On Tuesday, July 15, Ray Vaughn played at Baby’s All Right, making his New York debut. Vaughn was touring his latest album, The Good The Bad The Dollar Menu, which was released this past spring under TDE. He made a stop in Brooklyn on his Drive Through Dreams tour.
Though this marked Ray Vaughn’s first time in New York City, he’s no stranger to locals. Vaughn had exchanged disses with Brooklyn rapper Joey Bada$$ after he critiqued the West Coast for its overconfidence following Kendrick Lamar’s run against Drake. Despite his beef with Joey Bada$$ and some other East Coast rappers, his issue with them was not because of where they’re from, even taking the time to say on one of the exchange tracks, Crashout Heritage, that he’s “Got love for every region”. It’s clear that Ray Vaughn has respect for New York and its music scene. Even criticizing Joey Bada$$ for failing to uphold its image. Facing upset from East Coast natives didn’t stop him from scheduling a show in New York, nor did it stop New Yorkers from showing up. Vaughn’s stop at Baby’s All Right was the third of his five-show tour, which wrapped up at the end of July.
To the surprise of all in attendance, the venue’s air conditioning had broken earlier in the day, making for a humid environment. Luckily, it didn’t take long for the show to begin. Vaughn came up on stage to introduce not only himself but his DJ, Nate. The audience was given a heads-up that, despite his best effort, Nate might make some mistakes during the show, and if that were to happen, the crowd should call out “Fuck you, Nate!”. The crowd was invited to test it out, yet few did. The instruction was quickly followed up by clarification that the statement was to be followed by the group chanting “We love you, Nate!”, which got everyone on board.
Ray Vaughn has an incredible talent for not only being candid in his music but also on stage. Throughout the night, he spoke about various struggles he’d faced throughout his life. He told the audience about his mom, who suffers from schizophrenia and, due to her illnesses, has been unable to ever see him perform, his close friend’s overdose, his past time robbing people, his own experience getting robbed, and his drive to succeed for his daughter. Despite a difficult journey towards getting the recognition he deserves, you’d never be able to tell from his stage presence. Not one part of him was rushing to escape the heat; he was there to deliver the show people came to see. He was jumping, dancing, and most notably doing so with a smile on his face. His engagement with the audience continued throughout the night, taking breaks to ask for tips on New York slang, get water for a dehydrated fan, and crack jokes. When it came time to close out the show, he went with his viral hit from this spring, Hoe Era (one of the many disses exchanged with Joey Bada$$). He played the song a second time, stepping down from the stage to the crowd to dance with fans.
Despite extreme heat, humidity, and signaling that the show should be wrapped up, it was easy to get the feeling that if he could, Vaughn would keep going for his fans. He let the crowd know he’d be by the merch table to chat with fans or take some pictures while Nate stepped out from behind the DJ table to fist bump with fans still out on the floor. Overall, Ray Vaughn is a charismatic artist with a story to root for and talent that shines.
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