Top Dawg Entertainment’s rising star, Ray Vaughn, has unveiled the title of his debut EP, The Good, The Bad & The Dollar Menu, set to drop soon. Along with the announcement, he released the project’s first single, “East Chatt,” featuring TDE labelmate Isaiah Rashad. The track is produced by Devin Malik, Rory Behr, Nabeyin, and others, delivering a blend of neck-snapping beats and soulful shifts.
The upcoming EP follows Ray’s collaborations with notable artists like Pusha T on “Problems” and NLE Choppa on “FNBM,” signaling his growing presence in the rap scene. The Good, The Bad & The Dollar Menu is a creative, tongue-in-cheek exploration of Ray’s personal and musical journey, from his adolescence to his signing with TDE. The EP’s production reflects his experiences, blending dark and gritty themes with fun, witty humor, and showcasing Ray’s unique wordplay.
With this project, Ray Vaughn proves himself as a versatile artist, balancing introspective storytelling with catchy, bold beats that reflect his diverse influences and experiences. Fans can expect a sound that’s both fresh and familiar, as he boldly steps into the spotlight with his signature cheeky style.
Ray Vaughn is going to help round out what’s been a very strong year for the TDE imprint with an upcoming EP. Not to be greedy or ungrateful, but it’s about damn time! We say that out of excitement though, as the Long Beach, California native has been highly impressive this year. Him, Doechii, and Devin Malik have all been showing that the label is good hands going forward and we ecstatic for what Ray’s going to bring. The extended play will be called The Good, The Bad, & The Dollar Menu, but there’s no release date yet. On top of that, the tracklist remains a mystery as well. However, the latter fact doesn’t surprise us at all because there are a lot of great songs to include on it.
Some of those include collaborations with Pusha T and SiR and terrific solo performances. You can throw “Black Jesus” and “Supposed To Die” into the latter category. According to the press release, The Good, The Bad, & The Dollar Menu is going to be a holistic listening experience. “The EP will showcase the various experiences Ray has encountered through his adolescence, journey as an artist, to his eventual signing with TDE.” While we wait on what should be a personal project, Ray Vaughn is feeding into those themes with his newest offering from it, “EAST CHATT.” It’s another collaborative effort with TDE veteran Isaiah Rashad and a mellow one at that. Rashad kicks the track off with his signature hazy delivery before Vaughn comes in with a passionate verse about his upbringing and successes he’s achieved. You can stream the song below with the music video link.
TDE’s Ray Vaughn is doing everything but dropping an album at this point. Outside two EPs, the Long Beach, California rapper has no full-length to his name six years in. However, in January, we did get word from the label about which of their signees would be releasing an LP. So far, the ones we can scratch off the list include ScHoolboy Q, Doechii, SiR, Zacari, and Devin Malik. With just about two months to go, there’s still a lot of artists that are supposedly still going to be dropping before year’s end. One of them is in fact Ray Vaughn, so hopefully with this release of “FNBM”, we are closer to finding out more information soon.
This is his second single in just a week-long period with the trending “Everybody Dies” featuring SiR being the previous record. Hilariously, the tonal difference between these two songs is immense. “Everybody Dies” was an excellently written piece about living a fulfilling live and striving for greatness. On “FNBM”, Ray Vaughn is working with NLE Choppa and if you’ve been keeping up with the latter lately, you know what you’re going to be in for. We will let you decipher the title yourself by checking on the link for the track below, but some of these bars may give it away. “Gulp gulp gulp”, three thousand what I call her (Call her) / She don’t forget the balls, bunny b**** a real baller (Real baller) / F*** a baby daddy if you play you get a face shot (Brrt)“.
Ayy, first thing first (Wassup?), I’m f***in’ n****s’ baby mamas (F***) It’s cool when they do it, but when I do it, it’s a problem (Okay) Don’t talk to me about a purpose, I’m just thinkin’ swallow (Swallow) Just put your hair up in a bun and hit the owa-owa
If you haven’t been paying attention to Ray Vaughn’s career trajectory, you may want to consider doing so. The Long Beach, California native is one of TDE’s newest signees and one they see carrying the label moving forward. We can see the vision on that outlook for him because he’s got a lot like. For one, his voice is pretty standout and versatile. It meshes well in both serious and fun applications. Additionally, it comes across as effortlessly and genuinely passionate. Some artists deliveries can come across as forced, but not Ray’s. Additionally, he’s a pretty clever writer already and we can only see him improving more over time. Both of this sought after skills are prominently displayed on this newest Ray Vaughn single, “Everybody Dies”.
