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Meet Raydeo the charismatic rapper in Washington Heights

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Raydeo the charismatic rapper.

So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Well, my real name is Johnny Feliz but as funny as that may sound but that name has played a big part in my life and made me who I am today. I’m 21 years old with the world right in front of me and I am not afraid to show what colors I paint across the canvas since I was a kid music has always brought me up when I was at my lowest especially living in a household filled with wooden spoons you would think the path you was walking towards is the right one to then realize theirs more choices then you think. Born & raised in New York it has taught the ways of the hussle, devotion and most importantly the real world, people are gonna lie, there gonna cheat and there are gonna steal but most importantly there are gonna try to tarnish who you are & what you stand for that’s been the biggest accomplishment in my life, staying true to myself & being who I was meant to be a music artist. All my life I’ve tried to find my calling, tried to gain friends and just did anything to become accepted by my piers if not my family which always lead me at a dead end alone & confused to what I was doing wrong, I wasn’t trust my instincts, I was hanging with the wrong people and I was just not conforming to my destiny but who really knows what they’re destined for? I began writing when I was in 7th grade, it was easily one of my favorite subjects to do during school time and free time, it gave me access to express myself in different ways I couldn’t imagine and it even helped me cope with my sanity at my darkest where there wasn’t a light in the world to go and help me find my way so I kept it safe and reminded myself who I saw in the mirror and who was going to become a somebody.

Over the past years I started the develop the sense of poetry and storytelling, I began watching a lot of movies & playing video games well since a kid that’s been my biggest friend ‘Video Games’ but it’s still an asset to me in my ways and it conforms towards my creativity & ideas that contribute to my persona. Once I began high school I had an eye for photography, I wanted to show others how I viewed the world while also giving them a piece to who I was as well but that didn’t go so well, you would think high school is some way like Disney Channel where the boys & kids would sing and dance along and everyone would be so appreciative to what you do but no this is reality and its not always as it seems. I studied it for two years while also digging my hands into photo editing as well where I turned reality into fiction in different ways possible which I still imply in my projects till this very day. Here we are to the breaking point, I often reach to this moment as if it was my last words but it just the start to something that changed & made me for the better, I was having an awful time at Martin Luther Jr. High school it was a really shitty place filled with toxicity all around and I wanted to getaway I mean run and never look back but I couldn’t, school was school and telling your parents you don’t wanna go anymore is a big smack across your lip so I don’t even try it, eventually I began hanging out with the wrong crowd you know what you see in the movies where the kid who doesn’t fit in tries his best to survive by doing whatever feels sane to the cool/bad individuals? Yea that was me and looking back at that is hilarious but also refreshing cause it made me the artist I am today, I skipped class on a cold winter day heading to a building to smoke some weed and what not and the group I was with began to smoke and talk about how there were happy of how they were living & how comfortable they are being in the same spot there were in yesterday and I began looking at myself and telling myself this is not my life and this definitely how I am going to accept the path shown to me…

So I went back to school to the nearest train that was around the area. I was in with them and began listen to music on my iPod four and Logic began playing. The song was titled Feel Good, how ironic it is for a song to play a mood you was not even close to feeling in a circumstance where you felt so lost that you don’t even know if you’ll ever find the correct way to go. I closed my eyes and started to really listen for the first time in a long time, I started to envision a light that was never seen before in my life and to be frankly it was amazing, I saw myself with an energy that sparks the room and shake the ground, I saw a man with words filled with power and force and finally I saw me… Nobody else just me and it was life-changing from that moment on. I began writing music ever since and the beginning stages were the hardest, it was challenging but I was happy with that because it push me go above and beyond in some many ways I never imagined. I began this goal on creating an album that would finally describe who I was and what I stand for while also giving a surprise to those who never thought I can amount to anything especially in the realms of music thus leading me to work on my first project prototype title ‘Magnificent’. This was going to be the story to why I was magnificent in my ways, shape and form and how my voice was not only going to be a voice for myself but for the people who gave me a strength to persevere all these years going forward.

By studying the different aspects on music, having my idol “Kendrick Lamar” recognizing & shouting me out front of thousands of people and to finally and most importantly find my sound that shows my music persona Raydeo full throttle. I was roaming all around the city looking for place where I can call home & record, a place where I can build my identity and formulate my project to its fullest potential! I even recorded in a closet where the engineer was right underneath me with a MAC Laptop signaling me when to start rapping and I can say its been a bumpy ride but that never stopped me from continuing the road of awesome. I finally found a space at the time where I develop a relationship with a former mentor of mine where he gave me the knowledge and key to what it means to become your own artist and to understand your sound, it was an amazing experience because after four years of working on the project it finally reached completion with a different title called “What Am I” an origin story that describes the tribulations of what I’ve went through over the years while creating this personal masterpiece. After releasing it back in ’10/31/19′ me and my former mentor along with the team we formed parted ways and accepted the growth me and him had develop throughout the journey we shared, I finally discovered who I was and the sound that describes who was Raydeo while he upgraded his company by also becoming comfortable to be viewed by the public eye, it was a bittersweet ending from the two of us but I’m honored for the times we shared.

Finally, we on now in the present and its been going very well, I’ve become creating other relationships around the city with other creatives who I call family now, I began a business relationship with my partner/videographer ‘@Sherm_in’ who I see as my close best friend & brother from another mother and let me say it’s been beautiful, me and him are an ultimate force that will push each other above and beyond and it’s truly amazing and we have much more in store for you everyone. This is my story and I am proud to say the journey has been tremendous and will only get even more bizarre as I continue to grow, I’ve recently released my new single titled “Run it Up!” available on all streaming platforms alongside with the official video available on my YouTube channel ‘Raydeo World’ with the title “Run it Up! The Game” where I fall into gaming universe where I have no choice but to Run it Up! I’m currently working on my follow up to my Instagram (@raydeoworld) series titled “Freestyle Fridays” that consists to eight episodes where I use any instrumentation from the past or present to formulate a fun & witty song alongside a side story visual, you can check out Vol.1 down at my Instagram and prepare yourself for Vol.2 coming soon along more projects that are the lead ups to my previous project “What Am I” that is forming to a trilogy with each project being a personality trait kept inside me.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Yes there were many struggles but I always kept my head high and above the clouds just to be sure if the altitude I was reaching for was worth it or not and it was. I pushed myself in many ways even when the answer right in front of me was to give up, throw it all away and always look back but no! I kept the program live and well and let’s just say the things you often wouldn’t believe to see yourself do in later years is the tool that will make you forever and that’s truly the pursuit of happiness, going for a dream only your mind thought of and your eyes can see, you gotta believe it and keep it as strong as possible because without that their no motive nor strength within the things you do in everyday life. I can finally say the future is bright with me & my heart.

Can you give our readers some background on your music?
I am a music artist and I’m sensitive about my sh%#t and that’s ok. I’m known for my cleverness and sense of humor, I bright up the room with my presence and with my music that it brings & uplifts others from any vicinity and it keeps me going. I represent myself and the music I present to the public, I stand behind of what I say and don’t come with no filter of expression, I want all to feel and understand my words and more formally my standpoint.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Leadership. Coming from a former follower as myself I grew up realizing that I was made to lead the way, not follow it and I believe that is what attracts others towards me, it set the bar high but keep it at a pace I know all can fluctuate in favor which pushes the limits above the scale and I love bringing the hero out of everyone cause that’s how I view myself and that’s how others view me. 

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Image Credit:
Jazmen thousand, Kiara Terrero, Jalen Flowers, Micheal Young, Phaser, Aja Adam

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