Login
Login

Morray

{{Short description|American rapper}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2021}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Morray

| image = 2021 Offseason Tour (cropped).jpg

| caption = Morray performing at J. Cole's The Off-Season Tour in 2021

| birth_name = Morae Ebony Ruffin

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1992|11|10}}

| birth_place = Fayetteville, North Carolina, U.S.

| origin =

| genre = {{hlist|Southern hip hop|trap|R&B{{cite web |title=Morray Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/morray-mn0004023301 |website=AllMusic |access-date=8 October 2022}}}}

| occupation = {{hlist|Rapper|singer|songwriter}}

| years_active = 2014–present

| label = {{hlist|Pick Six|Interscope}}

| associated_acts = {{hlist|21 Savage|J. Cole|Polo G}}

}}

Morae Ebony Ruffin (born November 10, 1992), known professionally as Morray, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter. He first saw recognition for his 2020 single "Quicksand", which led him to sign with Interscope Records and release his debut mixtape, Street Sermons (2021) the following year.{{cite web |title=NORTH CAROLINA LYRICIST MORRAY CALLS HIS MUSIC 'THAT LIGHT IN THE GHETTO' FOLLOWING JAY-Z TIDAL PLAYLIST LOVE |url=https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.60135/title.north-carolina-lyricist-morray-calls-his-music-that-light-in-the-ghetto-following-jay-z-tidal-playlist-love# |website=HipHopDX|date=January 19, 2021 }} The song peaked at number 65 on the Billboard Hot 100, while his 2021 single "My Life" (with J. Cole and 21 Savage) peaked at number two on the chart and received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Early life

Growing up in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Ruffin was raised on R&B and gospel music, singing in his local church by the age of four. He moved to Lebanon, Pennsylvania at age 12 and lived there for six years before moving back to North Carolina.{{cite web |title="I Thought I Was Supposed to Be a Pastor:" An Interview with Morray |url=https://www.passionweiss.com/2021/02/04/morray-interview/ |website=PassionWeiss|date=February 4, 2021 }} 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.{{cite web|last1=McKinney|first1=Jessica|title=Morray Is the Realest|url=https://www.complex.com/music/morray-interview-street-sermons|website=Complex}}

While raising a child, he worked construction and recorded music on the side.{{cite web |title=Switched Up: Morray's Life Changed With One Phone Call |url=https://www.spin.com/2021/02/switched-up-morrays-life-changed-with-one-phone-call/ |website=Spin|date=February 2021 }} In 2014, he released his first song, which he recorded for his wife's birthday, and started taking music seriously. In 2020, he lost his job at a call center and chose to pursue his music career to support his three children.{{cite web |last1=Monger |first1=Timothy |title=Morray – Biography |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/morray-mn0004023301/biography |website=AllMusic}}

Career

In March 2020, Morray released his first music video "Quicksand", which led to his being discovered by media manager Moe 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". On October 30, Morray and Shalizi re-released "Quicksand" as a single; it later charted on the Billboard Hot 100.{{cite web |title=MORRAY'S 'QUICKSAND' CRACKS BILLBOARD 100, CEMENTING THE 'OUT THE MUD' NARRATIVE |url=https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.60632/title.morrays-quicksand-cracks-billboard-100-cementing-the-out-the-mud-narrative |website=HipHopDX|date=February 16, 2021 }} Following the single, he received co-signs from fellow North Carolina rappers J. Cole and DaBaby. The single amassed millions of streams, and he was featured as part of Billboard's Emerging Artists Spotlight. In an interview with Billboard, 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."{{cite magazine |last1=Mamo |first1=Heran |title=North Carolina Rapper Morray Shines Light on Life in the Hood With 'Quicksand': Emerging Artists Spotlight |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/9512077/morray-interview-emerging-artists-spotlight-quicksand |magazine=Billboard}} He released three more singles in 2020: "Switched Up", "Low Key", and "Dreamland".

