Audio Raheem DeVaughn
Love Behind The Music

Hailing from Washington DC, fast-rising soul man Raheem DeVaughn first hit the scene with his 2005 debut The Love Experience. Moving more than a quarter of a million CDs independently, he soon scored a major label deal and was featured on two of last year’s best albums: Talib Kweli’s Eardrum and UGK’s Underground Kingz. Now primed for mainstream stardom, he just released his sophomore effort Love Behind The Melody and is embarking on a nationwide tour with Jill Scott.

MP3: Hey, what's up Raheem? Raheem: What's up Brolin. How you doing? Good. Right on man. So, let's talk about the new album, Love Behind the Melody. This is a big step for you. The first album did really well, but obviously this one is like, you're stepping it up, you've got a lot of superstar producers and features and stuff on it. Yeah. What can you tell us about it? Oh, man, it's just a great body of work, you know. I'm excited about, you know, the release date, the 15th. And I definitely think the album is going to show my growth as a writer and as a singer, vocal arranger, up and coming producer and the whole nine. I think that, definitely working with the producers that I had a opportunity to work with, lets them know how talented I am and vice versa. I definitely challenged them too, in some areas. I'm doing some things you might not normally hear them do. And, we made some great music. I know you got Scott Storch on some beats, you got Chucky Thompson and you got collabos with Floetry and Big Boi and stuff. Now are these cats people that you have worked with in the past, or people that you've just met and started collaborating with? Well, Mark [Batson], in particular, Mark and Scott Storch, you know what I'm saying, I met them while working on this album and I look forward to working with them cats again. I'm definitely going to be working with them again. Like, we clicked, and not only do we have a great music relationship now, it's like, I got some buddies too, you know what I mean? So, Mark in particular, I just met a lot of dope people through him, you know, Barry Zito, the [San Francisco Giants] pitcher. Yeah, I wanted to ask about that. Was he just, those guys were tight and he was in the studio? Yeah, he just cool, he just wound up kind of hanging out, bringing his guitar and it was the night before he was going off to training camp. So it just like went down like that. And he wound up playing on the record. But that was a real dope experience. I met Alicia Keys through Mark, she came through to the studio, hung out for a minute. Also met Dr. Dre through Mark. So we going to definitely work down the pipeline, he just welcomed me to the whole camp and everything. Dre even invited me to be on his album. I don't know, but yeah. So, Mark in particular, it's like, you never know who you going to run into or who you going to meet, or who's going to come by the studio, whatever. That's cool. Now, the last album, sold like a quarter of a million copies which is huge numbers, these days especially. And it wasn't like you were all over the TV or you had like a crazy PR push or whatever. Coming from that kind of success, do you feel like there's extra pressure put on you for this album or do you feel like it's less? Nah, no, I ain't going to—there ain't no pressure. There's more pressure on the label than there is on me. [laughs] You know what I mean, like, I think if they put that extra PR, extra pushes and stuff like that, I think the numbers could double, triple, quadruple, what have you. At the end of the day I'm still going to do the legwork that needs to be done on my end, and keep it moving basically, and see how it all pans out. Even with the first album, it's going to continue to sell. People going to continue to find out about it, and the more they find out about it, they'll purchase it and tell more people and stuff like that, you know. So the campaign keeps moving, you know. I also wanted to talk a bit about outside collaborations, appearances that you've done on other people's records. I know you worked with Talib, you worked with UGK, you're on the "Country Cousins track," that's one of my favorite songs of last year. Did you have any other appearances on other people's records, that's going to be coming out? Yeah, on the new Beanie Sigel album, I got two songs on there. And I got a lot of stuff working. I got a lot of independent stuff, a lot of artists from out of DC that's on the come up. I've been working with, you know, W. Ellington Felton, Wale, Tabi Bonney, the Oy Boyz, Miss Kim, you know, these are just artists that's from out of the DC area. They got a huge following out here and are starting to make that transition and going national or world wide. Nice. And are you still based out of DC or have you moved out to one of the coasts, or what? Oh, no, no, DC is the base, that'll never change. That's what's up, man. When you were growing up there, were you into like, go-go music and that type of stuff? Yep. I been in all types of stuff. You know, I'm on Chuck Brown's newest album, Chucky Thompson produced the whole album. I got a song on that joint as well that I wrote and also a