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His Plan B Started Working… But His Calling Never Left - Roo The Poet
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Roo The Poet’s plan B may have started working, but his calling never left.
Welcome back to another episode of Spin The Record - where we have conversations that hit the right note, so you can hear it, feel it and remember it.
In this episode, Roo The Poet sits down for a powerful conversation about poetry, photography, faith, purpose and what it means to stop running from the thing you were called to do.
Many people may know Roo as “Roo The Shooter,” the photographer capturing major moments and working in spaces that continue to bring more eyes to his work. But before the camera, there was always the poet. Roo opens up about writing since childhood, growing up around music and church, discovering spoken word, stepping away from poetry and eventually realizing that the dream he was afraid of was still waiting for him.
This conversation dives into the deeper side of artistry: the fear of being seen, the pressure of purpose, healing through words, reconnecting with faith and how baptism helped shift the way Roo sees his life, his work and his future. He also talks about how photography became the plan B that started working, while poetry remained the plan A that was never truly in jeopardy.
And when it’s time to Spin the record, Roo performs “The Return,” a song that now feels like a message to the version of himself he is becoming. Tune into the Attractive Mindset Network to catch the performance of his song and the full episode on YouTube.
This episode is for anyone who knows they’ve been running from something God already placed inside them.
If you’re into real conversations with artists, performances and music stories that actually mean something, subscribe to Spin The Record and tap in with more episodes of honest conversations and performances from independent artists.
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Connect with Roo The Poet:
Instagram/TikTok: @RooThePoet
Photography: @RooTheShooter
Follow us on iG/TikTok: @SpinTheRecordPod
Follow the host - iG/TikTok - Marchella: @marchellamusic
Attractive Mindset Studio - iG: @attractivemindsetstudio
Attractive Mindset Network - iG/TikTok: @attractivemindsetnetwork
What's up, guys? Welcome to another episode of Spin the Record where we have conversations that hit the right note so you can hear it, feel it, and remember it. I'm your host, Marcella, and today we have a very, very special guest. We've got the one and only Rue in the house.
SPEAKER_00What's good? What's good?
SPEAKER_01What's up, Rue?
SPEAKER_00I'm doing well. How are you?
SPEAKER_01I'm good. I'm good. I'm happy that you're here. Welcome, welcome, welcome. How do you feel?
SPEAKER_00Uh, I feel I feel good. Good. I'm excited to see what we talk about.
SPEAKER_01We're gonna talk about everything.
SPEAKER_00Ready to see what spin the record is about.
SPEAKER_01Well, it's about your record. I'm sure you know what your record is about.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so now we're gonna find out what your record is about. Because you are, you are, if you guys don't know, we're gonna, we're gonna let you tell the world. But I would just wanna I just wanna give a little tidbit. Rue is multi-dimensional, multi-talented, multi-faceted. You are Rue the poet.
SPEAKER_00The poet.
SPEAKER_01Rue the shooter.
SPEAKER_00The shooter.
SPEAKER_01And then what do you call your artist side? Because you're like a singer-rapper.
SPEAKER_00That's the poet as well.
SPEAKER_01Okay, all right. So, so tell the world who is who is Rue?
SPEAKER_00Okay, so I'm Rue the Poet. Uh, a little bit about me is I travel all over and I just use my words to impact, inspire, motivate, and just remind people they're not alone in their struggles. I'm a firm believer that when you get on stage or these platforms, you should use that platform to speak life into people and remind them why life is worth living.
SPEAKER_01That's beautiful. That's like that's almost like your purpose.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Your purpose. Yeah. I love that. Because, you know, people do you're right. People get on these platforms and they don't necessarily use it to take advantage of that space. And you know, sometimes it's just an escape for them, like music. Music is therapy. Um, but then to use it for unselfish reasons as well, that's like that speaks volumes of your character. So thank you for that. So I'm gonna get some life spoken into me.
SPEAKER_00Come on, we we finna have us a talk.
SPEAKER_01And then when you go into Rue the Shooter, now you're you're a photographer as well.
SPEAKER_00Yes.
SPEAKER_01All right, so how hold on, because I I was about to ask you how you got into that, but which came first, the shooter or the artistry?
SPEAKER_00So the artistry came first. Okay. So I've been, man, I've been writing probably since the fifth grade.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00Um, that was when I first knew that I enjoyed writing. Uh I used to be like a gospel rapper.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so I used to perform in the church, stuff like that. But then I I met one of my mentors and he introduced me to Spoken Word, and he was like, Man, you got a real poetic flow. Have you ever seen this form of artistry? So I was like, all right, let me check this out. Fell in love with it, and I started doing poetry. And then somewhere along the lines, I realized that um we run from our calling a lot. And what I was doing was I wanted to still write, but because poetry wasn't moving as quickly as I wanted it to, I was like, you know what, I'm finna just rap because I see people popping off. Rap is more widely accepted, like that type of vibe. So I started rapping, I started making music and different things like that. But as I've gotten older, I realized that I took the rapping route only because I was just running away from the poetry. Like nobody has done poetry to the scale that I've always imagined it. And I think because I imagined it a certain way, um, I was fearful of that. You know, sometimes your dreams are so big that you become fearful of them. You feel me? So I started doing music and I put poetry on a back burner. Like I stopped.
SPEAKER_01Crazy.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I'm talking like I just put it on a back burner and then COVID hit. And when COVID hit, I couldn't even go on tour or perform or do anything. So that's when I turned to photography. Okay. Because that was when everything went digitally. And now people need content, they need to produce and they need to do that. So I stepped in and I wanted to fill in that gap. So that's how I became really the shooter.
