Artist Detailed Info: Raheem Devaughn

Raheem DeVaughn (born 5 May 1975) is an American singer-songwriter. He signed with Jive Records and released his debut studio album, "The Love Experience", in 2005. The album entered the Billboard 200 chart. His second album, "Love Behind the Melody" (2008), reached number five on the Billboard 200. Its singles "Woman" and "Customer" both entered the Billboard Hot 100, while "Woman" received a nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards. His third album, "The Love & War MasterPeace" (2010), also reached the top ten of the Billboard 200 and was his final release with Jive Records.

Subsequent albums, including "A Place Called Love Land" (2013), "Love Sex Passion" (2015), "Decade of a Love King" (2018), "The Love Reunion" (2019), "What a Time to Be In Love" (2020), "The Summer of Love" (2023), "Fall in Love" (2023), and "Winter In Love" (2025), were released independently.

DeVaughn was born in Newark, New Jersey, the son of jazz cellist Abdul Wadud. He was raised in Washington, D.C., and in Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland by his mother, Imani Smith, a federal employee who later retired from government service. He is a cousin of singer Chrisette Michele. During his childhood he developed an interest in music, and in his early teens he decided to pursue a musical career. Among his early influences was Babyface. He also spent summers with his father in New Jersey, where he attended musical performances and gained exposure to the life of a professional musician.

He graduated from High Point High School in Beltsville, Maryland, and later attended Coppin State University in Baltimore. While studying there, he began singing with a group of street performers and subsequently focused on songwriting and recording.

Before obtaining a recording contract, DeVaughn worked at Tower Records and performed on the Washington, D.C., music circuit with various groups, including Urbanave31. He appeared at venues such as State of the Union and Bar Nun on U Street NW while distributing recordings of his music. During this period, he received local recognition and released independent material. He won a talent competition at the Washington, D.C., nightclub Bar Nun. Music executives Cliff Jones and Jerry Vines became acquainted with DeVaughn while managing the R&B group Dru Hill and later worked with him professionally. Through their support, he secured a recording contract with Jive Records in 2002.

DeVaughn's first major-label singles were "Guess Who Loves You More" and "You". His debut Jive Records album, "The Love Experience", established his national profile. During its promotion, he adopted the stage persona "Underground King" and frequently appeared wearing a crown and cape. Around the same time, he performed in Washington, D.C., under the alias Chronkite, sometimes appearing anonymously alongside artists including W. Ellington Felton and Asheru of Unspoken Heard.

DeVaughn's musical style has been compared to that of Dwele, Van Hunt, D'Angelo, Marvin Gaye, Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder. He has described his own style as "R&B hippie neo-soul rock star". In addition to label-supported promotion, he undertook independent marketing activities, including the distribution of mixtapes and performances at local venues. He appeared on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!", where he performed "Woman" on 18 January 2008.

"Woman" was selected as iTunes' Single of the Week in January 2008 and received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. In the same year, DeVaughn appeared on T-Pain's song "Reality Show" from the album "Thr33 Ringz", alongside Jay Lyriq and Musiq Soulchild. His song "You" was also featured in the video game "Grand Theft Auto IV".

In 2011, DeVaughn received a Grammy Award nomination for Best R&B Album.

In September 2013, he released his fourth studio album, "A Place Called Love Land", through Mass Appeal Entertainment. The album's lead single was "Love Connection". On 3 March 2014, he released the mixtape "King of Loveland" as a free download.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raheem_DeVaughn

Studio albums
The Love Experience (2005)
Love Behind the Melody (2008)
The Love & War MasterPeace (2010)
A Place Called Love Land (2013)
Love Sex Passion (2015)
Decade of a Love King (2018)
The Love Reunion (2019)
What a Time to Be in Love (2020)
The Summer of Love (2023)
Fall in Love (2023)
Winter in Love (2025)

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