In 2021, Morray released the singles "Big Decisions" and "Kingdom".{{cite web |last1=Cho |first1=Regina |title=The Ones: Morray's "Big Decisions" |url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/morray-big-decisions-new-song-listen/ |website=Pitchfork|date=February 5, 2021 }}{{cite web |last1=Mahadevan |first1=Tara C. |title=Watch Morray's New Video "Kingdom" |url=https://www.complex.com/music/morray-kingdom |website=Complex}} On April 16, Morray announced that he had signed to Interscope Records in a joint venture with Pick Six.{{cite magazine |title=Morray Signs to Interscope in Partnership With Pick Six Records |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/9557691/morray-interscope-records/ |magazine=Billboard}} He released the single "Trenches" ahead of his debut project in April.{{cite magazine |title=Morray Pays Homage to His Hometown in 'Trenches' Video |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/9561169/morray-trenches-video/ |magazine=Billboard}} His mixtape Street Sermons was released on April 28, 2021. The mixtape debuted on the US Billboard 200 at number 41.{{cite web |title=HipHopDX Rising Star Morray Plots 'Street Sermons' Project |url=https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.61623/title.hiphopdx-rising-star-morray-plots-street-sermons-project-to-dababy-24kgoldn-hype |website=HipHopDX|date=April 16, 2021 }} On May 14, Morray was a guest feature on J. Cole's album The Off-Season, on the song "My Life" with 21 Savage.{{cite web |title=J. Cole's new album features track with fellow Fayetteville rapper Morray |url=https://www.fayobserver.com/story/news/2021/05/14/j-cole-new-album-features-fellow-fayetteville-native-morray/5089087001/ |website=The Fayetteville Observer}} The song debuted at number two on the Hot 100, becoming his highest charting and best performing song.{{Cite magazine|title=J. Cole Chart History (Hot 100)|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/j.-cole/chart-history/hsi/|access-date=May 25, 2021|magazine=Billboard}} Also in 2021, he was featured on the 2021 XXL Freshman Class. On June 22, it was announced he would be joining J. Cole and 21 Savage on their co-headlining The Off-Season Tour as their opener. On July 30, Morray released a remix of his song "Trenches" featuring Polo G.

Artistry

Morray grew up listening to artists like Usher and took inspiration from Drake's rapping and singing fluidity.{{cite web |title=THE BREAK PRESENTS: MORRAY |url=https://www.xxlmag.com/morray-interview-the-break/ |website=XXL|date=December 30, 2020 }} His style has been compared to CeeLo Green, and described as combining "the soulfulness of Big K.R.I.T. with the bounce of Outkast".{{cite web |title=Morray Is Pushing Hip-Hop's Boundaries With His Authentic and Heartfelt Singles |url=https://www.onestowatch.com/blog/morray-is-pushing-hip-hops-boundaries-with-his |website=OnesToWatch}}

Discography

= Studio albums =

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+ List of studio albums

! scope="col" style="width:11em;"| Title

! scope="col" style="width:22em;"| Details

scope="row" | Long Story Short{{Cite web |last=Horvath |first=Zachary |date=2025-02-08 |title=Morray Announces First Project In Almost Four Years With Release Of Uplifting Single "Breakthrough" |url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/883738-morray-breakthrough-stream |access-date=2025-02-14 |website=HotNewHipHop |language=en}}

|

  • Released: February 21, 2025
  • Label: Empire
  • Format: Digital download, streaming

= Mixtapes =

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+ List of mixtapes, with selected chart positions

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:11em;"| Title

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:22em;"| Details

! scope="col" colspan="3"| Peak chart positions

scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| US
{{cite tweet|user=billboardcharts|number=1391760725052469249|title=Debuts on this week's #Billboard200 (2/3)...|date=May 10, 2021|access-date=May 11, 2021}}

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| US R&B
/HH
{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/r-b-hip-hop-albums/2021-05-15|title = Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums|magazine = Billboard|date = January 2, 2013}}

