Photo by Emily Gringorten
COVID-19 has derailed countless musicians’ live performances and touring plans this summer, but for Red Shaydez, it also crushed the rollout for her second album, Feel the Aura. The Boston-born rapper had polished off her film degree to transform Feel the Aura into a full movie experience. The movie script she wrote prior to quarantine followed her life story, from the days of old home movies through her journey as an artist, focusing on the pivotal moments that got her to where she is today. This album acts as a sequel to her 2016 debut album, Magnetic Aura. (Her 2019 EP Chillin in the Shade is a standalone project, but she would have woven some of its songs into the video.) Social distancing precautions forced her to scrap her filming plans, but Feel the Aura is just as impactful in portraying her triumphant origin story even without visuals to accompany it.
The album begins with an echoey voice repeating “Feel the Aura” like a mantra, and the track crackles like there’s a storm brewing. Then Red Shaydez is out of the gate with a bombastic introduction to herself, spitting, “They call me Shaydez, my aura is red, fuck up the stage, check out my bag.” She’s all swagger telling you, “fuck what you think,” but she’s also quick to reference her calm, rational side, saying, “If I am silent, just know I’ll get back to you.” Red has grown her music career through calculated determination, and her naturally meditative nature was a strength that helped propel her forward.
On her first album, Red was a bedroom artist. She recorded Magnetic Aura alone with only two features on the whole record. Seclusion may have been her origin story, but now, she’s fully immersed in community. Feel the Aura has ten features lined up who are exclusively Boston-based artists. Half of Red’s production team are Boston-based too, including producers like Rilla Force, Buddha Beats, Mor Shabazz, and more. This album is not only a celebration of Red’s individual successes but also marks the way she has grown to bring the arts community together. 
Photo by Emily Gringorten
Her career-centric songs center around the theme of delayed gratification because she feels her momentum as an artist started very late. Red has been rapping since she was seven years old, but she has only been pursuing it professionally over the last four years. The songs talk about how people try to get close to her now that she’s successful, but in truth, the “secret” to her success is a lot of hard work. Feel the Aura also deals heavily with love, loss, and anxiety. “Still I Love You” illustrates a painful memory from her childhood, but ultimately ends on an uplifting message about how the memories of her loved ones give her the strength to forge onward. “Steppin’ Out” feels like the spiritual sequel to her “Self-Care ‘18” single, recognizing that some days are okay to indulge in the self-care of chilling at home, but other days, self-care means you should get off the couch, meditate, or maybe even exercise to help ease your mind’s anxieties. There are so many topics to dig into on this album — that range from the poignant to the fun and flirty — and Red Shaydez masters them all with equal authority.
Red Shaydez announced yesterday that every Sunday for the next two months leading up to the release of Feel the Aura, she’s sharing a surprise pertaining to the album. Each week she’ll reveal different collaboration videos she dubs, “The Aura Sessions: Behind the Shaydez,” where listeners will be able to see how the songs evolved from scratch. Pre-COVID-19, she invited her featured artists to collaborate at her apartment under an atmospheric red light. Stay tuned to her Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook to see the world through Red Shaydez’ eyes.