We recently connected with Najee Rayne and have shared our conversation below.
Najee, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?
Yes ! Being an artist is constantly being misunderstood or mistaken. Often times people address me as my art instead of the person I am. Because musical isn’t a tangible art most people attach the artist to the art in this case — I feel such a disconnect because of that — the ideas I convey over time are not direct reflections of who I am today
Maybe it’s me who needs to change the narrative by making other art
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Straight out of the melting pot of New York City, Najeē Rayne is an independent rapper with a fresh new sound that is undeniably versatile. Feeding her audiences sounds that listeners have yearned for years; her promise is real authentic music every time she gets into the booth. The Songwriter is exploring new waters as she opens up to tell the world about her hardships and past loves through her R&B/Hip Hop sound. Showcasing her talent through her creative rhymes and soft melodies she is the creator of some of the most original rap music any female artist has yet to release. Her influences come from a wide range of artists including Drake , Nicki Minaj , Rihanna, Beyoncé , Andre 3000, Tupac, Lisa “LeftEye” Lopez, Kanye West & Jay Z. Najee Rayne’s raw relatable lyrics and catchy chorus’ is why she is “90s music” reincarnated with a millennial vibe and sound that no one has yet to hear or see in the same light.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I began rapping in 2010 but I didn’t understand the workings of song writing until 2019. after releasing my third single I was alerted by the legal team of “Najee” a jazz musician with my stage name explaining how using my real name (his is JEROME) for music was a copyright infringement. I had to take all three of my singles down and reupload them with a new stage name. I decided on “RAYNE” & with that I changed my weather.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I always had a following from just being my self. I didn’t start releasing content as an artist until 2020. My advice is to be your authentic self. you do not have to hold up appearances on authenticity.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/damnnaj
- Facebook: Najeē Rayne
- Youtube: Najee Rayne
Image Credits
Brandon Grant
Lailaa Ramos
Aminah Dantzler