Detroit hip-hop heavyweight Babyface Ray has unveiled his latest album, The Kid That Did, a reflective project chronicling his journey from the streets to stardom. A decade after his first mixtape and two years since his debut album—which featured collaborations with G Herbo, Pusha T, Wiz Khalifa, 42 Dugg, Yung Lean, and Landstrip Chip, peaking at No. 31 on the Billboard 200 and No. 2 on the Independent Albums chart—Ray’s relentless grind remains the driving force behind his rise.

The Kid That Did is a testament to his hustle and a blueprint for his continued evolution in the rap scene. On the release, Ray shares, "I feel great. I feel like it's gonna do well."

The album’s inspiration comes from Ray’s journey as a trailblazer in his family. "Being a kid that did," Ray explains to BET. "Being one of the first people out of my family to do something. Not even just make a lot of money, but just be successful. Being one of the first people out of my generation of rappers that came up to tour, go overseas, and do festivals, stuff like that. So I just felt like the kid that did a lot. You know what I'm saying?"

The 33-year-old’s love for music started early, influenced by his father’s extensive CD collection. This exposure fueled his passion, and growing up in Detroit, he looked to local artists for inspiration. "Being an artist from Detroit was regular. We had our older people that we listened to that was into hip-hop, that we looked up to, but it wasn't really doing too much mainstream. So we kinda based ourselves off of what they was doing. They were known locally... but wasn't known mainstream," he explains. "When we got going, we kinda felt like if we get known locally, we cool. So we did that for a while, and it ended up turning out that the world ended up enjoying the music as well."

Despite his success, Ray remains dedicated to the craft. "I'm creating as we speak. Like, I've been in the studio every day. I'm just gonna go with the flow of things to see how it go," he says, hinting at more. He also reveals plans to tour supporting The Kid That Did this Thanksgiving.

As for dream collaborations, Ray has his sights set on a dream collaboration with Pharrell Williams. "I'm a student of music, so I just know what Pharrell touches is gold," he says. "I've seen what he did with a lot of artists before me. So I just wanna get in there and chop it up with him and make some music for real."

Returning, Ray reflects on a lesson he wishes he had learned earlier: not overthink. "Once you get in certain rooms and have conversations with people, you start overthinking a lot. I wish I could tell my old self, 'Just be yourself, keep doing what you're doing, and don't overthink it.' I probably would've been good, you know?"

With The Kid That Did, Babyface Ray solidifies his place as a driving force in Detroit hip-hop. He continues to push boundaries while staying true to his roots.