24: Who is Ray Lavender and what can the fans expect you to
bring to the world with your music?

Ray Lavender: Ray Lavender is sexy, straight to the point
and what I bring to the table is reality music. I have studied the greatest
like Marvin Gaye, R.Kelly, Sam Cooke, and Stevie Wonder. I’m an R&B guy at
heart and what you see is what you get. I cut no shorts on my album and you’ll
hear exactly what I mean.

24: In today’s industry they are rappers and singers coming
and going all the time so tell what will keep you around for years to come?

Ray Lavender: How creative and weird I am with my music. I
say things that the average artist won’t or are too afraid to say, I say what
people think. Like the record my girlfriend has a girlfriend who is honest to
tell you that and walk in on that and join in. This is how I’m coming I have an
edge with my music, reality music.

24: Tell me about your album X-Rated and how this year you
have an album coming out on Geffen and Akon’s KonLive Records?

Ray Lavender: The reason why I went with the title is
because the content gets a little heavy and I got straight to it and I’m a
sexual guy and what ever I wanted to say I said. This album targets when and
I’m going right at them.

24: How did you meet Akon and eventually sign to KonLive
Records?

Ray Lavender: I met Akon back in 1996 and I met him through
a mutual friend and he told me he know this guy who has a studio and it’s for
free so once he said for free I was there. So I get over their and this African
guy answer the door and the African guy turned out to be Akon. He did not look
like he did beats but these beats were the best beats that I heard to date.
Then he played some of his songs for me and it did not sound as good, his voice
was a little cutty because you know when you first heard Akon you did not know
how to feel but when you get it you got it. We started working together right
away, then he got locked up and went to jail but soon as he got out we went
right back to work.

24: Who are some singers and songwriters that inspire you?

Ray Lavender: Smokey Robinson, Sam Cooke like I mentioned
before, Marvin Gaye he’s one of my favorite but the one that inspire me the
most is R.Kelly.

24: Let’s talk about your hot single “My Girl’s Gotta
Girlfriend” who produced that track and how did you come up with the concept?

Ray Lavender: This was a true story, I walked into my house
walked up the stairs and seen my girl with a girl and made it do what it do. My
producer Jason Scott produced the beat he is out of Columbus, Georgia.

24: I hear the version with Fabolous and Red Caf