You would be hard-pressed to find a more fitting artist to cover June/Black Music Month issue. Raheem DeVaughn’s career has been a consistent reminder of the timeless beauty of all things BLACK: Black people, Black music. but most importantly, Black love. His music is flawless captures the high regard and romantic overtures our women deserve and the honest redemption we as men should seek when we fall short. He has boldly celebrated love with all of its inherent vulnerability even when it was no longer trendy. He stayed true to himself and his artistry, thereby staying true us all. And for that, especially in times like these, we should be thankful.
You signed your first music deal in 2002, how would you say you have evolved as an artist throughout the years?
I think the biggest contribution to my career being successful for so long has been my consistency. I think a lot of times when people think of consistency, they don’t recognize how important it is. As far as artistic evolution, you should always want to transform. You should want to grow. You should want to evolve. You should always want things to be better. You hear labels, A&R’s, or fans say we want your album to be like The Love Experience. Once your first album comes out, they wonder if you’ll be able to top that. Will you experience the sophomore jinx? Will you be able to do it again?
It’s a lot of pressure. How I was able to handle the pressure and navigate around that was to try not to do something that had already been done. The gift is in being consistent and hopefully, within that process, you grow as well.
That leads to the next question. Unlike many artists who have compromised their sound as R&B abandoned its soulful roots, you have been consistent in your overall approach. You managed to maintain your brand, making beautiful and poignant music.
I came out at a time when music had a different pulse and a different frequency. We live in a time where you don’t know if you’re listening to a real artist or not. You don’t know if something has been A.I. engineered. They have all kinds of things out here. The fact that they can make a hologram of Tupac, Whitney Houston, or Michael Jackson speaks that the major corporations are going to their coins no matter what.
What separates me, coming into music at the time I did, is that I never lost the passion for what I do. I don’t do it for the coin, I do it for the culture. The coin will come. I have always had that human touch, that direct connection with the audience as only I can do it in terms of the meet and greets and the community work I put in. Before Covid-19, I and my fans stay connected.
We’ve been connected for a long time… In recent years, there has been devaluing black music within the culture… I like that streaming platforms make it accessible worldwide, but the devaluing has impacted black music more than any other genre. Nobody really says anything about it. They just take it on the chin. I refused to allow it to change the value of what I do. We have to stand firm on that and find new and innovative ways to market ourselves and to perform.
Another thing that is impressive about your career, is that when you came out, many of your peers skyrocketed up the charts only to eventually fall off altogether. Your music has always been respected from day one and your fanbase has continued to grow throughout the years. If anything, there is a far greater appreciation for your artistry now. How do you approach creating a solid body of work?
I have always been a fan of solid bodies of work so when I think back about the 90s and certain artists, I hold myself to a certain standard of how I want the music to be received as a consumer. I approach it with the ear of a consumer even though it is my music if that makes sense to you. I do it so that every song has something in it that will make you want to hear the next track… My sound is warm and big, and it feels like it all belongs together. It’s a rollercoaster ride. It’s a jigsaw puzzle of R&B, full of emotions, lyrics, and delivery across a wide range of subject matter…
Music is the pulse of the people that are still alive and living. We have people out here that are like The Walking Dead, they don’t realize they’re alive. When they listen to my music, I want people to feel alive whether that’s through the act of making love or peaceful uprising. I just want them to feel alive, to feel colorful, and to feel vibrant… The connection I make with the audience and the music lovers is forever. It can be lost too if you lose your soul. That’s why I have never compromised myself.
How do you feel when you hear people say that R&B, in the traditional sense, died and is now coming back anew?”
I don’t think that it ever died. I think that some of my peers became lazy, fell out of love with it, or became disenchanted. Maybe they felt like they had to keep up with what the youngins’ are doing. There is a need for what the young singers are doing. They are doing what they’re supposed to do. What we are supposed to do as the O.G.’s of the culture is set a standard of authenticity.
Some of these companies gave up on us and told us that we were too old. These are things that you just experience in black music. No other genre has an expiration date. Only in our culture is that dictated to us. If you accept that narrative, it’s the beginning of the end for you…
BE’N ORIGINAL
