L.A. rapper Murs has been through some changes since he rolled into Phoenix in March to present Fornever, last year's collaboration with DJ 9th Wonder: He's completed a new album called Love & Rockets with East Coast beatmaster Ski Beatz (of Jay-Z's "Dead Presidents" fame). Murs has been spending time among the trust-funders and the beardos and the two or three remaining bohemians in New York's Lower East Side (you can take the hipster out of L.A., but you can't . . .). And — more crucially for people who've been getting used to describing Murs as "that clever, multitasking alt rapper with the huge dreadlocks"— he cut off his dreads at L.E.S. institution Frank's Chop Shop (you can watch a video of the dramatic shearing online). Even if you saw him this past spring, you might want to check on him again, as all indications are that the new, tight material on Love & Rockets — and perhaps the lighter hair load — have thoroughly energized him. Next up for Murs? Wrapping up the fourth installment of the demented Felt project, a series of collaborations with Atmosphere's Slug dedicated to celeb muses like Christina Ricci, Lisa Bonet, Rosie Perez, and most recently, if rumors are to be believed, to infamous aging pimpette Heidi Fleiss.