Performances: Sept 1 & 2 @7:30pm

Raheem DeVaughn has proven that post-millennial R&B artists can be traditional and progressive at once and achieve commercial longevity without concessions to pop radio. The singer, songwriter, and producer paid his dues in Washington, D.C.'s music scene. A few years after he was showcased on DJ Jazzy Jeff's The Magnificent, he debuted on the Billboard R&B/hip-hop chart with "Guess Who Loves You More" (2005). Parent album The Love Experience, DeVaughn's first, began a streak of artistically adventurous, Top Ten R&B/hip-hop full-lengths with depth far beneath the singles. Among his subsequent achievements are Grammy nominations for the songs "Woman" (2007) and "Customer" (2008), both off the number five Billboard 200 hit Love Behind the Melody, as well as a Best R&B Album nomination for LP three, The Love & War MasterPeace (2010). DeVaughn transitioned out of the major-label system while maintaining his affinity for sprawling, loosely conceptual full-lengths. These releases range from A Place Called Love Land (2013) to From Lust to Dawn (2022). (allmusic.com)