Raheem DeVaughn
Encyclopedia
Raheem DeVaughn is an American singer and songwriter
. His debut album, The Love Experience
(2005), reached No. 46 on the Billboard 200
album chart. It featured the singles "Guess Who Loves You More" and "You". His second album Love Behind the Melody
was released in January 2008. It features the singles "Woman", and "Customer".
DeVaughn was nominated for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 2008 Grammy Awards for the single "Woman".
on May 5, 1975, the son of jazz cellist Abdul Wadud
. He was raised in Maryland
(Montgomery
and Prince George's
counties) by his mother, Imani Smith, a now retired federal worker. He is a cousin of singer Chrisette Michele
. His mother states that her son first expressed an affinity towards music in preschool, recalling how whenever the class had musical events, he would conduct them. DeVaughn's love for music solidified during his early teens, when he began to envision his career path. One of his favorite artists was Babyface, and Smith recalls that her son once begged her to visit the Waxie Maxie's record store in the District to buy a promotional picture of the singer. DeVaughn visited his father during the summer, mainly in New Jersey. With his father, DeVaughn attended gigs and experienced his first taste of the life of a working musician.
He graduated from High Point High School
in Beltsville, Maryland
, an unincorporated section of Prince George's County. DeVaughn had an epiphany early in his college career at Coppin State University
in Baltimore City, when he saw a group of street corner singers and began harmonizing with them. DeVaughn said his focus became music: "Before I knew what was going on, I was... cutting class to write lyrics and record". His focus turned to becoming a professional singer.
, where while putting price tags on CDs, he began working the D.C. music circuit—performing with various groups, the most prominent of which being Urbanave31, and at venues such as the State of the Union and Bar Nun on U Street NW, all while having CDs of his songs ready at hand. Locally in the DC Metro area
he attained relatively quick success, winning local awards and successfully releasing some independent work over the next few years. He won $2,000 from the Washington DC nightclub Bar Nun talent show. Soul World Entertainment CEO Cliff Jones and partner Jerry Vines, now the singer's longtime manager, met DeVaughn while managing the Baltimore-based quartet Dru Hill
and asked him to write a song for the group. DeVaughn ultimately gained the attention of veteran producers DJ Jazzy Jeff
(as Rahiem) and Kenny Burns (known as former A&R for Roc-A-Fella Records
) and with the help of Jones and Vines they signed a recording contract with Jive Records
in 2002.
DeVaughn's first solo single released on a major label was the song entitled "Guess Who Loves You More", his second single was "You". DeVaughn's first Jive Records release "The Love Experience
", was acclaimed, selling around 250,000 units. While promoting the album, DeVaughn took to wearing a crown and cape at shows, a ploy to make himself stand out, calling himself the "Underground King." Around this time, DeVaughn also began making appearances at different shows in D.C. with artists such as W. Ellington Felton and Asheru of Unspoken Heard
, hiding his face behind a hooded sweatshirt performing under the alias Chronkite. Felton comments that that alter ego was engendered for complicated reasons: "Chronkite represents that part of every artist who started what they're doing singing in front of a mirror as a child with a brush in their hand. At that time, it was based love, the initial attraction that draws you to music. In his business, unfortunately, your passion, your love, your individuality as an artist, can be stripped away the further you get into it."
DeVaughn has been compared to Dwele
, Van Hunt
, D'Angelo
, Marvin Gaye
, Donny Hathaway
and Stevie Wonder
. DeVaughn has described himself as a "R&B hippie neo-soul rock star," a take on the difficulty media types have classifying him. Although Jive has been thrown considerable weight behind his recent album, DeVaughn doesn't leave promotion duties entirely to his label: "I'm my best marketing tool. I'm building the brand Raheem DeVaughn. I have to do it." He worked on the street to spread the word around, sold mixtapes of unreleased material to build hype, and provided impromptu shows at local venues. In another act of self-promotion, DeVaughn made an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in late January, wearing a shirt that read "Grammy Nominated on the front" and "Love Behind the Melody-- In Stores Now" on the back. He also appeared on the late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live
, performing "Woman" on January 18, 2008. 1123
His song "Woman" was featured as iTune's single of the week the week of January 27, 2008 and received a nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for the 2008 Grammy Awards.
In 2008, he was featured on T-Pain
's song; Reality Show from the album Thr33 Ringz
. The song also featured Jay Lyriq and Musiq Soulchild.
