(August 9, 2024) - Today, Top Dawg Entertainment’s MC to watch, Ray Vaughn, follows up his July release of “Supposed to Die “with the lyrically nimble “Ray Wop.” Recorded at TDE Studios in LA, the record is produced by Wallis Lane (Chris Brown, PARTYNEXTDOOR) and TAKA (Denzel Curry, Cashmere Cat). You can listen to the wordsmith’s new single “Ray Wop” via TDE HERE: https://rayvaughn.lnk.to/raywop
The new single reverberates a bold west coast swag, with effortless delivery from Vaughn. Its catchy hook, "Can't Stop, Won’t Stop!” emits a bold west coast pilfery of a once east-coast owned anthem.
The kinetic and melodic release is accompanied by an official video, directed by Carlos Acosta and Gerald Hatch. The visual finds Ray commanding the vibe at his LA BBQ, complete with water guns, fresh J’s and more, while he lays out his pen:
“I’m a dark-skin, poster child, screensaver, wheat chaser
Think you burnt out? I’m the cremator.”
Ray has been on a heat streak since his Pusha T-assisted February palette cleanser, “Problems,” with recent tracks, from “Blasphemy,“ to “Supposed to Die” to “Black Jesus.” With each release, Vaughn further expands and highlights his versatility, his piercing pen for building a hook across immersive hard-hitting productions, and a true understanding of whom he’s speaking to with each bar. “Ray Wop” clocks in as the latest entry in Ray’s swaggering 2024 run, with a heavy beat that would ring off in any club or car, the track is destined to give the summer an extended stay.
Earlier this year he performed on Isaiah Rashad’s 10-year anniversary tour for Cilvia Demo. and throughout dropped a continuous onslaught of lyricism and content through his channels, revving his audiences up for each official release.
Stay tuned for more from Ray Vaughn coming soon and check out his full bio below.
ABOUT RAY VAUGHN
Ray Vaughn raps like he knows he’s nice. With some rappers, you can hear the attention and intention in every finely polished line—this is no criticism, but you feel the effort. Other MCs, you can tell when they punched-in, how the song was assembled in a leisurely piecemeal fashion. And still others sound effortless, their intelligence and wit on full display without showing signs of strain (maybe a little ego but hey, it’s warranted), writing verses and songs that sound like they arrived fully formed (even if this wasn’t really the case). Ray is that third, rare type of rapper.
He’d had some success ghostwriting over the years, but as far as getting signed himself, it was a series of false starts. And then, through the network of LA rappers he was connected to, he got a phone call that changed his life. The voice on the other end of the line announced himself as Top, of TDE, and the rest is history in the making. Ray brought more than five demos and older tracks, and after around 20 songs, Top had heard enough. It was 2020 and Ray Vaughn became the newest member of TDE. Over the next year, the fabled TDE boot camp pushed him to grow as performer and songwriter; to think about hooks and song structure, not just bars. The result was Ray’s 2021 EP Peer Pressure, a tightly constructed three-track project with big trap drums, jagged piano loops, and ferocious, darkly funny wordplay. (“Shit, my pops’ name Ricky, he gon' die runnin,” he raps about his absent father on the opening song, “Not Allowed.”)
Over the next three years, Ray put out loosies at a sprinter’s pace, connecting with his labelmates Isaiah Rashad (the children’s-rhyme-flipping “Dawg House”) and Ab-Soul (the triumphant “Sandcastles”), and releasing blistering solo tracks like 2022’s “Mannequin.” The latter remains one of his proudest moments, the song where he could tell he’d applied Top’s lessons and accessed a different level of artistry. More than the millions of streams it garnered, “Mannequin” felt crucial to building his identity as a rapper. The hook is memorable, full of clever lines that nevertheless get embedded in your head off one listen, and the verses are populated with intriguing contradictions, snapshots of life in LA, and pop-culture references to Marlon Wayans, Lionsgate, and more.
Recently, Ray has begun work on his still untitled debut album, with the first single “Problems,” featuring Pusha T, setting the stage. Sometimes he puts pen to paper and constructs a verse, sometimes he catches a vibe in the booth and the verse appears—on “Problems,” Ray was messing around in the studio and the opening line, “Let 'em light up a square, Billy Jean in the air,” spilled out. He didn’t look back. Produced by Rayo and Wizzle, “Problems” has a mournful, unbusy beat that allows each of Ray’s lines to pop like grease. Then Pusha enters, flexing about his relationship with Top and offering Ray advice on how to navigate the cutthroat dynamics of the industry. It’s simultaneously a master class in craftsmanship and the bestowal of an important co-sign. He’s already on the greatest contemporary label in hip-hop, and now one of the most respected MCs of the 21st century is announcing, proudly, that he’s in Ray’s corner too.
“Blasphemy” is the latest entry in Ray’s swaggering 2024 run. With a heavy beat that would ring off in any club or car, “Blasphemy” is destined to give the summer a new motto. “Fuck up the forecast,” Ray’s voice booms, another line that will surely become embedded in the mind of everyone who hears it.
Ray has observed today’s transitional moment in the rap game—the genre needs reinvigorating. There’s plenty of room for a talented upstart to carve out their lane and compete for the throne. He’s up to the task.
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