Born in Brooklyn and raised around Ozone Park, Queens, New York, RayRaks grew up surrounded by the realities, culture, and energy that come with life in the city. Coming from a proud Puerto Rican and Greek background, his upbringing gave him a perspective shaped by different cultures, hard work, family, and the environment around him.
Like many who grow up in the hood, RayRaks learned early that the goal was to find a way out and create something better. His younger years included being involved in street life, from dealing on the corner to eventually doing time. He doesn’t try to hide those chapters of his life or pretend he always made the right decisions. Instead, he looks at them as experiences that helped shape the person he is today.
Growing up, he also learned that everyone wouldn’t understand where he came from or the things he had to experience. Rather than allowing those circumstances to stop him, he learned to keep moving. The struggles became motivation.
Family became an even bigger part of that motivation. Watching people he loved struggle made RayRaks realize that he wanted to become somebody who could create a better situation for himself and the people around him. To him, success isn’t simply about money or attention. It’s about being able to take care of your people and change the circumstances around you.
Before music became a serious pursuit, RayRaks was already finding ways to express himself. He started freestyling in the backyard of his junior high school, mostly for fun at the time. Music was something he enjoyed, but he didn’t yet understand how important it would eventually become.
That changed on February 19, 2022.
RayRaks lost his little brother, LexLaks, who looked up to him and supported his music. LexLaks passed away that day while participating in a music video, and the loss changed everything. From that point forward, RayRaks began taking music much more seriously.
What started as freestyling became something deeper. Music became a way to process the pain, tell his story, and honor his little brother. He has been going hard ever since.
Growing up, RayRaks found inspiration in artists who could speak from their experiences while commanding attention with their words. His top five influences include Jadakiss, 50 Cent, Eminem, Papoose, and Tory Lanez. Their different approaches to storytelling, lyricism, and real-life experiences helped shape the artist he wanted to become.
His own sound is rooted heavily in pain music and real-life struggles. RayRaks doesn’t shy away from the difficult parts of his story. He uses those experiences to create music that people can relate to. At the same time, he’s beginning to explore another side of himself, tapping into music made more for the females while continuing to build his own sound.
His recording journey has taken him through different studios and different states. One of his main studios in Harlem, New York, has been VerafiedSounds. More recently, he’s taken another step toward independence by recording himself.
Outside of the studio, RayRaks’ upbringing was filled with nightlife and time spent with his people. He remembers nights at New York spots like Webster Hall and Pacha NYC, creating memories along the way. And when he wasn’t outside enjoying the nightlife, he could usually be found on 88th Street with the crew. Those places and experiences became part of the environment that shaped him.
Today, RayRaks is currently based in California’s Coachella Valley, continuing to build beyond the places he once knew. His latest release, “What If,” is available on YouTube and Spotify, giving listeners another look into where he is creatively today.
But he’s not stopping there. RayRaks is preparing to release his upcoming album, The Alpha Wolf, a project that represents another chapter in his journey and the direction he’s heading.
Through everything, RayRaks understands that his past will always be part of his story, but it doesn’t have to determine his future. He’s experienced street life, loss, setbacks, and difficult moments, but he’s still here, still creating, and still pushing toward something greater.
For RayRaks, the journey is bigger than music. It’s about growth, family, purpose, and becoming the person he knows he’s capable of being.
And above everything, he carries the memory of his little brother with him.
Shout out to my little brother LexLaks. It’s Everything For Lex. LLL