His song "You" was featured in the Grand Theft Auto IV video game.
DeVaughn was nominated for "Best R&B Album" in the 2011 Grammy Awards.
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
. His debut album, The Love Experience
The Love Experience
The Love Experience is the debut Studio album by American Singer Raheem DeVaughn, released June 28, 2005 by Jive Records. The singles from this album were "Guess Who Loves You More" "Believe" "Ask Yourself" and "You". A Go-Go Version of the song "Sweet Tooth" was recorded by Rare Essence Netting...
(2005), reached No. 46 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
album chart. It featured the singles "Guess Who Loves You More" and "You". His second album Love Behind the Melody
Love Behind the Melody
-External links:* at Metacritic...
was released in January 2008. It features the singles "Woman", and "Customer".
DeVaughn was nominated for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 2008 Grammy Awards for the single "Woman".
Early life
DeVaughn was born in Newark, New JerseyNewark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
on May 5, 1975, the son of jazz cellist Abdul Wadud
Abdul Wadud (musician)
Abdul Wadud , is an American cellist known for his work in jazz and classical settings.His son Is R&B Singer Raheem DeVaughn.-As leader:*1977: By Myself Bishara...
. He was raised in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
(Montgomery
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...
and Prince George's
Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, DC. As of 2010, it has a population of 863,420 and is the wealthiest African-American majority county in the nation....
counties) by his mother, Imani Smith, a now retired federal worker. He is a cousin of singer Chrisette Michele
Chrisette Michele
Chrisette Michele Payne , known professionally as Chrisette Michele, is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter....
. His mother states that her son first expressed an affinity towards music in preschool, recalling how whenever the class had musical events, he would conduct them. DeVaughn's love for music solidified during his early teens, when he began to envision his career path. One of his favorite artists was Babyface, and Smith recalls that her son once begged her to visit the Waxie Maxie's record store in the District to buy a promotional picture of the singer. DeVaughn visited his father during the summer, mainly in New Jersey. With his father, DeVaughn attended gigs and experienced his first taste of the life of a working musician.
He graduated from High Point High School
High Point High School
High Point High School is a high school located in Beltsville, an unincorporated section of Prince George's County, Maryland, United States of America, and built on the highest point in Prince George's County....
in Beltsville, Maryland
Beltsville, Maryland
Beltsville is a census-designated place in northern Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 15,691 at the 2000 census. Beltsville includes the unincorporated community of Vansville.-Geography:...
, an unincorporated section of Prince George's County. DeVaughn had an epiphany early in his college career at Coppin State University
Coppin State University
Coppin State University is a historically black college located in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is part of the University System of Maryland...
in Baltimore City, when he saw a group of street corner singers and began harmonizing with them. DeVaughn said his focus became music: "Before I knew what was going on, I was... cutting class to write lyrics and record". His focus turned to becoming a professional singer.
Career
DeVaughn took up a job at Tower RecordsTower Records
Tower Records was a retail music chain that was based in Sacramento, California. It currently exists as an international franchise and an online music store....
, where while putting price tags on CDs, he began working the D.C. music circuit—performing with various groups, the most prominent of which being Urbanave31, and at venues such as the State of the Union and Bar Nun on U Street NW, all while having CDs of his songs ready at hand. Locally in the DC Metro area
Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area
The Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area is a combined statistical area consisting of the overlapping labor market region of the cities of Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C.. The region includes Central Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Jefferson County in the Eastern Panhandle of West...
he attained relatively quick success, winning local awards and successfully releasing some independent work over the next few years. He won $2,000 from the Washington DC nightclub Bar Nun talent show. Soul World Entertainment CEO Cliff Jones and partner Jerry Vines, now the singer's longtime manager, met DeVaughn while managing the Baltimore-based quartet Dru Hill
Dru Hill
Dru Hill is an American singing group, most popular during the late 1990s, whose repertoire included R&B, soul, and gospel music. Founded in Baltimore, Maryland, and active since 1992, Dru Hill recorded seven Top 40 hits, and is best known for the R&B #1 hits "In My Bed", "Never Make a Promise", ...
and asked him to write a song for the group. DeVaughn ultimately gained the attention of veteran producers DJ Jazzy Jeff
DJ Jazzy Jeff
Jeffrey Allen Townes , also known as DJ Jazzy Jeff or simply Jazz, is an American hip hop, R&B record producer, turntablist and actor. He is best known for his early career with Will Smith as DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince...
