About Chris Ray
Who is Chris Ray?
Chris Ray, born Christopher Ray Robinson, is a creative from Jackson, Mississippi born in 1996. Third of four children from Charla and David Robinson, Chris Ray almost innately gravitated to techonlogy and many forms of arts (including but not limited to music, paintings, cinema and PopTarts). Having been raised by a compassionate and understanding mother and a father who stressed the importance of practicality and decision-making, Robinson became very observative of behaviors and works, leading to an abundance of questions (often not verbally answered), reading, critical thinking and a yearning to understand the seemingly arbitrary and abstract.
Early Life
Throughout school, Chris Ray created a personal library of stories, lyrics, journals and poems, some even dating back to middle school inscribed on sticky notes. Having gone to Catholic and Christian schools in Misssissippi throughout 9th Grade and played sports which would often lead to travel thorughout and beyond the state, Ray was able to curiously and asutely study his surroudings and the "why" behind what he saw at outside of and in his own Jackson neighborhoods.
Though Chris Ray was apart of many groups including choir, Church ministries, basketball and baseball, there were two that left a major impact . The first, "The Young Black Voices of Zion", was a Church organization that started with him in 9th Grade when he was made leader in of with kids from elementary through high school where Black kids recited and wrote uplifting, invigorating and informative messages, pensive in nature. The group would travel across the state performing new content, many of which Christopher wrote himself.
He would also join Murrah High School's literary magazine, The Pleiades, which he became assistant editor of and started his own open mic group while at Tougaloo College named "P.E.N.S" (Poetry, Essays, Non-Fiction and Spoken Word) from which he graduated with a Bachelors of English degree in 2018.
After College
It was during Chris Ray's last two college years that he met longtime producer, artist and overall, best friend "JonBoy". Ray had constantly been told about JonBoy by the assistant baseball coach just to find out JonBoy took many of the same classes but was unbelievably quiet unless spoken to. Chris Ray would go on to put out his first mixtape, The Process (2020) on March 18, with freestyles over some popular beats and original songs. More projects followed with JonBoy producing over 40 released tracks and even featuring on some.
The next project entitled No Radio Ray (2020) would drop in the summer, was a No Ceilings (2009, Lil Wayne)-esque project where he freestyled over the hottest instrumentals of the year including Megan thee Stallion and Cardi B's "WAP", Roddy Rich's "The Box", Drake's "Laugh Now, Cry Later". The project was a precursor to the All for You - EP (2020) which released a month later in October.
Chris Ray's next major release would not come until almost a year later when The Progress (2021) released September 2 with standout singles including JonBoy-produced tracks "WUWIT", "Why Not" featuring D. Horton and "Warrior" featuring JonBoy. Entireley engineered by then DJ CeeJay, Chris Ray contacted Tarxan Fenix earlier in the year in efforts to have a more polished sound on the album. The two had first seen one another perform at a night club in Jackson in the Fall of 2020.
Throughout this time, Chris Ray would take the knowledge and comfort he had with technology and take most of his own photos and shoot and edit his own music videos, releasing his content onto social media, SoundCloud, major streaming platforms like Spotify, Tidal and Apple Music and YouTube. He would perform in various spots around the city at clubs, night spots and his parents' boutique.
Now
After teaching elementary for a year and two year at a boarding school for 8th - 12th graders, he moved to Houston, Texas in 2021 in effort to break out with music while also still doing photography, videography, working for Apple and starting a Master's program at the University of Houston in pursuit of a degree in Public Relations, largely to help better understand marketing his own works.
In the Spring of 2022, Chris Ray met Adonis Griffin, who he would later come to know as DonnieSo, the artist based out of Oakland, California. After becoming great friends, they would eventually collaborate on the project, SouthWest (2023), the bulk of recording being done Summer of 2023. The first single, "One Call" by DonnieSo was relased on December 2, followed by the second single, "I Know This Shit (The Intro)" by Chris Ray on December 9. Both singles were released on their respective birthdays in preperation for the project.
Chris Ray is still in Houston, Texas, certain this his "time to shine is imminent".
