Between heavyweights like Big Sean and Eminem returning from hiatus and newcomers like Veeze taking over the internet, Detroit is virtually unstoppable at the moment. On Thursday (Sept. 19), Babyface Ray stopped by “The Breakfast Club,” where he discussed the city’s growing influence in Hip Hop.
“It was tough for us at first, but now, everywhere you go, they love us. It feels good right now, but at first, it was rough. They didn’t even want to hear it,” Ray admitted. When asked about what changed for the 313’s music scene, he credited Tee Grizzley’s “First Day Out” as the wake-up call: “It kind of shined a light on Detroit for that type of sound and everything after that… Sada [Baby], [42] Dugg, it was cool.”
Though he hasn’t released an album in quite some time, Sada took over the industry with “Whole Lotta Choppas.” The record peaked at No. 35 on the Hot 100 chart, thanks to Nicki Minaj hopping on the official remix. Meanwhile, Dugg and Lil Baby dominated the summer of 2020 with “We Paid,” with the Michigan star’s “Dog Food” and “Been Turnt” having previously put him on the map.
Elsewhere in his sit-down with DJ Envy and Charlamagne Tha God, Ray touched on the increasing unity among Detroit — or more specifically, the lack of beef. “It’s more of everybody understanding that we got business to handle. We don’t have to like each other or hang around each other, but [with] all the bulls**t that’s in the mix, we don’t [have to take it that far],” he explained.
On Sept. 13, Ray dropped off his latest album, The Kid That Did. The 20-song collection contained contributions from G Herbo, Peezy, Fabolous, Hunxcho, BossMan Dlow, and several more. He led the project with surefire tracks like “Count Money” and “Rubberband Man.”