0:00

Welcome to Checking In with Michelle Williams,

0:02

a production of iHeartRadio and The Black

0:04

Effect. I've

0:18

been so curious about the

0:21

artist that I'm about to interview today.

0:24

I love that Checking In we have a variety

0:27

of.

0:27

Guests that check in, whether

0:29

it's a doctor or an author, entrepreneur,

0:33

artist. I'm really excited

0:35

about this Grammy nominated

0:38

artist and writer. Truly

0:40

authentic, truly and original,

0:43

but with some respectable influences

0:46

that you can hear in his tone and in

0:48

his style. I'm

0:50

getting ready for this guy right

0:52

here. Y'all, stay tuned, get

0:55

locked in, come on in. Raheem

0:58

Devon is up next. Hey,

1:03

everybody, welcome to another fun,

1:05

awesome episode of Checking

1:08

In. Now this might be a

1:11

little well,

1:13

I don't know what it's gonna be, but we're gonna

1:15

let it do what it's going to do. I

1:17

am just really, really thrilled to have

1:20

an amazing artist. I

1:22

really think in every sense

1:25

of the word artist. He's so

1:27

intentional with his work.

1:29

He's so intentional with the music, He's

1:32

so intentional with his art. I'm

1:34

excited that we have four time

1:37

Grammy nominated singer and songwriter.

1:40

We already know his debut album

1:43

and his album's period continue

1:45

to do wonders in our souls

1:48

at least mine. Don't

1:50

be nosy, y'all. Welcome

1:52

raheen devon to checking

1:55

in.

1:56

Hello, Hello, checking in.

1:57

This is ry for album

1:59

check in and then officially right now listen.

2:03

Thank you for checking in?

2:06

What did you think when they were like, Yo, you're

2:08

gonna check in with Michelle Williams?

2:10

What was your thought?

2:11

Oh?

2:11

You know something you have like you did certain

2:13

calls where you know, some people

2:15

call and you try to figure out, oh,

2:19

what's my schedule? You got other people

2:21

that call and when you call, you

2:23

just say okay, win and where. So this is

2:25

like a winning where I would love to do it

2:28

opportunity. So thank you again for having me.

2:30

Congratulations on your you know, all

2:32

your endeavors. Of course things you already accomplishing.

2:35

You know, it's always about I

2:38

guess what's what's the word. I'm looking for the

2:40

incline and

2:42

the growth, you know what I mean, and doing new things. So I

2:45

know this is one of your new things passion

2:47

projects, So thank you so much for having

2:49

need be part of that.

2:51

Absolutely absolutely

2:54

I get a chance to talk to some

2:57

of my favorite

2:59

voices, And I think you are classic

3:01

and timeless at the same time.

3:03

You evolve and

3:05

grow, but you still

3:07

are one of the classic voices.

3:10

And when I say classic, y'all at eight because he came

3:12

out.

3:12

In nineteen eighty two or nineteen seventy.

3:14

Five, he has

3:16

been around this game. Listen,

3:20

now, let's let's check it. Let's check

3:23

it now. Now he could have some stuff that

3:26

I'm not privy to, maybe back in the MySpace

3:28

days, but all the

3:31

way back to two thousand

3:33

and five. Yeah, classic

3:37

timeless. How are you feeling

3:40

out in the streets to know

3:42

that you've been in this game a

3:45

long time?

3:45

It's amazing, Like you know, I mean young

3:48

og mode at this point.

3:49

You know, I'm able to get a game two

3:52

younger artists at Amazing

3:54

Day yesterday, which you know involved

3:57

connecting with the artists that I already have known

4:00

for some time. It's like revamping their

4:02

thing as an independent artist. And then there's

4:04

a new artist, Jordan. I can't member Georgia's

4:06

last name, but he's going to kind of like viral on the

4:09

internet right now. And we had been communicating

4:11

and happy to be with Jordan's so we got to say to

4:13

have an opportunity to talk, and then I spoke to

4:15

another nd artist.

4:16

Is all like two three o'clock in the morning, is all

4:18

going on? WHI I'm at the studio by the way, and

4:21

I say that can say this is that you know.

4:23

It gives me the opportunity to be able to like you

4:25

know, spit the games

4:28

younger artists and share my

4:30

experiences and what has been you

4:32

know, I've been I've always operated as

4:34

an independent you know, my own independent

4:37

artists with my artistry, but uh,

4:40

you know, to be independent over ten years, you know, and

4:42

to be able to put everything and people see

4:45

I'm now starting to understand how it looks from the outside.

4:47

And I've been so focused, like tunnel

4:49

vision, on what it is, what the mission is, what the

4:51

goal is, you know, reinventing

4:54

myself constantly and just the things

4:56

that you know, because this is a

4:58

you know, working supporting yourself as

5:00

an independent artist. It's like you become your

5:02

own passion project. So

5:05

you have to take you have to you have to have like

5:07

tunnel vision focus on it. You have to

5:09

know certain things not not believe, but

5:12

like no, you have to you have

5:14

to know, you have to be borderline I

5:16

don't know. I mean you have to kind of go as artists.

5:18

I think we are a little insane. You know, we're

5:21

all a little touched in the sense of like to

5:24

be able to you know, bear our soul,

5:27

you know, convey our emotions, uh,

5:30

heal people, you know, whatever the

5:32

process is through uh, through

5:35

our.

5:35

Gift of the arts.

5:37

You know, in a room full of strangers, Like it's

5:39

the most one of the most vulnerable things that you can

5:41

do. You know, to go in the studio and create

5:43

a song that you know speaks

5:46

from your point of view or something that you're

5:48

wearing on your sleeve or something

5:50

vicarious leader that you've experienced, and to share

5:52

that and then to go and give that

5:54

to the world. It's one of the most vulnerable.

5:57

Things you can do.

5:57

So you know, it takes a very tough skin to

6:00

do what we do. And I

6:02

would just say that, you know, sometimes

6:05

the season happens different.

6:07

It doesn't happen when you pray for it. Sometimes it doesn't

6:09

happen that you're ready

6:11

for. It doesn't happen because you want

6:14

it right now. You know, everything that

6:17

that you experienced perpause for your season,

6:20

and everybody hasn't like you know, so

6:22

you have to be able to identify when you

6:24

win it, you know. So for me, I think I think

6:26

I can really say that, you know, uh, you

6:29

know at this point in my career, like I'm in my season,

6:31

you know, uh, and it's a good I'm

6:33

in a good space.

