Morray Reveals Where He's Been, Talks New Mixtape "Long Story Short," And Thanks His Fans For Sticki

Morray is an artist who has the ability to immediately grab you with his voice. For many, the first time they heard him was back in the Fall of 2020 thanks to his viral hit "Quicksand." Overall, the track was an undeniable smash thanks to the incredible gospel-infused vocals, as well as the catchy hook and impeccable flows. In fact, the song was so undeniable that it captured the attention of J. Cole. Subsequently, Morray's name was echoed in the mainstream and he was even featured on Cole's album, The Off-Season.




2021 proved to be a huge year for Morray as he continued to put out captivating singles and even a debut mixtape in Street Sermons. However, things would take a bit of a turn as the artist eventually went ghost. While he did get to tour with Cole, his musical releases became few and far between. Fans questioned where he went and whether or not he was still active in the industry. As it turns out, the artist was going through something all too common: label issues. His creativity was being restricted and he was unable to release music at the rate he wanted to. As a result, he fell behind but now, he is ready for his epic comeback.

In the last few months, Morray has picked up right from where he left off with songs like "Out The Hole" and "F.T.A (Failure to Appear)." These songs have demonstrated his hunger to show fans that he's still got it and that he can still be a prominent voice in hip-hop. On Friday, February 21st, Morray completed his comeback by dropping his latest mixtape, Long Story Short. It is a comeback three years in the making and if one thing is for certain, it's that the artist is now here to stay.




Recently, HotNewHipHop got to sit down with Morray, where we spoke to him about the creative process behind Long Story Short. We also got to touch on his label issues, the mentorship he received from J. Cole, and his desire to go on tour so that he can see his fans again. It is a great conversation, and you can tell just how excited the artist is about this new chapter.




*This interview has been edited for length and clarity.




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HNHH: Speaking of Street Sermons, that was your first mixtape back in 2021. Now you're back with a Long Story Short. How does it feel to be on the cusp of dropping your first mixtape in four years?




Morray: It's exciting. I ain't going to lie. I'm starting over. I feel like I'm starting fresh. And I just feel like it's my time I ain't going to lie to you. This project, it's definitely a long time coming. And I'm excited to get out my story. I ain't going to lie.




You went through some label issues over the past few years. Take me through what you learned throughout that process and how it brought you to where you are now.




Just being a part of labels and things and situations that didn't honestly agree with what I want to do with my career. It wasn't a lot of pushing-it wasn't a lot of love, a lot of conflict of interest, a lot of things that didn't sit well with me. It was a lot of snakery. And I just am glad to be out of that situation where I'm with a new label, a new team, new people who actually believe in me. It's just a good feeling right now to be believed in and not just be a part of a system.




And during that time, you want to do things with your career, you want to put out music, you have this vision. Are you still recording music during this time or are you forced into a break?




I'm definitely recording. That's one thing about me. I don't care whether I'm making money or not making money, putting out music, not putting out music, I'm going to record. I'm going to write because that's what I love to do. Recording at home,  I'm recording in the studios. I'm just always making music 'cause that's how I heal. I learned to really trust myself.




What are some of the lessons you learned over the last four years that you can now take with you for the rest of your career?




I think in the beginning I was just doing what I was told, I was being a puppet, I mean, just, hey, be here, do this song, I'm doing this song. But now, I feel like it's more important to how I feel. It's coming from my heart now. It's not just me just following orders. I'm making orders. It's me executing. There's people that believe in me that's helped me execute. So right now just good belief. I ain't going to lie to you. It's just good to be believed.




When we first spoke four years ago, you had already gone through so much to get to the point where you blew up with "Quicksand." Now, four years later, you've gone through more hardship. How are you able to stay positive and not let these things discourage you?




God wouldn't give me nothing I can't handle. If it's too heavy for me to deal with, he already gave me the strength somehow to pick it up and lift it. So that's how I'm moving my life. Nothing is too hard for God. So it can't be too hard for me. He wouldn't give me nothing I can't bear. And my faith is going to keep me alive. It going to keep me going no matter what.

Your new album coming out on February 21st it's called Long Story Short. What was the inspiration behind that title?




It really was just a way for me to tell everybody where I've gone through, what I've done in the last four years. And it's just a great long story short, this is who Morray is and who he is going to be.




A lot of the songs on the project have inspirational titles. It's reflective of what you've been through. But just in that recording process, how much did this project really mean to you on a personal level?




Honestly, like I said, this project is so important to me because it was a way for me to really get off everything about these last four years. It was for me to tell my people who care about me what's been going on. It was a major release spiritually, emotionally, mentally. Feels like I have the ability to say everything I wrote in this journal. I get to tell somebody I get to tell my therapist, which is my fans, that I've been feeling this way and I just like the ability to be able to just feel that with music. You can't feel better if you're just writing it, recording, not putting it out. But this is just a way for me to just feel human again. Feel like, my god, I'm still me.




