Raymond Smith III was born on July 5, 1989, in El Dorado, Arkansas, to the parents of Raymond Smith Jr. and Karen Smith. He was raised in Camden, Arkansas in the Fairview community along with his siblings Clifton Smith, brother, and Kennicka Smith, sister. His love for music was discovered when he was five years old. Ray wrote his first song while sitting in his first grade class at Camden Fairview Elementary School after the death of his uncle Cedric Smith. He showed his mother the song he written at school and she was amazed. In school, Ray was exposed to choir and band where he would be able to learn everything about music that he needed to place him where he wanted to be to start a music career of his own.
	In 2001, he was approached by his cousin Wayne Smith whom gave him a program called Fruity Loops so he could start learning how to make his own beats. In 2005, Ray began recording music in his parents living room at night while everyone was asleep. He went under the pseudonym "Young Ray". He went on to release early recordings to his peers in his high school. In 2007, after graduation, he attended college at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia, majoring in Digital Media Production. While there, he and longtime friend Patric Flannigan and a few guys there formed a group called Mob Squad.
	In 2008, he dropped out of college and moved back to Camden where he would focus more on his music and worked in the Highland Industrial Park area of East Camden, Arkansas. In 2009, he was the opening act for artists like Lil' Boosie, Juvenile, Trina, Z-Ro, and more. In early 2010,  he changed his stage name to Ray Rashad and released a mixtape titled "My Story: Memoirs of a King" the following year. In 2012, he took over full production for his next project and created his own studio called "The Lecture Lounge".
	On April 1, 2013, he released his second mixtape titled "Highway II Success". A few days after the release, his mother Karen Smith passed away. Ray felt he wanted to give up music because his mom was his biggest supporter and became lost after her death. Later that year, he announced that he was in the studio recording his first album "Rayincarnation" with a release for summer 2014. In January, 2014, he released "That's What I Like" as the first single from Rayincarnation. On May 6, 2014, Ray's first child, Samya Smith, was born. On Juy 5, Ray Rashad released his debut studio album "Rayincarnation".

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