When a rapper suddenly transitions to indie/alternative rock for a single song, you know it’s because they either lost a bet, or they have something inside they need to express in a different way. Listening to Bay Area rapper Morsifire’s acoustic ballad “I Can’t Stay” and the apologetic regret and yearning that outpour from it, I don’t think he lost a bet.
On the contrary, Morsifire picked up his late father’s old acoustic guitar and channeled his creativity into a different, more emotionally charged form. “I Can’t Stay” sounds as if it’s made by someone who’s been doing alternative rock their whole life, with verses that gently trickle out of him and his guitar, culminating in a powerful, swelling chorus that carries alternative rock’s signature mark.
There are some haunting, melodic sound effects that gently reverberate in the background throughout the verses and color the song with extra emotion and nuance.
“I Can’t Stay” goes to show that when music streams from a place of soul, talent, and authenticity, the limits of genres completely dissolve.
