It’s Time for Me to Admit I Think Ray J Is the Most Influential Person of the Decade

From Cosmopolitan

As 2020 looms in the back of our minds this holiday season, the instinct to rank the superlatives of the decade kicks in. Critics are out here debating the top songs of the decade, every single movie of the decade, and the best memes of the decade. There are also some lists that attempt to rank the most influential people of the past 10 years, but let me tell you: Any list that ignores Ray J’s enduring influence should be deemed null and void upon arrival. Whether you love him or hate him, try to stick with me (and rapper Vince Staples, who has been telling it on the mountain for years now) on this journey.

Unfortunately, Ray J is constantly getting dunked on because he’s like that little brother on a sitcom who nobody takes seriously because he’s really goofy, but he’s actually a genius. As Vince once told GQ, “Ray J is someone who’s always in the mix. If you really think about everything that’s going on today, Ray J is very, very good at making himself part of the conversation.” In short: It’s time to give the actor/singer/marijuana entrepreneur/reality star/inventor his flowers for being influential AF.

He Did the Impossible

Before Kanye West started airing out all his business on Twitter and in since-deleted Instagram videos, Vince said it was extremely difficult to get Ye’s attention. But you know who did? Yep. Ray J.

Once Ray J dropped “I Hit It First,” which was intended to stake a creepy claim on Kim Kardashian (I cannot vouch for that, creepy is creepy), he basically “put a curse” on Kanye and baited Kanye into responding with a shady lyric in “Bound 2.”

His Style Never Fails

Ariana Grande has her ponytail, Beyoncé has her sheer gowns, and Ray J has his hats. Only he could pull off a beanie that manages to migrate to every corner of his powerful mind.

(BTW, this scene is from Love & Hip Hop, one of his many television projects.)

Even Chrissy Teigen had to get in on his genius.

Plus, his hat game is just A1 in general.

Petition to get Ray J to Paris Fashion Week starts now.

He Upped the Kardashians’ Platform

I’m a firm believer that the Kardashians would’ve been this famous no matter what. They were obscenely rich and famous, and the celebrity gene runs in their blood. That said, Kim and Ray J’s sex tape didn’t hurt. Ever since Kim and Ray J’s sex tape leaked and she was freed from organizing Paris Hilton’s closet, her status and net worth has risen exponentially. Yes, technically, the tape was filmed in 2002 and made public in 2007, but its impact reverberated throughout the decade...and we’ll probably feel the aftershocks of it for the rest of our lives, TBH.

Aside from dating Kim, Ray J was also Whitney Houston’s “final romance,” which is...BIG.

He’s a Master Inventor

Surely, you’ve already seen Ray J tell a Complex interviewer named Speedy to step on his new line of eyewear to prove they’re unbreakable. If you haven’t, prepare to witness the iconic video, which came in the last quarter of the decade and further proves that Ray J’s confidence cannot be shaken.

While it’s incredibly easy to laugh at him and the glasses that Speedy so easily snapped in half, his “I don’t care” attitude is what makes him, well, him—the most influential person who never gives up no matter how much people may laugh at him.

You Might Also Like

• 16 Unexpected Fashion Rules That the Royal Family Follows

• The 8 Best Clarifying Shampoos for Getting Rid of Product Buildup

• Here's How to Flawlessly Conceal Your Acne