SPEAKER_01Wow. So, like in the bigger scale of things, I mean, COVID, wow, you think about it, it's six years ago now. Yeah. But I was gonna say, like, I would have thought you were shooting for much longer at the scale that you are right now, you know, because you're big time, you know. So that's that's crazy. How'd you so did you learn from somebody? You kind of just self-taught? Like, what made you obviously we know what made you get into it, but like how did you scale that?
SPEAKER_00So uh one of my friends is also a photographer. And when COVID hit, I remember at the time I was working at Fridays. Okay. So when COVID hit, um, Friday shut down, obviously. So he was like, yo, come manage me. So I managed him, and back then I didn't want to be a photographer at all. Like, just genuinely, I didn't want to be a photographer. But then he moved to Atlanta. So literally, when he moved to Atlanta, I was like, you know what? I'm gonna buy his entire equipment setup. If I managed you, all I gotta learn is just the scale of photography.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, because now I already know how to manage. Yeah, I already know how to run the business.
SPEAKER_00You get what I'm saying? So I could just manage myself, and then from there, um, I just scaled. So, like a lot of the mistakes that I seen him make, I just learned I knew what to do. So, like when I hopped in the game, like I started photography in 2021. So when I hopped in the game, I automatically just knew some of the nuances and the things to avoid and different things like that. So that's why I was able to navigate the industry the way that I did. Nice.
SPEAKER_01So yeah, one up on everybody else. Because that's that's something that a lot of artists struggle with, that they'll have like the artistry down, but when it comes to the business side of it, they're just like, what do I do? Yeah, you know? So um, damn, that's awesome. That's pretty cool. So, shout out to your friend because he like it opened up a door for you that you didn't even know existed. For sure. That's awesome, and that's a wonderful talent that you have that has sprouted incredibly for you. So, yeah, shout out to that friend.
SPEAKER_00Thank you.
SPEAKER_01All right, well, let's I just wanted to talk about that, but definitely want to um hone in on your artist side, which being a photographer is definitely in a form of art. Yes. 100 million thousand percent.
SPEAKER_00For sure. Um, but we ain't here for that.
SPEAKER_01Nah, I mean, we're here to talk about that's part of you, you know? So, but back to the artistry side. I like to get to the very beginnings. Okay. So you mentioned that you started writing when you were in fifth grade and you were a gospel rapper. Let's go even further back. When you're younger, younger, before fifth grade.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Your house, your your household, where your parents or whoever raised you, were they musically inclined or were they like some type of art inclined?
SPEAKER_00So my mother, she's um, she actually sings at the church. She's in the choir. Okay. So my mother's a singer, and my dad, he plays the piano and he plays the saxophone.
SPEAKER_01Okay, so your family's musically like talented. Okay.
SPEAKER_00So I've always been around music, but I never, you know, so funny, like, as you're growing up, you never really attribute some of the things that you do to your parents. Um, and I remember one day I just took a step back and I was like, wow, like I love public speaking and I love music because my parents showed me that love. But I never really realized it because you know, as you're being raised, this is just a part of who they are.
SPEAKER_01Something they do.
SPEAKER_00And you just get so used to it, and you don't even sometimes we look at our parents, we don't even see our parents as people sometimes. We just see them as these beings that raise us. You feel me? But like as you get older, you start looking at them and you're like, wow, you're also a human being that had dreams and aspirations as well. And sometimes, I know for me, like I'm Caribbean, so my parents came over at an early age, so they had to learn a little language, they had to navigate life, so they never really had the opportunity to chase their own dreams because they were so focused on making it. Surviving. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, making it shake. So yeah.
SPEAKER_01And obviously they did something right. They did a lot, right? They did something.
SPEAKER_00So yeah.
SPEAKER_01Okay, so then, all right, so your your family instilled that musical seed in you unintentionally, unintentionally. You know, because they were just doing what they were doing, and through their love of music, they put that in you.
SPEAKER_00For sure.
SPEAKER_01So, all right, so when you were in the church, because you you seems like you grew up in the church? Yeah. Okay. Um, and when your dad played piano and sax, he played in the church also?
SPEAKER_00He didn't play in the church, he just played like at the crib for a while.
SPEAKER_01Okay, all right, all right. But he was, he was obviously learned how to do it.
SPEAKER_00It was good.
SPEAKER_01That's pretty cool. Um, all right, so then as you're growing up, what made you start getting into writing? Because that's writing came first before before rapping. Yes. So that was like your first bit of calling of like the the poetry coming out.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, yeah. What did you write?
SPEAKER_01Like, did you write music or did you just like write stories?
SPEAKER_00So I love to read.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00So that's one thing that my dad instilled in me too. He always made me read. Like, we would go to Barnes and Noble all the time. So for me, writing just started as an outlet. Okay. So I used to just write stories. Okay. Like I just wanted to all the reading that I did, I would always take a step back and be like, oh, okay, like I could do this.
SPEAKER_01I could do this.
SPEAKER_00You know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_01Like, so hold on, let me stop you. Do you remember the first story you wrote?
SPEAKER_00Nah. I don't remember that. No, I definitely don't remember that. Okay. Um, but I remember like being in class, uh, I was always one of those students that the teacher would call on to read, or whenever we would do like writing prompts and stuff like that, I would love to get in front of the class and like speak to the kids about what it is that I wrote. So I always enjoyed reading and writing. So back then that was really all I did. Okay. So from there, then I started doing the gospel rap. I remember the first gospel rap I wrote was To Changes by Tupac.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00And I remember I went on YouTube, I found the beat, but I had never heard changes. I had never heard changes. I just typed in like instrumentals or something like that, and I spit to it. And then I remember um one of my childhood friends, I'm still cool with him now, I had played it for him and he was like, Why did you use this beat? I was like, You don't like this beat? He was like, bro, this is one of the most popular songs out there.
SPEAKER_01He's like, Tupac took my so it was just it was so funny.
SPEAKER_00That's crazy. Yeah, I had never heard of it. I might be able to go find it on Facebook or something.
