It common practice for rappers to sensationalize their life to draw in fans, hell Ice Cube didn’t have a ’64 Impala when he wrote Boyz-N-the Hood, but the ones who keep it brutally honest are few and far between. For Ray Reed there really is no other choice because he chose rap to talk about the good and the bad. So when fans hear his latest mixtape the Uberman he isn’t trying to make a slick ploy or double entendre, he really drives an Uber or in his words “get it by any means.”
That’s actually how he met the DJ Bandz, Lil Durk‘s DJ, when he got a call to give him a ride. Taking the most of the opportunity he played a few tracks for him and Bandz was actually feeling it. There are those who would shy away from sharing that information but Reed’s down to earth personality relishes the practicality and lives with his heart on his sleeve.
Reed energy is magnetic. His stage show is electric and his music will make you jump around your house like a one man mosh pit. He is definitely on the rise and we caught up with him to learn more about his influences and what is next for him in his career.
This is Ontoneyo with The Source, I’m here with Ray Reed, who’s obviously on the rise, killing it. You have a new mixtape called Uberman. Tell us about who it’s with, who mixed it, where the idea came from?
Yeah, Uberman, it was my idea, ’cause I Uber, first off. That’s the first thing, you know, get it by any means, ya know? And I just thought about you know I do music about my life, first and foremost and just keepin it real. It’s real street but on top of that it follows what’s going on in music and still allows me to do me. The DJ that’s posting it is Dj Bandz, he’s with OTS, the official Lil Dirks DJ from Chicago, and we just went ChiRaq to Denver
That’s what’s up, how did you hook up with DJ Bandz?
I got called and a couple of my guys call me for personal Uber. I got a call from my guy Baby Sean and he told me that Lil Dirk and DJ Bandz needed an Uber. I was Ubering DJ Bandz to the airport and I played him a few records, he told me it was pretty dope and that’s really where it went off with the relationship. That’s where it started.
There are a lot of artists right now who will sensationalize what’s going on in their life, but this is actually the opposite end of the spectrum, where it’s like Nah, this is being practical. How do you deal with that, knowing that people are doing the opposite and able to just do your thing and feel confident about it?
I mean like, for me, I just know, like, I just know where keeping it real got me, you know what I’m saying and it was like…OK let me think of what the word is…like if Tupac kept it real, why can’t I keep it real and still stay on path with music? Do you know what I mean because you got these old cats that come in the game and they try to take time off but you can’t take time off of music. It’s just like if you want to work out–a whole month– and then take a month off you’re not going to ever be back to where you were. So I just kind of figured if Tupac and a lot of my favorite rappers keep it real, and that’s where they got them, so why can’t I tell my story and get the same publicity or the same money or the same cars and cribs? You know what I mean?
Yeah that’s dope. That’s a refreshing angle. How long have you been rapping?
I’ve been rapping for probably six or seven years, as far as taking it seriously, and REALLY rapping, like actually investing my money and time into it, about five years. Five full years.
So this was after high school?
It was like, probably a year after I got out of high school when I figured that’s what I was gon’ do. I caught a case. I went to jail for a whole month. Not like a month is a long time, but it is when you’re just pending something, you know you don’t know what the hell’s gonna happen but I sat in jail a whole month and I wrote my first project. It was five years ago…I wrote 14 songs. That’s when I knew I was gonna take it serious.
That’s what’s up. Ok so that’s when you knew it was more than just a hobby?
Yeah pretty much… pretty much it was just like either go hard or go home. Like, there’s a chance I might have two or three felonies after this. I might not be able to work, you know, might not be allowed on sports teams. I was just like, “I gotta go for it,” you know what I mean? I’m positive, so I can speak to the positivity and the negativity of my life. You what I’m saying?
You said a little bit earlier about Tupac and other rappers that you dig, what music are you influenced by or have you been influenced by, as a kid, that really drew you in?
I mean as a kid I grew up listening to Lil Wayne you know The Hot Boys, Juvenile and I always knew that my life would kind a revolve around that same positivity/negativity. As the years went on, I was still obviously a Lil Wayne fan. Lil Wayne is my favorite artist of all time, he kind a strayed off into, you know, he just wanna “punch line” you know what I mean? But I guess the more money you get, that’s how your music changes you as well. So now, like, I bump Kendrick Lamar the most, that’s my favorite rapper right now–besides myself–and I bump J Cole and then I bump Drake.
What’s some advice that someone gave you, that’s really stuck with you or that you just remember?
That’s a whole lot but, The realist advice that I’ve heard and that I feel like it connected with me…Always follow your mind, like follow your heart. My mom told me that.
So recently, obviously Trev Rich got signed to Cash Money…did that motivate you to go even harder now, knowing that people are looking?
Man Trev Rich is my guy, first and foremost, shoutout Trev Cash Money Squizzy Gang, that’s my guy and I’ve known Trev, probably before almost everyone that actually knows Trev now so shoutout him. Trev, we grew up together. Hearing he signed to Cash Money, man that sh*t was the Biggest motivation I’ve had besides my family and my daughter and stuff. I sent him a message like, “I ain’t gonna call you, ’cause I already know everybody’s on your phone, but you know I’m f*c*ing coming.” I told him, “I’m coming.” After that, I dropped like five videos freestyling. Within the same two week radius, I dropped about five freestyle videos. My project just came out today, you know what I mean? It was just like, alright, it’s go time. Then I met DJ Bandz. S*it’s just been happening. That was one of my biggest motivations. Click the HERE for his latest mixtape.
