BayRay’s music gives him room to sing, rap, celebrate love, and explore questions that do not always come with easy answers.
The Columbia, South Carolina artist identifies primarily with R&B and soul, but his approach reaches across genres. His influences include The Isley Brothers, Usher, and the sounds of earlier generations of soul and R&B. Hip-hop gives him another way to express the experiences and ideas behind his songs.
On episode 53 of Sculpt N Create, BayRay joins host Trea Da Fit Artist for a conversation about that creative range and the person behind it. They discuss vulnerability, streaming, artificial intelligence, networking, and the place health holds in an artist’s life.
Across those subjects, BayRay returns to the importance of connection: giving listeners something they recognize, making the music accessible, building relationships, and taking care of himself along the way.
An R&B Foundation With Room to Rap
Singing was part of BayRay’s life early on. He recalls growing up around his aunt’s singing and being able to hold a tune himself. His family also helped surround him with music. His father and grandfather were DJs, and he remembers hearing older music playing throughout his grandfather’s house.
Rapping became part of his work for a practical reason. As a young artist, he could not always afford to pay other rappers to appear on his songs, so he started doing those parts himself.
Over time, listeners began responding to both sides of his artistry. Some preferred his singing; others connected more strongly with his rapping. He continued developing both, often incorporating them into the same projects.
When Trea asks how to describe that combination, BayRay offers a comparison: imagine Usher making a song with J. Cole.
The comparison communicates the blend he is aiming for—an R&B foundation alongside rap that makes room for lyrical and emotional depth. Although he remains confident in his rapping, R&B is the direction he says he would put his strongest bet on.
His interest in music also extends to instruments. BayRay says he has played violin since childhood and is learning guitar. He describes recording with musicians who contribute keyboards, saxophone, and guitar, bringing those sounds into his work.
Making Room for Vulnerability
BayRay’s discussion of his songs opens into a larger conversation about what men feel comfortable expressing.
He describes “Morning Sonder,” the introduction to his project Night Before Fame, as a song about falling out of love and trying to decide what comes next. Should someone stay and try to rebuild the connection, or could leaving be the better decision for both people?
That question matters because the experience is not always easy to explain. Someone can feel committed to a relationship while also wondering whether it should continue.
“Something Special” approaches a different experience: celebrating love. BayRay describes it as an upbeat song featuring guitar and saxophone, and says it is among his most popular songs.
For him, music can give listeners a way to recognize feelings they may struggle to discuss openly. He talks about men withholding the depth of their problems from friends, whether those problems involve relationships, finances, or emotions.
Trea adds that expectations around masculinity can make openness complicated. Men may hear encouragement to express themselves while also worrying that showing too much emotion will be interpreted as weakness.
BayRay encourages listeners to remain open to music that reflects different feelings and experiences. They do not have to identify with every aspect of an artist to recognize something familiar in a song.
What Human Artists Bring to the AI Conversation
When the conversation turns to artificial intelligence, BayRay does not dismiss the possibility that AI-generated music can sound good.
He also sees potential uses for the technology. A songwriter who struggles to record an idea as they hear it could use AI to create a reference, then bring that reference to a human performer.
His concern centers on what happens beyond generating the track.
“Music is meant to make a connection with people.” — BayRay
BayRay believes a human artist brings a kind of presence that matters to listeners. Fans can attend a performance, meet the person singing the song, and connect their experience of the music with an actual individual.
He uses songwriting to explain the distinction. A singer does not have to write every song personally to become the human presence an audience connects with. The performer can still bring the song to an audience and build relationships around it.
From BayRay’s perspective, an AI artist’s popularity would eventually raise questions about how to offer that same personal encounter. Generating more music would not, by itself, answer those questions.
His position leaves room for AI as a tool while emphasizing the value he places on human participation.
Making the Music Easy to Find
BayRay remembers discovering music through LimeWire, DatPiff, and LiveMixtapes. He and Trea reflect on how finding music once felt more like uncovering a treasure.
He also remembers a time when telling someone he made music carried more mystique. Today, recording tools are more familiar, and listeners know an artist might be working from a home studio. In his experience, people often reserve their judgment until they hear the music.
Despite his reservations about how streaming has changed the experience, BayRay believes independent artists need to consider how their listeners actually consume music.
Someone who already pays for Apple Music or Spotify may be less willing to visit a separate website or download an unfamiliar service to hear an artist they barely know.
An established performer with a committed audience may be able to ask fans to take those extra steps. An emerging artist faces a different situation.
BayRay’s point is about reducing obstacles. Making a song easy to find gives casual listeners and potential new fans a better chance to hear it.
Trea offers a related perspective: streaming can serve as a discovery and marketing tool, introducing listeners to an artist before those relationships develop into support through music purchases, merchandise, or other offerings.
Their discussion recognizes the tension between wanting fair value for creative work and meeting listeners where they already are.
Looking Beyond the Celebrity in the Room
Performing at the SHEEN Magazine Awards at the Buckhead Theatre in Atlanta was a proud experience for BayRay. He recalls being around celebrities, including Rick Ross, and having the opportunity to showcase his work with his dancers and band.
When Trea asks about networking, BayRay points toward the people working behind the event.
He says many of the contacts he made came from media teams and the people who organized the gathering.
That experience shaped a practical observation: artists can become so focused on meeting a celebrity that they overlook the people responsible for bringing everyone together.
An organizer’s contact information may lead to another conversation or another opportunity. The person coordinating the event may be able to help an artist enter similar rooms in the future.
Trea connects that point to the importance of networking more intentionally, acknowledging that he had not always prioritized it earlier in his own career.
Taking Care of the Person Behind the Artistry
Health becomes a substantial part of the conversation because BayRay treats it as a personal priority.
He describes setting aside time to train and planning around other responsibilities. When he travels, he checks whether his hotel has a gym. If his schedule is tight, he adapts the session to the time available.
Trea reinforces the importance of preparation. Just as someone plans what to pack for a trip, they can consider movement options, available food, and ways to adjust when their usual routine is interrupted.
For BayRay, training also creates an opportunity for self-examination.
“It’s hard to hide from yourself in the gym.” — BayRay
He describes the gym as a place where he confronts his effort, commitment, and willingness to keep working through difficulty.
That perspective connects with his own experience of becoming fitter. BayRay recalls feeling self-conscious when he was heavier, including in his life as an artist. Making training a priority changed how he felt about himself, even though other people had reassured him about his appearance.
He frames those changes as part of pursuing his own potential.
By the end of the interview, he broadens the discussion beyond workouts. He encourages listeners to pay attention to their health, keep up with checkups, and take care of themselves even if they have not reached their ideal level of fitness.
“The music and the artistry should come second to your health.” — BayRay
Giving Listeners More Than a Product
BayRay’s closing advice to other artists combines persistence with a reminder that listeners can support more than one performer.
Another artist’s success does not mean there is no audience left for someone else. He encourages artists to keep putting their work out and to remain consistent.
He also suggests sharing more than music promotion. Letting people see parts of an artist’s life can help them connect with the person behind the releases, something he acknowledges he is still working on himself.
That brings the conversation back to the relationships surrounding the work. Songs can offer recognition. Performances can create encounters. Conversations can open opportunities.
For BayRay, continuing to build those connections also means caring for the person making the music.
