Meet Redeemed | Rapper, Songwriter, & Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Redeemed and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Redeemed, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The most important factor behind my success might come as a stark contradiction. Many don’t want to hear the message that success is directly tied to its antithesis—failure; but for me, this statement rings true. I have learned in my career that failure and success are in intimate relationship. We live in a culture that uses social media to crop out failures. A generation where we have the freedom to put a filter on the rough patches in life. However, I have seen what society would characterize as failure, be the very thing that led to my success. I have had my gifting displayed through several opportunities over the years. I have won awards for best gospel hip hop artist of the year, had my music played on nationally syndicated radio, co-produced theme music for a television show on BET, and travelled the country performing my music. However, I have also had deals take place in the industry where money was stolen from me. I have had A-list artists turn down some of the songs that I was asked to write for them. I have also been nominated for awards that I thought I should win, but didn’t. This laundry list of failures has taught me more about myself, about the music business, and about purpose than success could have ever taught me.

I have reframed, redirected, and repackaged the failures that I have experienced in order to redefine what success means to me. Through these losses, I reclaimed what victory and success is. By doing this, I no longer measure my success by the metrics of society, but rather by the influence that I have had on the lives of those who have been impacted by my music. I have had my supporters share testimonies with me about how my music has affected them. Someone wanted to commit suicide, but after hearing one of my songs, they chose life instead of death. One family was in a nearly fatal car accident, and right before the actual accident, one of my songs came on, in which the lyrics talk about survival. And as their car was turning and swerving they came out of the accident unscathed and they attribute that to the power of the record that was playing. Another person lost their father and used my music to get them through that time of mourning. In all of these circumstances, each individual attributed my music to their survival and overcoming. To me, that is winning. That is success. Encouraging hearts and saving lives through the music that I make is of far more value to me than any societal standard that dictates what success looks like.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My name is Dashawn “Redeemed” Robinson and I am a faith-based hip hop artist, songwriter, and producer. The uniqueness about my art is that my life experience has given me insight into the needs of the community and the needs of the church. Most Christian artists make music for the church, but forget about the people in their communities who are dying daily. I use my voice to amplify the issues of police brutality, crimes against the oppressed, housing and education inequality, and a host of other societal issues. I believe these would be the issues Christ spoke to if He still walked the earth.

I am most proud of the father I am. Though my father has always been in my life, the young men within the neighborhood I grew up in, in Brooklyn, NY this is not the case. Many fathers were in jail, dead, or deadbeat. Therefore, it would have been easy for me to internalize that fatherhood is insignificant. However, I actually see healthy fatherhood as the most important contribution I could leave on this earth, even beyond my music. I currently have two daughters (7 and 5) and their development is my life’s priority.

Professionally, this road has been of course challenging. I don’t believe anything that someone becomes good at comes without challenges. Usually it’s the challenges along the journey that lead to success anyway. In fact, music was never something I wanted to do professionally at all. I had always wanted to be in the field of psychology counseling couples. I just rapped for fun with friends. Eventually my messages in freelance songs started to become more targeted to the pain and issues of life. The lyrics I came up with started to reflect the societies I grew up in. All the while, my skill set was polishing very well. This is why the right friends are always good, because I had friends that encouraged me to just try to put something out. I did and that was all she wrote.

Some of the lessons I have learned is that authenticity is your greatest marketing plan. It is far more valuable than any marketing budget you could ever have. If you put your true self into your art and your social media, the right tribe of people will find you.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well, I am not from Atlanta, I am from Brooklyn, NY. I currently live in Princeton, NJ but I visit ATL often when I am performing.

My favorite place to eat is Gocha’s Breakfast Bar. They specialize in breakfast, brunch, and great drinks. They are also black-owned which matters a lot to me.

I would also recommend a great spa day at JeJu Sauna. It is 24 hours so you can go at any time of the day and it is AMAZING.

I don’t know the city well enough to develop a week-long itinerary.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to shout out my wife Amanda. She is everything to me. To have a partner that cares about your success as much as you care about it is a rarity. Your dreams and goals can’t be shared with everyone, because everyone won’t nurture it the way you do. But my wife is successful in her own right, yet still pushes me to be my best.

Website: redeemednation.com

Instagram: @officialredeemed

Twitter: @thatboyredeemed

Facebook: facebook.com/officialredemed

Youtube: Official Redeemed

Image Credits
Joseph Torres Dante Simmons