
When Ray raps, you’ll want to come close and listen or you might not hear the serious stories he has in his arsenal.


He’s the whisperer in the sea of people hollering. From the Pistons halftime shows to the East Side history he shares with Peezy, Babyface Ray is becoming a star nationwide as well as in his highly reputed scene in Detroit. Ray is poised to become the number-one rapper in a region that is taking over the rap world at large.

Babyface Ray is definitely one of them,” producer Southside says. “I’ve only seen a few rappers stack up to Future. I wish that one was better).Īnd Ray got help from the production juggernauts 808s Mafia to craft the album’s sound. (Pusha T’s demonstrativeness sounds out of place on his feature. Pusha T, G Herbo, Icewear Vezzo, and 42 Dugg are on the album. The features are mostly good and don’t distract from the Ray show. The ad-libs are raps themselves, with him whispering more ominous thoughts through your headphones like an intimidating enforcer. It isn’t loud, and it makes it all the more effective. “Sincerely Face,” an early candidate for song of the year, starts with a weighty but simple declaration: “Now I can sit and tell you about the diamonds on my chest like everything was easy.” Produced by Flea, the minimal production goes well with Ray’s ability to lure you in like a sniper with guerrilla tactics. It just happened to be that.”įace finds him back in his Detroit roots. “Every record I do is whatever I go through at that time. Still, Ray swears that he doesn’t try to cater his music to anyone but himself. Unfuckwitable was weighed down by features like the mistaken Jack Harlow guest spot and the Hit-Boy-produced “Allowance,” all distractions from what Ray is best at. And while he’s a talented artist over any genre, the production style didn’t fit Ray’s style like the brooding pianos at the center of Michigan rap does. The EP seemed tailor-made for Atlanta radio and clubs - rap’s most direct pipeline to chart success. On last year’s Unfuckwitable EP, you could argue that Ray was making a savvy effort at mainstream viability. “You talking about Rick, but we need Meech home for upcoming youngsters.” Our dog was lost to the streets,” Ray explains.
BABYFACE SONGS COOL IN YOU FREE
One of his best features, and all-time-great Detroit rap songs from this era, came on 42 Dugg’s “The Streets.” Stalking his prey with his world-weariness, Ray raps: “Blowin’ through my bag in my sleep/I ain’t been home in weeks/Fuck a White Boy Rick, free Meech, tryna tell you that’s the one we need.”īy name-dropping the infamous white drug dealer turned government witness (and the inspiration for a lackluster Hollywood biopic), Ray illustrates an intimate knowledge and relation to the dynamics of street activities. Ray’s career has blossomed over the past several years thanks in part to a spree of features where his skills were undeniable. Ray’s style is different, but the same core elements of Michigan’s current generation of rappers shine through in his dark production and effortless demeanor. That, and a lot of basketball references. It wasn’t until more recently that Michigan rap became known for what we know now: sinister pianos alongside witty and crass lyrics that make you cover your mouth to muffle your laughter. Dilla’s masterful production, or Danny Brown’s drug-aided concept albums.

Once Peezy heard that, we started making music.”īefore this current era, Michigan rap was defined by the horrorcore and personal trauma of Eminem, J.
BABYFACE SONGS COOL IN YOU HOW TO
“I knew how to make progress reports on the computer. The story of how they connected is the stuff adolescent legends are made of. He started rapping around the same time, alongside fellow Detroit rapper Peezy. Started messing with females in high school.” I stayed my size in high school though, so I had to get off that. “I played football for a minute, but then I switched to basketball. I played sports growing up,” he explains. “East Side of Detroit is known for being wild, but it was cool, honestly.
