Arthur Ray
Arthur Ray
A wide spectrum of sounds pave the road for Arthur Ray, the Rhode Island-born Brooklyn rapper and producer formerly known as College Smart. Weaving between lanes of Kanye West’s arrogance and Eminem’s self doubt, Ray mixes subtle crooning, high speed rapping and smooth cadences with honest, detailed stories of his strained relationships, failed attempts at stardom and struggles with depression and anxiety.
Upon first listen, you’ll likely hear Ray in a calm, warm tone over popular love songs like “Mr. Blue” or “ Fired Up”, where the hypnotic repetition of the beats' sample makes you want to hear more. You’ll then nod your head to electronic bangers like “R.O.T.O. (Return of the One)” and “Starry Eyed”. However, Ray becomes truly hard to turn off once you’re hit with the dark confessions that dive into the very worst of his self-consciousness— “Somewhere along the way I think I lost myself / So many problems in my life that I done caused myself / Half the time I’m pissed off, I’ve pissed off myself / I wonder if I’d be better off if I just offed myself” [“Untitled”]— these lines feel like that long look in the mirror that most of us need but often avoid.
Arthur Ray is independent, self managed and self distributed. His music can be found on all popular digital platforms, including SoundCloud, Spotify and Apple Music. He is currently working on new music for 2018 and performing in the greater NYC area.