Red Bull Spiral Returns for Season 3

OVERVIEW: Red Bull Spiral is back for a third season of razor-sharp flows and unforgettable cyphers.

The latest episode of Red Bull Spiral – it’s the first-ever R&B cypher of the one-take freestyle rap series, featuring Alex Isley, Joyce Wrice, Arin Ray and Aneesa Strings. The new track marks the first time these four rising R&B voices have collaborated on a track, with the new music video out now on YouTube.

Based on the popular Japanese format, Red Bull Rasen, Red Bull Spiral brings three of America’s top MCs together in Red Bull’s state-of-the-art recording studio to deliver a flawless freestyle rap performance in a single take.

For Episode 3 of Season 3, Red Bull Spiral presents a genre-shifting installment: introducing its first-ever R&B edition, where vocal performance meets freestyle energy.

This powerful lineup of modern soul features Arin Ray, Alex Isley, and Joyce Wrice stepping into the Red Bull Spiral booth, backed by acclaimed bassist Aneesa Strings. Trading harmonies, lyrics, and melodies, this historic session blurs the lines between R&B, jazz, and hip-hop, spotlighting a new wave of musical creativity in real time.

Watch the full episode now on Red Bull 1520, a YouTube channel dedicated to hip-hop programming from the world of Red Bull featuring beats, bars, and live performances. Learn more by following along on social media at @redbullmusic, and using the hashtag #RedBullSpiral.

TALENT:

• Arin Ray (@arin, Cincinnati)
• Alex Isley (@lovealexisley, New Jersey / Los Angeles )
• Joyce Wrice (@joycewrice, San Diego)
• Bass Player Aneesa Strings (@aneesastrings, Oakland)

YOUTUBE LINK: youtu.be/f0BgQrY4IZk

 

WEBSITE & LYRICS BREAKDOWN: www.redbull.com/us-en/red-bull-spiral-arin-ray-alex-isley-joyce-wrice

 

Video credit: @redbullmusic

 

 

CAN’T MISS MOMENTS A.K.A. BEST BARS:

Joyce Wright stakes her claim as a self-assured force, letting her presence speak louder than words [“Patient on my lips / Don’t need to talk my shit / I know u see as soon as I walk in”] while blending astrology with sharp wordplay [“I’m a Leo / Imma check your pride”]. She makes it clear she can’t be bought or boxed in [“You can’t buy me / I don’t gotta price”] and flips expectations of her “nice girl” image into a warning [“Breaking egos left and right / They thought I was a nice girl / Baby try again”], while ultimately revealing her long-term vision and maturity as she plays the long game [“I ain’t chasing a moment or pleasure / I want this shit forever”].

Alex Isley delivers a cool, confident performance with irresistible charm, calling out emotional dishonesty [“It’s makeup the way that you concealing it”] before embodying both intimacy and desire [“I’m the coffee that keeps you up / The chamomile to ease your mind”]. She asserts no one else compares [“Seek elsewhere promise you won’t find / Nothing close to as good as mine”], closing with an icy and unforgettable refrain [“Bet you know now babe… So, keep dreaming ‘bout me”].

 

Arin Ray comes through with a hometown flex and bold braggadocio, representing Cincinnati with pride [“Few kings come the Queen City”], while dropping a sharp sports metaphor that invokes Kobe Bryant at his peak [“Tell ‘em pass me the ball / when Kobe star of the team”]. He flexes his early grind and success before fame [“The 0’s were getting spread before I got to the league”], then levels up his identity beyond R&B, a fitting setting for this freestyle verse [“I’ve done enough of R&B / I’m a real rock star”].

 

MORE ARTIST-RELATED NEWS & FUN FACTS:

This Red Bull Spiral cypher marks the first time Arin Ray, Alex Isley, Joyce Wrice, and Aneesa Strings have all come together in a single live freestyle session—a milestone both for the Red Bull Spiral series and the broader R&B scene. While each artist has appeared on one another’s projects recently, this live, unscripted quartet moment is a true debut.

Alex Isley (daughter of Isley Brothers legend Ernie Isley) just performed an official Tiny Desk Concert in late June commemorating the 10th anniversary of her L U X U R Y album and spotlighting new songs from her latest EP, WHEN, released in April 18 having signed with Free Lunch Agency under the Warner Records umbrella earlier this year.

Joyce Wrice continues her upward momentum with the release of her single “REVIVAL” this spring after her 2024 smash hit “BUTTERFLIES” featuring racked up millions of streams and having previously been named Spotify’s “R&B Rising Artist”. Earlier this year, she also made her acting debut with a guest role on Issa Rae’s Rap Sh!t Season 3.

Arin Ray, whose sophomore album Hello Poison arrived in 2022, has stayed busy behind the scenes, becoming a highly sought-after songwriter, including for Usher’s Coming Home album, which dropped just before his epic Super Bowl halftime performance.

Aneesa Strings, the classically trained bassist and jazz vocalist, continues to champion women in instrumentation. In 2024, she released her third solo project, “Moment of Clarity,” and spent the past year touring with musical greats like HER and Robert Glasper.

MORE ABOUT THE SHOW:

Based on the popular Japanese format, Red Bull Rasen, Red Bull Spiral brings 3-4 of America’s top artists together in Red Bull’s state-of-the-art recording studio to deliver a flawless freestyle performance in a single take. Red Bull Spiral is part of Red Bull 1520, a YouTube channel dedicated to hip-hop programming from the world of Red Bull, featuring beats, bars and live performances from rap’s next movement and follow along on social media @redbullmusic.

 

 

 

Posted by Mahalia Saint-Eloi.