THE REBIRTH OF RAY JR. WELCOME TO LEGIT PAPER

http://livemixtap.es/e62 

I've often heard...that 1st impressions...are lasting impressions...that's what they say. I don't agree with that tho.....I mean...I believe in second chances, and I believe...not in 1st impressions...but LASTING impressions. I'm from CLEVELAND...and it's true what you heard. "If you can make it in CLEVELAND, you can mos def make it anywhere." CLEVELAND is a city where music runs the state, where local artists are more famous than the actual Senators, and Representatives that run it. I mean it's kinda insane when most young people if asked "who is the mayor of East Cleveland?", would most likely respond "RAY JR is the MAYOR of E.C". *Hold up hold up wait a minute *Big Sean voice*, before all the old heads start jumping off the porch...it's not as if CLEVELAND rapper RAY JR., just went and self proclaimed himself the "MAYOR". This is a situation where a local artist is most deserving of the actual title. RAY JR. himself has dug deep into his pockets, and rehabilitated areas of EAST CLEVELAND that once seemed doomed, areas that kids had been prohibited to run free and play. RAY JR. himself has gone above and beyond the duty of "local rapper", and citizen. Yet talking to RAY JR. you would never know, or hear him boast or brag about his reconstructive accomplishments. He's just not that type of guy. RAY JR. is somewhat of a "superhero"...yeah...almost Clark Kent like. An intelligent, creative rapper is his cover, and underneath he is a regular human being, loves his city, loves his crew, loves his music, would sacrifice his life for his family, and loyal to his clique LEGIT PAPER. Sometimes when people become "superhuman" tho....people forget that when you take away the "super", what you have left is a "human". People begin to depend on Superhero's, and pretty soon, it's not just "people", but eventually...a whole city. "If you can make it in CLEVELAND, you can make it anywhere"...getting a record deal from a major label...coming outta CLEVELAND is almost as rare as the CLEVELAND BROWN's winning *sad face*tears, so when it does happen for an artist  like RAY JR. the whole city feels strong. Hella artists suddenly feel confidence in themselves that they never felt before. Only because they look at someone like RAY JR., a guy from EAST CLEVELAND, some would consider the "slums" of CLEVELAND, been rapping, doing shows, rocking Peabody's, AGORA, Club Earth, and basically all of the hot CLEVELAND venues for years....and suddenly...RAY JR. get's signed to a major record label, and LEGIT PAPER is finally LEGIT, and it's like for a moment it seems as tho...music out of all things...has saved the city. When people see a guy like RAY JR. make it, it kinda gives hope to other artists, and many times artists forget how long it took, and how hard RAY JR. had to grind to make it happen for himself. You gotta remember, LEGIT PAPER has been pumping out the hottest music videos, mostly if not all shot in CLEVELAND before any major label ever invested in them, you gotta remember that RAY JR. has always been bout his music. 

I mean when "Sloppy" dropped, GOOD LAWD... The whole city of CLEVELAND was body rocking!!!! Not just even the city, but the whole damn country. It had been fo-EVA since I had heard an CLEVELAND ARTIST get that much radio play. I mean for heavens sake, MGK himself hardly gets radio play in his own City, neither does CUDI, and Chip Tha Ripper...oopsy..I mean "KING CHIP"doesn't even get spins. So RAY JR., ruling the airwaves was like a total CLEVELAND MUSICAL TAKEOVER. The whole city was screaming "LEGIT PAPER in da houseeeeeeeeeeeee". You couldn't go anywhere without hearing "Sloppy", and I have been caught singing "Don't come in me dont come in meeeeeeeeee" *hehehe or seeing RAY JR. at the gas station, or club, or local high school games, or speaking at churches, solidifying music panels and even talking politics with the leaders of our city.

Most times when an artist gets signed, or moves away to another city and blows up....they may act "different", ya know...all "uppity" forgetting where they came from, no longer connecting with the fans that supported them all the time they were grinding. Most artists that blow up...let that "YEAH I MADE IT EGO" get to em....they start not caring....not giving a f*ck. I wouldn't ever say that RAY JR.  did any of those things....but I will say....that a few months ago....I saw RAY JR., and he was performing...and it wasn't the RAY JR. that had me body rockin. This RAY JR., seemed to kinda go with the motions, go with the flo....I was thinking..."damn...if I had to perform Sloppy, a million hundred friggin times, I might get bored too", but even still something seemed distant with RAY JR. In your typical people, sipping "Lic Lac", talking sh*t on a porch convo, RAY JR. who was usually the topic of discussion, was labeled... distant, not the same. I mean hell we all have bad days....but for music to be his passion, he just didn't seem that passionate. I mean most people would kill to be in his shoes...some literally...but then again...sometimes things aren't always as they seem.
So when I was blessed with an interview with RAY JR. I was super pumped!!!

