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Razah
Razah Biography
"When I make my records
I try to make timeless music and songs that uplift people. I was raised
by a single mom so I believe in writing music that celebrates women."
With a stage name like Razah, you'd expect his vocals to be stabs of
gruff-toned, ragamuffin-style patois or jagged rhymes about the inner
city's hottest blocks. But the singer born Martell Nelson is slicker
than that. There's more romance than gangsterism in his R&B. His sound
recalls the smooth edges of the soulful pop and reggae-tinged croons of
his musical forebears Michael Jackson, Beres Hammond and
Bob Marley.
"I sing emotional songs, but my name is Razah," says the 24-year-old
Jamaican-born soulman. "It's like a balance."
On his self-titled debut album, Razah hopes to tip the scales
overwhelmingly in his favor. Enlisting new beatmaking talent such as
Rykeyz (who contributed four songs) as well as a few known producers
including EZ LP, Green Lantern and Norwegian-born production duo,
Stargate, Razah assures that the CD still will be his opportunity to
shine.
"I don't want people to pick my album up for the producers," he admits.
"I want them to genuinely like Razah."
Razah's warm, achy tone resonates with genuine passion. Songs such
as "Rain" and "Where Do We Go From Here" are more likely to strike an
emotional chord, tug on a couple heartstrings and even swell a few tear
ducts.
"That's what this game is missing--no one wants to cry on a record
anymore," he explains. "I'm not sure if everybody's scared or no one
wants to be vulnerable. But everybody's vulnerable at the end of the
day."
Honesty and raw emotion are at the center of the bulk of Razah's
self-penned songs. "I'm so confused, girl/ I'm lost without ya/ I can't
go to sleep because I toss without ya," he sings over the breezy,
lilting melody of "Where Do We Go From Here." And Razah's not afraid to
tackle some tough issues that many young women face--sexual abuse and
drug use. On the uptempo synth-pop of "Runaway," he sings in a breathy,
near-falsetto: "She just wants to runaway from this town/ Don't know
what way she's going,"
Elsewhere, on a track called "Dear Dad," he sings bittersweetly about
the father he never knew. Then on "Fight," the topic returns to love,
with Razah addressing the type of relationship that's worth fighting to
save. But he's quick to counter that he's not all about being Mr.
Sensitivity.
"It's not all about heartache, but it's about real life situations," he
says. "Rappers say they talk about true life situations, singers can do
that too."
Exasperated, he adds: "I don't write about no crazy, fake stuff, like
about my big cars. That's corny." Besides, Razah knows better than to
make music that he'd be embarrassed to play for the single mother who
raised him and his older brother and sister. When Razah was four
years old his mother packed up the family. They moved from St.
Andrews--a small town about three hours from Kingston in Jamaica's lush
countryside--to the ("Never ran, never will") Brownsville section of Brooklyn. She worked hard, saved money, studied, and fulfilled her dream
of becoming a nurse.
"She's such a strong woman it's amazing," Razah says. "When the bad
happens she just says, 'Keep on going. God put you here for this.'
Divine intervention can be a way to describe Razah's rise in the music
game. In 2004, a routine recording session turned into a professional
and personal bond with his managers, Sekou ("Hood") Reaves and Gerald
("Man") Holman of ManHood Entertainment.
"You don't really hear many singers who can send a chill up your spin,"
Hood says. "I felt something real about him. I'm a family dude, and he's
a family guy. He loves his mom, and I love my mom…so we clicked."
Clocking loads of radio play for the independently released single
"Feels So Good," a remake of Teddy Pendergrass's "When Somebody Loves
You Back," Razah proved his talent couldn't be overlooked. Then through
sheer determination and Hood's industry know-how, Razah teamed with
Houston veteran MC Bun B on "Keep your head up". And his hot streak
continued when DJ Enuff and Funkmaster Flex of New York's Hot97 showed
even more radio love to Razah's track, "Where Do We Go From Here." Those
spins proved to be the difference. The song caught the attention of
Rihanna, who approached the singer to add her own verse to the remix.
Still, at the subsequent recording session in Roc The Mic studios, Razah
had little clue the two Caribbean born singers would be labelmates.
"Rihanna was in the booth doing what she do, I was there chilling and
then Jay-Z walks in, and was like what's up," Razah explains. "I was
like, 'Damn, here's my idol walking in the studio.' I gave him a dap and
he walked out the room."
But when the Def Jam CEO pays a visit to your recording session, serious
business is about to go down. Hood and Jay worked out a verbal agreement
in the studio hallway. Days later, Razah signed a record contract with
Def Jam, and only two weeks after that he played the finished album for
Island Def Jam chairman LA Reid.
Now, Razah's definitely in great company, poised to share his
Caribbean-inflected soul music with the globe. "I try to do make big
records so it's not just like it's an [average] R&B song or pop song,"
he concludes, "but so that everybody can love it."
"When I make my records
I try to make timeless music and songs that uplift people. I was raised
by a single mom so I believe in writing music that celebrates women."