I’ve been a fan since I first heard Raheem DeVaughn perform live in Tawes Theatre on the campus of University of Maryland.

He recently released his “Art of Noise” mixtape. Not to be confused with an album although it could be, DeVaughn released 19 original and previously unreleased tracks through his latest music venture, the 368 Music Group.

I finally got a chance to sit down and listen to the mixtape and was unsurprised/uninspired by his lead track “God Speed,” which sets the tone for the mixtape. With a ‘greetings earthlings’ introduction, I had to make sure Janelle Monae wasn’t on the track. Still, the track speaks of love, a common theme in DeVaughn’s past albums.

Still, he almost blew my little socks off (I don’t even wear socks but I was trying to give you a visual) with the next track “Amazing”.  Now, if you’re not a church go-er you may not get it, but I grew up singing this song in my church choir. I’m loving how he mixed this up.

Still, you can’t ignore the overall ‘conscious message’ that DeVaughn relays in many songs. Compared to Marvin Gaye by some, DeVaughn really speaks on some real problems. In a press release he said:

“This current climate that we live in, affects me too. If my fans lose their jobs and their homes, and can’t put food on the table, they definitely cannot buy my music. They should not have to make that choice. Many of my fans tell me that they love me and I’ve always said that I love them back. This is my way of showing them that love. I want to show love to my fans by giving them the Raheem DeVaughn music that they want…”

The mixtape also features certified hip-hip stars and local up and comers. With T-Pain on a track along with Young Chris, DeVaughn also works with Ice the Villain, Stello, Kingpin Slim and his own artist Phil Ade.

Later this year DeVaughn will release his third album, “The Love and War MasterPeace”.