Ray J | |
|---|---|
 Norwood in 2011 | |
| Born | William Ray Norwood Jr. (1981-01-17)January 17, 1981 (age 44)[1] McComb, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Television | |
| Spouse | |
| Partner | Kim Kardashian (2002–2006) |
| Children | 2 |
| Father | Willie Norwood |
| Relatives | Brandy Norwood (sister) Snoop Dogg (cousin) Sasha Banks (cousin) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Labels | |
| Website | rayj |
William Raymond Norwood, Jr. (born January 17, 1981),[1] better known by hisstage nameRay J, is an American singer, songwriter, television personality, and actor. He is the son ofgospel singerWillie Norwood and Sonja Bates-Norwood, the cousin of rapperSnoop Dogg and the younger brother ofR&B singerBrandy.
Ray J was born William Raymond Norwood, Jr. inMcComb, Mississippi and grew up inCarson, California. At age eight, he began auditioning for and appearing in television commercials; he played the foster son inThe Sinbad Show.
Norwood was signed toElektra Records in 1995 and recorded his debut albumEverything You Want the next year. "Let It Go" appeared on theSet It Off soundtrack (Brandy also appeared on the soundtrack; and her song "Missing You" withTamia,Chaka Khan andGladys Knight peaked also at number 25). It peaked number 25 in the U.S. and number 11 in New Zealand. The second single peaked at number 54 on theU.S. R&B chart. In 1997, he performed in a television special with his sister Brandy but was dropped from the label. According to Bradley Torreano ofallmusic, "his easygoing image and boyish looks appealed to the producers of Brandy's television show,Moesha", giving him a role on theUPN series starting in 1999 as Brandy's little cousin, D-Money. He produced, putting together the music for several commercials and a few of the demos for his second record.[1]
Ray J recorded "Another Day In Paradise" withBrandy, which was a Top Ten success in Austria, UK, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, Norway, Ireland, the Netherlands and number 11 in Australia and France. The song was the lead single of the R&B/Hip Hop tributeUrban Renewal, in which he co-produced and performed songs. Norwood also worked withThe Neptunes,Rodney Jerkins andLil' Kim, and several other producers and singers for his second studio albumThis Ain't A Game. The album was released in 2001. The lead single "Wait A Minute" peaked at #30 on the U.S.Hot 100 chart and #8 on theHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. "Formal Invite" followed at #54 on the R&B chart.[2]
In 2002, Norwood appeared in the video for his sister's "What About Us", which was produced by Jerkins, and was released as her third album,Full Moon's lead single during the first quarter of 2002 (see2002 in music). While "What About Us?" entered theTop 20 on the majority of the charts it appeared on, it reached the Top 10 in Australia, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway,the Philippines, the UK, and the United States.
After a two year break, Ray J returned to recording studios, adding the finishing touches on his third studio albumRaydiation with help from producers such asRodney Jerkins,Timbaland, andR. Kelly. A joint venture bySanctuary Records and Ray-J's own label, independentKnockout Entertainment, the album was finally released on September 27, 2005 in North America after several delays, debuting at number forty-eight on theBillboard 200 chart, selling 18,321 copies in the first week. Boosted by the album's lead single "One Wish," a top 20 success in Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, the U.S..Raydiation eventually sold over 400,000 copies domestically.[3]
In 2005, Norwood joined the cast ofUPN'sOne On One,[4] where he played the character of D-Mack for the final season.
Recently,Knockout Entertainment announced a multi-million dollar album deal withKoch Records andShaquille O'Neal's "Deja 34" entertainment company.[3] The first album for this deal is Ray J's fourth albumAll I Feel, which featuresThe Game andYung Berg among others. It was released on April 1, 2008.[5] The album's first single is "Sexy Can I" featuring rapperYung Berg peaked at number three on the Top Singles (Hot 100) for six weeks. A video for the track, directed by R. Malcolm Jones, was shot in December 2007.[3]
In 2007, asex tape was released of Norwood and then-girlfriendKim Kardashian.[6]
Norwood recently starred in his ownVH1 reality dating show,For the Love of Ray J.The show premiered on February 2, 2009. For his show on March 24, 2009 he released the soundtrack/studio album calledFor The Love Of Ray J. He dated Cocktail for several months before they split, partly due to rumors of Ray J datingTila Tequila. On November 2, 2009 a second season of the show,For the Love of Ray J (season 2), premiered.