He hasn’t announced anything yet, but this one of many records he’s put out in the last seven months. To be exact, this is his eighth solo release of 2024, with a ninth alongside NLE Choppa coming this Friday. We aren’t really sure why we haven’t gotten world on his debut yet, but we hope something comes through soon. We say that because nearly all of these tracks have had something compelling to offer. In the case of “Everybody Dies”, which features fellow label mate SiR, both artists deliver passionate introspective and inspirational lines about living life to its fullest, flaws, and overcoming hurdles.
Can ramen noodles feed your ego Or would you rather swallow your pride Funeral service is the final goodbye Phone on airplane mode Cause my spirit is high Problems too big for me to give ’em to God
Ray Vaughn, thenewer member of the TDE family, is continuing to build his profile with “Supposed To Die” and “Black Jesus”. These are the newest releases from the Long Beach, California native and they are out just three days apart from each other. Like for the rest of his label, 2024 has been a big year for him. After a majority its artists when silent for a few years, it seems everyone is dropping to remind everyone how talented their roster is. Ray Vaughn will be joining his affiliates at some point with an album. But in the meantime, he has been leaving off plenty of singles to keep fans happy.
The 30-year-old has dropped a pair of freestyles, “So Into You” and “5:30”, the lyrically dense “Problems” with Pusha T, and the trap centric “Blasphemy”. Now, in between July 26-29, Ray Vaughn is here with “Supposed To Die” and “Black Jesus”. Both see him in a self-reflective and introspective state. The former talks about the fragility of life and how there are a lot of people out to get him. Then, on “Black Jesus”, Vaughn deals with feelings of loneliness, sadness, and hopelessness due to his own past decisions. Both are extremely personal, and certainly show another side to the continuously evolving star.
Look, killers they got different eyes, villains are uncivilized B****, we come from hand-me-downs, we don’t know our fit and size Only thing we fear is life, I’m just tryna feel alive I eat all my n**** pie, all my T-shirts n****-sized
XXL announced its 2024 Freshman class today including standouts like Hunxho, Lay Bankz, Maiya The Don, That Mexican OT, and more. They’re all future stars in the making, but here are 10 more rappers who shouldn’t be overlooked.
The Southern California rapper’s breakout single “Soak City” continues to gain momentum, but besides that, he just received the biggest co-sign someone from his city can get: Performing at Kendrick Lamar’s Juneteenth Pop Out concert as a special guest of Mustard.
Thanks to Latto teaming up with her on “Back Outside” and the release of her mixtape Princess Pop That, Anycia’s star is on the rise. We’ve also got a collab with JID to look forward to.
Connie Diiamond
While the Bronx native is far from a “Freshman” in the sense of “just starting out” as she kicked off her career at just 14 years old, she’s started to gain more traction in recent years, particularly with her song “Ghetto & Ratchet.”
You either love them or hate them (and if it’s the latter, keep it to yourself, please, for your own good), but you know them and you’ve definitely seen them sprinting through just about every notable building in LA. 2023 was a standout year for the Dallas/Detroit duo, and with their debut album still in the works, they certainly have another one coming down the pike.
Gloss Up
Her buddy GloRilla was already featured in the coveted roundup, so why not join her and collaborator Sexyy Red in glowing up via the XXL Freshman list? With underground hits like “Come Here” and “Ride Home” she’s more than qualified.
Karrahbooo
Another Atlanta standout with a big-name co-sign, Karrahbooo is the clear star of Lil Yachty’s Concrete Boys clique, but was already building a steady buzz even before she was officially signed to his label.
Kenny Mason
Kenny got plenty of attention in 2022 when he and J. Cole teamed up on Dreamville‘s compilation cut “Stick” and JID’s “Dance Now,” and since then, his string of solid EPs, 3, 6, and Highway 9 have firmly established him as a talent to watch.
