by him

“Wait a minute, ain’t that Brandy’s brother?” — Lil Kim These words, spoken by the original Queen Bee in 2001 were about Ray J, and the set a precedent for the kind of celebrity he was and is. Can you think of a favorite Ray J moment in your pop culture memory? No? Didn’t think so. Ray J is always most recognizable by who he’s next to, or on top of. He’s hell-bent on talking about his past with Kim Kardashian at every opportunity. During his short stint on Celebrity Big Brother earlier this month, he called his ex-girlfriend a player and a cheater . And now, he just made his debut on a different reality show, My Kitchen Rules, with another nod to Kim . He asked people to “forget about his past” as if we hadn’t done that years ago. And when he and sister Brandy were the first ones to cook, Ray J joked, “Gotta hit it first.” Eye. Roll. Throughout the '90s, Ray J was an afterthought to his older sister Brandy, who remains an R & B icon. There’s no doubt in my mind that when he and Kim’s sex tape was releasedto the public, Ray J thought the moment to become the solo star he always wanted to be was upon him. But it didn’t quite work out that way. The buzz about Ray J and his "endowments" quickly fizzled out, while Kim used it as the launching pad for her $52 million career. It’s a snub Ray J still hasn’t been able to shake. At least he’s taking a more subtle route than making tacky singles like “I Hit It First.” But will he ever get over the girl who got away — and got ahead? I doubt it.