Rashad Pickett Untangles Inner Turmoil On “Feelings”

We’ve covered several RVA Live videos here so far, dissecting performances in a tight walkway with the James River in the background. Most of them have been great or intriguing, but none of them have really given us pause in the way Rashad Pickett‘s performance of “Feelings” does. It’s a poignant performance that makes you take the words of the song to heart, with the tiny, rippling waves in the background mirroring the uneven disposition of the striking MC, who also goes by the stage name KingShaudPickett. This all gives us better insight into the art of Pickett, something that the RVA Live series is aiming to do with this scenic backdrop.

Musically, the song rolls around a melancholic sample with careful bass pulses and muffled percussion that give room for the spaced-out piano notes and wispy synth notes. The vocals fill the space between the deliberate instruments, floating in and out of modulation while pining for a way to deliver more honest and sincere affection in life. The video, shot by Rick Blair and the team behind RVA Newz N Culture, captures the nervy emotions behind the song, even before the vocals come in. For the first 40 seconds, we just see Pickett by himself in front of the mic, waiting for his music cue. It’s here where we see the weight of the song pressing on him as he restlessly shifts his weight and anxiously looks around, eyes darting for something to distract him from the weighty revelation ahead. As the song rolls in, Pickett is poised and comfortable, but paired with that opening, it all reveals how intimate the song is and the vulnerable place Pickett is drawing from in the lyrics.

Since releasing “Feelings” as a single in December, Pickett released a six-song EP entitled Old Shyt v1 in January and then a new single just this past week entitled “Proudly.” Combined with “Embrace My Love” this past September, this all points to steady output from the sentimental MC which will certainly lead to more songs and records the rest of this year.

You can watch the video for “Feelings” below and to keep up-to-date on Rashad Pickett, make sure to follow him on Instagram.