LAS VEGAS – The hottest young MC tearing up the Vegas hip-hop scene is 12-year-old rapper Red Vegus, who’s earned thousands of followers by spitting rhymes about the real struggles kids face today and dropping beats that make you wanna move.
His debut EP “St. Rose Tha Truth” is full of bangers that show off both Red Vegus’ melodic flows and a lyrical maturity beyond his young age. His hard-hitting bars are a chronicle of Vegus’ grappling with social media cruelty, duplicitous and predatory adults, his family breakdown, and his efforts to balance his growing success with his desire to just be a normal kid.
“This EP is like my diary during a court custody case with parents. It’s almost like therapy for me,” he says.
Citing influences as diverse as T.I., KRS-One, and Slick Rick, Vegus’ style is a mix of 70s vibes and modern hip hop. A gospel influence is also clear, as on the tracks “God’s Grace” and “Unstoppable,” in which he raps about his struggles to find guidance from his faith in God and himself.
“I want my music to be uplifting and inspiring. It’s party music,” Vegus says. “St. Rose is emotional to me but it’s also about just having fun and being with your friends and inviting a lot of people over and having a blast. Jumping in the pool, having barbecue, breaking a lot of stuff, just partying!”
Red Vegus grew up surrounded by musicians because his father is a record producer. At age eight, he asked his dad to guest on a track.
“My uncle was in the studio recording a demo, and I was just like, ‘Dad, can I be on it?’” Vegus says. “They let me be on it and I’ve been writing tracks ever since.”
Just like Vegus sings on his track “Hustle Hard,” he works every day at his craft. He’s built up an incredible following from his earlier singles “(Life As A) Shortee” and “Lean with Me,” which led to features in Urban Culture Magazine and appearances on Hot702.5 FM’s “Live with Gracie Love.”
But while he’s playing shows all over the 702 (that’s Vegas’ area code), some of his schoolmates have become jealous of his success.
“They be hating,” Vegus says. “It’s just like, we be doing like rap battles at lunch, I be winning all of them. They don’t know I really do this for real.”
But his true friends are still his deepest fans.
“They’re the ones who really support. They follow me on everything, on TikTok, liking my posts and stuff,” Vegus says.
Vegus has a busy summer ahead, with shows planned all around the Vegas area and upcoming dates in New York. In the short term, he’s got his eye on a Vegas residency but in the long term, he’s already got dreams of an empire.
“I want to own an NBA team someday,” he says with a laugh.
Make sure to stay connected to Red Vegus on all platforms for new music, videos, and social posts.
Website: https://redvegus.com
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/artists/B07V3L44FX/red-vegus
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/red-vegus/1472479658
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5GQAwsVYQ0azfzoq7bnyqr
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxdierp1p5_ROGjB_cLiv2A
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RedVegus/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theredvegus/
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