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Morray
Morray performing at J. Cole's The Off-Season Tour in 2021
Morray performing atJ. Cole'sThe Off-Season Tourin 2021
Background information
Birth nameMorae Ebony Ruffin
Born(1992-11-10)November 10, 1992(age 31)
Fayetteville, North Carolina,U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
Years active2014–present
Labels

Morae Ebony Ruffin(born November 10, 1992), known professionally asMorray,is an American rapper and singer-songwriter fromFayetteville, North Carolina.He first saw recognition for his 2020 single "Quicksand",which led him to sign withInterscope Recordsand release his debut mixtape,Street Sermons(2021) the following year.[2]The song peaked at number 65 on theBillboardHot 100,while his 2021 single "My Life"(withJ. Coleand21 Savage) peaked at number two on the chart and receivedplatinumcertification by theRecording Industry Association of America(RIAA).

Early life

[edit]

Growing up inFayetteville, North Carolina,Ruffin was raised onR&Bandgospel music,singing in his local church by the age of four. He moved toLebanon, Pennsylvaniaat age 12 and lived there for six years before moving back to North Carolina.[3]While in Pennsylvania, he met a rap collective called SGS which inspired him to start making music. With stints in juvenile detention at age 19, he served jail time in his early 20s.[4]

While raising a child, he worked construction and recorded music on the side.[5]In 2014, he released his first song, which he recorded for his wife's birthday, and started taking music seriously.[3]In 2020, he lost his job at a call center and chose to pursue his music career to support his three children.[6]

Career

[edit]

In March 2020, Morray released his first music video "Quicksand",which led to his being discovered by media managerMoe Shalizi.He became Morray's manager and launched a record label called Pick Six Records. Morray also featured two more songs with Mo Chedda in 2020, "Snitch On Ya Man's" and "In Da Trap".[3]On October 30, Morray and Shalizi re-released "Quicksand" as a single; it later charted on theBillboardHot 100.[7]Following the single, he received co-signs from fellow North Carolina rappersJ. ColeandDaBaby.The single amassed millions of streams, and he was featured as part ofBillboard'sEmerging Artists Spotlight. In an interview withBillboard,he said "I want to be that light in the ghetto, I want be the person that makes you smile and shows you the hood ain't all bad. I appreciate where I came from and I know that the ghetto can bring both positive and negative memories."[8]He released three more singles in 2020: "Switched Up", "Low Key", and "Dreamland".

In 2021, Morray released the singles "Big Decisions" and "Kingdom".[9][10]On April 16, Morray announced that he had signed toInterscope Recordsin a joint venture with Pick Six.[11]He released the single "Trenches" ahead of his debut project in April.[12]His mixtapeStreet Sermonswas released on April 28, 2021. The mixtape debuted on the USBillboard200 at number 41.[13]On May 14, Morray was a guest feature on J. Cole's albumThe Off-Season,on the song "My Life"with21 Savage.[14]The song debuted at number two on the Hot 100, becoming his highest charting and best performing song.[15]Also in 2021, he was featured on the 2021XXLFreshman Class. On June 22, it was announced he would be joining J. Cole and 21 Savage on their co-headliningThe Off-Season Touras their opener. On July 30, Morray released a remix of his song "Trenches" featuringPolo G.

Artistry

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Morray grew up listening to artists likeUsherand took inspiration fromDrake's rapping and singing fluidity.[16]His style has been compared toCeeLo Green,and described as combining "the soulfulness ofBig K.R.I.T.with the bounce ofOutkast".[17]

Discography

[edit]

Mixtapes

[edit]
List of mixtapes, with selected chart positions
Title Details Peak chart positions
US
[18] 		US R&B
/HH
[19] 		US Rap
[20]
Street Sermons
  • Released: April 28, 2021
  • Label: Pick Six,Interscope
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
 41 20 17

Singles

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As lead artist

[edit]
List of singles, with selected chart positions
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US
[21] 		US
R&B
/HH
[22] 		US Rap
[23]
"Quicksand"[24] 2020 65 29 23 Street Sermons
"Switched Up"[26] — — —
"Low Key"[27] — — — Non-album singles
"Dreamland"[28] — — —
"Big Decisions"[29] 2021 — — — Street Sermons
"Kingdom"[30] — — —
"Trenches"[30]
(solo or withPolo G) 		— — —
"Bad Situations" — — — TBA
"Mime" — — — Madden NFL 22
"Never Fail"
(withBenny the Butcher) 		— — — TBA
"Still Here"[31]
(withCordae) 		2022 — — —
"Momma's Love"[32] — — —
"Ticket"[33] — — —
[edit]
List of featured singles, with selected chart positions
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US
[34] 		US
R&B
/HH
[35] 		US Rap
[36] 		AUS
[37] 		CAN
[38] 		IRE
[39] 		NZ
[40] 		SWI
[41] 		UK
[42] 		WW
[43]
"My Life"
(J. Colewith21 Savageand Morray)[44] 		2021 2 1 1 11 8 12 5 34 13 4 The Off-Season
"In My Blood"
(MO3featuring Morray) 		— — — — — — — — — — Shottaz 4Eva

