Some refer to him as the rapper. Others just know him as Renard, the loveable, warm guy from Brooklyn. And if you don’t know who he is by now, you better get used to hearing his name around campus a lot more. This newcomer doesn’t plan on going anywhere, and can’t wait to rap his lyrics for all of Le Moyne.

Here is Sonnie Rays:

Amari Pollard: What is your year and major?

Renard Harris: I’m a junior in the communications program.

AP: How did you first get into music?

RH: I started getting into music in my after school program. At first it was just an activity, but then I fell in love with it. My friends and I started rapping at breakfast and lunch time, and then we formed a group where we performed at talent shows.

AP: What’s your official stage name and how did you come up with it?

RH: My stage name was Sonny D because my favorite drink was Sunny D, but then I changed it to Sonnie Rays because I still liked the name Sonny and people like to pronounce my name as Raynard instead of Renard, so I just added them together.

AP: How would you describe your music?

RH: It has a very old school feeling to it. I’m not so much about a club beat as I am about the lyrics.

AP: What artists influence you most?

RH: The artist that influenced me most was Drake back in 2007…back then I was hungry and cared about his lyrics.

AP: Would you say you rap with a message? And if so, what would that message be?

RH: My rap message is to emphasize the regular people. Rap in this day and age is about money, cars, clothes and other things that are sometimes so irrelevant.

AP: Where can people listen to your music?

RH: They can listen to it on Soundcloud: Sonnie-Rays-12

AP: Out of all your songs, which one is your favorite and why?

RH: My favorite songs change over time, I always feel that I get better and therefore it switches.

AP: Will the Le Moyne community be able to see you perform on campus this semester?

RH: Yes, hopefully I will be able to perform on Dolphy Day again.  

AP: Are you working on any new stuff?

RH: I am currently working on my mixtape Sunny Side Up. It is going to be dope.

AP: What’s your favorite part of performing?

RH: The crowds reaction definitely gets me hype.