Rays mic presence makes him distinct.
His voice creeps over the drums like Olympic high jumpers over their mark.
And despite how easy it seems, his technique is a product of years of experience.
Kevin Wright*
On Count Money with Bossman Dlow, producer Rich Treeze sampled the pause music from the N64 classic 007.
Then Ray actually got Grant Kirkhope, the tracks original composer, to replay it for him.
Wavy Navy University is another notable sample moment on the project.
The track, featuring him andVeeze, was originally released unofficially with a Britney Spears Toxic sample.
The resourcefulness speaks to Rays determination and resolve to make things work.
Ray spoke toRolling StoneaboutThe Kid That Did, his Detroit rap, and Rich Pauls musical chops.
I saw you struck a deal with Wavy Gang earlier this year.
Its a struggle for someone to get a label deal.
But Ive been helping artists my whole [career].
So, then after a while they were stacking up.
You already got the beat.
Stuff like that.Related ContentEminem Wants to Help Bring a WNBA Team to DetroitDeJ Loaf Took Her Time.
That was probably mine, because I didnt even know Ye and then had did Good Fridays.
But I remember Fab doing Freestyle Friday.
It led up to the mixtape.
We used to ride to his shit.
We was in and out of town, up the highway, and that was the only tape.
We going to keep playing this, the freestyle tapes.
Thats my favorite moment from somebody doing it.
I go to the studio a lot.
[For me] its just been recording and finding the best tracks, and putting it together.
You know what Im saying?
How often would you say youre in the studio?
[In] seven days out of the week, probably four or five.
I get some free time every day because I aint got nothing else to do.
What else Im going to be doing?
Why wouldnt I be in the studio?
What do you think was behind the gap betweenThe Summers MineandThe Kid That Did?The label situation.
You have a really distinctive mic presence.
I think as I got a little bit older, I probably got a little bit more distinctive.
I [found it] probably like 2018-19, about that time.
How did having Rich Paul on The World Is Yours come about?
[A] connection from my partner, he do clothing.
[Me and Rich] connected.
When we connected, thats when he was speaking with me about music.
He was talking to me about older music that he enjoyed.
Did he write that himself?Yeah, for sure.
He got 100 of them.
He got all throw in of bars in his phones.
He wrote it on the spot.
Rich Paul was involved with Polow Da Don, and he discussed that with me.
He was just speaking to me about a bunch of stuff.
He worked at a label and all that, so we talked about all that.
He loves music for real.
you’ve got the option to tell.
How did Wavy Navy University initially come about?It was a different sampling [process].
The track came out of [us] in the studio, working.
Im glad you enjoyed that.
There was another beat that got leaked before this one.
[Britney Spears] team didnt approve it.
So, we end up sampling what she sampled, basically.
And thats how the beat end up coming about.
Whose voice is that on the front of I Need Some Motivation?Thats my homie.
I had a song called Y Not Me?
I wanted her to say something spiritual on that.
I ended up not using [Y Not Me].
I just clipped it, and I put it on [I Need Some Motivation].
How was the touring experience for you?I love touring.
Relationships, some partners just makes you delusional for them, you know, out of love.
At what point did you want to seriously pursue your rap career?2017ish.
Even when I joined the team our goal was local fame.
The cats that was out their doin their thing was already known locally.
Being one the internet care about.
I think we just be trying to put our own flare to it.
Thats all that be about.
Do you ever give producers samples that you want them to flip?For sure.
Any sample, I think the Britney sample.
The 007, that was something I sent to somebody like, Make this.
It was a TikTok where a guy was acting like he was playing.
Im like, This shit hard, and I got it redone.
The same for the One Republic.
I want to try and make feel good music, you know what Im saying?
But other than that, Ima just stick to what I know.
I find myself doing it all the time.
It always comes from influence, but when Im in there, if Im hanging with somebody too much.
you’ve got the option to just tell in the music.
Ron Artest, and Never Lose Me use the same beat.
Like, a leak.
Fans was already familiar with the song before she came out officially.
Do you feel like her song-Amplified mine?
Never Going to Lose Me was so crazy.
Have you talked to her about that?No.
I aint mad at it.
Thats the only plaque I got.
[To] take a beat that was so successful to me and you make it successful for her?
Do you have any plans to celebrate the 10th anniversary ofMIA Seasonnext year?Good idea.
Now that you say that.
That was the birth of my solo career.
So, I definitely want to celebrate that.
So, we would spend time in the studio together, molding the CD.
Sometimes itd turn into [us] in there drinking champagne, trying to put it [together].
My partners helped me put that out.
It wasnt just me.
No way you aint recording no more.
Stuff like that, so that led me into doing the solo shit.
From our beat selection and what we talk about, we didnt get the recognition that we get now.
It was a kind of thing that we felt like they wasnt fucking with us, for real.
Somebody who listen to Dugg might not know about me.
It might be leading them to something.
How does it feel to see the way Veezes ascended?That shit fire.
For him to be doing his thing and we so close how we is, its dope.
He used to always send [me] music and there wasnt no idea of putting it out.
What make you think you cant?
Not to [dismiss] nobody, but thats how hard [his] shit was to me.
Like, Them niggas going right now, you got to at least try.
So, after so long of doing it, he probably figured it out like, Fuck it.
I had a website where I was uploading music on there every Friday.
Once that grew and we seen the numbers, we shot the video.
Bro, you about to shoot the video.
And thats how it came about.
He told me he learns from you just by watching you, not necessarily through conversations.
Just like you said, its learning from watching.
The dos and even the donts.
I [wanted] them to see what its bringing to me.
You know what Im saying?
Maybe it could motivate them.
It was a point when we thought we was going to be the biggest street niggas, too.
Like, Fuck it.
We going to be the biggest street niggas that we could ever be.
Then that transitioned to music.
Bro was doing real shit.
He mightve been in jail somewhere.
Do you ever worry about the citys sound becoming over-saturated with wave riders?Eh, nah.
Some people just on that.
Me, I dont really have a go at stick to too much Detroit beats.
I venture to have a wider range, but some other artists from Detroit, thats their thing.
So, I dont think they going to let it go because thats whats working for them.
I dont worry about it being over-saturated.
Its a part of the game.
When Houston was going, everybody wanted to sound like the Houston boys.
When New Orleans was going, everybody wanted to sound like them.
When Atlanta was going…its just our time of people trying to sound like us.
And I aint knocking nobody who using it to provide for them, too.
I think thats good as well.
I dont mean any harm, its just my person and who I am.
I just be there, I dont bother nobody.
Thats one thing I speak about a lot.
I be trying to get better with it.
Like I was speaking about earlier, that dont really affect you.
You could burn yourself out doing that, too.
Being too social with other people and then its just like, you giving the sauce away.
Do you feel underrated?Underrated?
