Quicksand

Album: Streets Sermons (2020)
Charted: 65
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Fayetteville, North Carolina rapper/singer Morray turned to music as his escape after serving time in juvenile detention and jail. Morray was on the brink of giving up his rap career when manager Moe Shalizi got in touch with him after coming across this song on YouTube.

    Through Shalizi, Morray signed with Pick Six Records and released "Quicksand" as his first single on October 30, 2020.
  • This sung-rapped autobiographical anthem finds Morray comparing his tough upbringing on the Fayetteville streets to quicksand.

    Since a jit stood tall with a kickstand
    Thinking of a plan to get quick bands
    Falling in deep with the quicksand


    Since his youth, Morray has wanted to make quick money to escape his life in the hood, but he found himself trapped, unable to find a way out.
  • Asked by Billboard what inspired "Quicksand," Morray explained the songs he'd been making were about the standard rap tropes of cars, clothes, money and women, but because he'd never been wealthy or successful himself, he had to "watch videos and listen to music to figure out how to talk about it."

    One day, Morray's wife told him the music he was writing wasn't him. "This is a Chris Brown or a Drake or somebody that's already out there," she said. Both "Quicksand" and "Big Decisions" came out of that conversation, which Morray found easier writing because his lyrics actually happened to him.
  • Morray co-wrote the song with the track's producers, Ant Chamberlain and Hagan. One of Moe Shalizi's other clients, star electronic producer Marshmello, served as the mixing engineer.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Intentionally Atrocious

Intentionally AtrociousSong Writing

A selection of songs made to be terrible - some clearly achieved that goal.

Billy Joe Shaver

Billy Joe ShaverSongwriter Interviews

The outlaw country icon talks about the spiritual element of his songwriting and his Bob Dylan mention.

Songs About Movies

Songs About MoviesSong Writing

Iron Maiden, Adele, Toto, Eminem and Earth, Wind & Fire are just some of the artists with songs directly inspired by movies - and not always good ones.

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17Songwriter Interviews

Martyn talks about producing Tina Turner, some Heaven 17 hits, and his work with the British Electric Foundation.

Michael W. Smith

Michael W. SmithSongwriter Interviews

Smith breaks down some of his worship tracks as well as his mainstream hits, including "I Will Be Here For You" and "A Place In This World."

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up Musicians

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up MusiciansSong Writing

Eddie (played by Johnny Depp in the video) found fame fleeting, but Chuck Berry's made-up musician fared better.