Ray J
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2008-07-12T23:50:04Z
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{{Infobox musical artist
|Name = Ray J
| Image = [[Image:Replace this image male.svg|150px]] <!-- Only freely-licensed images may be used to depict living people. See [[WP:NONFREE]]. --> |
|Birth_name = William Ray Norwood, Jr.
|Born = {{birth date and age|1981|1|17}}<br>[[McComb, Mississippi|McComb]], [[Mississippi]], [[United States]]
|Background = solo_singer
|Origin = [[Carson, California|Carson]], [[California]], [[United States]]
|Genre = [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]], [[Hip Hop music|hip hop]]
|Occupation = [[Singer]], [[Actor]], [[Rapper]], [[Record producer]]
|Years_active = 1997- present
|Associated_acts = [[Brandy (entertainer)|Brandy]], [[Willie Norwood]], [[Rodney Jerkins]], [[Whitney Houston]], [[Kim Kardashian]], [[The Neptunes]], [[Snoop Dogg]], [[Shorty Mack]], [[B2K]], [[Yung Berg]], [[Lil' Kim]]
|Label = [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]] <small>(1994–2002)</small> <br> [[Knockout Entertainment|Knockout]]/Deja 34 <small>(2005–present)</small>
|URL = [http://www.rayj.com RayJ.com]
}}
'''William Ray Norwood, Jr.''' (born [[January 17]], [[1981]]), better known by his [[stage name]] '''Ray J''', is an [[United states|American]] [[actor]], [[songwriter]], [[record producer]], [[singer]] and occasional [[rapper]]. He is the son of [[gospel music|gospel]] singer [[Willie Norwood]] and the younger brother of R&B singer [[Brandy (entertainer)|Brandy]], and is known for appearing in a [[celebrity sex tape|sex tape]] with [[Kim Kardashian]]. He has gone on record (the ''[[Tyra Banks Show]]'') stating he did not ever have the tape; Kardashian had the tape and somehow, it was stolen and 'leaked' onto the internet.
==Early life==
Ray J was born in [[McComb, Mississippi]]. He is the younger of two siblings born to [[Willie Norwood]], a former [[R&B]] singer and choir director, and [[Sonja Bates-Norwood]], a former district manager for [[H&R Block]].
== Career ==
===1995 - 1999: Early commercial career ===
He was signed with [[Elektra Records|Elektra]] in 1995 by Darryl Williams. In 1997, he performed in a television special with his sister, but despite the mainstream attention, he was dropped by Elektra soon after. His easygoing image and boyish looks appealed to the producers of Brandy's television show, ''[[Moesha]]'', scoring him a role on the popular [[UPN]] series starting in 1999. He also started producing, putting together the music for several commercials and a few of the demos for his second record. In 1997 he also released his debut album ''[[Everything You Want (Ray J song)|Everything You Want]]'', recorded the year before, which spawned two singles. "[[Let It Go (Ray J song)|Let It Go]]" was the lead single of the smash soundtrack for ''[[Set It Off]]'' ([[Brandy Norwood|Brandy]] also appeared on the soundtrack; and her song "[[Missing You (1996 song)|Missing You]]" with [[Tamia]], [[Chaka Khan]] and [[Gladys 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 the [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|U.S. R&B]] chart.
===2000 - 2004: Return to music===
After appearing on the last episode of ''Moesha'' in 2001, Norwood stepped back into the studio and recorded "[[Another Day In Paradise#Brandy & Ray J cover|Another Day In Paradise]]" with [[Brandy Norwood|Brandy]], which was a Top Ten success in [[Austria]], [[UK]], [[Germany]], [[Sweden]], [[Switzerland]], [[Belgium]], [[Norway]], [[Ireland]], [[Netherlands|the Netherlands]] and number 11 in [[Australia]] and [[France]]. The song was the lead single of the R&B/Hip Hop tribute ''[[Urban Renewal (album)|Urban Renewal]]'', in which he co-produced and performed songs. Norwood also worked with [[The Neptunes]], [[Rodney Jerkins]] and [[Lil' Kim]], and several other hitmaking producers and singers for his second studio album [[This Ain't A Game]], a [[Hip Hop]]-oriented record that featured more of his rapping than his debut. The album was released in 2001, but despite a strong promotional push from new label [[Atlantic Records]], it wasn't a breakthrough success. The lead single "[[Wait a Minute (Ray J song)|Wait A Minute]]" charted in the lower half of the charts in [[Germany]], [[Switzerland]], the [[Netherlands]] and [[Great Britain]]. The second single did even worse peaking on the [[R&B]]/[[Hip-Hop]] chart only.
