Ray J Wants To Change His Name To Tron: "I'm In A Digital Mindset Right Now, Like A New Matrix"

BYHayley Hynes5.1K Views
Link Copied to Clipboard!
Paras Griffin/Getty Images
Ray J
After his disappointing but hilarious "Verzuz" performance, Ray J is making headlines once again.

If there's one thing you can count on William Ray Norwood Jr. (best known to the world as Ray J) to do, it's keep us laughing, which is exactly what the R&B star did during a recent TV interview.

"You can call me Ray, you can call me J, you can call me Ray J," the singer told hosts on The Talk recently. "But my real name is Willie, and I'm a Junior, so Willie Jr., but that's my dad's name – he owns Willie, and I'm Ray J." 

Ray J Wants To Change His Name To Tron: "I'm In A Digital Mindset Right Now, Like A New Matrix"
Ray J attends the Radio Remote Room for BET Awards 2022 -- Leon Bennett/Getty Images

After all of that was clarified, he added with much excitement, "BUT, I'm changing that too! I'm going with a new name, top of the year. Ray J is into... He's lived, you know what I mean? It's time to evolve."

As the "Sexy Can I" hitmaker was preparing to unveil his new moniker, one of the hosts told him, "We're gonna go viral with this, go."

"My new name will be Tron," the 41-year-old said in complete seriousness as the audience erupted into laughter. "Tron? Where did that come from?" one of the interviewers pressed Ray.


"Because I'm in a digital mindset right now," the father of two explained. "I'm inside the computer, right? I'm in! It's like a new Matrix, but I don't wanna go that deep."

Ray J's exciting announcement comes just weeks after he was clowned for failing to hit the high notes during his performance of "One Wish" on Verzuz. Though the moment sparked plenty of memes and backlash, he's been a good sport about it all, even blaming the Casamigos he was drinking as the reason he lacked vocal control that fateful night.

"I really can go right," the Mississippi native told Joe Budden of his usual stage presence. "But last night, you just would never know. But, I will work harder... You know, I wanted to do something vocally that really woke people up."

Read what else Ray J had to say about the comedic incident here, and tap back in with HNHH later for more music news updates.


About The Author
Hayley Hynes is the former Weekend Managing Editor of HotNewHipHop, she stepped down after two years in 2024 to pursue other creative opportunities but remains on staff part-time to cover music, gossip, and pop culture news. Currently, she contributes similar content on Blavity and 21Ninety, as well as on her personal blog where she also offers tarot/astrology services. Hayley resides on the western side of Canada, previously spending a year in Vancouver to study Fashion Marketing at Blanche Macdonald Centre and Journalism at Mount Royal University in Calgary before that. She's passionate about helping others heal through storytelling, and shares much more about her life on Instagram @hayleyhynes.
...