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| US Rap
{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/rap-albums/2021-05-15|title=Top Rap Albums|magazine=Billboard|date=January 2, 2013}}

scope="row" | Street Sermons

|

  • Released: April 28, 2021
  • Label: Pick Six, Interscope
  • Format: Digital download, streaming

| 41 || 20 || 17

= Singles =

==As lead artist==

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+ List of singles, with selected chart positions

! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Title

! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year

! scope="col" colspan="3"| Peak chart positions

! rowspan="2" |Certifications

! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album

scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| US
{{cite magazine |title=Quicksand by Morray |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/2021-05-15 |magazine=Billboard |access-date=May 11, 2021}}

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| US
R&B
/HH
{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/r-b-hip-hop-songs/2021-05-15|title=Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: May 15, 2021|magazine=Billboard|date=January 2, 2013|access-date=May 27, 2021}}

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| US Rap
{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/rap-song/2021-05-15|title = Hot Rap Songs|magazine = Billboard|date = January 2, 2013}}

scope="row"| "Quicksand"{{cite web |title=Quicksand – Single |url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/quicksand-single/1536474227 |website=iTunes}}

| rowspan="4"| 2020

| 65 || 29 || 23

|

  • RIAA: Gold{{Cite web|title=American certifications – Morray|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=morray#search_section|access-date=June 4, 2021|website=Recording Industry Association of America}}

| rowspan="2"| Street Sermons

scope="row"| "Switched Up"{{cite web |title=Switched Up – Single |url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/switched-up-single/1556177165 |website=iTunes|date=November 20, 2020 }}

| — || — || —

|

scope="row"| "Low Key"{{cite web |title=Low Key – Single |url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/low-key-single/1541240253 |website=iTunes|date=December 4, 2020 }}

| — || — || —

||

| rowspan="2" {{N/a|Non-album singles}}

scope="row"| "Dreamland"{{cite web |title= Dreamland – Single |url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/dreamland-single/1544534529 |website=iTunes}}

| — || — || —

|

scope="row"| "Big Decisions"{{cite web |title=Big Decisions – Single |url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/big-decisions-single/1547733622 |website=iTunes}}

| rowspan="6"| 2021

| — || — || —

|

| rowspan="3"| Street Sermons

scope="row"| "Kingdom"{{cite web |title=Kingdom – Single |url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/kingdom-single/1556175163 |website=iTunes |date=February 5, 2021 }}

| — || — || —

|

scope="row"| "Trenches"
{{Small|(solo or with Polo G)}}

| — || — || —

|

scope="row"| "Bad Situations"

| — || — || —

|

| {{TBA}}

scope="row"| "Mime"

| — || — || —

|

| Madden NFL 22

scope="row"| "Never Fail"
{{small|(with Benny the Butcher)}}

| — || — || —

|

| rowspan="4" {{TBA}}

scope="row"| "Still Here"{{cite web |title=Still Here |url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/still-here-feat-cordae-single/1612118548 |website=iTunes |date=March 4, 2022}}
{{small|(with Cordae)}}

| rowspan="3" | 2022

| — || — || —

|

scope="row"| "Momma's Love"{{cite web |title=Momma's Love |url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/mommas-love-single/1621620549 |website=iTunes |date=May 6, 2022}}

| — || — || —

|

scope="row"| "Ticket"{{Cite web |title=Morray Enlists Southside for New Inspirational Single "Ticket" |url=https://www.complex.com/music/morray-ticket |access-date=2023-02-26 |website=Complex}}

| — || — || —

|

==As featured artist==

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+ List of featured singles, with selected chart positions

! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Title

! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year

! scope="col" colspan="10"| Peak chart positions

! rowspan="2" |Certifications

! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album

scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| US
Peaks on the Hot 100:

  • "My Life": {{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/2021-05-29/|title=Billboard Hot 100™: WEEK OF MAY 29, 2021|magazine=Billboard|access-date=July 30, 2024}}

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| US
R&B
/HH
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart:

  • "My Life": {{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/r-b-hip-hop-songs/2021-05-29/|title=Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: WEEK OF MAY 29, 2021|magazine=Billboard|access-date=July 30, 2024}}