Ray Vaughn
I been performing this all summer like it’s my shit. I was ready for this moment wit dot. WORD 4 WORD BAR 4 BAR pic.twitter.com/gANQwWmifW
The future of Top Dawg Entertainment might have seemed precarious with the departure of Kendrick Lamar and Reason, but Long Beach native Ray Vaughn’s nonstop stream of hard-hitting singles have shown he’s got the talent and the motivation to put the West Coast label on his back.
If it seems like there might be a bit of a Los Angeles bias here… Duh. You think a Compton native wouldn’t try to counterbalance the Northeast bias exhibited by the music journalism business for the past six decades? Anyway, Remble has the most unique and charismatic flow to crop up in years, he’s had the big-name co-signs to boost his momentum, and he was also featured in Kendrick’s Ken & Friends show, exposing him to a national audience.
Teezo Touchdown
Yes, he’s a little beyond the strictest definition of a “Freshman,” but that’s never stopped XXL from including an artist on their storied annual feature, so hey, I’m putting him in mine. If he’s not still in the “making” phase of stardom, there’s still plenty of room between him and his ceiling.
Ray Vaughn might be new to Top Dawg Entertainment, but do not let his “inexperience” fool you. The Long Beach, California rapper has been on the label for about three years now and pretty soon he will be dropping his debut album. Fans have been waiting for this moment, especially after releasing single after single since 2018. We most likely have our next album single from Ray Vaughn called “Blasphemy.”
There is a chance that this is now the fourth teaser from the still unnamed project, with our last offering from him coming back in late March. The one that really caught a lot of people’s attention though is “Problems” with Pusha T. Both were bringing their A-game on that cut. But “Blasphemy” might be the one to overtake it.
This track is braggadocious to the core and it features some slick and cocky bars that are sure to be in our heads for days. “I know the guys’ gone blast for me / Louis V pouch at capacity / They can’t make this in a factory / God just blessed me with it naturally.” All of this is performed with an incredibly sticky melody and flow from Ray Vaughn. The eerie and trap beat is provided some of the best in the business, including Boi-1da and OZ. All of these factors combined give fans a track to have on repeat.
What are your thoughts on this brand-new single “Blasphemy” by Ray Vaughn? Is this the best track that he has put out as of late, why or why not? Do you think a new album is going to drop fairly soon? Who would you want to hear on that when it drops? We would like to hear what you have to say, so be sure to leave your takes in the comments section. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Ray Vaughn. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on around the music world.
Quotable Lyrics:
Newborn tiger, I’m earning my stripes (Stripes) Crosshair, b****, it’s on sight Tippy toes if you try reachin’ my height N****s fantasia can’t read me my rights I don’t wanna f***, you ain’t even my type N****s wait to see me in person then type
Ray Vaughn, the latest sensation from Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), continues to set the music scene ablaze with his latest single, “Blasphemy.” Produced by a powerhouse trio including Boi 1da, OZ, and SMPLGTWY, the track showcases Vaughn’s distinctive wordplay and boasts an infectious hook, “F**k up the forecast!”
Following his collaboration with Pusha T in February, Vaughn’s newest offering reinforces his rising prominence in the industry. Despite its explicit nature, the hook fosters an engaging dynamic between the artist and his audience, promising to ignite every corner it touches.
Accompanied by a visually stunning video shot partly in an LA church and on the city’s outskirts, Vaughn and his crew proudly brandish the TDE flag, reinforcing their allegiance to the label. “Newborn tiger, earnin’ my stripes!” exclaims Vaughn, embodying the bold spirit of his music.
Top Dawg Entertainment’s emerging talent, Ray Vaughn, makes a bold statement with his latest release, “Problems” featuring Pusha T. The track, produced by Rayo & Wizzle, showcases sharp lyricism and infectious melodies, setting a new standard for hip-hop in 2024.
“Problems” offers listeners two distinct versions: the original release and a unique mix by the renowned production collective Triangle Park, featuring a sample of “As Long As I Got You” by David Porter and Isaac Hayes. Available on all audio platforms, the single is accompanied by an official music video set to drop on Friday, February 23.
Fresh from his performances on Isaiah Rashad’s 10th anniversary tour for Cilvia Demo, Ray Vaughn’s “Problems” marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the rising star. With its captivating hooks and raw lyricism, the track solidifies Ray Vaughn as an artist to not only watch but also listen to intently in the evolving landscape of hip-hop.
WORD 4 WORD BAR 4 BAR 