SPEAKER_01I know we I want you to find it. We're gonna link it at the bottom of the video.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, no, that's funny.
SPEAKER_01Damn, okay. All right. So then that's when you realize, okay, because you already grew up in the church. You were doing your writing thing, but like why music? And since you were doing stories, like, why didn't poetry come first? What made you be like, I'm I could write with that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think I had never been exposed to poetry.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00So, and especially the type of poetry that I do. So, like spoken word poetry, um, once you get to a certain height, like I think people they know the Love Jones type poetry, they know the poetry that rhymes, like that type of vibe. But there's another level where unless you've been exposed to it, you will never know that it even exists. You know what I'm saying? There's competitions, there's like nationals, there's all types of different things within the poetry world. So I hadn't I hadn't been exposed to it yet. So when I got to sixth, yeah, sixth grade, I had went to this other church, um, Trinity. You ever heard of Trinity?
SPEAKER_01Trinity Church?
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01I feel like I have, yeah.
SPEAKER_00So Trinity back then, they used to have this youth program called Exit.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00And that was where one of my mentors was, and he had this spoken word, and I was like, whoa, this is something completely unlike anything I've ever been exposed to. Because it was like rap, but it was poetry and it was a blend of it all. And from there I said, that's what I want to do.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01All right. So you were when you wrote your first rap, you were it was before sixth grade?
SPEAKER_00Before sixth grade, yeah.
SPEAKER_01All right, so around the same time you're like writing your stories and all that good stuff. Okay, all right. Damn, so you were doing it early, so you knew this was what you wanted to do from a very young age. Yeah. You know, it's funny, you say that you weren't exposed to spoken poetry spoken word, but like sixth grade is a pretty young age to be exposed to that, you know? Like, yeah. For me, I I feel like spoken word was always just like part of music, like part of like the whole neo soul soul movement. Like, it was just something that was there, you know. Like, um, I don't remember what age I was exposed to it, but I imagine it was must have been like a young age. You know, you see it in the movies and just like I don't know. Um so then once you were exposed to spoken word, did you keep going with that?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. So, yes and no.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00So tell us, tell us everything. What happened was I remember performing, because remember, I told you I was a gospel rapper. So I used to perform the raps at the church. Okay. Then one day, like once I got exposed to spoken word poetry, I wanted to perform that at the church. And I remember I performed it at the church one day, and it was not good.
SPEAKER_01Why wasn't it good? Like, were you nervous or the feedback wasn't good?
SPEAKER_00Uh I think um it was new. Like it was something very new.
SPEAKER_01And it's like you were like, okay.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it was I didn't perform it well.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00So the cadence was off, delivery was off, I was nervous, but I was also excited because it was like I was exposed to it as something new, whatever. And I remember um I got off stage and my mom looked at me and she was like, Ki gumasa. That means what type of bullshit is it?
SPEAKER_01Oh my god.
SPEAKER_00You know what I'm saying? And that shattered me.
SPEAKER_01Oh my god.
SPEAKER_00So I stopped writing for about three or four years.
SPEAKER_01Oh my god, that just like hurt me.
SPEAKER_00Like Yeah, like it because she's like obviously didn't mean to, but she kind of like shit on your dream.
SPEAKER_01And you were so excited about that.
SPEAKER_00And I was so young. This had to be like, if I'm in the sixth grade, maybe like 12 or 13. So I stopped writing probably up until maybe 17, 18, 19.
SPEAKER_01And you know, it's crazy because I feel like like when when pastors are giving like a sermon, that's that's almost like a version of spoken word as well. But again, that delivery, you know, they're they're basically, I don't want to say possessed by a higher power, but you know, you have the the voice of God speaking through you, you know? So for them, that delivery is like it's coming in a different way, you know. And obviously, I I would imagine if you were speaking at church, you were also speaking with the voice of God, but like maybe you, you know, you weren't ready. It was something new, you know. Um, wow, oh my God. Did you did did your mom ever like apologize for that? Did you ever tell her?
SPEAKER_00What's funny is um maybe like two or three years ago, I had did a piece of content where I um I told her and I was like, hey, I think it's time for me to explain to you why I don't really bring you into some of the new experiences that I have until they're already established.
SPEAKER_01Because you don't want her to shit on the dream.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you know what I'm saying? Because um, you know, my parents, they were raised in a generation where like social media and all these different things, that wasn't a route to go.
SPEAKER_01So even now, someone be a doctor, be a lawyer, that was the era of the things that's it.
SPEAKER_00So it's like for them, sometimes it's not even that they're trying to shit on your dreams, it's that they really can't even fathom it because they don't even understand the world of social media. Like they don't understand how you can monetize your platform, they don't know how just by having maybe 50,000 followers or 20,000 followers, I could really generate some bands a month just off of my platform. So they can't really see that. So sometimes I try to like establish things first and then present it to them like, hey, this is what I got going on.
SPEAKER_01So they know, like, oh no, it's official.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's already official, so I don't need your opinion on whether or not this is going to be.
SPEAKER_01Because you already know that it's working. And it's you know, it's tough because a lot of times as kids, especially when you have like, I would say that's somewhat of a traumatic incident when she, you know, she said that. Yeah. Uh I'm sorry, mom. Um but um, you know, parents don't realize the impact that they hold on us um in in those those types of situations. Our minds are very um um in influenced by by them. So in looking for that validation for your parents from your parents, or maybe you weren't. I mean, obviously you were because obviously it hit you.
SPEAKER_00It hit.
SPEAKER_01Um, were they supportive of like, for instance, you doing the rap? Um obviously not the spoken word until you were much older. But you know, in those high school days, obviously you were still rapping.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Um, were they supportive of that? Or was it like, uh, he's just doing that for fun?