6:34

You know. Music that's so good.

6:37

I love that you say that everybody has a season.

6:40

Now we all know the four seasons winter,

6:43

spring, summer.

6:46

And fall.

6:48

Then you have where some people say, I'm in my

6:50

winning season. Can

6:53

you explain heck, maybe

6:55

you feel like you've always been in your winning season.

6:58

Have you ever had a.

6:59

Season of wait, this

7:01

is my waiting season, or a season

7:03

of transition, a season

7:06

of uncertainty?

7:09

Yes, all of those things I think I prepared

7:11

me for, like for my winning season,

7:13

which is all seasons now, you know what I mean. Like,

7:15

that's that's where I'm in it. I'm

7:18

forever in my bag. That's how I feel, you know. Like mentally,

7:20

I'm in that mental space and I'm forever in my dad. Like

7:22

musically, I know that I can go in the studio at

7:25

any given time it's something amazing, something

7:28

timeless can come out.

7:29

I can curate, I can curate something.

7:31

That speaks to

7:34

you know, not only my one

7:36

percent demo of like eighteen year olds,

7:38

but also my twenty seven

7:40

percent demo of like that thirty

7:43

five to forty five, you

7:45

know what I mean that or that twenty eight you

7:47

know to.

7:48

Thirty two, you know, so age

7:50

group.

7:51

So uh you know, and you

7:53

know, seeing that the shows, it's kind of like the proof of

7:55

the put In because you know, I do the meet and greets

7:58

and it's like a mother and a daughter there somebody

8:01

the mother the daughter, or the mother the daughter

8:03

and the grandmother, the mother, the daughter and the grandfather,

8:06

you know what I mean. So it's interesting,

8:09

you know, like you know, music is not only

8:11

the heartbeat of about people, you

8:13

know what I mean, but it's the heartbeat

8:15

of like the world. It doesn't

8:17

you know, I truly believe that, you know, music

8:20

is colorblind. You know great

8:23

music, you know, it's colorblind, it's

8:25

gingerless, it's all it's all the things

8:28

you know that brings all these

8:30

people together from different walks of life to come

8:32

here.

8:33

Whatever it is. The messages that you're conveying,

8:35

you.

8:35

Know, that's so good. Y'all.

8:38

Don't get the pleasure of seeing him on

8:40

this video like I do when I tell y'all,

8:43

he is suited and booted, the

8:45

glasses are on, the skin is moisturized,

8:48

the hair has been washed

8:52

and conditioned. I'm

8:54

so happy about that. I'm so excited

8:56

to.

8:56

Have you here. Now. One thing I

8:59

know, if rahiem Devon don't.

9:01

Do nothing else, he is going to

9:03

give us music. You've

9:06

got three albums that you've

9:09

released within the same.

9:11

Year, Am I correct?

9:12

Yeah, that's correct. Yeah, you know I'm gonna

9:14

I'm on a system of like.

9:17

Putting out, putting out, you know, three or four

9:19

projects a year, you know what I mean, you

9:22

know, tentatively, you know, even for twenty

9:25

for twenty twenty four. Some things that you

9:27

know happen enough that I'm involved in, you

9:29

know. Uh, you know, the business

9:32

model is spanding now like you know, it's

9:34

not. It doesn't always have to be me in the

9:37

front the center, you know. In some cases, and maybe

9:39

me presenting a project that you know, produced

9:43

or executively produced. And you

9:46

know, so in some cases, maybe a Rayen Devin presents,

9:49

you know, or it may be a three

9:51

song pack of something that is

9:53

me, you know, Uh, it may be a female

9:55

artist, say like Tanya Nolan, who's

9:58

a phenomenal independent artists out of the Houston

10:00

area. He's self made, you

10:02

know, reconnected doing

10:06

the duet that we did pace Yourself and had

10:08

a relationship from there and it just kind of just

10:10

like group.

10:11

Shout out to Corey Moe who connected us.

10:12

And one of the things that Corey uh initially

10:16

asked me when when he talks to me about time and

10:18

saying like, hey man, I would love to

10:20

see you take her under your wing and kind

10:22

of just show her the tools

10:24

and you know, the secret sauce, you know what I mean. So

10:27

we've been able to connect it and do that, and that's

10:29

work into me like, you know literally

10:31

like you know, co executive producing

10:35

her first official like

10:37

project or

10:39

you know, which would be dropping some time this year. So

10:42

it's been great to be able to go from being

10:45

the clay to allow myself

10:47

to work with artists who

10:49

like trust me with your art, which I feel

10:51

like is a sacred thing.

10:53

You know.

10:53

I constantly tell artists like Tanya

10:55

and different individuals

10:57

I work and I'm working with currently, it's like, hey,

11:00

like, thank you for trusting me with your art because it means

11:02

that you know, I know, that's a vulnerable space to be

11:04

in. You know, it's not about it's

11:07

not about your heart earned money, get your investments

11:09

to yourself. It's more about for me, it's

11:11

about the art and not to move about the music and people

11:14

want something to maken here and fielm

11:16

and that has a nostalgia to it and

11:19

you know what I mean. So yeah, so so

11:21

giving myself to the art in a different way,

11:24

taking time to work with new artists and stuff

11:27

of that nature and features. You know,

11:29

it gives me an opportunity to show

11:32

myself with a different light, which was a space

11:34

that I grew into because as you know, as

11:36

a as a as a songwriter, a

11:38

producer.

11:39

And the vocal producer, there is

11:41

a patience that's required. There's

11:44

a level of patience.

11:45

It's a level of patience and communication you have

11:47

to have with someone that's coming into

11:49

the studio. You know, in some

11:51

cases a lot of times working with you for the first

11:54

time. In some cases they you

11:56

know, depending on what who

11:58

they're signed to, with the politics

12:01

are, they might not even want to be there. They kind of

12:03

just like they

12:06

were either told to be there or you

12:08

know, it's kind of like all right, they're

12:10

stepping out of their comfort zone, so they're looking

12:12

for something new or you

12:15

know what I mean. And and again

12:17

it's you know, it's the vulnerability that that can

12:19

create, you know. Uh, you

12:21

know, I wanted to be finding

12:24

for them. I wanted to be a learning experience for

12:26

them. I want to create something that's that's

12:28

great, that's iconic, and it's amazing.

