Ray Slijngaard
| Ray Slijngaard | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Raymond Lothar Slijngaard |
| Also known as | Kid Ray and Raytac |
| Born |
June 28, 1971 Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Genres | Eurodance, techno, dance-pop, Hi-NRG, hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Labels | ZYX Records, BYTE Records, ToCo International, X-Ray Records/Rayvano Productions, Spinnin' Records. |
| Associated acts | 2 Unlimited, Ray & Anita, VIP Allstars |
Raymond Slijngaard (born June 28, 1971) is a Dutch rapper and musician best known as the front person of the duo 2 Unlimited.
Raymond Lothar Slijngaard was born in Amsterdam to Lothar and Ingrid Slijngaard. In his early career, Ray was a chef while dreaming of becoming a rap star—singling out Snoop Dogg as his favourite at the time.
Ray has one son named Rayvano (b.1996) with Hortence Gooding. Ray currently lives in Germany, but is still an avid and keen supporter of AFC Ajax.
2 Unlimited is an electronic music project founded in 1991 by two Belgian producers Jean-Paul DeCoster and Phil Wilde and fronted by Dutch rapper Ray Slijngaard and Dutch vocalist Anita Doth.
In the early 1990s, Ray, (the soon-to-become rapper of 2 Unlimited) had been asked to write rap lyrics for a tune written by Belgian producers J.P. de Coster and Phil Wilde. Ray also wrote a chorus to be sung by a female vocalist, for which he asked Anita Doth to sing the lyrics. The demo was presented to de Coster and Wilde, leading to Ray joining 2 Unlimited, and "Get Ready for This" was produced as their first single. It became a big hit, and was used in sporting events and movies.
Ray sang the rap for their songs; however there was successful single, "Nothing Like the Rain", where he had very little input. The band became an instant success in Europe and throughout the world. Their hits included songs such as "Maximum Overdrive", "No Limit", "Tribal Dance", "The Real Thing", "Twilight Zone" and "Workaholic".
During his time with 2 Unlimited, Ray was famous for his original hairstyle, keeping the rest of his head shaved, leaving only a few dreadlocks on top of his forehead. As a new single was released, the title was often shaved into the remainder of his hair.
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