Free MP3 Downloads

Razah

For countless generations, R&B music has become overly synonymous with sex and relationships. Whether through sensitive lyrics or sensual beats, artists have been using their songs to help seduce their listeners. Racy topics and heartbreak have been dominating tracks for years, with no one willing to break the repetitive cycle and shake things up.

Enter Razah, an extremely mature 20-year-old who is about to remind everyone that there are other important issues in life besides putting your ex- or current lovers on blast. His ManHood Entertainment/Virgin Records debut album, A Breath of Fresh Air, is an emotional collage of his personal experiences and feelings, ranging from growing up without a father to post-9/11 fears.

The album's lead single, "Feel So Good," sets the tone for his unique approach with the Jamaican-born singer professing his love for his mother Avril Sinclair, who always provided for him. He transformed Teddy Pendergrass' classic gem "When Somebody Loves You Back" into a musical Mother's Day card with the lyrics: "She's gonna stand by me/ That's why I love her unconditionally/I get in trouble/She put the house up to get the bail money for me."

The song has received major airplay at top radio stations, including New York's Hot 97. The video, directed by Jessy Terrero, has already been in rotation on BET, where the artist also stopped by to shoot a recent interview with the network's acclaimed show Rated Next. "As soon as I heard the beat, I started thinking of the words for the song," Razah remembers. "I just thought of my Mom and how I wanted to tell her, your boy loves you. I said right at the beginning of the song: 'This is dedicated to my Mom.' "

Razah, born Martell Nelson, isn't ashamed to be a Mama's boy. He also isn't shy about giving a grand tour of his upbringing and personal life, which he uses as the backdrop for A Breath of Fresh Air. Growing up in the rough-and-tumble streets of Brownsville, Razah learned quickly why many describe that section of Brooklyn, New York, as 'Survival of the Fittest.' Violence, drugs and occasional murders comprised his adolescent surroundings. Luckily, he was able to stay relatively clear of any dangers with his Mom keeping a close eye on him.

Once he got to junior high school, he began to discover his artistic side. He formed a small rap group with a few of his classmates and they would put on performances after school. Before he knew it, Razah was three years into high school and his choice of musical expression expanded from hip-hop to include reggae and R&B.

In 1996, Razah began hanging out at the infamous Don One Studio in Brooklyn -- where several famous Jamaican artists like Shaggy, Shabba Ranks and Wayne Wonder have all recorded -- and started to visualize the possibilities of a music career.

"One day I saw Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill [of The Fugees] roll up in a brand new Jeep Infinity," he recalls. "I started to realize that I could do something special with my life." But not before his final evolution: the artist followed a friend's advice and began on the rhythm & blues path. He immediately knew it was a perfect match. "I always felt like I was singing anyway," he says, crediting R. Kelly as his ultimate musical influence. "It was so comfortable; the style fit just right." During the next three years, Razah recorded 60-plus songs at several home studios in his area. His singing and writing abilities started to soar and he felt success was on the horizon.

Fast forward to 2003, when Razah was recruited by ManHood Ent. producer K. Brown to sing the hook on rapper Cashmere's single "You Owe It To Me." Co-founders of the label Gerald Holman (Man) and Sekou Reaves (Hood) had heard Razah sing before, but now got a chance to see him in action right before their eyes. Reaves knew immediately there was a special element to his talent. Within 30 days of that meeting, "Feel So Good" was blazin' up radio airplay charts and Razah was on the verge of signing with a major label.

"Hood didn't even ask me to sign anything. He just told me, this is what I'm gonna do for you, and he did it," the artist recalls. "He didn't pressure me at all and before I knew it, my song was on the radio and there was a bidding war to sign me. I was just like, this guy is amazing."

In addition to gaining knowledge from Hood's management skills, Razah earned a close friend and eventually, a trusted father figure. "We're like family," the crooner notes. "We can talk to each other about anything." This was a luxury the singer hadn't had in his young life. The soft-spoken artist never met his father, an issue he finally came to terms with through his music. The track "Dear Dad," an open letter to his estranged parent, is a painful goodbye to a man he never knew. The lyrics for the song speak for themselves: "He wasn't even there when I was born/I was three months inside my mother's womb when you walked." According to Razah, finishing that song brought instant closure. "After I was done with that song, I was like, I can finally move on. That's over there now."

Brooklyn's finest promises that his personal lyrics, which fuel his natural, soothing voice, won't ever be compromised. "Since I was 13, I've been writing my own stuff," Razah says. "I've always been adamant about that. I only write about real things that have happened to me. Nothing I write is fake." In fact, all the tracks on his debut release, most of which were produced by K. Brown, address different areas of his heart. An appearance by Cashmere on "Rockin' Chair" and tracks produced by E-Z LP, Dream Team and DJ Absolute only add to the flavor and promise of this creative artist's first major label look. Whether it's a magnificent reflection of post-9/11 anxiety in "Pushing On," or his secret affair with an beautiful, older woman who is already tied down in "What She Said," Razah is certain to capture your attention and keep you hanging on every word of his musical journey.

Razah began his quest to lead R&B music in an exciting new direction by changing up an overused recipe. With A Breath of Fresh Air, he not only accomplishes this, but in the process created what can be best described as a 'rhythmic reflection' of his life experiences.