was out in the streets I was drinking, hanging out, indulging in drugs, traveling, never getting proper rest. [In prison,] I slowed down. I had a proper diet and proper food, supplied myself with the proper nutritious elements. This is the way I should be." Cohen commented on the difference in Murray's temperament as well. "The kid was nuts, bouncing off the walls, he's more mature now. I'm not sure which Keith Murray I like best, but he's just come home, so he's being reserved. I can't wait to have fun with the Keith Murray I knew before, too." The rapper will start working in the studio in two weeks and has plans to develop a new sound. He would like to work more producers other then his usual Def Squad team. "I feel as though it's time for me to branch out and exp! lore new sounds from different producers, work with new artists, try new things."