In the same way that Will Smith formed a solid foundation of fans and commercial appeal through his 1990s African American sitcom career, Ray Jay used his youthful acting stints on comedies like The Sinbad Show and Moesha to launch a successful venture into music. Nowadays Ray J is a solo vocalist, songwriter and record producer. The famous family that got his foot in the door of the entertainment industry no longer has Ray J gripping tightly to its coattails, as he has built a firm foundation of musical success from which to venture out on his own.Born as William Ray Norwood, Jr., Ray J had music in his blood. His father, Willie Norwood, is an established Gospel singer whose work with his church choir and Atlantic Records certainly would have influenced both Ray J and his older sister, Brandy. In fact, Willie Sr. was Brandy’s voice coach before she hit it big with singles like “That Boy Is Mine” and “Have You Ever?.” As Brandy rose to fame in the music industry, Ray J was getting involved in Hollywood. He appeared in multiple commercials before he was hired to play a role on The Sinbad Show in the early ‘90s. But just as Sinbad was failing to take off, Bandy was rising to superstardom. Ray J found work in movies like Mars Attacks! and Steel while Brandy’s sitcom Moesha got rolling. Ray J found a regular role on Moesha for its final two seasons, but the whole while he was developing a solo music career on the side. He signed with Elektra Records in ’95 before coming out with his debut album, Everything You Want in 1996, which included the popular single “Let It Go.”After Moesha went off the air in 2001, Ray J focused his attention on music, both as a producer and as a vocalist. With the help of behind-the-scenes hip hop gurus like the Neptunes, Ray J, now under Atlantic Records, released his second album This Ain’t a Game in 2001. This Ain’t a Game failed to do well in the sales department, but nevertheless allowed Ray J to show off more of his matured singing skills. After a brief break from recording, Ray J returned to the game with an explosive album, Raydiation, released under Sanctuary in 2005. Featuring artists like Fat Joe, R. Kelly and his sister Brandy, Raydiation was able to define Ray J as an Usher-esque act, a hip hop and contemporary R&B singer whose sound is versatile, but perhaps best experienced when it’s thumped from the sweaty floor of an up-scale dance club.