12:30

But I also I wanted to be those

12:33

things for me as well, you know what I mean. So yeah,

12:35

so it's again it

12:38

allows me to be able to just like put

12:40

out be part of different you know, projects

12:42

versus doing like one one song,

12:45

and you know what I mean, it's just kind of just like chase

12:47

chasing the single or I don't necessarily

12:50

even want to call them like EPs or or

12:53

albums now design. It's just like projects,

12:55

you know what I mean. Because a project maybe you

12:57

know, so like I said, two or three songs, a project

13:00

maybe fifteen tunes. The project

13:02

may be five you

13:04

know songs, you know, or

13:08

it may be a soundtrack for

13:10

a film or independent film.

13:11

You know.

13:12

I am here for everything.

13:14

That's why I have I've just been sitting here listening because

13:16

I mean, you're answering so many

13:19

questions. Now

13:24

the latest three albums that you released in

13:26

the last year, Love You, for the

13:29

Summer of Love, and fall in

13:32

Love. Now would you I'm assuming like,

13:34

can I call it a trilogy?

13:36

H man?

13:38

If it would be a trilogy, it was a trilogy

13:40

long ago, like for the cult following

13:42

fans, like, you know, love has always

13:44

been you know, the word love has always been intertwined

13:47

in some form of fashion, like in all the projects.

13:51

It's something that just kind of just continue

13:53

to figure out and do in real

13:55

time. You know. That's from a love experience, to

13:58

love behind the Melody, to the love

14:00

of what master.

14:01

Piece, to a place called love Land, love

14:04

such passion, Yes, decade of

14:06

a Love King, you know, from

14:08

Luster Dawn, which was like a passion

14:11

project which which I connected with a lot

14:13

of different artists from you know, social media

14:15

at that time, and you know, some of which I'm

14:17

still working with, two of which i'm

14:20

you know, I'm mastering. I'm in the mastering

14:22

stage of their projects. So you know,

14:24

these things take yeah, the

14:26

thing, Yeah, these things take time. You know.

14:29

So if you've been that busy yeah yeah.

14:32

Yeah, how you be finding time

14:34

to be doing some of the stuff that's in your

14:37

album.

14:38

If you pick up, if you pick up when I'm putting

14:40

down.

14:42

It's always what they say. We always made

14:44

time for the things we love.

14:46

We may time if you if you're

14:48

if you're a praying woman, you know, praying man, you're gonna

14:50

you're gonna find time make time to pray, you

14:52

know, just like you're gonna make time

14:55

to lay.

14:55

You know what I mean. You got to you got to pray before

14:57

your name, All right, come

15:00

on?

15:03

But yeah, I mean I guess

15:05

I am lyrically a lover,

15:08

not a fighter, you know, But

15:11

I also understand like it's my gift, you know what I mean,

15:13

Like I've coined and carved

15:16

out a lane for myself that that

15:21

when people get

15:23

the music and receive it or here there's a new project, I know

15:25

what I know, what the expectation is.

15:27

You know what I mean.

15:28

And part of you know, part of my rebranding,

15:30

part of my you know, the

15:34

secret to my success, you know what I mean?

15:36

Uh?

15:37

You know, And part of being in your season is knowing

15:39

that it's knowing and loving who you

15:41

are and knowing who you ain't who you are, you

15:44

know what I mean? As well likes knowing. It's

15:46

knowing what you are and who you are, as

15:48

well as knowing who you're not and

15:50

what you what you would never be, and

15:53

what you don't desire to need, and you

15:55

know, and then and then and then moving on intention

15:57

of it, like you know. Yeah,

16:00

So that that you know, for me, you

16:02

know, allows me to be the conscious lover

16:04

you know, or mister Jimmy conscious

16:07

you know, one of the many attributes

16:10

that I have, you know what I mean?

16:11

Nicknames?

16:12

You know, So what's the nicknames for

16:14

me? Sitting the seat that I'm in? You have

16:16

to be naturally curious, not nosy.

16:19

I have a lot of monikers, you know, because

16:21

you know, so it's uh,

16:24

it's a let's see, uh, the

16:27

R and B hippie, neo soul rock star a k

16:29

A. Sup Cooler Jones a k A. Smoky

16:31

Temptations, the Lypt God, the

16:35

who God, the Lipt God.

16:41

Yeah, l I P l

16:44

l I P.

16:45

I thought he said LIMP.

16:46

God capital capital

16:48

L capital all caps l I P.

16:51

Yeah. Young Marvin Marley Mayfield.

16:55

This is one of my fast which is one of my favorites,

16:57

you know.

16:58

Uh.

16:58

Yeah, so in a and the list goes on, I

17:00

mean these days, it's the lesson.

17:02

You should say all of those names because

17:05

I hear all of those influence.

17:07

Okay, Marley Gay

17:11

Mayfield.

17:12

Yeah, young Robarn Marley

17:14

Mayfield Yeah.

17:15

And I'll say Isley's

17:18

as well. Absolutely Isley

17:21

Brothers.

17:22

And on the latest

17:24

album there is someone that is speaking

17:28

who is giving me Is it Jamaican

17:32

Nigerian?

17:33

The woman doing the interludes?

17:35

Rob Brown is half

17:37

black, half Filipino. Yeah.

17:43

She grew up in Philly, you know what I mean, Like

17:45

she actually went to school with like Jill Jill

17:47

Scott. She's special. She's she's

17:50

a really dope spoken word

17:52

artist and a phenomenal like a writer.

17:54

Like she does a lot of writing for different different

17:57

projects, you know, outside of

17:59

like the conventional like making

18:02

records and making albums, you know, work

18:04

world.

18:05

You know. Uh, she's been part of

18:07

my journey, whether she knows it or not.

18:08

And I went back to like kind of like go grab her

18:10

at the right time, and like, you know, I want to start incorporating

18:13

you know, spoken word artists and poetry into

18:16

what I do. So, you know, the first

18:18

open mic that I ever touched in d C, she

18:20

was she was the host. She's talking you know what I'm saying. We're

18:22

talking over twenty five years ago, you know what I mean.

