Ray J warns people to not be fooled by collaborating with large corporations

Ray J is determined to leave a legacy that his children will be proud of.

REVOLT caught up with the entertainer during the 2022 REVOLT Summit x AT&T to discuss what longevity in the business looks like for him as someone who first hit the scene at the age of 12. “I mean the businesses are booming,” he chimed. “Like everybody else can do deals with Versace, and you can get a collaboration with Balenciaga, but that’s never been the way I’ve done it. I’ve built my brands from the ground up. I’ve sold my scooter brand to a Canadian company. I’ve sold over 3 million earbuds. So, I just think that building brands from the ground up is important.”

Furthermore, he opened up about his own journey as a self-made entrepreneur without the support of a big name brand. “I started from the beginning,” Ray J recalled. “I don’t know anybody that started their companies from the beginning and built them over $100 million without the help of somebody in their corner. That’s mega, right?”

In November 2017, the “One Wish” singer co-founded wireless audio brand Raycon, which features products like earbuds, speakers, and more. In addition to that, he sold his Raycon scooter company for $31 million in the aforementioned deal with Canadian company LOOPShare. At one point during the interview, Ray J stressed the importance of not being fooled by the big corporations while attempting to grow your brand. “Build your team. I’m talking to everybody,” he said. “Stop being bamboozled by the big brands collaborating with you, they’re only going to produce a certain amount of your product. Once they’re sold out, guess what you do in the store? I gotta buy all the other products. So that’s the catch. They’re fooling you by you thinking you’re big by doing it with them. Be big by yourself. Take risks and fail. I fail all the time.”