Redd The Rebel released newest single, Can We Talk 2.0. It's a crisp rendition of the original song by Tevin Campbell. Redd has a smooth and steeping style like Wale, but it’s reminiscent to Andre 3000, where he fires bars in up-tempo, while riding the infectious beat of rhythm and blues. The single, Can We Talk, found radio placement-- It's reverberating from speakers in places like Footlocker in upstate New York. Redd has another banger called No Games, where he switches gears just a bit from the romance missives. The rhymester proves through his verses that he’s a cultured lyricist that uses pulsing and mostly, erudite odes to get his messages across to the masses.
The native of Austin, Texas is one of 10 children, who share a remarkable story of hustling like many others, where he works full-time, while still crushing on his dreams.
“It’s [music] always been a knack of mine as long I’ve been playing basketball. I always loved to sing, and I always loved music. Music gives you a certain feel. When I got into it, I was working at HEB, doing my job or whatever, listening to music. I was free styling in the cooler, and a guy [that was listening] said, ‘Man, you should come to my studio.’ I went to his studio, wrote a verse, and recorded it. The rap voice was there, lyrics, cadence, and all that. He said, ‘Man, you got something,’ so I took that and ran with it. I kept going,” says Redd.
Redd is a natural rhymester, who didn’t have a problem rapping over the melodies. That’s the reason people gravitated to his sounds immediately. He could make listeners bop just by flowing.
Redd started rapping about five years ago, so he’s finally making static noise with his music. “Honestly, it’s a process. Many people want to jump out there and get instant gratification, but it doesn’t work like that, because you must actually go through the process. They say that in order to tap into your greatness, you must put in over ten-thousand hours and I’ve exceeded that already because I live in my closet [studio]. If you look on my Instagram, I’m always in my closet doing music. I’m always doing something that pertains to music, so yeah, that’s pretty much what it is. This whole journey is a process. You cannot get from the beginning of the alphabet and jump to the end. If you try to skip out on the steps, you miss lessons along the way." Redd said he learned patience and character while on this melodious journey. He agrees that you get many lessons and you never know where they are coming from… “You can get money anywhere but you can’t buy character. That’s something you must have. It’s sold separately."
As for his music, Redd released Heart and Soul of a Rebel on October 11, 2019. He’s releasing another project next year called Rebel Way, which includes tracks, No Games and Can We Talk 2.0. The rapper recently performed at Saint Augustine and UNC as part of his college tours and radio promotions just to give you an idea for his whereabouts.
Redd says that his music is soul food… “It’s not bubble gum and it’s not popcorn. You’re going to learn something and I’m going to steer you in the right direction. It’s positive. I have a song called Harmony on there. You’ll tap into your inner peace on that. The next one is Greatness. You’ll tap into your greatness because I feel like as an African American, that’s what we are here for, because they society] painted the wrong picture for us in the beginning. If you go back and look at it [history], they tell us they took slaves, but what they were taking were scientist, the entrepreneurs, the inventors, they were taking those kinds of people. They painted it to where they only showed the slavery side. They didn’t show the people like Thomas Edison with the light bulb, [and] they didn’t show us those people, the scholars. We are here for greatness,” emphasized Redd about the plight of blacks and their evolution.
Redd is a colorful rhymester where he spits defining facts, but he doesn’t gauge your eardrum out being over intellectual, which might come across as boring. He daubs his lyrics with clever odes with jamming tones that demand reflection. “The single that I dropped in February, Can We Talk, that was a big one for the women and the people in relationships. No Games is a big one for the people across the board. It blends in with Atlanta and Texas, because that’s the way I went about it,” explained Redd.
Redd wanted to sing when he was younger… “I was a big fan of Brian McKnight and Tevin Campbell,” he explained the inspiration behind track, Can We Talk. "I called up [producer] Dot Drop Da Beat. He sampled it, and sent me that beat.”
Redd said that he would like to collaborate with artist from his hometown on future projects. He featured T-Rell on Heart & Soul of a Rebel. “He’s an artist from Saint Louis signed to Dirty NT with Nelly,” says Redd. “I’d love to work with artist local and famous. One of my favorites passed away, Nipsey Hustle. I’d like to work with J Cole, even though he’s not doing features anymore. I’d like to work with Big K.R.I.T. We [Big K.R.I.T] got similar approaches to the music game. We’re going to give them our real life. He’s one of my favorite artists, too. I like his music. I like the way that he put it together."
Although R&B crooners inspire him, Redd says that an underground artist named Z-Ro helped to influence his style. “Z-Ro is really big in Texas,” he says.
If Redd could motivate artist, the way that Z-Ro influenced him, he’d teach the rappers to hone their sound. “It’s a lot of artist, but they are not really artist. The artistry is not there. It’s just like popcorn artist without the flavor, and it’s a quick fix. They are not doing anything engaging or positive. It’s just about money, strippers and clothes. I would say, ‘Get into your real life,’ but at the same time, do more engagement with worldly stuff. Basically, be authentic…” Redd also said that the female emcees aren’t giving little girls anything of value anymore the way they did when rappers like Monie Love and Queen Latifah were on the scene. “They aren’t giving the little girls or princesses anything to look up to. They are giving these little girls a negative image, provoking them to think they must strip to get attention from a man. I like That Girl Lay Lay. She’s painting a different dynamic for little girls coming up in this generation. She’s giving them a positive influence."
If Redd couldn’t pursue music, he would be a personal trainer or basketball coach… “I love basketball. That was my first love.”
Summing up his own career in three words, Redd describes it as greatness, integrity, and character. "You cannot buy those things as I said. You have to be in it for what it really is. You can’t be in the music industry for a quick fix. You cannot buy character or greatness. The people [fans] must validate the greatness. You cannot go and buy the character. It has to be in you, and longevity. Everybody wants longevity. I always tell people that it’s a difference between a classic and a hit. I always hear good songs. Like, Migos, but nobody is going to listen to that twenty years from now. If you go back and listen to Montel Jordan, it’s a classic."
Clearly speaking from a business standpoint, Redd is definitely pinpointing facts, so he’s meticulous with his actions. Redd is a father of three beautiful kids ages five, four, and two… He concludes that he’s the dad on the playground when he walks outdoors. “Kids play basketball with me because they see my kids out there with me. It’s just a different feeling.” Redd is tagged as the voice of the people and the youth, so it makes sense that the kids from his community respond to him.
Speaking of legacy and longevity, Redd would like his kids to know that he was a positive role model and he’s trying to set them up for greatness in their future. “I come from struggle. I don’t want them to endure that and that’s the reason I’m doing this. I want them to know that I was a genuine and honest person that influenced the world in a positive way with my music verses the other side."
Fighting against the grain to become more than a black stereotype, Redd was thoughtful when choosing a stage name, which is his childhood nickname. The acronym stands for “Real Endeavors Don’t Die. "The rebel simply means that my tendencies are in a positive way,” he shares in closing.
The 2020 Rebel Way brand and album is coming to be on the lookout… Pure Records.