18:25

Yeah, we talked years you know, So taking

18:28

it back there, like before the world knew my name,

18:30

like you know, uh, there was there was a spot

18:32

I would go to Bar None, which which

18:35

which a lot of people think I was discovered there, but that's

18:37

where I went to kind of just like Shave. It definitely

18:39

had the like the Love Jone. It was given like

18:41

Love Jones vibes, we need to go in

18:44

there, you know. But you had spoken word artists, you had

18:46

you had mcs, you had singers,

18:48

you had instrumentalists you know that

18:50

would go through there, and uh you

18:52

know that was that became the hub and in my safe

18:55

space to be able to go and be vulnerable and you

18:57

know, and work on my craft, you know, and get comfortable

18:59

form, comfortable beforming

19:01

in front of people. My first CE or

19:04

mixtape that I sold out of a knapsack like

19:06

out of a book bag was like Apple.

19:08

None so and people got to know that that

19:11

part of the journey.

19:12

Okay, you know, so

19:15

yeah, it was it was it was, it was, it was. It

19:17

was the knapsack.

19:18

It was broad Now it was the green camera had the green

19:20

had this little beat up green camera toyo,

19:23

thea cameray and I, you

19:25

know, and and I used to basically like

19:28

hand in hand, you know, sell

19:31

my music.

19:32

So you knew you were dope.

19:34

You knew and that that

19:36

confidence that I see now in twenty

19:39

twenty four.

19:39

I knew I had something special. I knew that it

19:42

was that I

19:44

was still developing it.

19:45

But yeah, I knew back then that I had something

19:48

that was unique and that and more

19:50

importantly that when I would

19:52

jump off the mic, I would see the reaction or like

19:54

the questions I.

19:55

Would People would be like, yo, where

19:57

can I get that song?

19:58

So I let me know that was create at demand

20:00

and that you know, the hustler of me said,

20:02

okay, well if they're asking

20:05

for it, then you know then I mean I got

20:07

to get product ye immediate, whether

20:09

that means like buying a CD burner,

20:12

and you know, the quality might not be

20:14

what what we might think it needs to be, you

20:17

know, but I have to start somewhere, you know. And

20:20

and that's so that's always been my you know, that's

20:22

always been my mentality. That's always been my goal

20:25

and understanding that you know, you start somewhere,

20:28

you know, and then from there you evolve.

20:30

You keep moving, you know, keep moving. I look at

20:32

my career, I look at my life as

20:34

a as a marathon.

20:37

You know that it's never been to it's

20:39

never been the sprint, you know, it's been there's always

20:41

been that like, Hey, we're gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna get

20:43

on these tracks with these individuals,

20:45

with my peers, you know, pull

20:48

my b love. But you know, it's a very competitive

20:50

business. So I'm gonna get on this track and I'm gonna start

20:52

to run. And when they say all your market said, go I

20:55

want to start, I'm going to start running and I'm going

20:57

to like and if I get tired,

21:00

want to walk.

21:01

You know, you don't let your feet stop moving, you

21:03

know what I mean.

21:04

That's great.

21:05

Get thirsty, you know what I mean. You have you know, there's

21:08

no there's no eye in the world team. So you might

21:10

have a team member that runs up and gives you, you

21:12

know, something to drink. But

21:15

if the game and the rules of the game

21:17

are hey, when this race starts, the

21:19

last person that whose feet are

21:21

still moving will be declared

21:23

the winner. Then you

21:26

know, my mindset is that Okay. I'm

21:28

just going to just like but you can do whatever you

21:30

need to do necessarily. You can do whatever

21:32

you need to do in the process. If you need somebody to hand

21:34

you a sandwich because you're hungry on your

21:37

feet, don't stop moving, you

21:39

know what I mean?

21:40

Whatever?

21:41

I love that because

21:44

you run your race.

21:46

You're quiet about it, but you still have results.

21:49

You're not like the loud

21:52

arrogant. It don't seem like you have beefs

21:54

with anybody in these R and B streets that

21:56

I know of. You seem

21:58

to know your niche like and

22:01

I don't want to say because

22:03

some people like you know your lane because that means what you

22:05

say, I can't I can't go to the middle lane

22:08

if I want to, I can't go to the left lane. But

22:10

your niche or your sound? Did that take

22:12

a while for you to discover.

22:16

My sound?

22:17

I think that happened organically, you know, like

22:20

you know, being able to have

22:22

mentors like DJ Jazzy Jeff like

22:24

that nature average you know, I

22:28

have an access to somebody like that. Let me just

22:30

start there. If you know, you know, Jeff

22:32

has always created an environment for artists.

22:35

I would describe it as like X men,

22:38

Mmm, you would be uh, what's

22:41

that, professor X Yeah, and

22:44

like you would be the equivalent of like that for

22:46

me or for us. You know, the

22:49

rooms I've been in with the level

22:51

of talent, like the caliber of

22:53

talent, like like not just in here in the

22:55

US, but like globally, like the meetups

22:58

I've been in, and what I've experienced

23:00

being under under his watch you know what I mean.

23:03

He was at a very important

23:05

time, Like he was there.

23:07

You know, he took me under his wing and

23:10

learning from him. You know, the relationships

23:13

that people that I that I met as a result

23:15

from kicking it with him and being around him

23:17

in this cool musical environment, you

23:19

know Ken Dope and Louis Vanger and DJ

23:22

Terry Hunter, you know who are like worldwarnow

23:26

like DJs and producers and

23:28

seeing the world and going you know, Jeff

23:30

taking myself and uh and other

23:32

artists like around the world at the time where

23:35

you know, my brand was still building, Yah,

23:38

and being being able to just understand

23:41

that like music or R

23:44

and B and like soul music is just one gearure

23:46

in music that's just listen to start.

23:47

There, and and

23:50

that it's a very big world and a lot

23:52

of people love.

23:54

You know, there are people that love what we

23:56

do and what we create that don't

23:59

even speak English in some places, you know what

24:01

I mean.

24:01

I mean, we think it's corny, but I used

24:03

to see it when I was growing

24:06

up as a child, when music was actually

24:08

in the schools, they would see

24:10

the sign music is a universal language.

