Caleb “C-Mo” Morris isa poet/songwriter from Lacey, Washington.
Seattle Refined: How long have you been writing/performing?
Morris: I have been writing poetry since about 2020 and writing music since 2022. The first time I performed music publicly was this year at Rhythms Coffee in Olympia around May 2024. It was a rap I did with my friends for one of their birthdays! For performing music, I’d say April 2024 was my first time!
Tell us about the artistic process and the different stages that work into it.
My artistic process in writing music usually starts with listening to a beat or another complete song. Depending on what I’m listening to, I’ll draw inspiration from the beat or the artist. From here, I’ll write whatever is on my heart. Sometimes, I go into a song with certain ideas or themes I want to present; otherwise, I’ll see where the pen takes me.
Where does your inspiration come from? What artists have influenced you?
Many things inspire me. Sometimes, I’ll hear a word, phrase or idea and decide to write about that. Regarding rapping, I’m inspired by many older hip-hop legends like 2pac, Nas, Biggie, Big L, 50 Cent, Nate Dogg and Immortal Technique. I also have newer artists who inspire me to create, such as Kendrick, J. Cole, Malz Monday and Joey Bada$$ to name a few. When it comes to music, I want to venture beyond boundaries and genres. With that being said, I can’t allow myself to be limited by who inspires me.
What kind of genre is your music? What types of things do you write about?
I’m not very knowledgeable about genres, and that’s doubled when talking about sub-genres.
My first track, “Sunshine” is an English rap song about the sunshine, weather, good vibes and rainy weather (which is about mental health, too).
My second track, “Quédate Aquí,” is a Spanish love song that starts out singing and switches to rapping after the intro. When I was in Mexico, I showed my song to someone, and they told me the genre was “banda,” but I’m not sure what that means
The kinds of things I write about have to do with love, improving ourselves and those around us, good vibes/positive energy, the things I feel are wrong with the world, and, in general, songs that I feel will help others.
Do you have one song that means more to you or is extremely special to you?
I haven’t released it yet, and I’m not sure when I will, but I have a spoken word EP (you’re the first to hear about it). The EP contains a track titled “Everywhere I Go.” This track is about my father, who passed a few years ago, and how he influenced my life and who I turned out to be, even after he was gone.
What experiences in your life have shaped your music?
I grew up listening to a lot of older rap/hip-hop and lyrical/conscious rap. I imagine that’s what drew me into poetry and, eventually, rapping and music as a whole. It’s interesting, however, because a lot of people who were rapping talked about their stories of navigating poverty, committing crime to survive, and experiencing violence at every turn.
I think when you consume a lot of something it’s easy to glorify that. But realistically, I’m from the suburbs; I don’t have any of those experiences to relate to. So, while I appreciate the culture of it, I believe I can remix these types of songs to create music that is uplifting and more relative to who I am.
If we want to hear more of your work, where should we go to find it? What about upcoming shows?
Anything relative to my music can be found on my website’s music page! As for the show, I don’t expect to be playing any shows yet besides the open mics I host.
What is next for you? Anything you’re working on right now that you’re excited about?
I mentioned it earlier, but the Spanish song I’m working on, “Quédate Aquí,” is available as of Sept. 13. It’s completely in Spanish, and the vibe has a sad intro (which is part of the beauty of it), while the rest of the song is intended for dancing!
Lastly, how do you take your coffee? We ask everyone!
This is a funny one because I’m always at my local cafe, and even they know — I don’t drink coffee. I try to stick to tea with honey and lemon because it’s better for your voice, but most days, I wake up to water.
About ‘Artist of the Week’: This city is packed with artists we love to feature weekly on Seattle Refined! If you have a local artist in mind that you would like to see featured, let us know at hello@seattlerefined.com. And if you’re wondering just what constitutes art, that’s the beauty of it; it’s up to you! See all of our past Artists of the Week in our dedicated section.
