If you’re at all active on social media, you’ve probably seen the #TooLoud challenge going crazy with females from all over the world clapping their ass and turning up.
So one question remains: who’s the man behind the song? Insert Louie Ray, who recorded his song “CASH APP” without knowing it would become a viral sensation that’s taking over all the major social media platforms.
A Flint, Michigan, native, Louie Ray prides himself in being “The Motivator,” as seen on his Instagram handle. On top of the fact that he works his ass off, always in the studio recording and perfecting his craft, it’s Louie’s ability to create meaningful music for his fans to listen to, relate to, and get inspired by.
Louie encourages you to keep going no matter what field you’re in.
Louie states, “I describe myself as a calm person, a person who feels s### out first before I get into it. I’m a thinker, a thinker and doer. I think about it, then I go try to do it.”
Fast forward to today, Louie unveils his newest project titled Still Grinding 4, the fourth installment to his Still Grinding series. Clocking in at 20 tracks deep, the mixtape features Icewear Vezzo, Lil Migo, and YN Jay, the latter with whom he has a very close relationship.
Additionally, Rio Da Yung OG is his blood brother, someone he claims is the hottest rapper out of Flint as of recent.
AllHipHop: Obviously, you’re from Flint. What was that like growing up?
Louie Ray: I’m glad you know we from Flint. A lot of people think or they’ll just say we’re from Michigan or Detroit.
AllHipHop: Really? Didn’t you get one of Flint’s Artists On The Rise on Spotify’s Rap Caviar?
Louie Ray: Yeah, I’m glad you know. A lot of people don’t be knowing that, I’m from Flint. If you Flint, it’s a town. It ain’t no city, we ain’t got big buildings. We got a downtown, but it’s small. Flint is just small. People, everybody knows each other like uncle aunty type s###. For a fact, everybody knows that it’s small. It’s small, but there’s a lot going on there, like it does in a lot of places. We just don’t know about it because it’s small, it’s one of them type situations.
AllHipHop: When did you fall in love with music?
Louie Ray: I had some homeboys that used to rap back at the house. It was a group called LMCOB, I just liked to do it. They used to go in there and rap about what was going on. They’ll rap about what they did that day, literally. It was funny to me, so I wanted to do that too. I’m out here doing the same thing, I might as well… you feel me? Once I got in there, it clicked for me. It fit me. I didn’t force it, I didn’t have to think too hard. I didn’t have to write, study, and learn. I ain’t had no artists — a m########### will ask who I looked at as idols? I never had that. It wasn’t like I was trying to rap, it just happened.
AllHipHop: You gotta have favorite artists at least right?
Louie Ray: I got people I like, for a fact. We grew up listening to Lil Wayne, Gotti, Jeezy. We got a couple people back at the house that was people we listened to: Dolla and Ski, people from my neighborhood. I listened to The Dayton Family. I ain’t really listened to The Dayton Family but them m############ were pioneers for Flint. They opened the doors up to let people know about Flint. We ain’t had no music scene, so music ain’t really big to us like that. Until now.
AllHipHop: Who’s the biggest artist to be out of Flint right now?
Louie Ray: S###, I’m a say Rio Da Yung OG. That’s my blood brother. That’s my blood little brother, we got the same daddy. It’s either him or YN Jay Coochie Man, but that’s little bro too. He ain’t my blood brother, but he might as well be. We damn near look alike. But I’ll say Rio. I feel like him and Jay neck and neck, but Rio probably got more of a bigger influence. He took the game by storm.
AllHipHop: I know you and Rio linked on “Movie,” right?
Louie Ray: Yeah, we got “Movie.” We got we got a couple of songs that’s nice out there. “One Night” was big, racked up about 20 million views. “Movie” was the biggest fasho. “Movie” probably has 20, 25 million.
AllHipHop: Do y’all be supporting each other heavy?
Louie Ray: Hell yeah, we real family. Rio my real little brother, there’s no questioning that. Whatever he’s with, I’m behind him 100%. YN Jay is like real family. Just like RMC Mike, that’s Rio’s best friend. So that’s family. Everybody, we in the same room. When we go home, we together. We behind each other 100%.
AllHipHop: When did you realize you could do music for a living?
Louie Ray: For a living? I still ain’t really made that my thing. I’m looked in on rap for a fact, but I still got other s### I want to do. I want to try more s###. I don’t just want to say acting because it seems so… but I want to try that. I want to play in a couple of films. I want to open up s### like this, buildings like this. Have my own networking team. I want to expand and do more with it, I don’t want to just be a straight artist.
AllHipHop: Any businesses we should know about?
Louie Ray: I got some s### started, but I ain’t really full-fledged with it. I got merch going, we got a little store back in Flint. We got the merch, we selling shoes like the Yeezys. We trying s### like that. Trying one little salon, food. We’re trying to make little s### here and there, but we ain’t really full-fledged or nothing. But I’m trying.