24:13

Yeah, yeah, yeah it is, you know, And those

24:16

things help is developing your growing

24:18

in real time if you allow yourself

24:20

to be you know, it's easy to kind of put yourself in a box

24:23

though too, you know, depending upon like

24:25

you know, listening to the labeled or listening to

24:27

the A N R. Sometimes, in some cases,

24:29

you know what I mean, it could be one of the most toxic

24:32

things for an artist, you know. But it's

24:35

about knowing and trusting that gut you know, the

24:38

voice of intuition is God whishper in

24:40

your ear, you know what I mean. So that gut feeling,

24:42

that's the voice of God like telling you. That's you know, as universe

24:45

saying like, hey, this is what you need to be doing.

24:47

Get It morphs into like knowing

24:50

I'm in a space where I know what I wanted to feel like

24:52

tastes like smell like.

24:55

You know what I mean, like okay, like

24:58

you look like yeah, you know, so you

25:01

know has a greeing and

25:03

the cologne.

25:04

I'm here for it.

25:06

I cam here for it. Can you smell

25:08

it, Colonne through the speaker's baby, I can

25:10

smell it.

25:10

It's given amber, sandalwood.

25:14

It's given a

25:16

little bit of well you

25:19

said it in your song. It's given backwoods.

25:21

It's given although I'm like, now, wait

25:24

a minute, don't mess up your vocal cords.

25:26

It's given brown sweet

25:28

liquor, y'all. If you know what I'm saying,

25:30

is given honey butter, I'm

25:33

hungry.

25:36

It's giving.

25:37

It's giving everything sophisticated.

25:40

I think it could because of the season we're in,

25:43

But if we're in the spring or somehow, I would have said,

25:45

it's given juniper.

25:46

It's giving.

25:48

I'm trying to stick to the smells

25:51

because you probably don't want bath and body work types

25:54

since.

25:56

That's for the lady.

25:58

I'm not like biased, know to

26:00

a woman that you know uses back in the bodyworks,

26:03

you know I'm not biased me personally,

26:06

you know what I mean? Go, you know I'm there's

26:08

so many like dope, black owned businesses there

26:11

are their eyes.

26:13

You know what I mean?

26:14

Like, you know, what

26:16

are your favorite sense what are some of your

26:18

favorites.

26:19

I'm you know, I'm a sucker

26:21

for a woman as you know that has that

26:23

Carol's daughter, you know, you know, but that

26:26

but look brown sugar,

26:29

but look, but look, but you got to have like the source.

26:31

You gotta get that you know, word on the streeter. And she

26:33

does like a you know, if

26:35

you know, you know she'll do she does like a bat. She

26:37

still she still whips it up in the.

26:39

Kidnap for some of those of her.

26:42

By the way, I know which

26:45

bats you're talking about.

26:46

I know which bat you're talking

26:48

about because I'll never forget back in

26:50

the day in the early two thousands, walking down

26:53

it just takes me back.

26:54

To the Brownstones of New York. I

26:56

know exactly what bat you're talking

26:58

about.

26:59

I'm not no, I'm not going to ask

27:01

nothing like specific as far as dating

27:04

business. But what I do want to ask, because

27:07

you are the love king you say

27:09

you people have called you the lip God.

27:12

Do you find it pressure

27:15

to be that or

27:17

to be who you are as an artist?

27:19

Is that?

27:19

Who you are as a man in relationships? Is

27:21

or are you like, wait a minute, I don't feel like

27:24

all that today. Yes, if you want me to just

27:26

listen to track twelve, but I can't be that

27:28

right now. Have they expected you to

27:30

be that in a day to day relationship?

27:33

Well, in transparency, like you know, I'm not

27:35

married, engaged and I am dating. You know what I

27:37

mean having that dating like that? You

27:40

know?

27:40

Okay, and just like you know, I

27:42

think that not to be cliche,

27:44

but I would probably have to say, like my wife,

27:47

girlfriend and mistress is like my music

27:49

their career.

27:51

Yeah, he told

27:53

you, he told you on checking in with

27:55

Michelle Williams. His wife, his

27:58

girlfriend, and his mistress is music.

28:00

So don't have no expectations.

28:02

Just but I understand that like

28:04

outside of that, like you have to have experiences,

28:07

you have to you know, I understand

28:09

the point is of like love and

28:11

plutonic friendship and growth

28:13

in allowing yourself to have experiences

28:16

that you want to feel something. So

28:19

with that, with that being said, I

28:21

want to make sure I'm to ask you a question one more

28:23

time.

28:23

I want to make sure I like, if

28:26

I were dating a therapist, don't

28:30

make him feel like the pressure

28:33

to be the therapist.

28:34

I got you here, Rahim Devon

28:37

the.

28:38

Artist you know.

28:39

So yes, there have been times where I feel like pressure,

28:41

but I think it has nothing to do with necessarily like

28:44

even the content. It's just the fact that, like who

28:46

I am and just being a public figure, I was having

28:48

this discussion every day, and I feel like sometimes, you

28:50

know, sometimes a woman may feel the need

28:52

to be like, give me an extra hard

28:54

time because I am because

28:58

of who I am, and because he.

28:59

Wants to know that you are who what you sing

29:01

about. You ain't romantic enough

29:03

what you're talking about. You didn't grab my torso

29:07

like you said in the music or

29:09

you.

29:11

I don't really have that problem. I don't have that problem.

29:13

And I think I don't have that problem.

29:15

I think because to love me is to really know me, and

29:17

to really know me is to know that like they're

29:20

very there's a lot of different shades and tones to me.

29:23

And that and that you know, that's

29:25

that like that you know

29:27

that's where I'm going to yea, you

29:30

know.

