Jazzmyn RED is a passionate, driven artist hailing from Taunton, Mass. who blends her talents of poetry, singing, and rhyming to create music that has a message, but is rooted in strong songwriting.

No surprise, then, that her influences include the late great Tupac Shakur in addition to Lauryn Hill, Queen Latifah, and Alicia Keys. Like her heroes, Jazzmyn knows that it’s not just what you’re saying, but how you say it. And it’s through her mixture of Hip-Hop, R&B, and Neo soul that her socially progressive words can truly resonate, be it through a catchy sung chorus or tack-sharp set of 16 bars.

Also like those musical icons, Jazzmyn shares an affinity for boldly sharing stories of truth about our communities, families, relationships, and society as a whole. Often, these reflect her own personal struggles and tragedies, which she has fought to transform into triumphs. Growing up, she moved with her mother a total of 15 times in just 25 years between small urban centers in Massachusetts and New York. During that time, she both witnessed, and had personal experiences with racism, substance abuse, and domestic violence.

Jazzmyn also comes from a home where her father “earned his degrees from the streets,” while her mother did so from universities. That combination helped shape her unique perspective on life, because she says “both sides of the tracks sharpened my mental.”

They also helped spur the creative force living inside her at a young age. She began writing and rapping at 7 years old, and three years later started singing. However, her affinity for rhyming is credited to her father, a local emcee who as Jazzmyn recalls was constantly flowing and beat boxing. Eventually, her passions led to professional training at Bristol Studios in Boston, where she further refined her genre-blending approach to music.

The results so far have been nothing short of impressive. Her debut, Caught RED Handed, compiled a bevy of her unreleased material and showcased her love for golden era Hip-Hop that told a story and wasn’t afraid to get personal. And on her forthcoming sophomore effort, Writing HERstory, Jazzmyn gets set to prove that her songwriting chops and skills on the mic have only gotten stronger.

RED says she owes much of her passion to her mentor, friend, and fellow artist Carlos “Loko Los” Rivera. The Providence, R.I. rapper was like a brother to Jazzmyn (who is an only child), and his tragic death this past November to gun violence is pushing her to honor his legacy, life, and memory through music. She remembers him telling her repeatedly, “You better not waste that talent. You got to put in work.”

It’s safe to say that she’s honoring his words, and will only continue to do so for as long as she can.