AllHipHop: We gotta talk about “Cash App” going crazy!
Louie Ray: Whew, no telling. You know what’s so crazy? What I gotta make known is “Cash App” is my song! A lot of people don’t even know who that is or what’s going on.
AllHipHop: Facts! It’s so crazy connecting the dots. It happened to me with Soulja Boy’s “She Make It Clap.”
Louie Ray: Yeah, I didn’t know that was him either. I swear to God. There’s another song too that’s by someone that I don’t know. The dude Hurricane Chris? “A Bay Bay”! Remember he had that song back in the day right? That’s big again. Remember when everyone was walking back then? It’s another song, it’s new. It’s a new song, but I ain’t know it was him. Obviously he’s saying exactly what he was saying then, it’s crazy. He brought it back type s###.
AllHipHop: Was the challenge intentional, or did someone just pick it up?
Louie Ray: Nope, I don’t even know where it came from honestly. YN Jay the Coochie Man called me like “man, you going viral right now.” Viral? I don’t think about it like that. I’m going viral on what? I don’t get on TikTok at all. I don’t know what to do. He told me “you turning up forreal forreal.” So I go on there and look, I’m like damn! It was people with way more followers than me that was doing it, that’s what I was noticing. Do they even know it’s me? They’re not tagging me or nothing, they made the challenge and everything. I ain’t make a name for it, they’re doing their own s###. “Cash App” or #TooLoud, whatever they was calling it.
I’m a put a tour together off of that. We got with a lot of promoters and a lot of people in the surrounding areas. I started a tour off of it, to really to get my face out there to let the people know whose song it was. That’s really what I did it for. For people to know “oh that’s his song.” That s### was a success too, that’s so crazy. Called around a couple of states and see if m############ wanted to book me, and they did. It went further than what I expected. Other people got to calling from everywhere, what’s crackin’? It was crazy, it was a crazy experience. It’s still crazy right now, because people still learning that it’s me right now. It’s going up.
AllHipHop: Are you about that life? The ratchet-tivities?
Louie Ray: I’m living like that, for a fact. From where I’m from, it’s like that. That’s what it is, I ain’t gon’ lie. [laughs] It’s ratchet where I’m at, for a fact.
AllHipHop: Does that mean the song’s going crazy in strip clubs?
Louie Ray: Yeah, that’s where it’s crackin’ for a fact. Anywhere ass getting shook at, that’s where it’s crackin’ at. Promise you. If they shaking ass in that building, that song might be playing in there. I swear, because the girls gotta show off one time on that part. They gotta show off on that part. That’s what went viral, was the part. [claps hands] That s### is crazy.
AllHipHop: Right, everyone’s heard that online!
Louie Ray: That s### was crazy.
AllHipHop: Are you excited though? I know you want to connect the dots..
Louie Ray: That’s my main goal right now, is connecting dots on that. Tryna take advantage of what I can off that. I gotta get what I can get on, I don’t want to miss out on opportunities. That’s my main goal right now.
AllHipHop: When you were making that, did you think it’d blow up?
Louie Ray: No. What’s so crazy, my homie was telling me to make it. I made that right after “Coochie,” the “Coochie” song me and Jay had that went viral. It’s a different song, but damn near the same forreal. But my mans told me to make one called “Cash App” song, he said “do something for Cash App.” “I use my Cash App card when I cash her out,” that part in the “Coochie” song was something.
He said “You should make a song about Cash App, ain’t nobody did it.” Boom. I’m like s###, alright. I go in, I end up making it. Not even really thinking about it going viral or nothing. I just made the song because my man told me to make it and we put it out. That was months ago, it picked up on its own. It blew up out of nowhere. I appreciate whoever the f### it was that started it up, I appreciate you. I put it out, I didn’t even think it’d go so crazy when I first put it out
AllHipHop: So how long did it take to pick up?
Louie Ray: That was about 4, 5, 6 months. I wasn’t even think about the song, it wasn’t even nothing I was thinking about. It was just old music at that point.
AllHipHop: Was there one video that first went viral?
Louie Ray: It was probably 100 videos that went viral. Reginae Carter, Lil Wayne’s daughter. CityGirls. Waka Flocka’s girlfriend, Tammy Rivera. She did it, but she didn’t clap her ass though. She damn near started the challenge — it was another challenge after that. M############ was making videos with their face card. They ain’t have to walk around with they tool out because they face was good.
She damn near started that because she didn’t do it. Her face was good. “I ain’t gotta walk in with my tool out.” She had her kids behind her and they was like, “mom don’t do that!” She was finna do it, but her kids was behind her. Instead of m############ putting the phone up onto they ass, clapping they ass, she did it like that. But the kids was behind her, so she ain’t clap her ass.