Guest appearances

[edit]
List of non-single guest appearances, with other performing artists, showing year released and album name
Title Year Other artist(s) Album
"Snitch on Ya Man's" 2020 Mo Chedda, AR Non-album singles
"In Da Trap" Mo Chedda
"Mime" 2021 — Madden NFL 22
"Hands Up" Tyla Yaweh Non-album singles
"All Them Days" Derez De'Shon
"Tail Lights" 2023 Macklemore Ben

Tours

[edit]

Supporting

References

[edit]
  1. ^"Morray Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More".AllMusic.RetrievedOctober 8,2022.
  2. ^"NORTH CAROLINA LYRICIST MORRAY CALLS HIS MUSIC 'THAT LIGHT IN THE GHETTO' FOLLOWING JAY-Z TIDAL PLAYLIST LOVE".HipHopDX.January 19, 2021.
  3. ^abc""I Thought I Was Supposed to Be a Pastor:" An Interview with Morray ".PassionWeiss.February 4, 2021.
  4. ^McKinney, Jessica."Morray Is the Realest".Complex.
  5. ^"Switched Up: Morray's Life Changed With One Phone Call".Spin.February 2021.
  6. ^Monger, Timothy."Morray – Biography".AllMusic.
  7. ^"MORRAY'S 'QUICKSAND' CRACKS BILLBOARD 100, CEMENTING THE 'OUT THE MUD' NARRATIVE".HipHopDX.February 16, 2021.
  8. ^Mamo, Heran."North Carolina Rapper Morray Shines Light on Life in the Hood With 'Quicksand': Emerging Artists Spotlight".Billboard.
  9. ^Cho, Regina (February 5, 2021)."The Ones: Morray's" Big Decisions "".Pitchfork.
  10. ^Mahadevan, Tara C."Watch Morray's New Video" Kingdom "".Complex.
  11. ^"Morray Signs to Interscope in Partnership With Pick Six Records".Billboard.
  12. ^"Morray Pays Homage to His Hometown in 'Trenches' Video".Billboard.
  13. ^"HipHopDX Rising Star Morray Plots 'Street Sermons' Project".HipHopDX.April 16, 2021.
  14. ^"J. Cole's new album features track with fellow Fayetteville rapper Morray".The Fayetteville Observer.
  15. ^"J. Cole Chart History (Hot 100)".Billboard.RetrievedMay 25,2021.
  16. ^"THE BREAK PRESENTS: MORRAY".XXL.December 30, 2020.
  17. ^"Morray Is Pushing Hip-Hop's Boundaries With His Authentic and Heartfelt Singles".OnesToWatch.
  18. ^@billboardcharts (May 10, 2021)."Debuts on this week's #Billboard200 (2/3)..."(Tweet).RetrievedMay 11,2021– viaTwitter.
  19. ^"Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums".Billboard.January 2, 2013.
  20. ^"Top Rap Albums".Billboard.January 2, 2013.
  21. ^"Quicksand by Morray".Billboard.RetrievedMay 11,2021.
  22. ^"Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: May 15, 2021".Billboard.January 2, 2013.RetrievedMay 27,2021.
  23. ^"Hot Rap Songs".Billboard.January 2, 2013.
  24. ^"Quicksand – Single".iTunes.
  25. ^ab"American certifications – Morray".Recording Industry Association of America.RetrievedJune 4,2021.
  26. ^"Switched Up – Single".iTunes.November 20, 2020.
  27. ^"Low Key – Single".iTunes.December 4, 2020.
  28. ^"Dreamland – Single".iTunes.
  29. ^"Big Decisions – Single".iTunes.
  30. ^ab"Kingdom – Single".iTunes.February 5, 2021.
  31. ^"Still Here".iTunes.March 4, 2022.
  32. ^"Momma's Love".iTunes.May 6, 2022.
  33. ^"Morray Enlists Southside for New Inspirational Single" Ticket "".Complex.RetrievedFebruary 26,2023.
  34. ^Peaks on the Hot 100:
  35. ^Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart:
  36. ^US Rap chart:
  37. ^"Discography Morray".australian-charts.com.Hung Medien.RetrievedJuly 30,2024.
  38. ^Billboard Canadian Hot 100:
  39. ^"Discography Morray".irish-charts.com.RetrievedJuly 30,2024.
  40. ^"Discography Morray".charts.nz.RetrievedJuly 30,2024.
  41. ^"Discography Morray".hitparade.ch.RetrievedJuly 30,2024.
  42. ^"Morray | full Official Chart History".Official Charts Company.RetrievedJuly 30,2024.
  43. ^Peaks on the Global 200:
  44. ^"Top 40 Rhythmic Future Releases".AllAccess.Archivedfrom the original on May 21, 2021.RetrievedMay 22,2021.
  45. ^"ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023"(PDF).Australian Recording Industry Association.RetrievedJuly 30,2024.
  46. ^"British certifications – Morray".British Phonographic Industry.RetrievedJuly 30,2024.TypeMorrayin the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
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