Raheem DeVaughn’s story begins with music—his mother’s vinyl collection to be exact. “I always loved music so I would sneak into her record collection when she wasn’t around and play her stuff,” says DeVaughn. Although his parents were not together, his father, noted jazz musician Abdul Wadud, was an influence as well. “Music was just always around me”, says DeVaughn. “I can remember at a very young age, standing in my mother’s living room, listening to music and saying to myself, ‘I’m going to be an entertainer.’ It was that simple for me. I think I just always knew.”