"When PG County rapper and producer redveil was just 16, he dropped his full-length Niagara, a lighthearted meditation on growth that quickly placed him on the same toxic hype train as the teen rap prodigies before him. I'm thinking of dudes like Joey Bada$$ who were forced to deal with the requisite Yo, he's not even 18 yet? He sounds just like so-and-so!-type reactions from faceless heads online."
"In fairness to redveil, now 21, his shrewd versatility and self-reflective ethos earned its props; he almost exclusively raps on his own beats and can easily fluctuate between sunny melody and somber deadpan. In the wake of Niagara's acclaim, he's been on a steady ascent: a breakout record in 2022's Learn 2 Swim, a few nationwide tours, and a Camp Flog Gnaw set that went viral for its eulogy for genocide victims in Palestine."
Rap often rewards reinvention, and many young artists begin by echoing predecessors before finding distinct voices. Redveil released Niagara at 16, a lighthearted meditation on growth that prompted youth-era comparisons to artists like Joey Bada$$ and Earl Sweatshirt due to grainy, sunworn production and jazz-tinged textures. Now 21, he produces most of his own beats, shifts between sunny melodies and somber deadpan, and built momentum with 2022's Learn 2 Swim, nationwide tours, and a viral Camp Flog Gnaw performance. His writing favors accessible reflections on grief and triumph rather than radical innovation, and production still bears obvious influences.
Read at Pitchfork
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]