Tracy Lamar Davis, better known as Big Tray Deee, has lived more lives than most people can imagine. He’s been a founding member of Long Beach’s Insane Crips, a platinum-selling rapper with Tha Eastsidaz, a prison inmate who turned his cell into a recording studio, and now a successful entrepreneur. His journey through West Coast hip-hop isn’t just about survival. It’s proof that authenticity wins, second chances matter, and real ones never fold.
Early Life
Born on April 27, 1966, in Long Beach, California, Tracy Lamar Davis grew up where gang culture wasn’t just present but dominant. The east side of Long Beach shaped him early, and he became a founding member of the Insane Crips gang. His teenage years unfolded in juvenile detention centres and California state prisons rather than high school hallways.
Big Tray Deee’s hip-hop awakening came in an unexpected place. While walking through Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey, California, he first heard “Rapper’s Delight” echoing through the corridors. That moment sparked something, though the flame would take years to ignite fully.
During his late teens and early twenties, he found himself in some of California’s toughest penitentiaries. Prison became his classroom. He started writing raps as emotional therapy, a way to process the heavy reality of his circumstances. Fellow inmates became his first audience, and their positive reactions pushed him to keep going.
The West Coast sound was exploding with N.W.A., and Big Tray Deee studied the greats obsessively. Rakim’s sharp lyricism influenced his pen game, while KRS-One’s delivery, EPMD’s style, and Big Daddy Kane’s flow all shaped his developing craft. He realised his authentic street perspective could translate into something powerful. As he puts it himself, “I am but one of thousands that Hip Hop actually saved.”
Career
Big Tray Deee’s professional music career kicked off in 1994 with a feature on Snoop Doggy Dogg’s “Murder Was the Case” soundtrack. The track “21 Jumpstreet” introduced him to hip-hop heads worldwide and caught the attention of Death Row Records. From 1994 to 1997, he appeared on multiple Death Row classics, including Tha Dogg Pound’s “Dogg Food” in 1995 and Snoop Dogg’s “Tha Doggfather” the following year. Though he never dropped a solo album on Death Row, these features established his reputation as a legitimate West Coast voice with something real to say.
Everything changed in 1999 when Big Tray Deee joined forces with Snoop Dogg and Goldie Loc to create Tha Eastsidaz. The results were explosive. Their debut album, “Snoop Dogg Presents: Tha Eastsidaz,” was released in 2000 and went platinum, selling over a million copies.
The follow-up “Duces ‘n Trayz: The Old Fashioned Way” achieved gold certification in 2001, and they won Source Awards’ “New Artist of the Year, Group” in 2000.
The group’s success went beyond numbers, though. They contributed to Snoop’s hit “Lay Low” from “Tha Last Meal” and bridged different Crip sets through music.
Prison Time (2005-2014)
Life took a hard turn on February 2, 2005. Big Tray Deee received a 12-year sentence for attempted murder after a 2003 incident involving rival gang members.
Nobody got hurt, but the consequences were severe. He pleaded no contest to shooting at an occupied vehicle and headed to California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo. The Eastsidaz disbanded, and his career seemed finished.
Most artists would’ve disappeared, but not Big Tray Deee. He turned his cell into a makeshift studio, using blankets and boxes for soundproofing. Armed with just a smartphone, he recorded approximately 50 songs while locked up. His mixtape “Long Beach State of Mind Vol. I” was recorded entirely in prison with help from a homeboy called Lil Iceberg, who knew how to work the phone like proper studio equipment.
Comeback Story (2014-Present)
Released on April 3, 2014, after serving nine years, Big Tray Deee hit the ground running. Within 90 days, he had reformulated Tha Eastsidaz and was performing at Krush Groove 2014. He reconciled with Snoop Dogg after five years of no communication and launched his independent career with renewed purpose.
His debut solo studio album, “The 3rd Coming,” was released in 2016 and featured collaborations with Snoop Dogg, DJ Quik, Xzibit, and Problem. That same year, he formed the supergroup Diirty OGz with Kurupt, Tha Chill, and Weazel Loc, releasing “We Got Now and Next” in October. He continued his steady output with “The General’s List Vol. 2” in 2018 and “The Certified Project” in 2019, keeping his name circulating in underground circles while building his business empire.
