He's Good!

Ray Cash: Cash On Delivery
“Cleveland’s Savior”
An Album Review By Nfared

Hip-Hop is a worldwide movement. Ray Cash is not a household name. How do the
two come together? The answer lies somewhere in the 16 tracks of his debut album
“Cash On Delivery”. Just like any other rap artist, Ray probably wants some
level of success. Where he defers though is his approach. With the rap industry
suffering from the cookie cutter syndrome, Ray is moving towards being an
innovator and a nonconformist. While he does have similarities to other artists
(the music media is screaming about him being the T.I. of the Midwest), there is
still something about him that is well, not the same.

On “Payback” Ray is personal, “Prison is not in my vision/even though it
coincides with the life and the way that I’m living” and focused, “I was taught
to subtract anything tryin to intervene and to distract the type of paper that
I’m tryin to attract.” He is not all about the material though as he confesses,
“my goal is not a Bentley.” The Knoxxxx produced “Sex Appeal (Pimp In My Own
Mind)” is probably one of the more distinctive beats of this year with its jumpy
inconsistency and head bobbing rhythm. Ray is clearly having fun as he aims to
prove his, eh-hem pimpness by going through his laundry list of women, “I got a
broad named Jenny/she love to wear that Fendi/my little mama Donna love wearin
Dolce and Gabana… Tammy don’t wear no panties/Annie is so suddity…” Ray loves
the women. More specifically he loves a gangsta woman as displayed on “She A G”.
Over the “Thin Line Between Love and Hate” sample, he is descriptive, “She had
the body of a vixen/the swag of a
veteran/the face of an angel…” He also becomes vulnerable, “After our first
late night conversation that was all she wrote/fell in love when said she used
to see dope…” With his thug image though, he becomes a little too uhmm- sappy
when he calls her “my boo”. He catches himself though “But love ain’t what
gangstas do so how can I respect that?” Perhaps love does not conquer all. The
introspective “Dope Game” is about another love. He passionately admits the
challenges and dichotomy of this life as he goes back and forth, “say it’s hard
sellin weed when you smoking for stress”, “hustle in the street with no shame”,
“…hopefully I’ll stay out of prison”, “If I get caught let me do my time.” The
poignant “Better Way” vividly depicts life and death, “Scene one/mother looks
into her newborns eyes…/while on the other side/another mother is cryin/she just
watched the life she brought in the world painfully die.” Less like a rap song
and more like a story the chorus is an age old
line that still rings true, “We gonna make it out one day/there’s gotta be a
better way.” Ray shows he is well rounded with the politically charged “F***
Amerikkka” He points an angry finger, “you put crack on the streets/nigga’s
brains is fryin,” and he uses common sense, “and you travel space/other
planets/looking for martians/kids in your own fuckin cities is starving…” This
will not be found in Bush’s CD changer. The blatancy of P.A.N. (Pussy Ass Nigga)
is just plain fun to listen to. Ray makes is dumbfounded yet unconrned, “I don’t
know if it’s the money or it’s me that he despise… if you don’t like me/state
your cause my nigga/you ain’t got to lie. Bun B is even more critical as he
starts “You born a bitch you die a bitch/you born a hoe you die a hoe…” Then
like it was scripted, he ends the album with “Here I Stand” where he leaves a
lasting impression on who he is, “rather have money and be lonely than have
homies and broke”, “Die will I stand/before you ever see my
die on my knees” “Put faith in God fo I rely on these beats”.

Needle Meter Ray has the lyrical prolificacy to keep him relevant. His album,
full of the twists and turns of his life, is more of a personal tribute then an
attempt to just showcase his skills. This makes him genuine. His style though
can be confusing. Though a thug he may be, he looks nothing the part, with a
particularly goofy looking demeanor on his album cover and well, those glasses.
Sure there are probably some thugs out there with vision problems but looking at
him and then hearing tracks like Sex Appeal and P.A.N.; the two just don’t quite
blend. Then there is the irritating “UHH’s” in almost every song on the album,
as if he is forcing a thug nature that he does not really possess. This mystery
though is what makes him interesting, as he puts Cleveland on the map and the
national government on blast. He’ll be a household name soon enough.
Five Needles! Classic Album!














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