andPOP » ray j

The Trews, Silverstein and more play The Ex

andPOP Staff — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:18:31 +0000

The Ex isn’t just your average fair anymore – it’s the place to see some hot concerts.

The Trews will be making a stop on their current tour to play The Ex – the end-of-summer Toronto fest – on August 23. The Canadian boys have just released their fourth CD, “No Time For Later.”

Burlington band Silverstein will be rocking the CNE’s Bandshell stage the next evening, with their new material from their album, “Arrivals & Departures.” They’ll be joined by Sights and Sounds.

Brandy’s little brother and gossip target Ray J will add some R&B flavour to the lineup.

And in case that wasn’t enough variety, Mickey Rooney and his wife Jan will woo the crowds with “song, dance and his timeless humour and charm.”

For more information and a complete schedule of all the events, visit theex.com.

Ray J Offered Porn Deal

andPOP Staff — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 00:27:27 +0000

WHITNEY HOUSTON’s toyboy, RAY J, has been offered the chance to become a hardcore porn mogul by adult film bosses who liked what they saw on his X-rated sex tape.

The singer, R&B star BRANDY’s little brother, filmed a sex session with ex-girlfriend KIM KARDASHIAN and the footage found its way into the hands of porn bosses at Vivid Entertainment.

The sex film experts are so impressed with Ray J’s X-rated skills, they want to give him the chance to get paid for filming others getting hot and heavy.

According to website TMZ.com, Ray-J has been offered a four picture deal by Vivid Entertainment bosses, who want him direct films.

Company CEO STEVEN HIRSH tells the website, “Our first conversations were very uncomfortable, but, after continuing to talk, the possibility was definitely in the air.”

Houston Dumps Ray J After Sex Tape Leak

andPOP Staff — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 00:37:37 +0000

WHITNEY HOUSTON has dumped BRANDY’s younger brother RAY J after a raunchy sex tape featuring him and ex-girlfriend KIM KARDASHIAN was leaked on the internet.

The 43-year-old has been dating Ray J, 26, for several months and the two were reportedly living together.

According to veteran Hollywood columnist JANET CHARLTON, Houston became outraged when the tape was leaked online and ended the relationship.

Ray J, real name RAY NORWOOD, had been helping Houston work on her comeback album and was also offering her support in adapting to her new sober lifestyle.

Houston was spotted dining with estranged husband BOBBY BROWN on Sunday, but insists a reconciliation between the pair is not likely.

Kardashian To Sue Over Sex Tape

andPOP Staff — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 17:04:09 +0000

Attorneys for PARIS HILTON’s best pal KIM KARDASHIAN plan to file a lawsuit to stop the release of an X-rated tape featuring Kardashian and her former boyfriend, singer RAY J, making love.

The tape, which is already posted on the Internet, features the Hollywood stylist performing sex acts on BRANDY’s little brother, who is now dating WHITNEY HOUSTON.

The 26-year-old insists she had “nothing to do” with the tape being made public and admits she is “hurt and embarrassed” about the tape falling into the hands of bosses at DVD porn firm Vivid Entertainment, who hope to release it as a DVD.

Yesterday website TMZ.com obtained a sample of the sex tape and posted it in cyberspace.

Kardashian, the daughter of OJ SIMPSON’s former attorney ROBERT KARDASHIAN, insists she will be issuing a statement about developments to prevent a planned DVD release and plans to take legal action immediately.

Whitney Houston Dating Ray J?

andPOP Staff — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 01:24:23 +0000

WHITNEY HOUSTON has fuelled rumours she is dating R&B singer RAY J after the two were spotted sharing a dinner in Beverly Hills on Sunday night.

The star announced she was filing for divorce from husband BOBBY BROWN in September after 14 years of marriage and is currently working on a comeback album.

Ray J, whose real name is WILLIAM RAY NORWOOD JR, is the brother of R&B star BRANDY and is 18 years younger than Houston.

The two were seen leaving Maestro’s Steakhouse together and eyewitnesses reportedly saw the two getting cozy while enjoying drinks after dinner.

The Return of Ray J

andPOP Staff — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 13:23:08 +0000

Ray J is back with his new album, “Raydiation,” featuring the hit song “One Wish.”

Watch Interview
(Real Player)

andPOP hooked up with Ray J when he was in Toronto.

Watch the interview to find out about the new album, his sister Brandy and much more.

Watch Interview
(Real Player)

Interview by Amy Sharaf
Editing by Bite TV

Ray J Vows to Be Positive Role Model

Adam Gonshor — Sun, 18 Sep 2005 15:09:28 +0000

In the four years since Ray J released his last album, nothing has changed more than his image. He decided to put his thug life behind him and focus more on being a positive role model.

And the person who helped him find this new image, believe it or not, is Death Row founder Suge Knight.

Ray J, 24, has known Knight since he was 13 years old. While driving around with Knight at a point during his four year absence from the music industry, Ray J noticed that all Knight listens to is classic R&B music, from the Isley Brothers to Marvin Gaye. That’s when Ray J realized his true calling.

“If somebody of the magnitude of Suge with this hardcore image is listening to R&B stuff, I can’t run away from who I’m really supposed to be,” Ray J tells andPOP.

So when Ray J releases “Raydiation” on Tuesday, expect a more soulful side to the singer, who is more worried about changing the world for the good than impressing his associates on the streets.

His last album, “This Ain’t a Game,” was released on Atlantic Records, the same label his sister Brandy called home. He only lasted one release with Atlantic, and then started shopping for a new deal. He also started working on a duet album with TLC’s Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes before she died in a car crash in 2002. Ray J contemplated signing with Dreamworks, an independent label, and even Death Row, before deciding that if he wanted the perfect deal, he’d have to create it himself. So he helped start Knockout Entertainment with Brandy.

But that four year break wasn’t wasted in meetings with labels that went nowhere.

“I had to find myself,” he says, on the line from Los Angeles. “I went through my time of just living my life.”

Nothing was harder to find, he says, than his image.

“At the time, coming from my environment in Carson, I always had a street mentality. I wanted that to show in my music and in my attitude. But as you get older, you understand what being positive is all about and how much more powerful you can be doing that.”

The result is what he calls a more “sensual” album.

“Vocally I’ve stepped it up.” His last album was non-stop hip-hop music made for the clubs, with more rapping than singing. “This time I have club bangers but I’m displaying a mature sound. The notes I’m hitting from top to bottom are more challenging for me and I think all singers out there. I want them to feel my pain and feel my passion.”

Guests on the album include R. Kelly, Mya and Fat Joe, while production comes from Timbaland, Kelly, and a familiar face to the Norwood family, Rodney Jerkins, who has helped Brandy score some mega-hits.

“His chemistry with Brandy was so solid and she always kept telling me, ‘you have to get in with Rodney again.’ He’s an angel,” he says of Jerkins, who produced four tracks and an interlude on “Raydiation.”

Brandy, who is an executive-producer on the album, also appears on a track, the politically-charged “War is Over,” which he says is calling out not just President Bush but all world leaders.

“It’s speaking on the war on politics, the war on drugs, war on everything. There’s a lot of fighting. We’re speaking about peace. We want peace with everybody. I think that song’s going to help a lot of people.”

Some artists are hesitant to get political on their albums, feeling that it is not their job to bring up political issues, or fearing that they may be alienating fans with opposing views.

“I feel like you have to fight for a cause. You have to have peace. That’s what everybody lives for. If I’m wrong for that, then kill me!”

Besides promoting his album, Ray J continues to be a VJ on BET and just landed a role on UPN’s “One on One” sitcom.

“I’m going to get enough sleep when I’m dead.”