Neon Limelight Interview: Raheem DeVaughn Mixes Love And War To Create A ‘MasterPeace’

The journey through life and the music industry has been a hard one for soulman Raheem DeVaughn, but he does it all with one thing in mind: The people.

The singer/songwriter/self-proclaimed “R&B hippie neosoul rockstar” from Washington DC caught the world’s attention with smooth R&B grooves that celebrate the fairer gender, while at the same time making us think deeper about our own struggles.

Back with a new collection of tunes, The Love & War MasterPeace, DeVaughn is on a mission to keep real soul music alive to honor the soldiers of the past (he mentions Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Bob Marley) and get it in the hands of the people despite the lack of support from radio.

Neon Limelight caught up with DeVaughn recently to talk about the new album, working with rapper Ludacris on the first single from the set, “Bulletproof,” his feelings on the music industry and where it and he is headed.

Neon Limelight: The title of your album, The Love and War MasterPeace, is very interesting. Where did it come from?

Raheem Devaughn: Yes. It’s The Love and War MasterP-E-A-C-E. It’s really just descriptive of what the album will embody. Half the album is socially conscious, the other half is love. It’s a double CD with about 20 songs. And the full album is narrated by Dr. Cornell West.

NL: Nice!

RD: I got a lot of different cameos. I got Ludacris on the first single, “Bulletproof.” “Bulletproof” is the first single from the socially conscious side of the album, and it looks like the second single will be a record called “I Don’t Care,” which is the first single from the love side. The album being half love, half socially conscious just tells the story of where I am as a black male, and where we are globally, politically, just everything. This project just embodies all of that.

NL: A lot of people would compare love to a war. Do you agree with that?

RD: I wouldn’t necessarily say I agree with that but I feel like love is universal. I feel like there are different aspects of love. When I called [the album] The Love and War MasterPeace, it was more capturing the fact that we’re constantly a country — a planet at war. We’re constantly at war with ourselves and our own personal demons and we’re just trying to be better people. When I captured the war part of it it was more capturing the fact that we’re constantly at war on a spiritual level, too. We’re constantly fighting for our salvation to do the right thing. It’s deep on all levels. I feel like it’s some of my best work to date. I got records on the social conscious side for the soldiers. I got a record called “Nobody Wins A War” –

NL: I saw on your twitter that you’re very excited about that song.

RD: Yeah, yeah. I Ustream a lot, so I’ve been playing some of the records on Ustream. You can go to my Ustream and play some of the songs that will be on the album. I got a song for my mother called “Superhero” that I co-produced with some cats out of D.C. And “Bulletproof.” The whole theme behind “Bulletproof” is just that nobody is bulletproof from, you know, HIV or AIDS, or nobody’s bulletproof from, like, technically being homeless. Nobody’s bulletproof from this, and nobody’s bulletproof from that. So, that was kind of the message of that record. I got a record with Damien Marley on the album called “Can We Live.” It’s real deep. But on the flip-side, there’s the love stuff, too. I’m still doing what I do with the bedroom and black love and just uplifting women.

NL: Your most recognizable song, to some people, will be “Customer,” so of course no one wants you to stray too far from that. Was it important for you to mix the two so that you could go deep, but also keep the core fans?

RD: I think… Actually, for “Customer,” people know me for that, but you gotta keep in mind that I’m an artist that’s pretty diverse. When you come to my shows you’ll see three generations at my show. Although “Customer” was a big record at urban radio, my No. 1 record was “Woman.” That was that record I got 40 year old girls to say “I like that record.” I think as an artist [it's important] to be well-rounded because you never know who’s gonna gravitate towards what. I never worry about straying away from anything. I never had that issue. I’ve been putting out socially conscious music since day one. Half of my first album, The Love Experience, that came out in 2005 was socially conscious just nobody, not saying they didn’t pay attention to it, but I think it was just so well put together, it was just a good album to listen to from beginning to end.

NL: You made it easy to digest.

RD: Yeah, definitely. I think it’s a gift to that within itself. You can’t bombard, or hit over the head, or make people feel like you’re judging them. Like, I’m in the same shoes as you. I got friends, soldiers in Iraq that got his leg blown off. I got family in jail. I’m a personal victim, survivor of violence. I was shot and left for dead in the streets of Baltimore in 1996. These are things I don’t always necessarily promote it to perpetuate it, or glorify it, but it’s definitely time to make black love music. I’m just speaking from the black male’s perspective. It’s time to make that music, you know? Music has the power to heal the earth. That’s just where I’m at with it. When you put on a Raheem Devaughn record it’s gonna make you wanna take it to the bedroom and procreate and all that, and enjoy that experience. I’m gonna tell that story, but I’m gonna do it tastefully. I always wanna do it tastefully, but I’m also gonna take the time and talk about some more things. Social issues, political issues and tie them all together in a truthful manner.

NL: You are a really well-rounded artist, but is there someone really unexpected you’d like to work with?

RD: I would love to be in a rock out session for a couple days with Lauryn Hill, Sade, The Roots. There’s a couple people I have on the list. I knocked a lot of them out with this album. I got Wale on the album, I got this record with Bun B, Luda, Damien Marley. And I have one record with Jill Scott, Chrisette Michele, Ledisi, Chico DeBarge, Dwele, Bilal, Anthony Hamilton. Pretty much anybody I’ve been wanting to work with, I used this opportunity to bridge the gap with them on this Love and War MasterPeace.

NL: Of course now we’re in an all new decade, but what did you think of the music that came out last decade?

RD: I think, in short, music is being dumbed down a lot, you know what I’m saying? And I feel like it’s definitely weeding itself out. It’s gonna go back to the real essence of it. I think you’ll really be able to cut down the middle and decipher the music that’s money motivated and the music that’s spiritually motivated, you know what I’m saying.

NL: Definitely.

RD: I think that there’s a big difference between the two. And I think you can know instantly and gravitate and kinda pretty much know in the first couple of bars like, ‘Yeah, this is something that’s money motivated.’

NL: How do you think music needs to change in this decade and what do you plan to do to make sure that change happens?

RD: I’m doing what I’m doing. [laughs] I think my album will speak for itself. I’m making music to preserve music. I’m making music from the heart, from the soul, from the spirit. I’m trying to keep that torch burning for the cats that did it before me, like the Marvin Gayes, Bob Marleys, Curtis Mayfields. I could go on and on. I just try to embody that. As far as where music is going, I can’t really worry about what the next man is doing. I can’t be responsible for [them]. They gotta look out for their own thing at the end of the day. My whole thing is I’m not compromising my art and that’s just it. You can’t buy my soul. I’m not compromising my art for nobody. That’s just what it boils down to. My music is for the people. They gravitate to that. I did a show in Chicago on a Monday night. Went on stage at twelve o’clock. The joint was sold out. All of these people gotta go to work [the next day]. Whatever. I performed for like almost two hours. It just lets me know that with the lack of support from urban radio for “Bulletproof,” which is definitely one of the top ten realest records that came out last decade technically, like, [it lets me know] the people are gonna get to the music. The youth are gonna get to the music one way or another. Radio is not the only source of the music now. Urban radio has it twisted. They think they’re the main source of — the outlet, and their actually the last source that people go to now. What’s going to happen in a couple years is you’ll see these radio stations start to sell themselves off. You’re gonna go to your favorite urban station and hear country music. Everything is going back to the people.

NL: Before we go, did you pick out a New Year’s resolution?

RD: Oh, man, yeah. Just be positive, keep the faith, stay prayed up. [laughs] Be a better father. Be a better son. All those types of things. The things that count most.

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