SPEAKER_00I think then um I wasn't taking it as seriously.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00Like it was it was still like a hobby.
SPEAKER_01Okay, okay.
SPEAKER_00It wasn't until I got to college that was when I started doing like poetry on stages for real, and traveling and going on tour and performing at different colleges and stuff like that. It wasn't until then. But even then, a lot of those uh shows were free.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00They were me just really trying to get my name out there and stuff like that.
SPEAKER_01So for Which is something you have to kind of do at the beginning.
SPEAKER_00No, for sure. It's it's a rise of passage. But for them, it was like, man, you're doing all of these performances, but you're not getting paid. Is this field lucrative? So it's like for them, they didn't really understand just the groundwork that is needed to just get your name out there so that eventually the bread is going to come. You know what I'm saying? So that's really what happened.
SPEAKER_01Okay. And and in them doing that, it's not that they're like wishing that you don't do this. They kind of just they're just they just want the best for you, you know. And unfortunately, sometimes they don't. Older school parents don't understand that um that artistic journey, you know, the struggling artist um obviously is not gonna be struggling for long, you know. Um, that's tough. But have they have do they support you now?
SPEAKER_00No, all the way.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, all the way.
SPEAKER_00I think I've had a lot of heart to hearts with my parents over the years, uh, because I just realized that like my parents are human. You know what I'm saying? They they did the best that they could with what they had, of course, and with the knowledge and experience that they had up until that point. Um, and I I can't really judge them anymore because coming from one set of principles from another country to here, and now you have to adapt to this culture and how this country moves. I know that like they just had to navigate a lot. Like they had me when they were like 25. So it's like I can't imagine having a kid right now. You know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_01So are you are you do you have siblings?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I got one younger brother.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00So it's just for them to have to like navigate all these different things while also trying to raise me in a new space, I know that that came with a lot of different complications. So for them, I remember um I held a lot of resentment towards my parents for a lot of the decisions that they had made. And I remember we had a heart to heart maybe like a year or two ago where I came to them and I I really put down like a lot of the decisions that they made on my behalf, and I was like, I really didn't like that decision, or I didn't understand that decision, and they kind of really broke it down as that was all we knew.
SPEAKER_01So it's like that was a healing, like that was uh like growth. I mean, you know, uh the healing journey is is consistently never ending, you know. Um, but that's awesome that you had the opportunity to to break down how they impacted your life, how those obviously your parents impact your life in ways that you know they're they're you're everything, they're your gods when you're growing up, you know. So everything they do impacts, but yeah, the fact that you were able to break down how their decisions actually affected your movements. Um not a lot of people get the opportunity to do that, you know. Like I've I've tried to to do that like with my dad, and I'm just like for what, you know? So it's that's a beautiful thing on their part as well, that you know, you guys have that understanding and that you have that mutual respect for one another, and they're not just looking at you as like just their kid, and this is what I had to do, you know. Um, so that's a beautiful thing. That's awesome. How's your your is your brother artistic?
SPEAKER_00Not really.
SPEAKER_01No, okay, okay. Not really. He's he's not artistic.
SPEAKER_00That's so funny. Yeah, no, he's not like artistic. Well, actually, I can't say that. He has made a couple songs.
SPEAKER_01Okay. All right, he sings, he raps?
SPEAKER_00He raps. Okay. So I can't say he's not entirely not artistic.
SPEAKER_01Okay. And do you feel that you've had some influence on him? No, for sure. Yeah, for sure, for sure.
SPEAKER_00Because he definitely sends me his songs. But I think when he does it, it's a little bit more playful. It's like an outlet.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00As opposed to like him actually trying to rap.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00But I can't say he's not artistic. He's definitely creative. Um, there's definitely been times where I've had studio sessions and he's sat in on some of my studio sessions and actually offered pretty dope advice. Okay. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01All right, so so let's talk about that real quick. Because you you just said that when he's making music, it's it's more playful. It's kind of like just an outlet. I imagine that music is an outlet for you as well. Or, you know, when you write your poetry, it's an outlet. But you are obviously more intentional with your well, I don't know what your brother raps like, but just the fact that you said it's it's more playful. Yeah. Um, for you, you take it serious. You take it super serious. When did you start taking? So you said you started taking poetry serious, like in college and you started touring. Um was the music in line with that, or were you only focused on on poetry?
SPEAKER_00I was only focused on poetry then. Okay. Um Yeah, I was only focused on poetry, and it wasn't until maybe around 2019, 2020, that was when I started like recording music and actually um taking music seriously as well.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00Um but what's funny is like I said, music back then was just me like running from the poetry.
SPEAKER_01The poetry is your main thing.
SPEAKER_00That was my main thing. That's what I genuinely enjoyed. But I realized that I could never really. Resonate with the music the same way that poetry did because there's something about being on stage and there's no music, there's no nothing, and people are just clinging on to your every word. I think that sometimes some of the components of music, somebody could like a song not because of what you're saying, but because of how the beat makes them feel. You know what I'm saying? They like your flow, they like your delivery, whatever the case may be. But there's a lot of songs that have no substance that we enjoy.
SPEAKER_01Ain't that the truth? And that's a lot of music right now, unfortunately.
