# Ray J
**Ray J** (born William Ray Norwood, Jr., 1981, in [McComb, Mississippi](https://www.edgepedia.org/mccomb-mississippi)) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, actor, and entrepreneur, and the younger brother of the singer Brandy. He moved with his family to [Carson, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/carson-california) as a toddler, began auditioning for commercials at age eight, and parlayed early television work into a music career at 14, signing with Elektra in 1995.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ray-j-mn0000405142/biography) His best-known songs include "One Wish," "Sexy Can I," and "Wait a Minute," and he later became a fixture of reality television and a consumer-electronics entrepreneur through the Raycon brand.[2](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/ray-j/633751) • [3](https://venturebeat.com/technology/how-ray-j-made-the-leap-from-show-business-to-consumer-electronics)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1981, McComb, Mississippi; legal name William Ray Norwood Jr.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ray-j-mn0000405142/biography) • [4](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/9a07de5c-37e5-4907-ac77-ba9674a9bd6a) |
| Genre | R&B, contemporary R&B[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ray-j-mn0000405142/biography) |
| Studio albums | Everything You Want (1997), This Ain't a Game (2001), Raydiation (2005), All I Feel (2008), Raydemption (2022)[4](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/9a07de5c-37e5-4907-ac77-ba9674a9bd6a) |
| Chart peak | All I Feel (2008) topped the Billboard Independent and R&B charts[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ray-j-mn0000405142/biography) |
| Reality TV | For the Love of Ray J, a VH1 dating series, 2009, with a soundtrack album the same year[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ray-j-mn0000405142/biography) |
| Business | Founded Raytroniks; Scoot-E-Bike shipped 2016; $31 million distribution deal with Cowboy Wholesale; combined company Raycon Global, with Ray J as chief strategy officer[3](https://venturebeat.com/technology/how-ray-j-made-the-leap-from-show-business-to-consumer-electronics) |
| Family | Younger brother of singer Brandy; first cousin of rapper Snoop Dogg, according to Snoop Dogg[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ray-j-mn0000405142/biography) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005043/bio/) |
## Early acting and first records
Ray J caught the eye of the comedian Sinbad, who was casting children for The Sinbad Show, and played Sinbad's foster son; the show was canceled in 1993. He then took minor film roles in Steel and Mars Attacks!.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ray-j-mn0000405142/biography) Inspired by his sister Brandy's early success, he signed with Elektra in 1995 and recorded his debut, Everything You Want, released in 1997 with a set of established songwriters and producers behind him. Despite a television special with his sister in 1997, Elektra dropped him soon afterward.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ray-j-mn0000405142/biography)
His debut single, "Let It Go," also appeared on the soundtrack to the film Set It Off, and he recorded a duet with Brandy on the [Phil Collins](https://www.edgepedia.org/phil-collins) song "Another Day in Paradise" that was a top 10 hit in the United Kingdom and other countries.[6](https://urbanbridgez.com/2009/11/09/exclusive-ray-j-speaks-to-urbanbridgezcom/)
## Chart career
**Second album.** This Ain't a Game (2001), released on Atlantic, his sister's label, returned him to the charts with the single "Wait a Minute" featuring [Lil' Kim](https://www.edgepedia.org/lil-kim).[6](https://urbanbridgez.com/2009/11/09/exclusive-ray-j-speaks-to-urbanbridgezcom/) • [4](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/9a07de5c-37e5-4907-ac77-ba9674a9bd6a) In a 2023 interview, Ray J said music was never part of his original plan and that he struggled to define himself next to his sister's fame; with help from producers including [Pharrell Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/pharrell-williams), Rodney Jerkins, and LaShawn Daniels, he said he was inspired to make music his own way, resulting in "Wait a Minute."[7](https://www.revolt.tv/article/2023-04-04/292325/ray-j-is-a-firm-believer-that-there-are-many-paths-to-success)
**Independent years.** Ray J has said he always ran his own label, Knockout Entertainment, investing in his own marketing and radio promotion and spending eight months to a year developing a single. By 2009, an interview described him as the top independent recording artist in music, with two hit projects totaling 4 million copies sold under his own label.[6](https://urbanbridgez.com/2009/11/09/exclusive-ray-j-speaks-to-urbanbridgezcom/) • [3](https://venturebeat.com/technology/how-ray-j-made-the-leap-from-show-business-to-consumer-electronics) His fourth album, All I Feel (2008), released through eOne Music, debuted at number one on the Billboard R&B Album Chart and topped the Billboard Independent and R&B charts, and it contained the hit "Sexy Can I" featuring Yung Berg.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ray-j-mn0000405142/biography) • [6](https://urbanbridgez.com/2009/11/09/exclusive-ray-j-speaks-to-urbanbridgezcom/) • [2](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/ray-j/633751)
Later releases include Raydiation (2005), which contains "One Wish" and "Melody"; the 2013 single "I Hit It First"; and Raydemption, which AllMusic dates to 2019 after what it calls a decade-long hiatus, while [MusicBrainz](https://www.edgepedia.org/musicbrainz) lists the album as 2022.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ray-j-mn0000405142/biography) • [4](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/9a07de5c-37e5-4907-ac77-ba9674a9bd6a) • [2](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/ray-j/633751)
