Raheem DeVaughn (Thursday)

Although some have compared his smooth vocals to the likes of music legends such as D’Angelo and Donny Hathaway, all while having the swag of a modern day Marvin Gaye, Raheem Devaughn has carved out his own place amongst R&B royalty as the “Love King” of the Neo-Soul universe. Raheem’s impressive career has been a living testimony to the benefits of dedication and commitment. Now entering his third decade at the top of the industry, Raheem’s raw talent has led his loyal fan base on an incredible musical journey ever since his soulful voice found the ears of the masses on his debut album, The Love Experience in 2005.

So much for a sophomore slump - DeVaughn followed up the initial success of his debut album by topping it with his second project, Love Behind the Melody in 2008. The album, which featured classic hits such as the Grammy nominated “Woman” and “Customer” was one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the year and launched Raheem into superstardom – reaching number one on the Top 10 R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart and peaking at number 5 on the US Billboard 200 chart.

Since then, the self-proclaimed “R&B hippie” has produced other gold standard albums, including the appropriately titled The Love & War Materpiece in 2010, which earned a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album in 2011. In total, Raheem DeVaughn’s decorated career has earned him two BET Awards and three Grammy nominations. He also was nominated for Outstanding Male Artist at the NAACP Image Awards in March 2019.