TheDMVDaily’s Exclusives : DMV’s R&B Wildcard Reggie Becton

Dabbling in sophisticated whim and divine sultry vocals, Maryland native and Los Angeles resident Reggie Becton at 25 captures the raw essence of R&B while showcasing his unique personality. From his orange beanies, laid back personality, love for Go-Go music (Washington D.C.’s signature music), and enjoying life while making music separates the earthly crooner from most. To best describe Reggie’s sound would be to mix Musiq Soulchild with Frank Ocean and adding a dash of Miguel. Posting his music in the past on Singersroom, I found out that he was a DMV native like me who moved to another state to achieve his dream. It inspired me to reach out and interview him via my Instagram live. 

We spoke about many things from how he Ari Lennox reposted his cover on Facebook years ago before signing with Dreamville, growing up in the PG Country residence of Maryland, moving out of the DMV to pursue our dreams, the new era of R&B, his processes of making music, the creation of “Rainin In LA,” and many more subjects. The overall interview that might be too long for me to write about and fully cover. Due to technical difficulties, we couldn’t save the live stream, but it was a fantastic conversation. It confirmed many things I thought of Reggie Becton Already. From his humble mindset, a unique model of making music, and a hunger to become a household name in R&B, Reggie is phenomenal in every sense of the world. A student of the game, Reggie displays a unique range of upper echelon and embellished music while never straying too far from the roots of R&B.

“R&B as a genre should be allowed to evolve, to stand out, I think your sound as a musician needs to stand out as well,” he told me over our IG live interview. “Especially in a genre that has many legendary talents that I have studied such as Marvin Gaye, Frank Ocean, Luther Vandross, Diana Ross, Miguel, Ari Lennox, H.E.R. and many more amazing talents. Adding your spin to the genre but keep the basis of R&B is key to my growth as an artist. Everything you see and hear is 100 percent me.”

With such understanding of the genre, Reggie has impressed me personally with covers to songs such as “I Want you Around” by Snoh Aalegra and “Come Through & Chill” by Miguel, my pick for the underrated gem of 2019 “Rainin’ In LA,” a live performance in Sofar in the city of Los Angeles has not only captured my attention but caught the attention of many industry critics and fans of good music worldwide. To put it simply, the word “soul” can describe the passion I hear in Reggie’s voice. 

A passion that has led him to leave the DMV and to pursue his dream in Los Angeles. “As much as I love Washington D.C. and Maryland, I had to move to achieve the success I want to attain,” Reggie said calmly. “I want o one day come back and help put on R&B talent because I know how hard it is to put on R&B talent in the area. Many fellow dope talents that I look up to, such as Ari Lennox and Brent Faiyaz, had to blow up somewhere else to gaining recognition and success. It’s not a knock on the area at all; it’s just the lack of sufficient resources for talent to blow up currently. We have current artists such as Rico Nasty, YBN Cordae, Ari Lennox, IDK, Brent Faiyaz, and more blowing up, so soon, I hope to work with them to help musical talent in my beautiful of the DMV.” 

Check out his live performance of “Raining In LA” to get the backstory of the song creation.

With such big ambitions to become an R&B star to not only help his home or situation but also show that R&B is still very much alive in the world today. We were both mad at the critics who belittle the growth of the genre but calling out the “lack of true” heartbreak style singing, stereotypical tropes such as singing shirtless in the rain, and the lack of “classics” other the genres such as the 80s or 90s were known for. Both of us found this criticism condensing and unnecessary. The fine line of hip hop and R&B might have become a bit too close for our liking. 

“As much as a love the evolution of hip hop, I don’t think that’s fair that some rap songs are mistaken for R&B,” Reggie told me passionately. “While I enjoy the more melodic approach that hip hop is taking in a new era, please let’s not get it confused with R&B and give the new artists the change to showcase the versatility of today’s world. We can only sing about what we can draw experiences and inspiration from. Not every R&B artist can sing about heartbreak classics akin to that of the 1990s. While I love and enjoy that era, I appreciate the creativity of the new era of R&B so much!”

“From artists such as Frank Ocean, Jhene Aiko, Summer Walker, Chris Brown, Ari Lennox, Snoh Aalegra, DVSN, Miguel, 6lack, Mahalia, Ella Mai, and many more, we a new wave of amazing talents who have set new benchmarks and curated billboard chart classic. So instead of calling our genre dead, let’s embrace it and see that it’s thriving more than ever!” 

Reggie’s words sat in my mind a few days after the interview. The passion and heart that made him successful today I could hear in those words. While he’s not a household name yet in the genre or even in the eyes of the DMV, he is somebody I respect so much and can’t wait I see what his future holds for him. While I already know he is a star in the making, he might be considered a “wildcard” in the eyes of many. However, that’s not a bad thing. The biggest of stars shine the brightest when being slept on. His time is coming sooner than later.