Q.What is Hip-hop to you?
A. It's money, it's a way to feed my family, music with words...

Q. Do you feel pressured or obligated to speak on panels?
A. Naw...I don't ever put to much pressure on myself...I do what I can..

Q.What was your favorite video to shoot?
A. LIVIN

Q.Who is the President of LEGIT PAPER?
A. ME

Q.Wat does LEGIT PAPER mean?
A. I mean...I've grown up with all kinds of friends that have done all kinds of things, but now...it's LEGIT PAPER...ya know

Q.What was the concept behind the song "Don't Come In ME"?
A. Uhhhhhhhh....lolol...I dunno....FUN

Q. What is "LIC LAC"?
A. I mean it says it in the song....lic lac is straight liquor...lic lac...I mean..it's lic lac

Q.Who's got next out your crew?
A. EZZY...he's young and he's dope, he's on fire right now! Zoo Crew, and CHA$E always got fire!

Q.What is the difference between being independent, and a major label deal?
A. Control...and more money in a budget....

Q. What's your favorite mixtape you've done?
A. I'm From E.C

Q.What's the last book you read?
A. The BIBLE

Q.Why do you feel the need to fix up your neighborhood?
A. I mean why wouldn't I. I live here, my kids and family do too, if I can do something to make it better I'm gonna try, I'm not saying I jus got ends to blow, but I love my city...I rep E.C.




After this interview I was somewhat blank. I mean I had hoped RAY JR. would give me something to give the people that were skeptical...about his continued success. But RAY JR., still seemed closed off, "LIC LAC" had just dropped, and it's a hot song!!! Yet RAY JR. seemed more private than ever. I'm a pretty good judge of character, and like I said before...some people say "1st impressions are lasting impressions", but I don't agree. I knew there was more to RAY JR. than just his larger than life "SUPERHERO" save the music, make it in CLEVELAND image. I decided to let RAY JR. cook a lil.  I'm not 1 of those people that likes to gossip, I hear stuff all the time, but I don't engage cuz let people tell it...I'm a million things that I'm really not .The music industry is 1 of the messiest, most bittersweet, love ya then they hate ya, ship jumping industries ever. There is more gossip in the music industry than a girls locker room in a strip club *we love you strippers. Who really knows what happened to RAY JR., all I know is it's not 1st impressions, it's LASTING IMPRESSIONS that count.
Fast Forward like a VHS tape to the OHIO HIP HOP AWARDS!!! All of CLEVELAND was in the building...RAY JR. was set to perform at the awards....I was thinking to myself..."I wonder he's gonna do"* blank face*. I had my pinky toes crossed hoping it wouldn't be like last time I saw him perform. It was hard for me to honestly say anything bad about his performance...but then again he had the whole LEGIT PAPER and family on stage with him, sooooooo just the crowd on stage alone was enough to get my adrenaline pumping.That's what RAY JR. had been doing a lot of lately, going on stage with the whole LEGIT PAPER standing solid right behind him. I mean RAY JR.'s music is so popular, half the time he can set the mic down on the stage and the crowd will recite very lyric to every song for him. Yet I wanted to see RAY JR. perform,... It seemed as tho RAY JR. had a lil more pep in his step. He seemed a lil different from the last couple of performances. Maybe he was showing out for the awards. Maybe he was excited to be in COLUMBUS....I didn't know. I just knew his Ohio Hip Hop Award performance had a lil more life in it...like his stage performance had chugged hella gatorade. I chalked up RAY JR's B+ performance to winning at the OHHA, being on a huge stage with a ton of his dearest friends, and loyal fans standing with him. I mean RAY JR. is a solid performer when he gives his all. His stature and confidence on the mic is like no other. He is witty, and deep, and solid. RAY JR. can mos def demolish  any track, and he has a way of connecting with his fans, that consists of hustlers, working class, students, kids, old folk, strippers, baby mamas...white folks, black folks and anything in between. That's how connected RAY JR. is with an audience, without ever seeming "commercial, or artificial". RAY JR. is a major labels most sought out kinda artist. I mean most labels would kill for an artist like him, that's able to sell records to any kind of demographic, and RAY JR. saves cities, rebirths hope in the youth, and makes the old folk respect his generation...and that alone is "SUPERHERO" like. So it was almost refreshing to see RAY JR. kinda rep the way he did at the OHHA. But just as quickly as I watched him perform...I had packed up my camera, and was back in my hotel room changing clothes for the OHHA after party at REPUBLIC. I had heard RAY JR. was suppose to perform at the REPUBLIC, but I was already forecasting the future like "I already know what he is gonna do".

