He was signed with Elektra in 1995 by Darryl Williams. In 1997, he performed in a television special with his sister, but despite the mainstream attention, he was dropped by Elektra soon after. His easygoing image and boyish looks appealed to the producers of Brandy's television show, Moesha, scoring him a role on the popular UPN series starting in 1999. He also started producing, putting together the music for several commercials and a few of the demos for his second record. In 1997 he also released his debut album Everything You Want, recorded the year before, which spawned two singles. "Let It Go" was the lead single of the smash soundtrack for Set It Off (Brandy also appeared on the soundtrack; and her song "Missing You" with Tamia, Chaka Khan and Gladys Knight peaked also at number 25). It peaked number 25 in the U.S. and number 11 in New Zealand. The second single peaked at number 54 on the U.S. R&B chart.
After appearing on the last episode of Moesha in 2001, Norwood stepped back into the studio and recorded "Another Day In Paradise" with Brandy, which was a Top Ten success in Austria, UK, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, Norway, Ireland, the Netherlands and number 11 in Australia and France. The song was the lead single of the R&B/Hip Hop tribute Urban Renewal, in which he co-produced and performed songs. Norwood also worked with The Neptunes, Rodney Jerkins and Lil' Kim, and several other hitmaking producers and singers for his second studio album This Ain't A Game, a Hip hop-oriented record that featured more of his rapping than his debut. The album was released in 2001, but despite a strong promotional push from new label Atlantic Records, it wasn't a breakthrough success. The lead single "Wait A Minute" appeared in the lower half of the charts in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Great Britain. The second single did even worse peaking on the R&B/Hip hop chart only.
In 2002 he appeared in the video for his sister's smash-hit "What About Us", which was produced by Jerkins, and was released as her third album, Full Moon's lead single during the first quarter of 2002 (see 2002 in music). While "What About Us?" entered the Top 20 on the majority of the charts it appeared on, it reached the Top 10 in Australia, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, the UK, and the United States.
After a two year break, Norwood returned to recording studios, adding the finishing touches on his third studio album Raydiation with help from producers such as Rodney Jerkins, Timbaland, and R. Kelly. A joint venture by Sanctuary Records and Ray-J's own label, independent Knockout Entertainment, the album was finally released on September 27, 2005 in North America after several delays, debuting at number forty-eight on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 18,321 copies in the first week. Boosted by the album's lead single "One Wish," a top 20 success in Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, the U.S.. Raydiation eventually sold over 400,000 copies domestically.[2]
In 2005, Norwood joined the cast of UPN's One On One,[3] where he played the character of D-Mack for the final season.
More recently, Knockout Entertainment announced a multi-million dollar album deal with Koch Records and Shaquille O'Neal’s "Deja 34" entertainment company.[2] The first album for this deal is Norwood's upcoming fourth album All I Feel, which featuresThe Game, and remixes with Manny and Gil (MP Productions) among others. It was released on April 1st,2008.[4] The album's first single is "Sexy Can I" featuring rapper Yung Berg peaked at number three on the Top Singles (Hot 100) for six weeks. A video for the track, directed by R. Malcolm Jones, was shot in December 2007
Let It Go
Ray J Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let it go, yeah
Listen up
Every now and then it invades my mind
Some have missed a place through the hard times
From the nine to five or just a world they see
But get your boogey shoes, there's a remedy
I insist that you be down and ready to party
I insist that you relax and let it go
I insist that you believe it's gonna get better
I insist you understand right now you can't do nothin' better
So let it go
Everybody's out on the floor don't you know
Can't do nothin' better so let it go
Set your troubles free
Dance with me
Loose control
Let it go
Every now and then it seems hard to find
Some have lost their way of loving, peace of mind
And if there's any pain or hostility
Well get down on the floor 'cause there's a remedy
I insist that you be down and ready to party
I insist that you relax and let it go
I insist that you believe it's gonna get better
I insist you understand right now you can't do nothin' better
So let it go
Everybody's out on the floor don't you know
Can't do nothin' better so let it go
Set your troubles free
Dance with me
Loose control
Loose control now
Can't do nothin' better so let it go
Everybody's out on the floor don't you know
Can't do nothin' better so let it go
Set your troubles free
Dance with me
Loose control
Let it go
Guess it's time to let it go
Even if your feelings show
It's okay to let it go
Guess it's time to let it
Lose control, baby
Let it go, let it go
Can't do nothin' better so let it go
Let it go
I insist that you be down and ready to party
Set your troubles free
Dance with me
Loose control (let it go)
Can't do nothin' better so let it go
Everybody's out on the floor don't you know
Can't do nothin' better so let it go
Set your troubles free
Dance with me
Loose control (let it go)
Can't do nothin' better so let it go
Everybody's out on the floor don't you know
Can't do nothin' better so let it go
Set your troubles free
Dance with me
Loose control
Can't do nothin' better so let it go
Everybody's out on the floor don't you know
Can't do nothin' better so let it go
Set your troubles free
Dance with me
Loose control
Let it go
Can't do nothin'
Can't do
Can't do nothin' better
Can't do
Can't do
Can't do nothin'
The song "Let it Go" by Ray J, also known as William Ray Norwood Jr. is a fun and upbeat party song that encourages people to let go of their worries and let loose on the dance floor. The song begins with the singer admitting that sometimes life gets tough, and one can feel lost, but there is always a remedy to everything, and in this case, it is dancing. He insists that everyone should let go of their troubling thoughts and believe that things will get better. The chorus repeats the phrase "can't do nothing better so let it go," stating that there is nothing more important than having fun and dancing away the troubles.