SPEAKER_00That's a lot of music. So it's like when you get on stage and I'm able to pour life into somebody, or I can be a mirror and people can see a reflection of themselves in the words that I'm saying. I always found that to be more impactful and more meaningful. So I guess when I get on that stage, I understand the responsibility that I have. I feel like a lot of times people are carrying something when they come to these shows, whether that's grief or disappointment or uh a dream that they're holding on to or that they've been fearful of actually stepping all the way into. So I know that when I am on stage, I have a responsibility to remind people that healing is possible, that the grass is greener, that there's light at the end of the tunnel, or that just they're not alone. Because honestly, all we ever ask is to be understood.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00That's ultimately what we want. And there's so many times where we're drowning in our sorrows and we're focused on what we got going on that we do be feeling like we're alone in all the issues that we have. And for about four to five minutes, when I'm up on that stage, you're getting all period, you know, I'm like, I feel you. You get on that stage and you're able to really like people are able to see you. So as much as I'm vulnerable and I'm naked on stage and I'm speaking to them, they're able to see themselves and be like, dang, like I'm not alone in this. And I think that's what's most important. And sometimes music, you're not able to get that feeling because the thing that I love about poetry is it's always live. So the experience is always unique every single time. With music, I release the music and I really don't know the impact that I have on people. But when I'm on stage and I'm able to hear people snap or sometimes cry, you know what I'm saying? You get off a stage and people coming up to you and they like, bruh, I don't know what to say to you, but thank you.
SPEAKER_01They needed that. They needed that in the moment.
SPEAKER_00And that's just what it is. It's like people be like, yo, I I've never experienced something like that. And it's it's it's spiritual when you get up there too. Because it's like people are like, Man, I gotta get closer to God. You know what I'm saying? Like, I don't know what I've been, I don't know how I've been moving, but after hearing your piece, I'm finna get my life together, bruh. And I want to thank you for that. And that type of impact, I would never know that through the music. You know what I'm saying? I think about some of the artists that have impacted me. You know what I'm saying? Guys like J. Cole, Kendrick, even Early Drake, you know what I'm saying? Like, I have not met these people, but I wish there was a way I could let them know, like, bruh, your music really impacted me. But more than likely, I won't get the opportunity to say it to all of them. Maybe one of them if I encounter them. But with poetry, I hop off that stage and somebody's running up to me and they're like, hey, I'll rock with that, bruh.
SPEAKER_01I love that.
SPEAKER_00I appreciate it.
SPEAKER_01That was beautiful. Thank you. I felt like that was poetry right there. But that's that's that's beautiful. That you're your whole reason of doing this is for that connection with other people. Like, yes, it's a release, but like you are, you really have this as your purpose, and you are living through that, walking, taking every step, knowing that that's your purpose. And you know, people don't people don't understand their purpose. People go through life and they don't even meet their purpose, you know. So um that's so beautiful. I'm so happy for you. And like, thank you for for sharing that. I I just recently saw you on stage when I first met you. I met you at a um like an RB showcase. Um, that's actually where I met Ronnie too. And look at you guys were just on stage uh together the other day. Um and you, I think you you started off with like a piece of poetry and then you went into song. You did a song. And I remember that there was a lot of wonderful artists there, but you two were my favorite. Like I was just like, oh, those two guys, like, they were amazing because you know, Ronnie's got this flawless ass voice. And then like you, you exactly what you said, like you, you had a way of like connecting with people in like such an unselfish way that it wasn't about you. Like you said, like it's it's about like uplifting the other person. And if they're if they're like this close from a dream or if they're like this close from giving up or whatever it is that they're carrying, like you do that. And and I feel like you not that I feel like you do, you put God at the forefront of your messages. And I think that makes it like 10 times a multitude of times more powerful than when it's just you speaking. Um obviously your faith is strong, your faith is what keeps you going with everything. Yeah. Um yeah, that's um, I don't know, that's just that's beautiful. That's also beautiful. Thank you. Um, yeah, I just recently saw you at um Allo, a lover of expression, and um you did a piece exactly saying that where you were uplifting people, like basically letting people know that you're keep going, basically, you know? Um do you think you could do that piece for us?
SPEAKER_00Absolutely.
SPEAKER_01Yeah? Okay, all right. Well, before before we go, we I I mean, unless you want to do it right now.
SPEAKER_00I can do it right now.
SPEAKER_01Okay, do it right now.
SPEAKER_00All right. Um I've been forwarding my calling. Too afraid to check the voicemail. My fear is that God will expose the gap between what I pray and what I practice. And prove that my silence speaks louder than my faith. I wish I could say I've been working on myself with my comfort zone and I are still in a committed relationship. See, being chosen ain't special. It feels lonely. It feels like carrying the weight of something you can't set down but can't explain without sounding ungrateful. Because what's meant for you won't always arrive gently. It'll show up demanding that you grow into it. It ain't gonna last what you want. It's gonna last what you're willing to give up to become who you prayed for. I was standing on street corners as a child, cup in hand, heart wide open. Just begging strangers to invest in a future they couldn't see it. That wasn't panhandling, I was offering. Because faith don't always come funded. Sometimes God watches to see if you'll show up anyways. Sometimes he hides the miracle inside the work so you don't worship the outcome more than the process. See, my coach used to say anything worth having will make you uncomfortable long before it ever makes you proud. He said that like a warning. He said, You ain't afraid of failing, you're afraid of being seen. Say, you can't say you believed and refused to become. So if he gave me this purpose, then I'm done asking for proof. I'm done running from the version of me that God already built. He didn't give me those corners, he gave me those corners so I'd learn how to stand. He gave me the weight so I'd understand strength. And he gave me the weight so I know the difference between delay and denial. See, being chosen, it's not about being ready, but it is about being willing to stop running long enough to let your purpose catch you. So me, I'm done running. And for the first time in a long time, I picked up that call and wrote a poem.
SPEAKER_01I love that. That was so good. When I heard it, I was just like, wow. Yeah, yeah. Because for me it was very relatable. I can't imagine how many other people are it can be relatable on so many, so many fronts, you know, like for anything and everything in life, you know? Um, thank you. Thank you for sharing that. Thank you. That was beautiful. That was beautiful. Um Rue, what's your what's your name? Your real name?
SPEAKER_00My real name is Rue Jerry. Rue Jerry. Dangerville. Rue, so it's Rue. Yeah, my name is Rue.
SPEAKER_01Wow, what does that mean? What does that stand for?
