Ray Vaughn Splits it up On “Set It Off”

Hitmaka hands Ray Vaughn a soul loop that turns mean halfway through. The Long Beach rapper changes gears right along with it.

Ray Vaughn’s new single, “Set It Off,” arrived on October 9, according to HotNewHipHop’s rel listing, and its production credit says a lot about where he is aiming. The beat comes from Hitmaka, the Chicago producer whose credits run from Big Sean to Nicki Minaj, and it is built in two halves: a soulful opening that leaves Vaughn plenty of room, then a hard switch into something louder and meaner.

Signal. What happened: Ray Vaughn rel “Set It Off,” a new single produced by Hitmaka, built around a mid-song beat switch. Exact object: “Set It Off” by Ray Vaughn, prod. Hitmaka, a standalone single with no album or project attached at release. When and where: out October 9, 2026, on streaming platforms. Source: Ray Vaughn’s publish discography. Why it matters: it pairs one of the West Coast’s most technical young rappers with a producer whose catalog leans toward radio and club records, a direct test of the move from respected lyricist to commercial star that reviewers have been tracking since his 2025 mixtape.

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In the first half, Vaughn stays smooth and measured. He raps about having made it out, the pull of going back to hustling, and staying ready if trouble comes looking, and he makes time for the women around him too. When the drums change, so does he. RGM’s same-day review, which gave the song four out of five, describes his delivery turning aggressive and his flow picking up urgency once the beat flips, with the technical side of his rapping pushed to the front.

The two-part structure is a familiar move for him. Back in 2022, Complex noted that his single “Mannequin” moved from a stripped-back beat into something more manic, with Vaughn climbing into a higher register to match it. “Dollar Menu,” from his 2025 mixtape, flipped its own premise on its second half as well. What changes here is the partner on the boards. Hitmaka’s records are built for radio and the club, and RGM framed “Set It Off” as another step in Vaughn’s transition from rapper’s rapper toward a wider audience.

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Vaughn, born Rayvon Welch, signed with Top Dawg Entertainment in 2020, though the label did not announce him until August 2021, alongside the three-song EP Peer Pressure. His first full-length mixtape, The Good, The Bad, The Dollar Menu, landed in April 2025 with guest spots from labelmates Jay Rock and Isaiah Rashad. Within weeks he was at the center of one of the year’s loudest rap feuds, trading diss records with Joey Bada$$ after “Hoe Era,” a back-and-forth that eventually pulled in rappers on both coasts.

June 2025 brought two milestones in the same month: a place in that year’s XXL Freshman class, and a deal with RCA Records that now sits alongside his TDE home. His 2026 releases have kept a steady pace, with “Hit and Run” feat AzChike in February, “Vibe Responsibly” with Isaiah Rashad in May, and “Look Don’t Touch” also out this year.

Hitmaka has a second act of his own. Born Christian Ward, he recorded as Yung Berg in the late 2000s, when “Sexy Can I” with Ray J reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, before rebuilding himself as a full-time producer under the Hitmaka name around 2014. He went on to win Producer of the Year at the 2022 BET Hip Hop Awards.

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No album or project has been announced around “Set It Off,” which is out now as a standalone single.