(as Rahiem) and Kenny Burns (known as former A&R for Roc-A-Fella Records
Roc-A-Fella Records
Roc-A-Fella Records is a record label founded by Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Damon "Dame" Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke. Today it operates as a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, and is distributed by Island Def Jam Motown Music Group.-Formation and Early Years:...
) and with the help of Jones and Vines they signed a recording contract with Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
in 2002.
DeVaughn's first solo single released on a major label was the song entitled "Guess Who Loves You More", his second single was "You". DeVaughn's first Jive Records release "The Love Experience
The Love Experience
The Love Experience is the debut Studio album by American Singer Raheem DeVaughn, released June 28, 2005 by Jive Records. The singles from this album were "Guess Who Loves You More" "Believe" "Ask Yourself" and "You". A Go-Go Version of the song "Sweet Tooth" was recorded by Rare Essence Netting...
", was acclaimed, selling around 250,000 units. While promoting the album, DeVaughn took to wearing a crown and cape at shows, a ploy to make himself stand out, calling himself the "Underground King." Around this time, DeVaughn also began making appearances at different shows in D.C. with artists such as W. Ellington Felton and Asheru of Unspoken Heard
Unspoken Heard
The Unspoken Heard is the hip-hop collaborative of rapper Asheru and producer Blue Black. The group is often referred to as Asheru & Blue Black of the Unspoken Heard. They began getting significant recognition in underground hip-hop around the turn of the millennium...
, hiding his face behind a hooded sweatshirt performing under the alias Chronkite. Felton comments that that alter ego was engendered for complicated reasons: "Chronkite represents that part of every artist who started what they're doing singing in front of a mirror as a child with a brush in their hand. At that time, it was based love, the initial attraction that draws you to music. In his business, unfortunately, your passion, your love, your individuality as an artist, can be stripped away the further you get into it."
DeVaughn has been compared to Dwele
Dwele
Andwele Gardner , better known by his stage name Dwele is a soul singer, songwriter and record producer from Detroit, Michigan.-Biography:...
, Van Hunt
Van Hunt
Van Hunt is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He released his debut album, Van Hunt, in 2004, and a follow-up, On the Jungle Floor, in 2006, both on Capitol Records...
, D'Angelo
D'Angelo
Michael Eugene Archer , better known by his stage name D'Angelo, is an American R&B and neo soul singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He is known for his production and songwriting talents as much as for his vocal abilities, and often draws comparisons to his influences,...
, Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
, Donny Hathaway
Donny Hathaway
Donny Edward Hathaway was an American soul singer-songwriter and musician. Hathaway contracted with Atlantic Records in 1969 and with his first single for the Atco label, "The Ghetto, Part I" in early 1970, Rolling Stone magazine "marked him as a major new force in soul music."His collaborations...
and Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
. DeVaughn has described himself as a "R&B hippie neo-soul rock star," a take on the difficulty media types have classifying him. Although Jive has been thrown considerable weight behind his recent album, DeVaughn doesn't leave promotion duties entirely to his label: "I'm my best marketing tool. I'm building the brand Raheem DeVaughn. I have to do it." He worked on the street to spread the word around, sold mixtapes of unreleased material to build hype, and provided impromptu shows at local venues. In another act of self-promotion, DeVaughn made an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in late January, wearing a shirt that read "Grammy Nominated on the front" and "Love Behind the Melody-- In Stores Now" on the back. He also appeared on the late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live! is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and broadcast on ABC.The nightly hour-long show made its debut on January 26, 2003, following Super Bowl XXXVII. Jimmy Kimmel Live! is produced by Jackhole Productions in association with ABC Studios...
, performing "Woman" on January 18, 2008. 1123
His song "Woman" was featured as iTune's single of the week the week of January 27, 2008 and received a nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for the 2008 Grammy Awards.
In 2008, he was featured on T-Pain
T-Pain
Faheem Rasheed Najm , better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor, currently signed to Young Money Entertainment. His debut album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, was released in 2005. In 2007, T-Pain released his second studio album Epiphany,...
's song; Reality Show from the album Thr33 Ringz
Thr33 Ringz
-Commercial performance:Three Ringz debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200, selling over 167,700 copies in its first week. The album has been certified Gold, selling over 700,000 copies.-Reception:-External links:**...
