redveil

Having a foot in two different worlds isn’t an easy balancing act, but it’s one that DMVrapper-producer redveil pulls off gracefully. With new project learn 2 swim that came out April20th, he establishes himself as a torchbearer for hip-hop’s progressive, vulnerable future whosetriumphant, soulful beats tie back to the great records of the ‘90s and early ‘00s.“Feeling like you’re not 100 percent into any group can feel uncomfortable, but you can reallyspin it into a beautiful thing and reach more people than you would have being in one or theother,” he says.
Songs like “new info” and “p.g. baby” crackle with warm samples and pointed, purposefulrapping. Meanwhile “shoulder” and “working on it” recall redveil’s underground roots, featuringheady, baritone raps exploring themes of grief and personal acceptance. “Diving board” is therecord’s thesis statement, a triumphant coming-of-age anthem that plays off of redveil’srecurring use of water as a motif to explore life’s fluidity.
“I create worlds filled with sunshine and water,” Marcus says of the sonic landscapes he aims tocraft with his music and it’s clear his auter abilities have grown tremendously since breaking outwith 2019’s Bittersweet Cry and 2020’s Niagara. Each time redveil goes away, he emerges witha new skill, and on learn 2 swim that’s a heightened knack for hooks and richer song structuring.redveil has high-profile opening gigs with Denzel Curry and Freddie Gibbs this year and wrotemuch of learn 2 swim with the goal of thrilling live audiences. With this new record, he’s madesomething people can really luxuriate in and feel affirmed by, like a day spent beachside withloved ones.