With his Def Squad project riding high on the charts for the past severalweeks, you'd think that the only numbers on rapper Keith Murray's mind wouldbe the rapidly-mounting sales figures of El Nino, the country's No. 9R&B album this week. Well, think again, since Murray is probably more pre-occupied with the numeric range from three-to-five-which is what he'sfacing next week when he goes before a Connecticut judge to try to overturn asentence that was handed down in January of 1997.

Murray has already been found guilty of second-degree assault for smashing ateenage fan over the head with a barstool during a scuffle back in '95, buthis lawyers are apparently invoking old-fashioned millionaire's privilege ininsisting the sentence be overturned with no jail time served.

All concerned parties will appear before Judge James Graham next Wednesday todetermine if Murray has to take the rap for doing the rapping.

DAVID SPRAGUE