Morray

Fans Think A Line On Rod Wave’s ‘Get Ready’ Is A Shot At Newcomer Morray

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Whenever a pair of rappers occupies a relatively similar lane stylistically, vocally, or even physically, hip-hop fans often pit them against each other or they just naturally end up at odds — see Future and Rich Homie Quan or any new female rapper and Nicki Minaj. With the release of the deluxe version of Rod Wave’s No. 1 album SoulFly, fans have detected another potential beef of this nature brewing in one of the lines on the new song, “Get Ready.”

“Labels used to look past me, now they trying to remake me,” Rod croons. “Grab a fat n**** out the trenches and replace me/Tryna duplicate me, can’t be.” While rappers have often lamented the transient nature of stardom in hip-hop, it’s Rod’s choice of words that has fans on high alert looking for a feud. “Trenches” is, of course, the title of one of North Carolina rapper Morray’s breakthrough singles, on which Morray laments rap’s focus on so many negative aspects of lower-income upbringing.

As both rappers share a melodic flow, alternating between the singsong raps that are popular today and outright belting, as well as a husky physique and a rags-to-riches survival narrative, fans have interpreted the line as a shot at Morray (they were even both featured on XXL’s Freshman covers — Rod in 2020 and Morray this year). Further exacerbating the issue, rap manager Benjamin Rainwater, who managed the late Dallas rapper Mo3, made it clear in a recent interview that while the posthumous track “In My Blood” was to initially feature Rod Wave but replaced him with Morray, who Rainwater called “somebody genuine” — implying that perhaps Rod was not.

Perhaps everyone’s reading too much into things, but as it stands, Rod Wave at least has the grounds to be a little salty about Morray taking at least one opportunity from him. However, given that his latest album was able to top the Billboard 200, it’s probably better for him to remain focused on his own success. Meanwhile, with a tour with J. Cole coming up, Morray has his own rising profile to worry about.

Listen to “Get Ready” above.

Polo G Joins Morray For A Reflective Remix Of ‘Trenches’

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Last fall, North Carolina produced a new rapper that caught the attention of the hip-hop world in Morray. He quickly joined the likes of Roddy Ricch, Gunna, and more as acts who spoke about their life experience through melodically told stories. Morray quickly proved that he’s far from a one-hit-wonder with the release of his debut project, Street Sermons. Among the many highlights on it, one of them is “Trenches,” a track that just received the remix treatment thanks to help from Chicago rapper Polo G. On it, he joins the North Carolina act to reflect on his younger days and the struggles he endured and overcame in order to enjoy the success he has now..

Street Sermons, which was released back in April, comes attached with other impressive tracks that include “Nothing Now,” “Mistakes,” and “Quicksand.” Shortly after he released the project, Morray was selected to this year’s XXL Freshman list with Coi Leray, DDG, Lakeyah, Flo Milli, Pooh Shiesty, Blxst, 42 Dugg, and more. He will also join J. Cole and 21 Savage for The Off-Season tour later this year.

As for Polo G, the remix comes after he teamed up with Gunna for “Waves” and shared videos for “Bless His Soul” with Fredo Bang as well as “Toxic.”

Press play on the video above to hear Polo G’s remix of “Trenches.”

Street Sermons is out now via Pick Six Recordings/Interscope. Get it here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

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Tyler, The Creator, J. Cole, Polo G, Rod Wave and more of the game’s revered rap stars make the cut. Continue reading…

Coi Leray, DDG, Lakeyah, And Morray Kick Off The 2021 ‘XXL’ Freshman Cypher

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Coi Leray, DDG, Lakeyah, and Morray kick off the 2021 XXL Freshman Cyphers for this year’s class, each bringing their own unique style to a beat produced by algorithm master Nick Mira. DDG opens proceedings with a typical West Coast/Michigan swing flow, then cedes the floor to Lakeyah, who undoubtedly delivers the best straight-up rap verse, hunting for the sort of credit that only comes from being an expert technician. Morray splits the balance between his signature crooning and some off-the-dome rhymes bigging up his cohorts.

That leaves Coi Leray, who is quite possibly the most controversial addition to this year’s list. Despite having three years of tried-and-true material including a handful of viral hits to her name, it was her song “No More Parties” that first exposed her to the wider mainstream audience, drawing comparisons to both Dej Loaf and Playboi Carti in the process. It’s also, oddly enough, the song least like the bulk of her output, so it seemed going in that the Cypher would be her chance to lay skeptics’ doubts to rest.

She absolutely does not do that, instead opting for a choppy, Carti-esque delivery on a relatively short verse that does little to allay the concerns about her placement before giving up and resorting to her trademark twerking. It’s an unusual choice for a rapper who is under fire and facing a make-or-break moment with all eyes on her. While it’s pioneering, to be sure (Megan Thee Stallion once pointed out that a female rapper would face a ton of criticism for rapping like Playboi Carti, and for all intents, it appears she was correct), and a boundary has been broken to allow women to branch out more stylistically, I can see Coi taking a lot more fire now — with this verse undermining much of the evidence that supporters could use to defend her.

It’ll be interesting to see how this Cypher will be received on social media as well as how it affects future installments and the ongoing debate about whether the Freshman Class even needs a Cypher anymore.

Watch the 2021 XXL Freshman Cypher above.

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