When we pulled up and jumped out at REPUBLIC it was awkwardly quiet. It was a small place, and stepping inside it was very intimate. I mean the stage was literally the size of a soapbox. Just guessing there was probably about 100 people in the audience, off to the side was the legendary Steve Lobel who had managed to slip in . Steve Lobel was lounging across a couch, 1 leg extended on th couch..it seemed as if he was blocking off territory so that he could have his own personal space. There was champagne flowing around him, and a few pretty ladies placed almost like decoration. He seemed totally bored like "I've done this VIP thing a trillion times". Steve Lobel didn't budge, he never smiled, or got up. Ray JR. finally came out, like he kinda walked thru the crowd and picked up the mic. It was total silence , and it seemed like RAY JR. kinda had a moment....like Prince right before he performed "PURPLE RAIN". DJ RYAN WOLF was just about to start spinning, when RAY JR. said "yooooooo play my own sh*t". Then just like that...LEGIT PAPER seemed like the old LEGIT PAPER!!! RAY JR. came alive!!! He demanded that everyone in the club get up outta their seats. I mean he was that cocky, assertive, demanding guy I had missed! There were a few girls sitting in the back of the club...RAY JR. cued the music to stop and put em on the spot....if you know RAY JR. then you know he is good for blowing someone up that is trying to act to "cool". He said "now I know ya'll aint waste yo money on an outfit jus tah sit down...GET UP GET UP, we bout to ROCK dis show!!!" At first the girls were still tryna play cute...but eventually the beautiful Mz. Crazy Tee and the rest of TRINITY GOLD walked up to the people that were sitting down and took their hands and walked em to the dance floor. The music was cued back up, and the party started!!! RAY JR. seemed strong again, he seemed confident, there wasn't a million dudes rapping for him, he was basically solo dolo. He was spitting acapella, he was 
freestyling, he was in the crowd, he seemed genuinely happy again, but most of all...he was PASSIONATE again!!!. RAY JR. had the whole crowd rocking. The setting seemed perfect for him. Not to big and not to small. A perfect intimate place for the rebirth of RAY JR., the rebirth of LEGIT PAPER. Not even half way thru and STEVE LOBEL himself had finally rose from outta of the roped off section, and he was standing front and center, head nodding to RAY JR.!!! He did a set that seemed to last forever, and yet me along with everyone else was left still wanting more. People in the crowd were like "keep going, keep going"!!!!

I don't know what happened to RAY JR., during those months when he was distant... I'm not really sure I care, cuz we all get lost in life's decisions sometimes...but I am happy for RAY JR. and LEGIT PAPER. It's nothing cooler to watch than a person do something that they are talented at, to watch someone fulfill their passion is a beautiful thing. Once a "SUPERHERO", always a "SUPERHERO"...sometimes people don't realize that it's not the clothes, the cape, the money, the fame...or hell even the record label that makes a person. LEGIT PAPER was LEGIT PAPER before signing a deal, LEGIT PAPER was changing CLEVELAND before a lot of things. RAY JR. has been the "Mayor of E.C". He's not one of those people that has  changed and we no longer recognize him, his music get's better, his videos represent his city like no others... and maybe certain things happen for a reason because he refuses to change. We as "fans" will attach ourselves to someone who is making a dream come true. A real fan will realize that just because some things don't turn out the way "WE" want them to, doesn't mean that's what the artist wants. "SUPEHERO's" are here to save us from the everyday realities...but they should be able to to do what they feel is BEST for them. LOYAL FANS ride or die for something they love, and RAY JR. has all of CLEVELAND behind him, supporting him no matter what he decides to do.RAY JR. has done more on his platform than many have in their career,  CLEVELAND is his city, LEGIT PAPER is his clique, his music, his love. Many things come and go, ...but LEGIT PAPER is in the HOOOOUUSSSSSSEEEEE!!!!!XOXO

@rayjr216
#WelcomeToLegitPaper