Murphy Lee was born Torhi Murphy Lee Harper on December 18, 1979 , to a single mother in St. Louis, MO. He was raised in the University City neighborhood of St. Louis County, MO. Lee was raised with older brother Kyjuan and their sisters and younger brothers. After first appearing on co-St. Lunatics member Nelly's 1st release Country Grammar in 2000, Lee went on to work with some of the elite in the rap industry including Jermaine Dupri, Lil Wayne and Ying Yang Twins, among others.