SPEAKER_00Um, my dad named me.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00You know what? I'm seeing my dad tomorrow. I need to ask him where you came up with.
SPEAKER_01So you don't know all this time.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01All right, well, that kind of goes with you, because it's just like nobody has that name. Yeah. Right? And it's it's it, I feel like it's artistic. You know, like you would think that it's like, oh, that's an you know, like rappers give themselves names, artists give themselves names, but yeah, that's your real name. That's awesome. That's pretty cool. That's pretty cool. Rue. When it comes to making music, how do you like what's your style?
SPEAKER_00Like, what's your oh my writing style? Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So obviously you're a poet, so it comes easier to you.
SPEAKER_00So what I do is when I go in a studio, um, we just cutting on beats. That's all we're doing. We're cutting on beats. And for me, the beat has to immediately grab me. If it doesn't grab me, skip. So, like, we could be in a studio two hours and I'm just listening to beats, skip, skip, skip, skip, skip. And then finally, we hear a beat, and I'm like, my ear perk up, hold on.
SPEAKER_01That's the one.
SPEAKER_00And then I'm like, load it up. So immediately when I hear something that I like, load it up immediately. I don't even want to hear it too many times. Then I'm going to go into the booth, and then I'm just going to create a melody.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00Melody harmonize, I'm freestyling on the beat, and I'm going straight through. And then I might do that maybe once or twice, maybe three times. And then now, like, I'm working with the engineer and I'm like, whichever melodies you like, whichever ones you feel like got a nice little vibe to it, whatever flow you like, we chopping and screwing it. We pretty much like Frankensteining the whole verse. Now I'm listening to it on repeat, and I'm just putting words to the melody to the melodies and everything like that. And that's pretty much my writing process.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Because I was listening to right now, your your obviously I um I imagine a lot of your poetry is different, but you know, it still has an underlying message. Um, but with with spoken word, it's like there's no, at least for that one, there's no like rhyme or reason. You're it's almost starting like as a diary entry, you know, like a journal entry or something. Um, and obviously music is a little different, you know, because not that it has to rhyme, you know, but like you can make you can make that whole poem into a song too, you know? Even like when you were playing, the guy started playing like the piano in the back. Like it was, you know, and that you actually said something. I was gonna say something about that. When you you mentioned how you can connect with people, there's no music in the background, it's just words. That immediately made me think of like meditation. You know, like I feel like that's a form of meditation when when people are honed in like that, like you guys are sharing, um, you know, you and the audience are sharing that type of like otherworldly frequency where it's like there's like a connection there, literally, like a frequency connection there. And then with meditation, when you said that, like without music, it's a difference when you meditate with music and when you meditate without music. I feel like when you meditate without music, it's like the holy grail, right? It's like the master of meditation. I mean, in my opinion, you know, I I could be completely wrong, but I feel like when you are listening to music, it's exactly what you said. Like you might be strayed to go like a certain way, or you might be influenced by by the song, by the beat, without actually listening to in in meditation to you know to the message.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01In your case, yeah, the message still, the words.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Um, I just wanted to mention that because that's really good insight.
SPEAKER_00I never heard that before. What the music and no with the meditation, that was a great connection.
SPEAKER_01I feel like that is because that connection that like look, it just gave me goosebumps. When you are putting life, giving life to somebody, you're like giving yourself, you know, and and you are doing that through the power of God in you, you know, because all that you, your messages, you know, they're coming through God, through your faith. Um, those dreams that you are seeing, like you you said you hadn't heard poetry in the way that you do it. That dream was instilled in you for a reason because you were the only one that can make it happen the way that you did it. And um, yeah, I feel like that is otherworldly. So when you are giving that to other people, that is I'm just imagining like a flow of like having like connecting with other people, you know. So, so yeah, that's definitely a form of like active meditation between two people, you know. You know, they say like when you put two minds are better than one, you know. So I feel like it just becomes more powerful um when you're connecting with other people through that message, as opposed to like you were saying with music, you connect, but you don't feel that connection in real time. So um, yeah, I just wanted to hop back to that because I I feel that um I feel that connection through you when you when you're speaking, you know, and it's and it's beautiful. It's strong. It's fucking strong. Um but yeah, so back to to your writing style. Um, all right, so you pick bees, blah, blah, blah. And then you just like put your art into it. So you you sing as well.
SPEAKER_02Yes.
SPEAKER_01You started rapping though first. Uh-huh. Okay. And then when did you realize, like, oh shit, I can sing?
SPEAKER_00Uh, I think um, I'm trying to think, when when did that happen? Uh, you know, when guys like Rod Wave or even like Even Drake, where you just rap singing. Yeah, you know, that melodic rap kind of vibe. I remember one time I went into the studio. Oh, that was the first time I learned about autotune.
SPEAKER_01Okay. You're like, this shit.
SPEAKER_00I thought every time people was in the studio, they was really singing. You know, so when I learned about auto tune.
SPEAKER_01You were disappointed.
SPEAKER_00I'm like, wait, no, something I can't sing for real. You know what I'm saying? So I remember I was in the studio with my engineer.
SPEAKER_01And um Who's your engineer, by the way?
SPEAKER_00Um, so back then I used to work with two engineers. It was Make It Bang Um and Neary Beats.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00Actually, and Will Notes. I had three engineers. Okay. So all three of them gave me different sounds. Um, because I used to record out of the studio called The Lab.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00So we were a collective back then. We were the lab rats. Okay. So I used to work with them all the time, and I remember uh Make It Bang. Um, he was just like, go in there and get melodic. Because I I I oh, it was the first song I had ever made. It was a song called Niagara Falls. And I had just gone in there and he was like, Yeah, I want to see that.
