American singer, songwriter, record
producer and actor, William Ray Norwood Jr., popularly known as Ray J,
does not seem to find anything strange in living close to his ex, Kim
Kardashian.
In fact, an American gossip site, tmz.com, described him as a ‘bad habit’ that Kim just could not kick.
Why? Because Ray J just wrote a $2.7m
(N494m) offer to buy a Hidden Hills mansion eight doors down from that
of Kim and her spouse, Kanye West.
It was reported that Ray and his
business manager, David Weintraub, perused the grounds last week and
then wrote the offer for the beautiful mansion.
Meanwhile, there have been reactions to the rapper’s action – wanting to be his ex-lover’s new neighbour – from fans online.
A twitter user, Tyrese Sanders, wrote that Ray J was indeed looking for problems.
Another person, Ken Smith, described the
move as one Ray did not think of properly. “Kim Kardashian is now
properly married and you are single. Why do you want to trouble the
woman?” he asked.
The life and career of Ray J
Born on January 17, 1981 in McComb,
Mississippi and raised in Carson, California, USA, Ray J is an American
singer, songwriter, record producer and actor.
He is the brother of recording artist and actress, Brandy Norwood, and the first cousin of rapper, Snoop Dogg.
In 1989 when he clocked 8, he started
appearing in television commercials for different companies and
eventually played the role of foster son in ‘The Sinbad Show’ from 1993
to 1994.
This period shaped his acting career
because according to Bradley Torreano of All Music, “his easy going
image and boyish looks appealed to the producers of Brandy’s television
show, ‘Moesha’, giving him a role on the UPN series as Dorian ‘D-Money’,
a role he played from 1999 until the show ended in 2001.”
He signed on to Elektra Records in 1995 and began recording his debut album ‘Everything You Want’ the same year.
His single, ‘Let It Go’ which was a
soundtrack for the movie, ‘Set It Off’, peaked number 25 in the US and
number 11 in New Zealand.
The second single peaked at number 54 on the US Rhythm and Blues chart. In 1997, he was dropped from the label.
‘Another Day in Paradise’
Ray J recorded ‘Another Day in Paradise’
with Brandy, which was a Top 10 success in Austria, UK, Germany,
Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, Norway, Ireland, the Netherlands and
number 11 in Australia and France.
The song was the lead single of the R&B/Hip Hop tribute Urban Renewal, in which he co-produced and performed songs.
He also worked with The Neptunes, Rodney
Jerkins, Lil’ Kim, and several other producers and singers for his
second studio album ‘This Ain’t A Game’. The album was released in 2001.
His lead single ‘Wait A Minute’ peaked
at number 30 on the US Hot 100 chart and number 8 on the Hot
R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. ‘Formal Invite’ followed at number 54 on
the R&B chart.
After a two-year break, Ray J returned
to the studio, adding the finishing touches to his third studio album
‘Raydiation’ with help from producers such as Rodney Jerkins, Timbaland,
R. Kelly, and Rob Egerton.
Acting career
In 2005, Ray J joined the cast of UPN’s ‘One On One’, where he played the character, ‘D-Mack’, for the final season.
Sex tape scandal
In February 2007, a pornographic home video he made with former girlfriend, Kim Kardashian, in 2003 was made public.
Kardashian sued Vivid Entertainment for
ownership of the tape. In late April 2007, Kardashian dropped the suit
and settled with Vivid Entertainment for $5m (N915m).
In May 2014, Kardashian and West
married. Ray J was reported to have sent a check that totalled his
profits off the sex tape that year as a wedding gift to the couple, but
he denied this.
Many people are now wondering why the rapper is getting an apartment close to his former lover’s.
Knockout Entertainment announced a
multi-million dollar album deal with Koch Records and Shaquille O’Neal’s
entertainment company, ‘Deja 34’ and the first album for the deal was
Ray J’s fourth album, ‘All I Feel’, which features The Game and Yung
Berg among others.
He has been leaping from one level to the other ever since.
More successes and controversies
Ray J is currently working on his fifth
studio album titled, ‘Raydiation 2’. The buzz single ‘I Hit It First’
was released on April 6, 2013.
‘I Hit It First’ caused controversy for
allegedly aiming its lyrics at Kardashian and West; the song has since
debuted at number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100.
He is also hosting Oxygen’s new reality game show series ‘Bad Girls All-Star Battle.’
Net worth
Ray J is reportedly worth $6m (N1.1bn) and has found many ways of spending his wealth.
Recently, he reportedly spent over
$500,000 (N91.5m) to buy a brand new Ferrari 458 for himself and a
Bentley GT Continental for his new-found lover plus the N494m he just
put down to buy a mansion close to his ex-lover.
Source: PUNCH
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