Ray Cash

Origins

Ray Cash was born Wardell Raymond Cheeks on January 14, 1980, in Cleveland, Ohio, and grew up in the city. In high school he took part in freestyle sessions with friends, who made beats by drumming on whatever surfaces were at hand. He decided to pursue rap as a career after seeing Jay-Z perform on the Hard Knock Life tour, which featured several Roc-A-Fella and Ruff Ryders artists in 1999. He came up in a Cleveland scene still defined nationally by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, whose success in the mid-1990s had shown that a rapper from the city could reach the national charts.

Breakthrough

In 2005 Ray Cash released the singles “Sex Appeal (Pimp in My Own Mind)” and “Smokin’ and Leanin’”, both of which received play on local radio. The following year “Sex Appeal” reached a national audience through rotation on MTV Jams and BET’s “106 & Park”, along with coverage in XXL magazine. He signed with Sony Urban and Columbia Records, with releases also carrying the Ghet-O-Vision imprint.

Key records

His debut album, “Cash on Delivery”, was released on June 27, 2006, through Sony Urban and Columbia. It peaked at No. 41 on the Billboard 200 and No. 8 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and received positive reviews. The single “Bumpin’ My Music”, featuring Houston rapper Scarface, became his highest-charting single, reaching No. 56 on the Billboard charts in 2006, and its music video was directed by Jonathan Mannion, a photographer known for his rap album covers. Ray Cash toured with Mobb Deep in support of the album.

Later career and legacy

His second album, “Rosé Ray” (2009), included the single “Certified” featuring Curren$y and Darren Anthony. He followed it with “Champagne Talk” and “Don King” in 2011, and later releases have appeared under the M. Stacks Music imprint. He has remained active as a recording artist since 2005. “Bumpin’ My Music”, with its guest verse from the Geto Boys member Scarface, remains his best-known record. His run in 2005 and 2006 placed him between the Bone Thugs-n-Harmony era and the rise of Kid Cudi at the end of the decade.