The second verse of the song echoes the same sentiment, stating that anyone feeling pain or hostility should let it go and hit the dance floor. The song encourages people to be ready to party and set their troubles free. The bridge of the song suggests that even if someone's feelings are showing, it is okay to let go and lose control on the dance floor. The song ends with Ray J repeating the chorus, urging everyone to let go and have some fun.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh baby, let it go
Relax and release whatever is troubling you
Let it go, yeah
Continue to let go of your problems
Listen up
Pay attention to the message of the song
Every now and then it invades my mind
Sometimes people can get stuck in negative cycles of thought
Some have missed a place through the hard times
Difficult times can make people feel lost or disconnected
From the nine to five or just a world they see
Daily life or general difficulties can cause stress and anxiety
But get your boogey shoes, there's a remedy
Dancing and having fun can be a way to let go of stress
I insist that you be down and ready to party
The singer encourages the listener to have a good time
I insist that you relax and let it go
The singer is emphasizing the importance of finding ways to relax
I insist that you believe it's gonna get better
Hope and positivity can improve mental well-being
I insist you understand right now you can't do nothin' better
There's no better option than having fun and letting go of stress
So let it go
Continue to let go of your problems
Everybody's out on the floor don't you know
People are having fun and dancing
Can't do nothin' better so let it go
There's nothing better to do than to have fun and let go of stress
Set your troubles free
Stop worrying and allow yourself to have fun
Dance with me
Join in on the dancing and fun
Loose control
Let yourself fully enjoy the moment
Every now and then it seems hard to find
Finding happiness and peace can be difficult
Some have lost their way of loving, peace of mind
Difficulties can impact one's ability to love and find peace
And if there's any pain or hostility
Negative emotions can cause pain or tension
Well get down on the floor 'cause there's a remedy
Dancing and having fun is a way to let go of negative emotions
Guess it's time to let it go
The singer suggests it's time to let go of problems and move on
Even if your feelings show
It's okay to express emotions while still moving forward
Lose control, baby
Fully enjoy the moment and let go of control
Can't do nothin' better so let it go
Having fun and letting go of stress is the best option
I insist that you be down and ready to party
The singer encourages the listener to have fun and enjoy themselves
Loose control (let it go)
Fully enjoy the moment and let go of control
Can't do nothin' better so let it go
Having fun and letting go of stress is the best option
Everybody's out on the floor don't you know
People are having fun and dancing
Let it go
Continue to let go of problems
Can't do nothin'
There's nothing better to do than have fun
Can't do nothin' better
Having fun is the best option
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: GLENN A MCKINNEY, KEITH EDWARD CROUCH, ROY L PENNON, WILLIE NORWOOD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Latoria Gordon
This was my joint!! Ray J was so slept on, and sometimes the slept on artist get desperate and tired of being slept on, so they convert to mainstream shenanigans!
ManyNationsWoman
Umm, I think this was his peak
MsVirgo504
True...unfortunately.
Lateshia Childs
Latoria Gordon so sad
Nicole Jalena
The outfits, the dance moves, the way he's singing... I mean EVERYTHING about this song and video screams "1990's" ...and I LOVE IT!
Tracy Sullivan
This jam will always be the joint! ❤️ the video and Brandy in the background blowing bubbles!
b jor
Man why didn't he pull this song out for Verzus? Its like he completely forgot about his debut album in 1997 and this was some of his best work.
Eboni Bynum
I was saying the same thing. He could have sang Let it go and Everything those was my favorite Ray J songs growing up
Latoya Marie
cant believe this song just popped into my head..loved this
Kay n’ Vay
Same here. I was actually asleep today and the song was playing in my dream. lmbo I haven't even thought about it in YEARS.