SPEAKER_01That sounds like a sexy song.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was a nice song. So um, yeah. So he he went in there and he was like, Man, I want you to get melodic on there. You know what I'm saying? Because the subject matter that you're talking about, I think that if you you sing it, it'll give it a different vibe and people will be able to like feel you a little bit more. So that was when I started doing that too.
SPEAKER_01Okay, and thanks to autotune a little bit.
SPEAKER_00And thanks to auto tune.
SPEAKER_01But you actually sing though. No, I can't sing. Okay, yeah. I'm like, with the auto tune. They had auto-tune on the mic.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and I think what's so cool is there's different forms of auto-tune. So it's like people, when they think of auto-tune, they think of like T-Pain, like that type of vibe. But there's auto-tune that just adjusts your notes, you know what I'm saying? And it makes it feel more human and it makes it seem like, okay, no, he like he really liked that.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Not everybody could be Ronnie.
SPEAKER_01Not everybody can be running. Man, no, he's amazing. Shout out to Ronnie.
SPEAKER_00Shout out to Ronnie, man.
SPEAKER_01Um, damn, you just mentioned something that I I completely slipped my mind what I was gonna say next. Um, ah.
SPEAKER_00About the writing process.
SPEAKER_01No, hold on. Singing. It's gonna come back to me. It's gonna come back to me because I was like, oh yeah. Um right now, your main focus is spoken word.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Are you doing music at all? Do you have any new music?
SPEAKER_00Uh what's so funny is Oh, I remember what I was gonna ask you.
SPEAKER_01Sorry. When you um, you know, when you're doing poetry, it's it's it's very faith-based.
SPEAKER_02Yes.
SPEAKER_01When you do music, is it still faith-based? I mean, obviously you have a strong faith in God, but like it it's not all gospel, is it?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's not. So I don't make gospel music.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00But I think what's so funny, so I got baptized about two months ago.
SPEAKER_01Really?
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Wow, what have you been?
SPEAKER_00So I think, especially when I talk about uh running from my calling, right? I think that from like 2018 up until like around now, I just went away from the church. Like I was just like, I started questioning, I started uh subscribing to different ideologies, like just trying to find myself and running away from God, right? So it's like I have always been raised in the church and everything like that, but I did experience a a season where I was just in a backslidden condition. So I never really realized until I went back and listened to all my music that even when I thought I was away from God, my music still had God as the foundation. So although it's not like gospel music, I wouldn't say it's gospel music, but you can hear God all in the words. So that's how my music is. It's like even though I may not necessarily be talking about God, a lot of my songs I'm still, yeah, like I'm still uplifting and I'm still moving. Like obviously, some of my songs I'm talking about. Like I have a song called Lonely Road, and that song is about depression and coming up out of out of that. Then I have another song, um, Niagara Falls, and the basis of that song is All We Ever Ask is to be understood. So it's like all of my songs, the underlying message is hope and uplifting people and talking about my story, and it's something that people can relate to. So although it might not necessarily tie back into God, a lot of the bars sometimes you'll see that um they're spiritually inclined.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00Whether I'm referencing parables or I'm referencing like scripture or whatever the case may be, you know that this is God's hand was always on you. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And and I wouldn't necessarily say that your even your poetry is like gospel poetry, but it's just very, you know, faith, faith-backed. And I I I love that because I don't know. I just think like, you know, unfortunately, people use the name of God and because they know how that influences other people, yeah. Immediately people will listen and sometimes they use it the wrong way, but like you are using it very purposeful, you know. You're um you're actually delivering a message, you know. Um, so wow, so you just got baptized two months ago. So you're like reintegrating your faith. And um how do you feel that's been impacting you now? Obviously for the better, I would assume.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Um in terms of impact, uh, it's been really dope to see. I think that sometimes you're so caught up in your shell. And I felt like I was living crazy, you know what I'm saying? Just in terms of like partying and alcohol and and drugs and just women and all types of stuff. So sometimes it's tough to feel like you can come back to God because you feel like people are going to judge you and they're going to question you because it's like I feel like ashamed. Yeah, you feel ashamed because you knew what you used to be involved in and debauchery that's used to take place. So you don't want people to look at you and be like, I don't know if this is authentic because I seen what you was on, but I also know that like God uses our testimonies to get to other people. You feel me? And if we're called to be like disciples, I remember I was talking about this last night. Discipleship is not always I'm coming to you and telling you, hey, you should come to my church and stuff like that. Sometimes it's you being able to just live your life and people can just see God's light on you.
SPEAKER_01An example.
SPEAKER_00And they could just see and be like, you know what? If Bruh could be in all the stuff he used to be on and all that other stuff, then God got a purpose for me as well. So
SPEAKER_01It's like proof that God forgives. Yes.
SPEAKER_00Yes. So since becoming baptized and really publicly being like, you know what, this is who I rock with. I'm Team Jesus, all that. I feel like one, my eyes have changed, just in terms of like women too, and the women that I used to find attractive versus the women that I want now. Um, I can say that my business has changed. There's clients that come to me because of my faith. And I know that there's certain opportunities that I may not have necessarily got if it wasn't for me opening up about that. So there's uh so many different like key components that have come with just being obedient and surrendering my heart to God, that even now there's moments where I'm like, bro, like I can't believe this is happening. Like, there's so many moments where I wake up and I'm I get a new message from a client or whatever the case may be, and they're like, the only reason why I found you is because of your baptism post. So it's like it God has always called me to be obedient, but now that I'm like walking through.
SPEAKER_01You're letting him lead the way.
SPEAKER_00I'm letting him lead the way. And now doors are opening up that previously were closed.
SPEAKER_01So that's a testimony right there.
SPEAKER_00That's it right there.
