redveil: In His Own Lane
Redveil is an up-and-coming young artist hailing from the DMV. Earlier this year, redveil burst onto the scene with his single ‘Soul Food’ which began to pick up traction on Twitter in early March. This exposure led fans to dig into his intricate 2019 project Bittersweet Cry, a triumphant 10 song tape that showcases his musical and creative range.
Since he only recently turned 16, for the majority of his established music career, redveil has only been 15 years old. You wouldn’t guess that though based on his music. The Prince George County artist eloquently covers modern day issues such as mental illness, social justice, and spirituality throughout his limited yet powerful discography.
In his new single “Traffic”, redveil discusses the “social stigma” behind blackness and talks about the oppression the black community faces on a day to day basis. Released as a response to the current events unfolding in the black community, this track is packed full of commentary that might go over your head if you’re not listening close enough.
Not only does redveil thoughtfully string together his messages, but he also orchestrates all of the melodies and rhythms behind his words. Telling a story is something that redveil is capable of doing not only through lyrics but with production and visuals as well. Every aspect of his art is essential; no space is wasted when it comes to his focused efforts.
On June 24th, 2020, redveil sat down with us over Facetime and discussed the various factors attributing to his blossoming career. As the tone of his music would suggest, redveil is a laid-back, well spoken young artist whose sharp mind is constantly moving.
The name “redveil”, what does it mean?
There’s no story, I’m not gonna hold you. But, my name used to be different, but I just wanted to start over and change it. So, I was just at my house one day, trying to come up with names and stuff, just brainstorming. But the name “red-veil” came into my head, and it just sounded catchy to me so I decided to keep it.
What year of high school are you beginning next semester?
Senior, I skipped a grade.
Who are some of your favorite artists to listen to?
Hmmm. It changes a lot. Right now, I feel like quarantine has changed the way I listen to music. Instead of listening to an entire playlist everyday or something, there would be like a couple of songs I’d be listening to at a time, and they would just be on repeat. But it’s honestly pretty eclectic, I’ve been listening to a lot of Medhane’s stuff, also a lot of “SSG Kobe”.
What artists have influenced you the most?
I’d say like, “$uicideboy$” and “Ronny J” kind of, mainly with the distortion side of my production, on the other side I’d say that’s the “Earl” and “Tyler-ish” inspired stuff. Also more underground Soundcloud stuff, like 2016-2017 stuff.
The DMV is really a hotspot for black music, artists like Wale, Goldlink, Rico Nasty, IDK, etc. Did any of these artists inspire you in any way?
Ummm. Honestly, the DMV rap that I listen to now, doesn’t really reflect in my music at all. Like, it’s kind of just mainly trap stuff in the local scene here. But in terms of the most influential DMV artist to me, I’m actually going to have to say Logic. But that was before Logic kind of went down the path he’s on now. Like, his earlier projects and stuff were really influential to me.
Are you looking to go to college after high school?
If I don’t stay in the DMV, I’m trying to go to the south. Like North Carolina A&T, that’d be really cool. 100% going to an HBCU though.
Going back to your music, tell me a little about your production process.
So, it kind of depends on the song really. Some songs that are really sample-heavy and the beat is more minimalistic like “Soulfood”, a song like that will only take me like 1 or 2 days. “Traffic” is actually really cool because I started writing the song on a Tuesday night, recorded it on Wednesday, shot the video on Thursday, got my friend to edit it the same day, and then put it out on Friday. The whole process was start-to-finish only like 3 days.
The songs from the album and stuff that have a little bit more intricate production. Like sections, and bridges and stuff, that will take me like a few months.
How do you choose your samples?
It’s really spur of the moment, it’s a mix of YouTube-digging and other things. What I’m doing right now is going back to my old beats, because I used to sample a lot when I first started producing, I thought it was an easier way to make beats. So I’m going back to those old beats, and re-sampling the songs. They turn out way better now.
Where do you draw inspiration from when writing your songs?
It depends, like sometimes, if I really want to write about something specific, then I’ll start writing without a beat. But most of the time, I make the beat first, and then the lyrics will come out naturally just, as a reflection of what the beat made me feel.
In your new song ‘Traffic’ you discussed the “social stigma” behind African-American pain, can you elaborate on that?
Just the idea that in a conservative-run, white world, there’s no correct way to stand up to injustice, and it can be really frustrating because of the way it’s framed. If you watch a “Fox News” right now with the protests and stuff going on, and they focus on like “Oh, look at these looters and these rioters. Why don’t they just come peacefully.” But then when Colin Kaepernick was doing all the peaceful stuff, they had a problem with that, because it made them uncomfortable.
So it’s like, when you’re standing up to the system, there is no real way for the system to respect it. It’s just kind of a frustrating thing. But it seems like now more than ever people are understanding where that pain is coming from, and that it comes from real experiences and we’re not just making this up.
Your creative partner Tyler Shuler, talked on Instagram about how you and him were focused on creating a story with this new song and video, care to expand?
I guess the story was really just a reflection of the climate. It wasn’t really a thing where it was like a planned out type of plot. I just had this song and I wanted to do it in video form, in the most humble way possible. It’s just like me at my house, around everything that’s going on.
Let’s talk about fashion. Does fashion play a large role in your image?
It’s really funny that people see me as like “The-Bucket-Hat-Guy” because of the “Soulfood” video, I don’t really wear bucket hats like that. I only really wear it when it’s hot out. Besides that I like to wear hoodies a lot. If you see me outside, I’m definitely wearing some New Balance 990’s. For sure. That’s like the “DMV Shoe”.
I think it will naturally play a larger role as I shoot more videos and stuff like that. But it’s not something that I make a conscious decision about in relation to my music. It’s kind of just what I would normally wear.
How would you describe your music?
Ummm. So, I would probably describe it as “bright” kind of just releasing the energy. I don’t think about it like trying to do one sound though, it’s just kind of my energy and where I’m at in life right now.
Are there any genres you hope to journey into in the future.
Definitely, I want to way more “jazzier” stuff like on some Kendrick – “To Pimp a Butterfly” type stuff. Stuff like that. I want to work with Robert Glasper when I’m bigger. But definitely some jazzier stuff and indie-rock stuff for sure.
What have been your favorite projects so far in 2020?
I feel like I haven’t liked an album for a really long time. No one’s album was really hittin for me this year. So I don’t really know if I have a favorite in 2020 yet.
What’s next for you?
I’m just trying to make more of a name for myself right now in the underground. Then once I’ve done that, try to break into bigger scenes, not mainstream, but just being solidified.
I also got a project. That’s what’s coming out next. No more singles.