Family Business: Brandy, Ray J & Their Commercial Bloodline

Words by Amber McKynzie

It may seem like Brandy brought her family into the limelight to a newer generation, but it was her parents who started it all. Her father, Willie Raymond Norwood, Sr., made a name for himself in the music business as a jazz musician in Mississippi, and eventually transformed into a known gospel singer. Willie Sr.’s love for gospel caught the attention of a two-year-old Brandy, who made her vocal debut in her church choir. It would be cliché to say the rest is history, but you can’t help it when it’s true.

Brandy followed her passion for music and signed on as a backup singer for Immature at 13. Then, a mere two years later, she found her first solo album sold out across the nation. While she may have soaked up the family spotlight, her brother, Ray J, wasn’t far behind. He too found himself spending countless hours in a recording studio, only to release his first album, Everything You Want, at 16. From parents to cousins, this family has seen everything music and television has to offer. And as Brandy continues to shine on The Game, they are only going to see more. That’s familial “raydiation.”