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How do you feel like your songwriting has evolved over these last few years?




My songwriting has gotten extremely better. before, I think I was just focused on trying to rap and sing the way people wanted me to rap and sing. Now it just feels so easy. And I haven't been in a time and a space where it's coming to me so easy. Street Sermons was easy. And now I'm back to it's easy. And I think when it's easy is when you have the most fun is when you can be the most pure yourself. That it goes with the story, you can be your 100% authentic self. And that's when I feel the most free when I'm just being me.




Some of the lead singles for the project have been "Out The Hole," "Failure To Appear." What made you choose these songs over some of the other tracks on the project?




It goes with the story. I want everybody to know that I'm "out the hole." That was the first song that I wanted people to hear. I want people to hear "Okay, Morray, I've been gone. He's been in the dark. He's been away. I'm finally out of the hole. And I'm going to tell you guys a story." "FTA" was just saying if you thought I was done, if you thought it was over because I fail to appear on your timeline or fail to appear on your Instagram or on your streaming, I'm coming back. Like, no more me being cooked or you thinking it's over. I still have so much life in me.

The final track on the project is called "Carolina." How much has your hometown and your home state really inspired your music over the years?




North Carolina is where I got my voice really through music. It's where I became a father. It's where I became a man. You know what I mean? So, I owe so much to where I'm from. It molded me to become who I am. So, I wrote this song. So, for everybody who's from there, who's been there, who's visited, who wants to move, let them know. You're going to a place where there's love. There's faith. There's some s*** that can go down as well. But it's really just about connection and coming together. And when I think about Carolina, I think about care because that's what I feel like. People care about where I'm from. People really love you with the love of God. And that's just why I rock with it. I ain't going to lie.




You've spoken in the past about your different influences. Whether that be gospel music, listening to that because that was playing in your home mostly. Then also just kind of discovering Three Six Mafia. Having established yourself now, being an artist who predominantly made music in the South, where do you think your sound really fits in with the modern, southern hip-hop landscape?




My music is emotional, triumphant, sad, but still overcoming. So, I don't have a specific sound. I just know that whatever I put out is going to be my best work and it is going to be authentically Morray. And I think people really rock with me being me and not having either down South or West Coast sound. I have a Morray sound. And I think that's what separates me from a lot of people. I don't have a sound that you're used to. I just have a sound that you like.




Back in 2021, you were part of the XXL Freshman list. What was your favorite part about that experience?




The freestyle part with all of us. I ain't going to lie. I wasn't prepared and I didn't know that you had to come with some written material. So I was expecting a true freestyle. I looked around like everybody spitting off something written down. So I freestyled. It was fun. I still killed it. It was good energy. It was just fun to see that, I treated the freestyle like it was a real freestyle. You know what I mean? It was just fun to really do that. I ain't going to lie.




The following year you got to go on tour with J.Cole. You were part of his album and he was also a huge part of "Quicksand's" virality. What did you learn from him on that tour?




From Cole like I think what I learned was stage presence. I think I was expecting to learn a lot of stuff musically, but what he taught me for real is how to own the stage. I did two shows before and the first show I was on one side of the stage, I didn't go to the whole stage. And watching him be up there and getting his advice and him bringing me out on stage really gave me that courage to understand how to own the stage. And now I just love performing. Performance is probably my favorite part of the music industry. Just being out there and singing for real and talking to the crowd and just connecting with people that really care about you. That's what he taught me. How to really connect with my fans.

Now that you have that experience under your belt and you have the new mixtape coming out, do you have any plans to tour this year?




That's definitely the plan. To tour, do shows, be outside, and just really showcase the new Morray. That's my favorite part about the game. So if I can get out and grab a microphone and and sing my heart out, I'm trying to sing my heart out. You feel me?




Since coming back, when you check the comments on your YouTube, the reception has been extremely positive. Fans were wondering if you would ever drop again. And now that you're back, the fans are loving the growth and they are happy to have you back. What does that mean to you to have that fan support especially after everything you have been through these past few years?




I just appreciate that real family love that I get from people that are really looking at me and they appreciate my music. They appreciate my bars and they appreciate my brain. They appreciate the emotions and it feels good to be appreciated. And I just appreciate them back. I really appreciate and I love y'all like family and I'll always love them because they love me back.




One thing that about your music that has always been really strong is the visuals. From the Street Sermons era until now, you've always had great music videos. Where do you get your inspiration for visuals?




A lot of my videos, I get a lot of help. I like to listen to what people have to say so I can come up with a good treatment or come up with a good vibe or come up with a good visual based on everyone's collective so I can make one good video out of everyone's emotion if that makes sense.




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The post Morray Reveals Where He's Been, Talks New Mixtape "Long Story Short," And Thanks His Fans For Sticking By Him appeared first on HotNewHipHop.



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