cameo, feature, or whatever. Yeah man, I like music as a whole, you know what I mean? Absolutely. Now, I also know that next month you're going to be touring with Jill Scott. Mm-hmm. Have you worked with her before? Have you guys done something together? I haven't worked with Jill in the studio yet. I'm looking forward to that. But, that's bound to happen. I'm happy that she took me on the tour with her and it's going to just be good experience overall. I think it's going to bring—there's going to be a lot of energy on stage and I think that's definitely a situation that we probably will be entertaining, beyond just this tour, god willing. That sounds good. Now, I also wanted to talk about the title "R&B Hippie Neo Soul Rock Star. Is that something that you came up with, or was that the label? No, that's something that I pretty much came up with on my own. I decided I had to define my music and I figure that, you know, roll it all up in one. And people started to run with it and agree and see the vision. You know, that's the type of artist that I am. Now, there's also, you know, there's a lot of what the people call R&B today that's not very soulful and just kind of like disposable, corny s*** that's out there for a minute and then just disappears and people forget about it. Whereas a lot of the pioneers, the Marvins and the Curtis' and people like that, is really timeless music that's going to be around forever. What is it specifically that you bring to the table that sort of bridges the gap between the two? I think it's just the fact of, definitely the fact that I come from a background, you know, just the whole hustling mentality. And then also, the fact that I come from what's called a grassroots era, or grassroots way of doing things in terms of how I promote my own music and going out and performing. I'm a firm believer that seeing is believing. You know what I mean. Anything that you're marketing, anything that you're selling like, seeing is believing. So, in order for me to sell it properly, people have to see it. And then, you know, just tying that into the fact that I'm making quality music at the end of the day. Something that is timeless, but also it's tangible at the same time. In terms of like, when I come out after the shows, kind of like my trademark now where, after the performances, whether I'm in MCI or a Constitution Hall or a small venue that may seat 150 people, like, it's pretty much known for my following of fans that have already been to a show before, it's pretty much known that after that, you can catch me in the lobby, or posted up in the area where people can come and line up, shake my hand, meet and greet, take pictures, you know, buy, merchandising, and stuff like that, you know what I'm saying, and actually be able to, at least express, and say, you know, thank you, boom, boom, boom. You know. And for me to say thank you as well. Right on man. So, you know, being like we doing that, and we entering into a digital world, where it's a battle of you know, of people saying, "Well, right, they may do away with CDs and stuff like that," Whatever. You can never take the consumer for granted. Like, they still want to be able to touch the artist. On a personal level. Yeah, on a personal level and still take something—they still have something that's tangible, whether it's a mixtape or a poster or whatever. Like, that's just me speaking form personal experience, because I'm going out doing this, that's what they want right now more than ever. Because there's not a lot of artists doing it, number one, and I think that has a lot to do with the way sales are going and stuff like that too. But you can't make an artist do that, at the end of the day, that's just something that they generally got to want to do, you know. I hear you. So, what would you like to say to all the people out there, both the fans that was down with the first record, and have been waiting on this, as well as the new people that may not have heard you before, but might be checking you out in future? Oh, man, it's an experience. You know definitely, first and foremost, thanks for the support, as a music lover. I do the music because enjoy doing it. You know what I mean. And it's therapeutic for me just as much as it is for the listener. Enjoy it, take what you can take from it. Take any positive—whatever positivity you can take from it. Definitely I'm continuing. Don't expect the Love Behind the Melody to be The Love Experience. It's two separate entities, so it's about growing, evolving, trying new things. But definitely staying consistent artistically. This album is going to be, in particular, this is a lover's album, it's a music lover's album [as well], but it's definitely a lover's album. It's like my attempt to make—it's like my 2020 version of Marvin Gaye I Want You. Or your favorite Sade record at the time. Or even like a [R. Kelly] 12 Play, you know what I'm saying. So, it's definitely my attempt to always make timeless music at the same time. That's what's up man, right on. Well, thanks for taking the time to talk to us, I appreciate it, and good luck with the album and the tour. Oh, thanks a lot. Take it easy Raheem. All right.