Moses The Raven & His Album ‘Gxrl’ (Review)

It almost feels natural to resonate with Moses the Raven‘s lyrics. It’s as if he’s reading aloud the chapters that occur in our lives. But, the rapper is merely just stating what he’s experienced, all while advising those who seek answers to life’s not-so-little problems. 

Between the lines, Moses the Raven is an open book. As he spews his bars over the instrument at hand, he talks about working against the grain, loyalty, deception, remaining true to himself, and so much more. However, the most admirable trait of his artistry is the work he puts in. And looking at his timeline, you’ll see that there are no days off for this budding star. Sonically, the Vibestrong curator explores different sounds, making sure that each track carries an unmatchable distinctiveness. 

“I always aim to bring something different to the table but something still digestible,” he adds. “Moving forward, though, I hope to be able to be more experimental and do some unique stuff that carves me out a lane where I can inspire people. I want to bring more to the culture rather than take what’s worked and mix my sound with it. I feel like that’s many people’s struggle when trying to hone in on their exact sound.”

He also gives cred to East Orange for influencing his sound.

“East Orange set the foundation for me to be open to the strange world of music that I couldn’t explore before while living anywhere else before. Anyone from here knows it’s like the perfect mix of people from all different walks of life.”

Where It All Started:

Moses The Raven initially delved into the music scene with his cousin before venturing off on his own. In 2001, his cousins started a rap group titled Jersey’s Finest, taking every opportunity they had to make music in his uncle’s studio. Though his cousins were only 11 years old, they’d rap about going to the club and dilemmas within the African American community like unemployment and gang violence. It never crossed Moses’ mind to join his cousins’ rap group, but he began to gain interest because of the sense of purpose they found in it. 

Eventually, he’d go on to bring their rhyme books to school, and he’d rap their verses for people to experience what they did. After some time, it was getting harder for Moses to come across new rhymes, and the kids at his school grew tired of hearing the same bars every week. This prompted the musician to try his hand at writing lyrics. In the end, Moses was very impressed with himself. “One of the most difficult things I have ever accomplished was that first verse,” he continues. After showing his cousins that he had what it took, they both opened him into the group with open arms. 

Moses The Raven’s moniker holds great significance. The name, he says, relates to his life. In 8th grade, he read a novel called Animal Farm by George Orwell. One of the stories’ characters was a raven named Moses who would speak of a place the animals could escape the farm’s tyranny. 

He admits to being confused by the author’s choice to use that name, so he researched ravens and their relation to the name. The more Moses learned, the more he understood the author’s choice, and he played with the idea of making it his stage name. As he looked more into ravens, he grew an affinity towards them. 

Project Breakdown:

Moses The Raven’s latest project, GXRL, explores the many facets of love. Generally, his lyrics reflect times when he sought interest in a woman, lost sight of who she was, and moments when he just needed her to understand his busy lifestyle. Often, Moses The Raven would give his flowers to his special someone. Moreover, he attended to her body, mind, and soul. When things no longer aligned, the musician would call it quits. Moses’ inspiration came from personal experiences, which helped to diversify his many perspectives on the subject.

“This album explores the concept of ups and downs in relationships,” he says. “The message is up to interpretation but I wanted to put the whole range of emotion that someone might feel while dealing with a person like infatuation, longing, anger, and even depression.” 

About GXRL, he also says

“I write my best verses about women for some reason. I always get the most complex lyrical inspiration when I’m speaking from that perspective. That, mixed with my need to start doing albums with a common theme. Instead of having good songs thrown together, I constructed Gxrl. It took on a few different incarnations. Originally, it was going to be a four-song EP, but I felt like it deserved more after some time. I took some songs off my previous release Vibestrong for Gxrl, because I thought it would be a better fit. Plus, that album was about an hour-long already. The first song recorded for the album was done in 2019. The last song was recorded two weeks before the release date.”

Standout records include “Montblanc” (his favorite song to record), “Run It Up,” and “Every Day.”

The first record, “Montblanc,” finds Moses The Raven rapping in a swift flow about a woman who’s caught his eye. Naturally, he wants to know what she’s all about, saying if he’s given a chance, he’ll cook her three-course meals. Moses also taunts the guy who decided to end the relationship with her. Subsequently, he thinks his soon-to-be-lady is too good to be messing with these lame dudes. For he is “on a different axis.”

“You had an ex, that boy did you dirty, he must’ve been hitting the blunt/I rock my sh*t on the cuff/I think enough is enough.”

Deeper into the song, he explains why he’d like to have her as his wife.

“You got a way with words. You got away from a nigga/Feel like my heart on a curb/You spend a day from a nigga.“

The instrumental takes admiration from R&B and pairs video game-type and jazz elements. 

About the song’s creation, he says, 

“I did it [‘Montblanc’] in my old studio that had no booth. Just a mic stand in a corner in a small cube 1/3 the size of my current studio. It was one of my illest performances to date, and I did the whole song in the same take with a girl I met earlier that night, talking to me about herself between takes. That’s why on the last take, you hear me say “facts” before I started rapping. I didn’t know that was going to be the take I nailed it on. It was enjoyable. I’m glad I captured that moment in time on wax.”

“Run It Up” digs deeper into trust issues and what it does to a person. The message ultimately correlates with the ambient R&B beat with a dark tone. Although Moses has more than proven his feelings for the woman of his dreams, he hopes that hers never change. Even when he’s out and about with his friends, he wants to feel secure within the relationship. 

He raps, “Late night; I be mobbin with my friends, do the shit I like to do. Then I’m a hit yo ass at 10/Tellin me you love me, baby lyin is a sin, if your phone goes to the message then I’m tryin it again.”

The feature, Blackberry Sweet, speaks from the female’s perspective, declaring to him that there’s nothing to worry about. 

She adds, “you ain’t gotta be royal, but with me, must be regal.”

“Every Day” is a testament to the girl he likes. In the song, he assures her that he’s not going anywhere because what they “have is a real story.” Even if she isn’t ready to put her eggs in one basket, Moses is willing to be patient. He spits, “I ain’t trippin on you, I respect the process/Me and you against the world it ain’t a contest.”

Additionally, he talks about not letting her loose. When she’s mad at him for ignoring her calls, Moses only keeps trying to win over her heart. 

“When you call me, I be grinnin/When you ignore me, I feel that tension.”

He promises that once everything settles, he’s going to give her the world and then some. 

The R&B offering carries a somber tone which eventually builds up to a steady rhythm. The producer also adds in nice vocals from an anonymous singer and piano loops. 

Moving forward, expect Moses The Raven to drop a music video for the song “Okay” off the album. After that, he’s getting started on the next project, coming out in 2022 called I’m Gonna Kill Moses If It’s The Last Thing I Do. He lists Spike Lee as an inspiration for this project.

“I been working on it since 2017 alongside Vibestrong and Gxrl, and it’ll be my most ambitious undertaking to date once it drops. I’m going all out for that one. Heavily conceptual.”

Listen to Gxrl by Moses The Raven below: