Source: Noam Galai/Getty Images
In honor of Black Music Month, we’re celebrating freshman phenom, Ray Vaughn, who’s ascending to stardom as TDE’s newest West Coast wonder primed for success in today’s lyricism-starved industry.
Born and raised in Long Beach, Calif., the refreshingly authentic rapper recently dropped his long-awaited debut mixtape, The Good The Bad The Dollar Menu, where he flexes his lyrical prowess, funny witticisms and unique worldview over speaker-rattling beats.
“Just make sure you keep it full of integrity,” said Vaughn about his writing process on the project in an interview with Billboard. “That’s the lost art form, period. Some records I don’t have bars on, it’s just a message, like ‘Pac. He didn’t have metaphors in every song. He was just very direct, and said what needed to be said, and you felt it.
I feel like nowadays we got so many people who punch in. It’s not even a cohesive thought. What is that verse about? What is this song about? Who are you talking to? Who is the audience? I still believe in that art form. If I rap this a cappella, does this s—t make sense? It’s like poetry. If you can’t say it a cappella and it [doesn’t] makes sense, it’s like rambling.”
With an impressive lineup of features including LaRussell, Jay Rock, Isaiah Rashad, and Samara Cyn, Vaughn shines on standout tracks ‘KLOWN dance,’ ‘EAST CHATT,’ and ‘JANKY moral COMPASS’ while showing why he was selected to XXL‘s 2025 Freshman class.
Check out his 2025 XXL Freshman Freestyle below:
To stream The Good The Bad The Dollar Menu, click here.