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| US Rap
US Rap chart:

  • "My Life": {{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/rap-song/2021-05-29/|title=Hot Rap Songs: WEEK OF MAY 29, 2021|magazine=Billboard|access-date=July 30, 2024}}

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;"| AUS
{{cite web | title=Discography Morray | url=http://australian-charts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Morray | work=australian-charts.com | publisher=Hung Medien | access-date=July 30, 2024 }}

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;"| CAN
Billboard Canadian Hot 100:

  • "My Life": {{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/canadian-hot-100/2021-05-29|title=Billboard Canadian Hot 100: WEEK OF MAY 29, 2021|magazine=Billboard|access-date=July 30, 2024}}

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;"| IRE
{{cite web|url=http://irish-charts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Morray|title=Discography Morray|website=irish-charts.com|access-date=July 30, 2024}}

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;"| NZ
{{cite web | title=Discography Morray | url=https://charts.nz/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Morray | work=charts.nz | access-date=July 30, 2024}}

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;"| SWI
{{cite web |url=https://hitparade.ch/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Morray |title=Discography Morray |website=hitparade.ch |access-date=July 30, 2024}}

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;"| UK
{{cite web|title=Morray {{!}} full Official Chart History|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/60307/j--cole,-21-savage-and-morray/|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=July 30, 2024}}

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;"| WW
Peaks on the Global 200:

  • "My Life": {{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-global-200/2023-05-27/|title=Billboard Global 200: WEEK OF MAY 27, 2023|magazine=Billboard|access-date=July 30, 2024}}
scope="row"| "My Life"
{{small|(J. Cole with 21 Savage and Morray)}}{{Cite web|title=Top 40 Rhythmic Future Releases|url=https://www.allaccess.com/top40-rhythmic/future-releases|url-status=live|access-date=May 22, 2021|website=AllAccess|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521023051/https://www.allaccess.com/top40-rhythmic/future-releases|archive-date=May 21, 2021}}

| rowspan="2"| 2021

| 2 || 1 || 1 || 11 || 8 || 12 || 5 || 34 || 13 || 4

|

  • RIAA: Platinum
  • ARIA: 3× Platinum{{cite certification|region=Australia|certyear=2023|access-date=July 30, 2024}}
  • BPI: Silver{{cite certification|region=United Kingdom|artist=Morray|access-date=July 30, 2024}}

|The Off-Season

scope="row" | "In My Blood"
{{small|(MO3 featuring Morray)}}

| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —

|

| Shottaz 4Eva

= Guest appearances =

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+ List of non-single guest appearances, with other performing artists, showing year released and album name

! scope="col" style="width:18em;"| Title

! scope="col" style="width:1em;"| Year

! scope="col"| Other artist(s)

! scope="col"| Album

scope="row"| "Snitch on Ya Man's"

| rowspan="2"| 2020

| Mo Chedda, AR

| rowspan="2" {{N/A|Non-album singles}}

scope="row"| "In Da Trap"

| Mo Chedda

scope="row"| "Mime"

| rowspan="3"| 2021

| {{N/A}}

| Madden NFL 22

scope="row"| "Hands Up"

| Tyla Yaweh

| rowspan="2" {{N/A|Non-album singles}}

scope="row"| "All Them Days"

| Derez De'Shon

scope="row"| "Tail Lights"

| 2023

| Macklemore

| Ben

Tours

Supporting

References

{{reflist}}

Category:1992 births

Category:Living people

Category:21st-century African-American male singers

Category:21st-century American male singers

Category:21st-century American rappers

Category:African-American male rappers

Category:21st-century American male rappers

Category:20th-century American male rappers

Category:African-American male singer-songwriters

Category:American male singer-songwriters

Category:American hip-hop singers

Category:Interscope Records artists

Category:Musicians from Fayetteville, North Carolina

Category:Rappers from North Carolina

Category:Singer-songwriters from North Carolina

Category:American trap musicians