Rauli V takes the o.g. ride-or-die couple as the namesake inspiration for his new single, “Bonnie & Clyde.” This ear-worm of a heartbreak anthem is about the love that you thought would be by your side until the very end, but unexpectedly abandons you, leaving your whole world crushed and defeated. The angst felt is perfectly portrayed throughout the single as heard in Rauli V‘s emotional vocal range. 

“Bonnie & Clyde brings the energy booster you need hidden behind your teen angst. This sad emo anthem hits on that mood after coping with loss where everything reminds you of the person you’ve just lost. It has simple riffs, energetic drums and packs a punch at the end. The intro of this song was the first riff I played that started this entire project. I still remember the chills I felt the first time I sang the hook over that guitar riff. I wrote this song thinking about how it would make me feel alive, which is why once it starts the energy never falls.” – Rauli V

Fueled by his Afro-Latino heritage, Rauli V’s compositions navigate multiple genres colliding Rock n’ Roll Chaos with Culture. Although he was born in NYC his journey with music began in Santo Domingo (DR) and continued on in the Baltimore/DC area, specifically PG County. Live, Rauli V is known for his disruptive stage presence, huge belting vocals and infectious passion on/off stage which led him to take matters into his own hands to remind the world that Dominican’s can head bang too. 

What’s your story as an artist? 

This project manifested last year through the chaos we all mutually faced as one. I spent most of my time at home learning how to edit videos, self produce/mix/master and build a brand. However as an artist many dominoes were lined up before 2020 hit to set me up for success in my opinion. 

Taking it back to when I was a kid, I got into music in an effort to learn a new culture twice, because I leaned on music to break the ice. No matter if it was in DR or the US I always found my way back to music. As I got older I began to tour in multiple different groups as the guitarists and eventually picked up the mic. At that point in my career I finally realized I enjoyed being a performer after figuring out my stage presence and trust me I have stories for days on how bad I was as a frontman. Luckily I’m a great student and I would study hard watching frontmen such as Daryl Palumbo of Glassjaw, Zach de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine and Jason Butler of Letlive. at the time who now fronts Fever333.

Making a full circle, I learned how to balance multiple hats professionally while sustaining amazing relationships on tour. So when this group parted ways I wanted to create a solo project and then after stumbling on to Kenny Hoopla I heard a voice telling me I didn’t need a “band” to be in Rock. Except this time around I wanted to go back to my roots while staying true to that authentic loud music which gave this awkward lil kid from Santo Domingo chills and Rauli V was born.

What inspired this single?

True story, the first line I had for this song lyrically was, “Use to stay up with you singing Sublime ”. Sublime was one of the many avenues that led me into this genre and made me feel like someone was paying attention to my culture given their many references of the Caribbean and south/central america. However when I wrote the instrumental for this tune I knew I wanted something that was straight up gas with no breaks. As far as the overall concept this song sonically screamed betrayal. That word alone awoke several failed relationships, friendships and endeavours, shortly after the song was wrapped up.

What are some sources of inspiration for your storytelling?

The truth is my best tracks sum up most of my lowest and painful moments. When I write I show my vulnerability in the verses and strive for reliability for my hooks. As far as the storytelling it’s all in the delivery which is why I choose rawness instead of hitting crazy notes. I’ve tried to write songs about important topics or what the “listeners would want to hear” but it never works. People can always tell if your track is stale or has substance so I always add some personal sauce to mix and if it ain’t happened to me it ain’t going on the record.

Any funny anecdotes from the time you were recording or writing the album?

Not when recording this track but when shooting the video for Can’t Feel and Bonnie and Clyde sooooo many things went wrong. At the time I was pissed but now looking back I would have fried myself to the core lol. Jumping to the end of the story, I had to convince an uber driver that I was a gospel drummer in order to fit an entire drum set in his lil corolla in order to make it from Baltimore to DC in the middle of rush hour while thunderstorming. To sum it up… I couldn’t find my drums in a trailer that hadn’t been moved in 2 years, after that we popped my car’s tire in my driveway and then all the food places closed early due to the storm. So now not only did I have to travel across town to get a drum set but I didn’t have a car to throw it in and everyone at the set started to get hangry. FML

Tell us about the music video and the idea behind it?

Shooting the video was amazing. The partnership between Christian Lawrence and Wesley Ingraham took the cake! Chris had the esthetics, lighting and props lined up so well while Wes directed my and the talented Elana Swartz to the millisec. The concept was to show Bonnie (played by Elana) slowly falling in love with the rush of the heist and at the end letting the viewer know her attraction towards Clyde was simply fake compared to the “fix” she would get from the adrenaline. My favorite part about this visual had to be all the support from my close friends and community. These folks let us use their house for a few days, cars when we asked for them and they all wanted to participate to make it smooth sailing from acting in the video to grabbin taco’s from the corner spot for everyone to feast.

What’s a record that shaped your creativity?

Sheesh…I can go for hours on this one but instead of looking too far back I usually fall in love with artists that I can listen to their full album from front to back. Creatively I have to name all three; Bad Bunny’s X100PRE (Specifically “La Romana”), Post Malone’s Stoney (Specifically “I Fall Apart”) and of course Letlive’s Black is Beautiful (Specifically “27 Club”). 

Who is an artist or band you look up to today?

If I had to pick one I would say mi paisana, Yendry. She is doing so much for the Dominican community today and she also is paving a lane for all future female artists. This is coming from a man who was raised in a household full of women and is a father to one myself. We need more representation not only at the top but grinding in the upcoming stage too like she is. Rome wasn’t built in a day and my daughter needs to see that too from someone she can identify with.

Any future projects?

Yes, Yes and Yes! These first two songs are only a taste of what’s to come. I have more tracks coming out as we wrap up this year and plenty more for the next yet I do want more cross collaboration as I go into 2022. Anyone reading this hit me up no matter the genre and let’s get cooking.

Top 3 dream collaborations?

Corey Taylor, Issues and Turnstile…Can’t go wrong with any of these. 

What does music mean to you?

At one point music was my language of choice since it helped me when I had my language barriers as a kid. However its meaning for me nowadays splits between my coping mechanism and a bridge for communities/cultures. As I start going back out to festivals I still find it so fascinating that people you would never believe would share an uber are in the same place because of an artist/band. That’s just beautiful… 

How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you?

It’s a Vibe split between Rock Chao and Afro Latin culture. It’s like if Linkin Park and Foo Fighter birth a child who was raised by Cardi B.