29:30

There's you know that's that that can be very

29:33

you know, it kind of would tell me a lot about the person,

29:36

you know what I mean, if the expectations

29:38

it because it can be kind of like superficial,

29:41

you know what I mean. Or it can be like it's

29:43

like, hey, do you want Raheen divine? The

29:46

entertainer or the singer or the you

29:48

know, the writer, are you here? You know, are

29:50

you here for Raheem

29:52

divine? Like the human beings like you

29:54

know what I mean, the person you

29:57

know, the person who who lost

29:59

his father or a year ago, or the or

30:01

the person who still figures out how to still be

30:04

you know, uh just still

30:06

you know, you never stop figuring out how to be

30:08

a parent, you know what I mean when you have children

30:11

or could just be like the you

30:13

know, the amount of what I'm

30:15

providing in terms of you know, being

30:18

self independent and being self made. You

30:20

know, I'm still providing jobs for people

30:22

you know, down to like my musicians and

30:25

you know, uh and what have you

30:27

know, an economy

30:29

and in a space that where like people

30:31

come out to buy a ticket for something it's election.

30:34

Regardless of what level you are in

30:36

this business. You know, if you can fill seats during

30:39

this time, like that's a unique gift to be able

30:41

to be able to fill seats or to know that you can go and

30:43

do the MGM and it's sold out already before

30:46

you go to touch it, and you

30:48

know, and and and people are there because

30:51

you provide a very unique service, you know what I mean.

30:53

So it's like to know the men and

30:55

to know the music and then know the lyrics, to really

30:57

know the man behind the music and the you

30:59

know I means so yes, which

31:02

means like you got to come correct too,

31:04

you know, as the woman who is

31:07

you know, pursuing you know what I mean? I think in

31:09

dating that the pursuit should be equally

31:11

ooked, you know what I mean. I

31:14

realized that, I realized it. I realized as a man that

31:16

I like to be pursued. And that's not to be misunderstood

31:19

as.

31:20

You want to feel that they want you.

31:24

If you the woman that's waiting by the phone for me to call

31:26

you or like you know, daily

31:29

and you know whatever, the like, yeah you're

31:31

not because you know, I believe

31:34

like if you think, you know, if you think about me,

31:36

then or show reach

31:39

out, you know.

31:40

What I mean? So like you know what I mean? So like yeah,

31:42

so it's you know, hopefully I've answered good

31:44

question.

31:45

No, it has been amazing And I was

31:47

like, man, I want to make great

31:50

use of our time together.

31:53

You've given me so much.

31:56

You've given us so much.

31:57

I told I was telling some folks that I

31:59

was interviewing the other day, they poured,

32:02

you literally are pouring. And I

32:05

really think I'm thankful for that. And

32:08

I don't want to didn't want to come across offensive

32:10

because I was like, Man, I'm sitting

32:12

here and just wondering as I'm

32:15

listening to music as a fan of

32:17

like, does he have pressure in

32:19

that area?

32:20

I don't feel the pressure.

32:21

I mean, not that I mean in the day about that life,

32:24

like I talked, like I talked with I talked that

32:26

talk about.

32:27

That that life.

32:28

So he's not a hypocrite, Like you're not gonna

32:31

everything.

32:32

You know, but everything for everybody.

32:33

You know, you're doing in moderation and you

32:36

know, even in real time, you

32:38

know, learning a lot about myself and and

32:41

uh, you know, and dating and you know from

32:43

my previous relationship not to make the same

32:45

states. And it's like all the all

32:47

of those things, you know what I mean, Like, you know, it's

32:50

cool being an artist, you know, That's I

32:52

think that's the cool part is that you can go through things

32:54

and then you can be your own

32:57

news for them and go in and

32:59

you know, use your music.

33:02

To not only hill yourself, but

33:05

to also heal. You know, music is

33:07

healing for the for the listener, you know, therapeutic

33:10

in some cases. It's a doc connector to.

33:12

Love and fatherhood

33:15

and motherhood and just like all

33:18

the things, depending on you know,

33:20

what you're listening to, you know, and

33:23

what you get, what you get from it, you.

33:25

Know, Yeah, you

33:29

mentioned your father. I just wanted to ask you.

33:32

He was a jazz musician.

33:34

Yes, yes ahead, I'm sorry, yes,

33:37

yes, I do, I'll do.

33:38

He was a jazz musician and

33:41

so were you the

33:43

son that wanted to make sure

33:45

that he loved your music? Was he excited

33:47

or please? Had Did he ever participate

33:50

creatively with you music?

33:52

Yeah, you know, he would hang

33:54

out.

33:54

Not many studio sessions he came to with me, but

33:56

there's one it sticks out, and it was the night that I was recording

33:59

the song just right. And he

34:01

didn't make many suggestions that night, but one of the suggestions

34:04

that he did make on the record is like

34:06

it's it's literally the way it is because

34:08

it's something that he suggested

34:10

that I do, which was like there's

34:12

a bridge that happens like a pre hook

34:14

that happens in that in that record, in that song,

34:17

and to kind of make a different

34:19

between the two, it was there's this

34:22

one line where he was just like, yeah, just leave out

34:24

the one word right there, and and

34:26

I'm like okay, and I'm me

34:28

and the student anybody knows, like I'm very kind

34:31

of like as far as like suggestions

34:33

and stuff or.

34:34

People like, hey, you should do like

34:36

I hate that, like you know what I mean.

34:38

So sometimes I

34:40

just need the space to get out what I need to get in my head

34:42

before, like you know, and and and

34:44

if I really, like, you know, I'll ask an opinion,

34:47

you know what I mean. But it was just like Dad,

34:49

and he made us right.

34:52

He was he was right, and the records

34:55

just right and it came out just right, you

34:58

know what I mean. But but yeah, like you

35:00

know, I think probably the part I missed

35:02

the most is like, uh, we would

35:04

talk, you know, maybe two three times a day, but

35:06

even if it wasn't two three times a day, he would always

35:09

kind of like tap in after the show, like

35:12

you know, whether two three o'clock in the morning, you know something

35:14

about musicians who just up

35:17

and up at night, right, and

35:20

uh, nocturnal and he and he would,

35:22

he would, yeah, he would, just like tap Man. And you

35:24

know, it's you can have people, you know, you can have different

35:27

there's a different conversation that you can have, say

35:29

with a parent who is in

35:32

the.

35:32

Music business versus one that's not it's

35:34

just a level. They just understand.

35:36

We talk a different language, we talk,

35:39

We talk a different language than most you know what I mean, you

35:42

know, whether we're talking business or on a you

35:45

know, personal level.

35:46

You know. But yeah, my dad, you know, for

35:49

the listeners out there, you know, check out his work.