## Television
Ray J starred in his own VH1 dating series, For the Love of Ray J, in 2009, which spawned a soundtrack album that year; he also appeared with Brandy in the family reality series that produced the 2011 album A Family Business.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ray-j-mn0000405142/biography) • [4](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/9a07de5c-37e5-4907-ac77-ba9674a9bd6a) He competed on [Celebrity Big Brother](https://www.edgepedia.org/celebrity-big-brother).[8](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/ray-j-says-his-heart-is-failing-his-time-is-limited-heartwrenching-post)
## Business ventures
Ray J entered consumer electronics through Raytroniks, shipping the Scoot-E-Bike electric bike in 2016 with promotional help from [Snoop Dogg](https://www.edgepedia.org/snoop-dogg), Brandy, and the basketball player [Stephen Curry](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-curry). He then cut a $31 million distribution deal with Cowboy Wholesale, a New York-based consumer electronics distributor, and the combined company, Raycon Global, expanded into [Bluetooth](https://www.edgepedia.org/bluetooth) audio devices, smart watches, and drones, with Ray J as chief strategy officer and Ray Lee running other parts of the business. The wireless audio company Raycon counts both Rays as co-founders.[3](https://venturebeat.com/technology/how-ray-j-made-the-leap-from-show-business-to-consumer-electronics) • [9](https://irvineweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/31921-irvine-weekly-small-for-web-370179.pdf) He has attributed his business approach to his independent music career, where he learned to invest in himself and wait for a project to succeed.[3](https://venturebeat.com/technology/how-ray-j-made-the-leap-from-show-business-to-consumer-electronics)
## Public profile and health
Ray J dated [Kim Kardashian](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-kardashian) from 2003 to 2006, and a sex tape the two made was released in 2007; he has since been involved in a legal dispute with Kardashian over it.[10](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2026/01/29/ray-j-expareja-de-kim-kardashian-levanta-las-alarmas-por-su-estado-de-salud-2027-es-mi-fin-cadena-ser/) • [8](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/ray-j-says-his-heart-is-failing-his-time-is-limited-heartwrenching-post) In January 2026, after a hospitalization for pneumonia, he said in Instagram videos that the right side of his heart was "black" and "done" and that "2027 is definitely a wrap for me," attributing the damage to heavy alcohol and drug use, and he said his sister Brandy had paid his bills for the rest of the year.[11](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2026-01-28/ray-j-heart-damage-2027-death-burn-dont-bury) • [8](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/ray-j-says-his-heart-is-failing-his-time-is-limited-heartwrenching-post) In late 2025 he was arrested on Thanksgiving Day after a livestreamed dispute in which he was shown pulling a gun on his wife, Princess Love, and was released the same day.[12](https://www.cinemablend.com/streaming-news/ray-j-hitchhiking-after-thanksgiving-day-arrest) In October 2026 he was hospitalized again after a medical emergency during his "Rayhab" livestream.[13](https://www.tmz.com/people/ray-j/)
## References
1. [Ray J Biography by Bradley Torreano, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ray-j-mn0000405142/biography)
2. [Ray J, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/ray-j/633751)
3. [How Ray J made the leap from show business to consumer electronics, VentureBeat (Dean Takahashi, August 11, 2018)](https://venturebeat.com/technology/how-ray-j-made-the-leap-from-show-business-to-consumer-electronics)
4. [Ray J, MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/9a07de5c-37e5-4907-ac77-ba9674a9bd6a)
5. [Ray J Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005043/bio/)
6. [Exclusive: Ray J Speaks to UrbanBridgez.com, November 9, 2009](https://urbanbridgez.com/2009/11/09/exclusive-ray-j-speaks-to-urbanbridgezcom/)
7. [Ray J is a firm believer that there are many paths to success, Revolt (April 4, 2023)](https://www.revolt.tv/article/2023-04-04/292325/ray-j-is-a-firm-believer-that-there-are-many-paths-to-success)
8. [Ray J Says His Heart Is Failing And His Time Is Limited In Heartwrenching Post, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/ray-j-says-his-heart-is-failing-his-time-is-limited-heartwrenching-post)
9. [Ray J interview, The More Hustle podcast, Irvine Weekly](https://irvineweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/31921-irvine-weekly-small-for-web-370179.pdf)
10. [Ray J, expareja de Kim Kardashian, levanta alarmas por su estado de salud, Cadena SER (January 29, 2026)](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2026/01/29/ray-j-expareja-de-kim-kardashian-levanta-las-alarmas-por-su-estado-de-salud-2027-es-mi-fin-cadena-ser/)
11. [Ray J says doctors have given him only until 2027 to live, Los Angeles Times (January 28, 2026)](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2026-01-28/ray-j-heart-damage-2027-death-burn-dont-bury)
12. [Ray J Opens Up About Hitchhiking Following His Thanksgiving Day Arrest, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/streaming-news/ray-j-hitchhiking-after-thanksgiving-day-arrest)
13. [Ray J: News and Updates, TMZ](https://www.tmz.com/people/ray-j/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Pop and R&B singer-songwriters › R&B singers, 1990s and 2000s › R&B singers of the 2000s › Surnames A to L*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license