In 2002 he appeared in the video for his sister's smash-hit "[[What About Us]]", which was produced by Jerkins, and was released as her third album, [[Full Moon (album)|''Full Moon'']]'s lead single during the first quarter of 2002 (see [[2002 in music]]). While "What About Us?" entered the [[Top 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]].
===2005 - present: New Image===
After a two year break, Norwood returned to recording studios, adding the finishing touches on his third studio album ''[[Raydiation]]'' with help from producers such as [[Rodney Jerkins]], [[Timbaland]], and [[R. Kelly]]. A joint venture by [[Sanctuary Records]] and Ray-J's own label, independent [[Knockout Entertainment]], the album was finally released on [[September 27]], [[2005]] in [[North America]] after several delays, debuting at number forty-eight on the ''[[Billboard]]'' 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.<ref name="one">{{cite web|title="R&B Singer gay J Readies 2008 Release of ''All I Feel''"|workl=Singersroom|url=http://www.singersroom.com/news/entertainment-story-1329.asp| accessdate=2008-01-09}}</ref>
In 2005, Norwood joined the cast of [[UPN]]'s ''[[One on One (TV series)|One On One]]'',<ref>{{cite web| title=UPN Adds Five Fresh New Faces To Ensemble Comedy "One On One" This Fall| url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20050809upn01| accessdate=2007-03-10}}</ref> where he played the character of D-Mack for the final season.
In 2007, he was seen in videos such as [[Fabolous]]' "[[Make Me Better]]", [[Tyrese]]' "One", [[US5]]'s "[[In the Club (US5 song)|In the Club]]" and [[Yung Berg]]'s "[[Sexy Lady (Yung Berg song)|Sexy Lady]]". He also was featured on the single "Beds" by [[B2K]]-rapper [[Lil' Fizz]] as well as [[Tha Realest]]'s second single "Peep'n Game", taken from his debut album ''Witness tha Realest.''
More recently, [[Knockout Entertainment]] announced a multi-million dollar album deal with [[Koch Records]] and [[Shaquille O'Neal]]’s "Deja 34" entertainment company.<ref name="one"/> The first album for this deal is Norwood's upcoming fourth album ''All I Feel'', which features[[The Game (rapper)|The Game]], and remixes with [[Manny and Gil (MP Productions)]] among others. It is scheduled for an [[April 2008]] release.<ref>[http://www.hhworlds.com/f11/12-12-07-ray-j-signs-w-koch-taps-snoop-game-lil-wayne-new-lp-9896.html ''HHWorlds.com'' - Ray J Signs W/Koch Taps Snoop, Game, & Lil Wayne Fore New LP (December 12, 2007)]</ref> The album's first single is "[[Sexy Can I]]" featuring rapper [[Yung Berg]], it is currently holding the number six spot on the Top Singles (Hot 100) for six weeks. A video for the track, directed by R. Malcolm Jones, was shot in [[December 2007]].<ref name="one"/>
==Discography==
{{Main|Ray J discography}}
===Albums===
*[[1997]]: ''[[Everything You Want (Ray J album)|Everything You Want]]''
*[[2001]]: ''[[This Ain't a Game]]''
*[[2005]]: ''[[Raydiation]]''
*[[2008]]: ''[[All I Feel]]''
==Filmography==
===Film===
* ''[[Mars Attacks!]]'' (1996)
* ''[[Steel (film)|Steel]]'' (1997)
* ''Christmas at Water's Edge'' (2004)
===Television===
* ''[[The Sinbad Show]]''
* ''[[Moesha]]''
* ''[[One on One (TV series)|One on One]]''
* ''[[Black Sash (TV series)|Black Sash]]''
* ''BET.com Countdown''
* ''[[All That]] guest singer
==See also==
* [[Michael Copon]]
* [[Kim Kardashian]]
* ''[[Moesha]]''
* ''[[One on One (TV series)|One on One]]''
* ''[[The Sinbad Show]]''
* ''[[The Tyra Banks Show]]''
== References ==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*{{imdb name|id=0005043|name=Ray J}}
*[http://www.myspace.com/rayj Ray J] at [[MySpace]]
*[http://en.rodovid.org/wk/Person:127335 Family tree]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ray J}}
[[Category:1981 births]]
[[Category:African American musicians]]
[[Category:American male singers]]
[[Category:American members of the Churches of Christ|Ray J]]
[[Category:American rhythm and blues singers]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Los Angeles County]]
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