Ray Vaughn Drops Melodic New Single “CEMETERY lanterns”
Today, Top Dawg Entertainment’s rising star and Tidal’s 2025 Artist to Watch, Ray Vaughn, drops his next single “CEMETERY lanterns.” The Rayo and Kyu Steed produced percussive cut continues the motion Ray set last year in lead up to his upcoming debut EP, “The Good, The Bad & The Dollar Menu,” on the West Coast’s leading label. Coming soon, the EP is available for pre-save HERE.
On the new single Ray Vaughn shares;
“CEMETERY lanterns’ is a story for those caught between loyalty and survival. It’s about the struggle of growing up in the hood, torn between following the footsteps of those you look up to or breaking the cycle.”
He continues, “everyday, people make choices that lead them down the wrong path, and too often, those stories end the same way. This song is for them.”
Top Dawg Entertainment has skyrocketed the likes of Kendrick Lamar, SZA and Doechii into the stratosphere! Their big years have also allowed the spotlight to run off on labelmate and TDE’s crowned prince, Ray Vaughn.
From performing in 2024’s Ken & Friends presented by pgLang and Free Lunch in LA for Juneteenth, to his song ‘Blasphemy’ being synced to and included in SZA and Keke Palmers #1 movie in the country – One of them Days. He has even carried the torch Kendrick lit reigniting the fire back in rap battles, with his feud with Joey Bada$$ following the drop of his track ‘CRASHOUT HERITAGE.’
Following previous released earworms that saw Ray collaborating with Isaiah Rashad on “EAST CHATT,” Pusha T in “Problems” and even NLE Choppa on the Rayo and Jack LoMastro produced “FNBM,” Ray is more than ready to deliver his upcoming EP “The Good, The Bad & The Dollar Menu” in a creative tongue-in-cheek fashion, only he could.
The EP will showcase the various experiences Ray has encountered through his adolescence, journey as an artist, to his eventual signing with TDE. Sonically it delivers an encapsulation of his various influences, delving through his trajectory: the dark, the ugly and his wins, all wrapped up with moments of witty humor, while boasting his unique wordplay amid fun fresh neck-snapping beats, to boldly soulful and meticulously shifting productions.
Ray has been on a heat streak since his Pusha T-assisted February palette cleanser, “Problems,” with recent tracks, from “Blasphemy,“ to “Ray Wop,” and “Supposed to Die” to “Black Jesus.” With each release, Vaughn further expands and highlights his versatility, his piercing pen for building a hook across immersive hard-hitting productions, and a true understanding of whom he’s speaking to with each bar.
“Ray Wop” leads this bundle, but it is “FNBM” that clocks in at the top of Ray’s swaggering 2024 run, with a heavy beat that would ring off in any club, car, or party, the track is prime example of Ray’s evolving artistry.
Last year he performed on Isaiah Rashad’s 10-year anniversary tour for Cilvia Demo. and throughout dropped a continuous onslaught of lyricism and content through his channels, revving his audiences up for each official release.
Stay tuned for more from Ray Vaughn coming soon.