SPEAKER_01That's beautiful. Look, I got goosebumps again. That's beautiful. Oh man, I'm so happy for you. And I'm like, you know, I'm I'm I'm proud of you. You know, I don't, I don't, I never knew you like that. You know, I knew you on a distant, um, a distant space as a you know, local Miami um artist. Um, and then yeah, I didn't even know you were a shooter. Obviously, when I met you, you weren't a shooter yet. Yeah. Um so yeah, you've you've grown so much in your life. You you sound like you've you've had a lot of healing realizations, like when it comes down to your parents, to yourself, um, to your faith.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And obviously that's everything is changing your life for the better. So I'm super happy for you. And I'm just like, I'm excited for your path. Um, I see the doors that are opening for you. Obviously, you see them too. Um, and I just I just pray that you keep on walking through them and just, you know, just like letting them come to you. Thank you. Um, yeah, I'm very happy for you. Thank you. Now, um, is there anything I I've I've enjoyed the conversation, I've enjoyed getting to know you like a little bit better, you know, your background and and your story where you've gotten to where you are now. Um and I think you've obviously done the work to get there.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Um, so once again, shout out to you. Um, is there something that you'd like to let the world know? Anything before before we move on to the next phase of our, you know, your performance, is there anything you want to leave the world with real quick?
SPEAKER_00Um stop running from that caller. You know what God has called you to do, you know the purpose that you have over your life, you keep asking for confirmation, you keep running from what you know you should be doing. You know that whenever you're in alignment with yourself, you know what that looks like. So I just want to leave with you. You watching this, it's not a coincidence, it's supposed to happen. Stop running from that, Carla.
SPEAKER_01You tell him, bro. You tell him. I got a couple more quick questions before before before we go. I always like to ask my guests, um, when people listen, I feel like I know what you're gonna say, but that's my problem a lot that I always like, I guess like I know what you're gonna say. When people so normally I ask when people listen to your music, but in this case, when people listen to you, yeah, whether it be musically, whether it be uh spoken word, yeah, what do you want them to take from that? Like, what do you want them to leave with?
SPEAKER_00Um, I want them to leave understanding themselves a bit better. I think that when people listen to my music, they should expect to resonate with some of the stories, um, resonate with some of the experiences. And I think that what I do well is talking about things that people rarely speak about in a way that is easily digestible, but also in a way that makes you sit back and reflect on your own life. Because I think that I'm I'm um reminding people that life is a shared experience, that no experience is truly as unique as we like to think it is. So I think when people listen to my music, they are able to see themselves better. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01One other quick question with that piece of poetry, when did you write that? And like what phase of your life?
SPEAKER_00That was shortly after the baptism.
SPEAKER_01Okay, all right.
SPEAKER_00That was was it after the baptism or before? It definitely was within the last three months. Okay, it was something that um I I had a a piece from before that was like this, but that piece before it evolved into this. So I took elements of that piece and I made it into this because this is who I am. Like I feel like I'm I'm a new born again. I'm born again.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, this is uh Rue 2.0.
SPEAKER_00Rue 2.0.
SPEAKER_01That's awesome. I um I I don't know, I just I I definitely resonate with that. You know, I feel like that's that's a theme of your life right now, you know, running from your calling and then now actually, like you said, answering the call and look at everything that's happening now. Um, like I said, that's a testament in itself right there. Um, yeah, that's beautiful. I'm just like, I'm real happy for you. Um, all right, so we're gonna we're gonna go to the next phase of our performance.
SPEAKER_00Let's do it.
SPEAKER_01Or our show, which is your performance. Do you know what song you're gonna do for us?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so I got this song. So that's actually what's was really dope. I have this song called The Return.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00Right.
SPEAKER_01And this is a recent song.
SPEAKER_00This is a song that I released, I think, in 2021 or 2020.
SPEAKER_01It just sounds like the just from the name, it sounds like it could go with this, right?
SPEAKER_00But it it's funny because, and that's what I was saying. When I listened to it again, I realized that what I am talking about in the song, I am currently going through right now.
SPEAKER_01You manifested it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so it's like it's almost like I made this song for the future me, which is me now.
SPEAKER_01That's awesome.
SPEAKER_00So I'm excited to perform it because so at the start of the year, I went on a hundred-day journey. And that's what even led me into uh becoming baptized and finding God and everything like that.
SPEAKER_01It was a hundred-day journey of what?
SPEAKER_00Um, so I just locked in completely. I stopped drinking, stopped partying, uh, I didn't have any sex, I wasn't dating. I was just focused on myself and the betterment of myself and God. So for a hundred days, I just I worked out every day. I lost like 35 pounds. Like I just really, really honed in, you know.
SPEAKER_01So you stay disciplined, stay committed to your word.
SPEAKER_00Everything. So when I listen to the return, I'm like, wow, everything that I described, it's this. So this is the return.
SPEAKER_01You made it happen. Full circle.
SPEAKER_00Full circle.
SPEAKER_01But like a bigger circle. Yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER_00Like, so the way I start the song is my plan B started working, but plan A was never in jeopardy. Took a step back to shift the trajectory, and that's the first two bars of the song. And it's like, damn, that's hard.
SPEAKER_01You know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_00So it's like my plan B obviously was photography, and photography is doing extremely well right now, but it's like plan A was never in jeopardy. It just took me time, you know.
SPEAKER_01So now you're expanding on both roots.
SPEAKER_00Both.
SPEAKER_01I love that. Rue and his roots. Oh, I like the tree of Rue. I love that. So, okay, okay. I'm excited to hear this song now, especially now since I know the backstory and like I know what has led up to this moment that is flourishing beautifully. Um, so now I'm going to end with my final question. This is a very serious question, Rue.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_01Okay, are you ready?
SPEAKER_00I am prepared. As prepared as I ever be.
SPEAKER_01Okay. Are you ready to spin the record?
SPEAKER_00Let's do it.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_01Give it five. Thank you so much.
SPEAKER_00Let's do it.
SPEAKER_01All right, I'll start.