Artist biography of Ray Real.

1. Following the release of his first self-produced album, titled Gemini, on May 28, 2022,
Ray Real is only just beginning to show what Real music is. Gemini, which features a
track list of 14 songs, also contained a re-release version of Ray Real’s most notorious
song, Bliss, which has received over 15,000 streams on the Spotify platform since its
original release in May of 2021. Bliss is easily recognized by the Ocean eyes sample
licensed by Billie Eilish, which counterbalances Ray’s rhythmic rap style.
Born May 29, 1985, in Aurora, Il Ray Real, whose birth name is Raymond Forbes, grew
up loving music. When asked about his earliest influence, Ray spoke of performing at
family events in a tuxedo, “I loved the movie La Bamba; my parents even got me a mic
stand and guitar for my fourth birthday.” Other influences on his musical style include
Tupac, Dr. Dre, and Nas, among many others. Having respect for all music genres, Ray
believes he has the talent and ability to blur genre lines and to fuse musical styles. After
assuming the stage name of Ray Real in 2014, he quickly began to post original content
to sites such as SoundCloud and became well known on a local level for his
performances. A unique highlight of some of his tracks is the inclusion of female vocalist
Alicyn Nichole, his niece, further proving the inborn talent of the family.
While May 28, 2022, marked the release of his first self-produced album, Ray Real’s
talent has been refined for many years.