35:52

He was a child prodigy cellist and

35:55

went on to teach like some of his amazing

35:57

students who are.

35:58

Now doing phenomenal things around the world.

36:01

Wow, and yeah, so

36:03

yeah that's good. But

36:06

I understand that, you know, it's the progression of

36:08

life, you know what I mean.

36:09

So I'm thankful to be able to say that

36:11

that I had the experiences that I've had

36:14

that I had with him, you know, and to know that

36:16

also you know, they they

36:18

definitely were in spirit, you know what I'm saying. Our ancestors

36:21

are in spirit, you know, calling the plays,

36:23

calling the plays that you will, thank

36:26

you.

36:26

So much for sharing.

36:28

I understand, my I lost my father in

36:30

twenty twenty, but I rejoice

36:33

in the fact that he was ready.

36:35

It was time, It was his time, It was his

36:37

time.

36:38

Still miss him, still miss him dearly.

36:40

He is a huge musical influence.

36:43

He was a DJ, and he had like Milk

36:45

Crates, Vinyl

36:48

just from everything to the

36:50

to Marvin Gaye to Aerosmith. So

36:54

I feel like that's why sometimes I had a hard

36:56

time kind of figuring out I think what

36:59

my sound was gonna be. But I'm still

37:01

a consumer to this day of

37:04

just all things, so many genres.

37:06

Two more questions for you. Are there any sounds

37:09

that you still have yet to explore sonically?

37:13

Yeah, definitely, there probably a

37:15

lot of things. Like I'm in a space.

37:18

I let that happen organically, you know.

37:21

You don't force it like I'm going to do Yeah.

37:24

Yeah, yeah, I like that. I like that I let the music

37:26

dode. That tells me.

37:27

I think probably the most eclectic

37:30

record I have about right now, it's a record called Favorite

37:33

Things to Do, which is which it has a

37:36

It has a vintage failire

37:40

vibe to it, you know what I'm saying.

37:42

I love him.

37:44

Yeah.

37:44

Shout out to DJ Terry Hunter, who

37:46

produced that out of Chicago, you

37:48

know, but to kind of like show the diversity like Terry

37:50

also produced you you know.

37:52

For me, you know, many moons

37:54

ago.

37:55

So uh you know, but again,

37:58

you know when you start when I started getting my back and

38:00

thinking about like the work that I that I've

38:02

already done with like King Doapro in

38:05

particular.

38:06

Right, I'm gonna find it.

38:08

I'm gonna find it.

38:09

See me looking down because I

38:12

was able to play Sondra Isador.

38:15

I was the original Sondra Isidor in the

38:17

Fela touring.

38:18

Production that was on

38:20

Broadway.

38:21

Yeah, it was on Broadway.

38:23

Okay. I came to see that in New York.

38:25

Yeah, so it was on Broadway, but I

38:28

was in the Broadway

38:30

producers took it on the road and

38:33

I was in. I was the original

38:35

Sondra Isador on the road.

38:37

Man. That was incredible.

38:38

Like, yeah, I was introduced

38:40

to his music in two thousand and eight, and I'm like,

38:43

I wish I knew of him

38:45

in nineteen ninety eight.

38:46

I just shout out to his son, to his

38:49

kids and FAMMI you know, you know

38:51

he is like that. Yes, he's like the

38:53

split version of his dad. It is

38:56

at the heart of this got the heart of a lion, you

38:58

know what I mean, Like, you know, so okay.

39:01

I'm okay, I'm excited. I'm excited.

39:03

Okay, thank you for sharing that.

39:05

Last, but not least, the foundation

39:08

of my podcast is regarding

39:10

mental health.

39:12

We know that we know, or I know,

39:14

everybody has mental health, but everybody does.

39:16

Not have mental illness. Even

39:19

you, righting you have mental health,

39:22

you seem to be very grounded.

39:25

You shared so much. But

39:27

to the heart of that creative who might be struggling

39:30

with their confidence, to

39:32

the creative who is just

39:35

maybe they're.

39:36

Just struggling in the area of their mental health. They're

39:38

dealing with depression or anxiety.

39:40

Have you ever walked that road where

39:43

you were like, yeah, I've been down a little

39:45

too long.

39:46

Or absolutely that's some fear.

39:48

For the first time in my life, I

39:50

willingly intentionally started

39:53

doing therapy, and it was like when I lost my dad,

39:55

Black King, Come on now.

39:58

Prior to that, I definitely probably was one of the people

40:00

that I thought I didn't need or

40:03

didn't get or like you know, or

40:05

thought that you know, there had to be something

40:07

like really going wrong to you

40:10

know, ironically, you know,

40:12

mental health.

40:13

Is like one degree separation. For me, it's

40:15

like very close, like so much so

40:17

close.

40:17

That like which I've never spoken about is

40:19

public for me until now, right, is

40:22

that my my dad has caisophrenia.

40:25

Wow, And I've always been you

40:27

know, for whatever reason, as

40:30

he got older and I got older,

40:32

for whatever reason, I was I was probably

40:35

the one person out of the family

40:37

that could kind of like get him back on traps,

40:40

you know.

40:41

So that became a thing for me,

40:43

you know.

40:44

So when I say, like it's one degree separation,

40:46

I'm looking to go down the rabbit hole and and

40:49

now and so so that's something

40:51

that's like, you know, very you know, having

40:53

my foundation, doing the work that I've

40:55

done community wise, revamping

40:58

the foundation and and and with

41:00

new initiatives, that is something like mental

41:02

health is like something that's very important

41:05

to me.

41:05

And I understand it like in a

41:07

way.

41:07

That most probably be wouldn't you know what I mean,

41:09

because again on both sides of my

41:12

family, like you know, it's one degree

41:14

literally one degree.

41:17

Degree separation.

41:18

So I understand that, like you know, and I didn't

41:20

understand until I started doing therapy

41:23

how important therapy is.

41:24

You know, the tools and things that you can be given

41:27

the healing that can happen from it, and how

41:29

you can identify the source of trauma, you

41:32

know what I mean, like like because sometimes

41:34

the source of your source of trauma may be like all

41:36

roads may lead back to one person yep,

41:39

and and the series of a vist that

41:41

it's transpired and then you

41:43

know whether it's say, hurt people, hurt people.