. The song also featured Jay Lyriq and Musiq Soulchild.
His song "You" was featured in the Grand Theft Auto IV video game.
DeVaughn was nominated for "Best R&B Album" in the 2011 Grammy Awards.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas | Japan Mansell |
Awards and nominations
- BET AwardsBET AwardsThe BET Awards were established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate African Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. The awards are presented annually and broadcast live on BET...
- 2008, Best Male R&B Artist (Nominated)
- 2008, BETJ Award (Won)
- 2010, Best Male R&B Artist (Nominated)
- BET J Virtual Awards
- 2008, Album of the Year: Love Behind the Melody (Won)
- 2008, Song of the Year: "Woman" (Nominated)
- 2008, Live Performer of the Year (Nominated)
- 2008, Male Artist of the Year (Won)
- Grammy Awards
- 2008, Best Male R&B Vocal Performance "Woman" (Nominated)
- 2009, Best R&B Song: "Customer" (Nominated)
- 2011, Best R&B Album "The Love & War Masterpeace" (Nominated)
Albums
| Album information |
|---|
| The Love Experience The Love Experience The Love Experience is the debut Studio album by American Singer Raheem DeVaughn, released June 28, 2005 by Jive Records. The singles from this album were "Guess Who Loves You More" "Believe" "Ask Yourself" and "You". A Go-Go Version of the song "Sweet Tooth" was recorded by Rare Essence Netting...
|
| Love Behind the Melody Love Behind the Melody -External links:* at Metacritic...
|
| The Love & War MasterPeace The Love & War MasterPeace The Love & War MasterPeace received positive reviews from music critics. Billboard writer Gail Mitchell praised the album's themes and music, writing "Drawing from a palette rich in R&B, hip-hop and jazz, DeVaughn has crafted a powerful, thought-provoking album"...
|
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
U.S. R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
Hot Adult R&B Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
|||
| 2005 | "Guess Who Loves You More" | — | 38 | — | The Love Experience The Love Experience The Love Experience is the debut Studio album by American Singer Raheem DeVaughn, released June 28, 2005 by Jive Records. The singles from this album were "Guess Who Loves You More" "Believe" "Ask Yourself" and "You". A Go-Go Version of the song "Sweet Tooth" was recorded by Rare Essence Netting... |
| "Believe" | — | 118 | — | ||
| 2006 | "You" | — | 53 | 18 | |
| 2007 | "My Soul's Not 4 Sale" (DJ Jazzy Jeff DJ Jazzy Jeff Jeffrey Allen Townes , also known as DJ Jazzy Jeff or simply Jazz, is an American hip hop, R&B record producer, turntablist and actor. He is best known for his early career with Will Smith as DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince... featuring Raheem DeVaughn) |
— | 107 | 35 | The Return of the Magnificent The Return of the Magnificent The Return of the Magnificent is the follow-up album to The Magnificent by DJ Jazzy Jeff. The album, entirely produced by Townes, has guest appearances by Rhymefest, Posdnous, and Big Daddy Kane... |
| "Woman" | 96 | 17 | 1 | Love Behind the Melody Love Behind the Melody -External links:* at Metacritic... |
|
| 2008 | "Customer Customer (song) "Customer", produced by Carvin & Ivan, is the second single from singer Raheem DeVaughn's from his album Love Behind the Melody. It is also Raheem's most popular single and highest charting single on the Billboard 100, peaking at number 76.-Charts:... " |
76 | 12 | 24 | |
| "Text Messages" | — | — | — | ||
| 2009 | "Bulletproof Bulletproof (Raheem DeVaughn song) "Bulletproof" by is the first single from American singer Raheem DeVaughn's third studio album, The Love & War MasterPeace. This song features rapper Ludacris, and samples Curtis Mayfield's The Other Side of Town.-Music video:... " (featuring Ludacris Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges , better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings... ) |
— | 46 | — | The Love & War MasterPeace The Love & War MasterPeace The Love & War MasterPeace received positive reviews from music critics. Billboard writer Gail Mitchell praised the album's themes and music, writing "Drawing from a palette rich in R&B, hip-hop and jazz, DeVaughn has crafted a powerful, thought-provoking album"... |
| 2010 | "I Dont Care" | — | 36 | — |