Rashad Morgan
Rashad Morgan
Rashad Morgan aka Ray Ray is a Detroit-based singer/songwriter and producer who is signed to T.I.'s Grand Hustle Records. He first gained notoriety in 2006 with the single "Tell Em What They Wanna Hear" off his debut album People Call Me Ray Ray.[1]
Early Life
Rashad Morgan was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. He started singing at an early age and he grew up falling in love with Motown sound when he was in Elementary School. There was a time he came first in one of the Elementary School Talent Shows after performing the Motown songbook. Singing prompted him to join the church choir which was very active and would leave its west-side base for public performances downtown.
He got discovered by Michael Bivins, former New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoe member, at one of Rashad performances. Michael Bivins launched his label signing Rashad alongside some other teenagers. At the age of fourteen, Rashad mads his debut as Ray Ray on the 1999 album Michael Bivins Presents the Adventures of the Biv 10 Pee-Wee All-Stars, but this thrown-together group of preteen singers and rappers failed to sell and dissolved a year later.
Rashad finished high school and went on to study music at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, MO. It was there he was granted access to a recording studio. Fascinated by the process of recording and producing music, Rashad spent most of his time in the studio and barely any in class. His grades proved it and a year later he was back in Detroit. [18][1]
Career
From 2003 to 2005 he worked on a bunch of projects including a gig with the Big Ticket Music Group, owned by Atlanta Falcons running back Warrick Dunn. While most of these projects ended up being nothing more than learning experiences, a relationship with Detroit production duo Sicknotes became much more. They introduced Rashad to new management and released his independent album People Call Me Ray Ray in September of 2005. A copy landed in the hands of Grand Hustle Entertainment -- home to Southern rap stars T.I. and Young Dro -- and soon Rashad was in Atlanta, writing and recording his Grand Hustle/Atlantic Records debut. The first single, the smooth "Tell 'Em What They Wanna Hear," became a huge hit on Detroit radio when it was released in May of 2006.[21]