A lot of people did it. Moneybagg Yo girlfriend did it, Ari. She ain’t clap her ass neither. They just did it, they ain’t really clap they ass. A lot of girls clapped they ass. But the girls who were married and got boyfriends, they probably didn’t do it. The big people did though.
AllHipHop: You just released your mixtape, Still Grinding 4.
Louie Ray: It’s doing good. That’s what I’ve been standing on since I started, that’s been my thing. We come from somewhere where you won’t get noticed at at all, honestly. People noticed us because our water was f##### up. It took some s### that was damn near life-changing for people to notice us. That’s cool because it’s a small place, it’s understandable. That’s why I call it Grinding because it’s a real grind to come up out of there. You gotta really put in some work for real. You gotta put in work to even get noticed in Detroit, that s### ain’t no play play. Detroit big, so Detroit got a lot going on regardless. They got a lot going on anyway. To get down there and get around them boys, do good stand out or whatever you tryna to do, hell yeah that’s crazy. I’s a grind fasho.
AllHipHop: What do you want fans to take away from this project?
Louie Ray: I want people to know how versatile I am, how much I can stand on my own. I got a couple of features on there, but they homeboys. I ain’t got no big pay features. I got Lil Migo going up from CMG. I got Trip Star on there for BGE, CMG too though. That’s Yo Gotti camp. I got YN Jay on there, and I got Icewear Vezzo from Detroit.
I ain’t got a lot of features or nothing, I wanted to show people I could hold it down. I got a lot of s### going on myself. I want people to tap into me more. Don’t just go for the “Coochie” songs, we got more than that. This ain’t no b#######, it’s hard. We ain’t just being funny, talking about coochie all the time.
AllHipHop: Talk about your relationship with YN Jay and having him on the project.
Louie Ray: YN Jay, that’s little bro. A real little brother for real. He came around me about 4 or 5 years ago, we got together. S###, it’s been on go ever since. He got a mentality like me. He gets up, he ain’t sleeping. It ain’t no pressure on what we gotta do, he ain’t complaining. He works hard. We got a lot of hits, I ain’t gonna lie. We got so many songs. He had signed, it held us back from a lot of s### that we could have did. We got a lot of s### in the chamber, we’re finna probably start letting it out. I think he’s out of his deal.
AllHipHop: What happened with this label?
Louie Ray: You know you get signed, you got to knock out what you gotta knock out. He couldn’t really focus on what we had going on.
AllHipHop: Are you independent? On purpose?
Louie Ray: Yeah, I just got a distribution though. I can’t answer I’m independent right now, but it’s a partnership. I’m still independent. I can still do more s### more. I could sign with somebody right now if I wanted to. It’s on purpose for sure.
It’s on purpose because I want to try to get as big as I can like this first. I want to learn what I can learn, meet who I can meet before I go sign and gotta be on another person’s scorecard. I want to do what I can do on my own card while I can. While I got the momentum, the energy, the time, the money, I want to do it on my own right quick. As long as I don’t f### up and do no crazies, the deal gon’ stay on the table. Just keep making myself hotter, s###.
AllHipHop: You got your own new weed too right?
Louie Ray: Facts, Too Loud Airheads just dropped yesterday. That s### the best weed smoking right now on my momma. I honestly think that.
AllHipHop: You also linked with Dave East, how was that?
Louie Ray: Facts, me and Dave East got a track called “Today.” We linked together off a lady I met named Jolie. She got a heavy influence out there in New York, with a lot of street people that’s in the industry. She was a good connection for me. I met him through her. She took me out there, met a couple people that she knew. We got around him, he was f###### with me. He was feeling the vibes, it was all good. He really embraced me like how a person should, he wasn’t acting funny or nothing. He’s a real dude.
AllHipHop: 3 things you need in the studio at all times?
Louie Ray: A little bit of weed. I don’t really need girls in there, I ain’t gon’ say that. I fasho need some weed, maybe a little drink as far as liquor or lean. And a little company in there. Not crowded, but a couple people in there for me to look at and see if they made an expression around what I said. I don’t like being in there alone, I get bored easily.
AllHipHop: Any goals for yourself?
Louie Ray: Go as far as I can, just keep going as far as life will take me for real. I ain’t got no really no real goals or expectations out of life. I’m a do what’s common sense or right to me. When it comes to having nice houses and nice cars, take care of the kids, all that s### is common sense. Other than that, I just want to go as far as I can go. I want to do this s### till I’m tired. I want to keep expanding, keep going, keep making s### shake till I’m tired. Put it like that. Whatever comes with me doing that, that’s what comes with. It can be multi millions or it can be a life of grinding, whichever one it is. I’m a take it either way it goes.
AllHipHop: Anything else you wanna let the people know?
Louie Ray: I want to let the people know s###, keeps grinding. I stand for grinding. If you anybody that’s doing anything, I don’t give a f### if you holding the camera, doing the interview, rapping, selling houses, shoes, or cars, you grinding. That’s what we represent, so keep doing it.
