The son of jazz cellist Abdul Wadud, Raheem DeVaughn was born in Newark, New Jersey and was raised in Maryland, near Washington, D.C. He kicked his career into gear by performing at coffee houses and small clubs in D.C. and by selling CD-R recordings, aided in part by the cash reward from winning a talent contest. DeVaughn gained ground in 2002 with three featured spots on DJ Jazzy Jeff's The Magnificent, as well as contributions to Billy Crawford's Ride and Heather Headley's This Is Who I Am.

Raheem DeVaughn has proven that post-millennial R'n'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'n'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'n'B/hip-hop full-lengths with depth far beneath the singles.