Big Tray Deee hit his stride again in 2023 with “Malice,” released through Supreme Circle Music Group. The 17-track project features collaborations with Kokane, Coniyac, and members of Jagged Edge, and it’s widely considered his best solo work to date. Music videos for “Buzherk” and “Swear On the Set” showed he hasn’t lost his visual storytelling abilities either.
The real headline came with Tha Eastsidaz’ official reunion in 2024. After years of saying another album was unlikely, Big Tray Deee and Goldie Loc dropped “Still Easty” on October 25, 2024, through Death Row Records, now owned by Snoop.
The seven-track EP features Snoop on four tracks with production from legendary G-funk architect DJ Battlecat, Rick Rock, and Jelly Roll. Three music videos dropped on release day, and the project perfectly blends classic G-funk with contemporary elements.
May 2024 brought another major collaboration, “We All We Got,” featuring Tha Dogg Pound, Tha Eastsidaz, and Snoop Dogg.
The momentum continued into 2025 with features on TheRealSkitSo’s “Well Connected” and Richie Rich’s “Richard (Deluxe)” album.
Books
Prison transformed Big Tray Deee into an author, too. He co-wrote “Streetz Gon Cry” in 2012 with Anthony Barrow while both were incarcerated at California Men’s Colony. The urban fiction novel tells the story of rival gangs vying for control of cocaine distribution in the Crenshaw District. The collaborative process took five to nine months, with Barrow writing chapters and delivering them to Tray Deee for editing and additions.
His second book, “Los Angeles Tymez: Urban Tales” came out in 2013 as a collection of three short stories co-authored with J-Dee of Da Lench Mob and Anthony Barrow. Big Tray Deee contributed “UNFORESEEN,” chronicling exotic dancers lured to work at an upscale gentlemen’s club run by a ruthless federal ex-con.
Personal Life
Big Tray Deee married Coniyac in 2009 while still incarcerated, and she’s proven to be much more than just his wife. Coniyac brings serious credentials as a former member of Doggy’s Angels and executive producer at Vantage Point Vision and Snoopadelic Films.
Together they’ve built Supreme Circle Music Group, launched the “Tray Deee OG” cannabis brand featuring strains like “TropiCali” and “Coniyac Cookies,” and co-host the “Third Degreee Radio” podcast on DASH Radio.
Shortly after entering prison in 2005, Big Tray Deee converted to Islam, taking his Shahada as a formal declaration of faith. He’d been curious about the Nation of Islam since touring with Snoop in the 90s, but prison gave him time for profound spiritual exploration. He participated in Ramadan, attended self-help groups, and studied scripture intensively.
Net Worth
Let’s cut through the nonsense about Big Tray Deee’s wealth.
Big Tray Deee’s net worth is estimated at $1.5 million to $2 million as of 2024-2025. This figure makes perfect sense when you break down his career. The platinum and gold certifications from Tha Eastsidaz in 2000-2001 provided a solid financial foundation through ongoing royalties. However, he lost nine crucial earning years to incarceration between the ages of 39 and 48, when most artists hit their peak earning potential.
Since his 2014 release, he’s operated as an independent artist without label support. His albums since “The 3rd Coming” have been released through his own Supreme Circle Music Group, meaning he keeps a larger percentage of profits but has limited mainstream reach. His YouTube channel has around 40,000 subscribers, and Spotify shows 10,500 monthly listeners as of 2024. These aren’t blockbuster numbers, but they generate steady income.
His wealth comes from multiple streams, including ongoing royalties from those classic albums, streaming revenue, live performance fees at clubs and throwback events, book sales from his two published novels, and profits from his cannabis brand.
The Supreme Circle Music Group has signed artists like Tim West and Big Beatz, released Coniyac’s album “Duffel Bag Music” in 2023, and operates as a legitimate independent label.
His podcast also generates modest revenue through advertising and sponsorships.