Street Sermons is the debut commercial mixtape by American rapper and singer Morray. It was released on April 28, 2021, by Pick Six Records and Interscope Records.[1] The tape peaked at number 41 on the Billboard 200.
| Street Sermons | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mixtape by | |
| Released | April 28, 2021 |
| Recorded | 2020–2021 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 36:28 |
| Label |
|
| Producer |
|
| Singles from Street Sermons | |
| |
Background
editOn April 16, 2021, Morray announced that he signed to Interscope, in a joint venture with Pick Six Records.[2][3] His manager, Moe Shalizi spoke about the partnership, saying "there was so much synergy between our side and Interscope that it just felt right, we are really excited to be working with John Janick and the rest of the team."[4] In an interview, Morray described the album, saying "I really want it to show more of my story and for people to get to know me more. I want it to be like, 'I listened to this and I understand why he does this.' This is supposed to be my reference to who I really am."[5]
Singles
editOn October 30, 2020, he released his first single "Quicksand", which charted on the Billboard Hot 100, and received co-signs from fellow North Carolina rappers J. Cole and DaBaby.[6] The single amassed millions of streams and he was named on Billboard's Emerging Artists Spotlight.[7] On November 20, 2020, he released the second single "Switched Up". In 2021, the third and fourth singles, "Big Decisions" and "Kingdom", were released.[8][9]
On April 21, 2021, Morray released the fifth single "Trenches", a week ahead of the mixtape.[10] The music video for "Can't Use Me" was released on April 28.[11] On May 18, Morray made his television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live.[12] On May 24, he released the music video for "Nothing Now".[13]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Pitchfork | 6.9/10[14] |
In a positive review, Dylan Green of Pitchfork wrote "What makes Street Sermons largely so engaging is Morray's voice. It's a gritty tone that doesn't sound strained as he leaps from mid to high range with frightening ease. It even energizes the handful of otherwise rote songs peppered throughout the project. Street Sermons only stumbles when Morray drifts from the personal touch of his best songs into message-mongering."[14]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mistakes" |
|
| 3:01 |
| 2. | "Trenches" |
|
| 3:13 |
| 3. | "Quicksand" |
|
| 3:44 |
| 4. | "That's On God" |
| Jimmie Gutch | 2:18 |
| 5. | "Nothing Now" |
| Poly Boy | 3:08 |
| 6. | "Reflections" |
|
| 2:17 |
| 7. | "Big Decisions" |
| Danny Couture | 3:00 |
| 8. | "Can't Use Me" |
|
| 2:50 |
| 9. | "Kingdom" |
|
| 2:26 |
| 10. | "Switched Up" |
|
| 2:49 |
| 11. | "Facade" |
|
| 2:23 |
| 12. | "Real Ones" |
| DJ Chose | 2:18 |
| 13. | "Bigger Things" |
|
| 2:56 |
| Total length: | 36:28 | |||
Charts
edit| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[15] | 41 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[16] | 20 |
References
edit- ^ a b Rose, Jordan. "Stream Morray's Debut Project 'Street Sermons'". Complex.
- ^ "Morray Signs to Interscope in Partnership With Pick Six Records". Billboard.
- ^ Walker, Joe. "Morray Drops Debut 'Street Sermons' Project After Signing to Interscope Records". HipHopDX.
- ^ Powell, Jon. "Morray unveils new mixtape 'Street Sermons'". Revolt.
- ^ McKinney, Jessica. "Morray Is the Realest". Complex.
- ^ "Morray's 'Quicksand' Cracks Billboard 100, Cementing the 'Out the Mud' Narrative". HipHopDX.
- ^ Mamo, Heran. "North Carolina Rapper Morray Shines Light on Life in the Hood With 'Quicksand': Emerging Artists Spotlight". Billboard.
- ^ Cho, Regina. "The Ones: Morray's "Big Decisions"". Pitchfork.
- ^ Mahadevan, Tara C. "Watch Morray's New Video "Kingdom"". Complex.
- ^ "Morray Pays Homage to His Hometown in 'Trenches' Video". Billboard.
- ^ "Morray Shines On New Single "Can't Use Me"". Hotnewhiphop.
- ^ Cho, Regina. "Morray shares new live performance of "Quicksand" and "Can't Use Me"". Revolt.
- ^ "Morray Moves on From a Break-Up in "Nothing Now" Video". Complex.
- ^ a b Green, Dylan (May 12, 2021). "Morray: Street Sermons Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ "Billboard 200 Chart: Week of May 15, 2021". Billboard. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
- ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart: Week of May 15, 2021". Billboard. Retrieved June 8, 2021.