41:46

So it's so it's so important

41:49

to get in tune with y'all, like your trauma and your

41:51

hurt and your pain, because you don't want to be one of those

41:53

hurt people. This is out here hurting people

41:56

intentionally or unintentionally, you know what I mean. So,

41:58

yeah, mental health is like and everything

42:01

for me, you know, for anybody out there

42:03

that's going through anything.

42:04

Is that I would just say, like in.

42:06

Transparency and like again, as artists,

42:08

like you know, we remember that it's

42:11

something about the TV or the Netflix

42:13

or the radio or these

42:15

you know, or social media. It just makes us look

42:17

bigger than life that sometimes

42:20

people forget that we're human beings and we believe

42:22

the same way you do. You know, we have the

42:24

same losses that you do, we have

42:26

the same anxieties, we have the same in

42:30

some cases prayers. You know, I never

42:32

try to claim the spirit of depression,

42:35

you know what I'm saying, Like, you know, I feel

42:37

like depression is a word.

42:39

It kind of it'sat it's

42:42

just data.

42:42

Yeah. Yeah, I saw somebody

42:45

say that.

42:45

I can't remember when I saw this, but depression it

42:47

really stands for decompression, like you

42:50

need to It just means that your avatar is tired

42:53

and that you just need to let your avatar like

42:56

decompress, you know what I'm saying. And whatever

42:58

that process is. Maybe that process is you

43:00

know, taking a quick trip for going like going

43:03

somewhere and just like standing in the water, or

43:06

you know, meditating or you

43:08

know, you know, for some people it's

43:10

like back with you know what I mean.

43:13

But I would suggest finding good

43:15

ways to you want to make

43:17

sure that you're not running to like the

43:19

bad.

43:20

Habits, the bad habits, bad

43:23

you know what. We Sometimes people

43:26

feel like what is what's a solution?

43:27

It's really a distraction and they're

43:30

not getting to the root of that

43:33

pain, you know, They're they're substituting

43:35

it.

43:36

Yeah, first of all, let me let you know

43:39

that.

43:39

Michelle Williams and I'm sure folks.

43:41

That are with the Black Effect.

43:44

Who my podcast is you know under

43:46

Charlemagne, who has the Mental Wealth Alliance?

43:50

Like whatever, however we can and

43:52

I guess Charlemagne, I signed you up. Yeah,

43:55

however, I let me speak for me. However I

43:58

can get behind you. Yeah,

44:00

in whatever it is in that mental health

44:03

space, I'm gonna be following

44:05

up because that's really big. And thank you for

44:08

trusting my platform

44:10

to share what you shared.

44:13

Y'all.

44:13

There are so many things about the artists

44:15

that we know and love, like

44:18

he said, go through the same

44:20

things that we have. And maybe

44:23

he just didn't feel or

44:25

there is a safe enough space to share what

44:27

he shared. Again, therapy

44:31

is not always about It

44:33

doesn't always have to be about trauma. It can be

44:35

how can I unpack transition? How

44:38

can I get an unbiased

44:40

opinion about how to deal with a loss?

44:42

And guess what therapy is about

44:45

trauma too if you want to go there. Okay,

44:49

so you have made yourself even more

44:51

lovable by being

44:53

vulnerable. That took some vulnerability

44:57

to share, but that's what you know.

44:58

But again, that all kind it goes back

45:00

to like, it goes back to the art,

45:03

like you know, ass right, And it's why

45:05

you know, it's part of these These are part

45:07

of the things that like our challenges, our

45:09

things that we deal with that we don't speak on earth.

45:11

You know, they shape us, state, mold us,

45:14

you know what I mean. And you

45:16

know, so you know, it kind of gives people kind

45:18

of wonder why I move the way I moved, or like

45:21

people wouldn't believe some of the things unless

45:23

they saw it, you know what I mean, I heard

45:25

it or you know, or you know, we

45:27

had a conversation piece about it. So like, yeah,

45:29

I'm looking forward to being more verbal. And

45:33

you know, again, mental health is just it's

45:36

it holds a very hold space.

45:38

A lot of it purposely and

45:40

intentional because of like you know, it being

45:43

a one degree separation thing for me.

45:45

Listen, thank you, y'all.

45:47

His foundation is

45:50

called love Life

45:53

Foundation.

45:54

Yeah, the Love Life Foundation.

45:55

Yeah.

45:56

Yeah.

45:56

It's committed to raising awareness and funds

45:59

for domestic island education, homeless,

46:02

mental illness, if I is that correct.

46:06

Mental health, autism, cancer,

46:10

Listen.

46:11

It's so well rounded for music

46:13

and arts, HIV and AIDS if

46:16

we can. Matter of fact, I'm gonna follow right

46:18

now love Life DMV

46:21

And as he said on one of his interludes.

46:23

You can find him at Raheem Underscover

46:28

Devon on Facebook as

46:30

Raheem Divine.

46:31

You can find him there. I think

46:34

you poured so much.

46:35

Thank you for checking in, Oh, thank

46:38

you for having me, Thank you for having me. We

46:40

gotta do it again for sure.

46:41

Anytime, anytime, anytime.

46:47

Okay, I did not expect I

46:50

did not expect.

46:51

This, and I'm so glad

46:54

that he was just willing to share, because

46:56

sometimes, you know, artists can be, you know, be

46:58

wanting to be all and whatnot

47:01

and not share, you know, but

47:04

he was just absolutely

47:07

a jewel. And we

47:09

are dedicating this episode

47:12

to his father, Abdul

47:14

Dude. And I'm grateful

47:17

that Checking In is a safe space where

47:19

people begin to share things that they

47:22

probably normally wouldn't share. And

47:25

he's got my full support. And

47:28

continue prayers and blessings into anybody

47:31

out there. You've lost a loved

47:33

one recently, just know that my

47:35

heart goes out to you and I'm wrapping

47:38

my arms around your body as

47:42

best as i can and

47:44

just praying for you and just wanting to send you some

47:47

love as well. Checking

48:05

In with Michelle Williams is a production of iHeartRadio

48:08

and the black effect. For more podcasts

48:10

from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio

48:13

app, Apple podcast, or wherever

48:16

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