Rafael Vigilantics

Rafael Vigilantics is originally from Llano, and blends underground Hip Hop with rock reminiscent of The Clash, The Beastie Boys. Now living in Portland, Rafael Vigilantics is “turning the world upside down,” according to Ourstage, an online social platform for new music.
According to a December 2013 article “Remembering Peter Tosh” in the Huffinton Post Online, Vigilantics is described as “more of a confessionalist than an MC, Rafael Vigilantics kidnaps you on his adventure thru whiskey, women, and wanderlust. Think Iggy Pop does hip hop. The video for ‘Frantic Night’ is all about chasing what you want and learning to love it even when you find out its not exactly how you dreamed it would be.” - Huffington Post

[WESTERN EXPERIMENTAL RAP] I give a lot of credit for ambition, and Portland MC Rafael Vigilantics is an ambitious dude. He tries to reinvent hip-hop outright on The Orgasm of a Ghost (yup, that’s the title), putting a distinctly Western twist on an indie rock-informed breed of hip-hop (think Astronautalis or P.O.S.) that sacrifices speaker-busting beats and linear narrative for something more sonically subtle and lyrically poetic.
Vigilantics also gets lost in the weeds of this bold new territory, right from the opening track. The guy we meet on “Unforgiven”—who sounds like Modest Mouse’s “Cowboy Dan” fucking Everlast’s “What It’s Like” in a Vegas strip club—isn’t necessarily the real Rafael. Vigilantics first presents himself, through rambling verses and throaty hooks, as a bully with a heart of gold; a beer-soaked poet who writes his best lines in blood: “You still think the devil don’t pray?”

That’s one of the personalities we’re introduced to on Orgasm. There are others, from the sneering hustler (“Brass Knuckles”) to the sensitive rocker who drops Guns N’ Roses/Johnny Thunders references (“Dreaming,” “Cassette Head”). Each of these personalities are worth getting to know. But when they cross paths—as on the half-sung, half-rapped “Dreaming”—scuffles can ensue, and the listener isn’t sure whether to root for the gentle poet or the shouting MC. Neither man really wins, and we find ourselves wishing Vigilantics had split his tunes into ballads and club tracks instead of attempting to combine the two.

But sometimes, it works. No one else in Portland is making hip-hop as vulnerable as “Forgotten,” a gonzo/beatnik roadtrip song with Lanois-esque production (the disc was well-crafted by local producer Elliot B) and bright, impressionist rhyme schemes. This is where all Vigilantics’ personalities bleed back into one, and it’s where he’s at his best. Maybe ambition isn’t everything.
- WWeek

Rap-rock has always tilted precariously toward the rock end of that equation, resulting in lots of awful music from what can really only be characterized as rock bands, despite the frat-boy flow and the presence of a "DJ" somewhere over on stage left. Rafael Vigilantics, on the other hand, is unmistakably an emcee, and he's unquestionably making hiphop, despite the razor-sharp guitars and melodic underpinnings of his new, third album, The Spade Tapes. Thankfully, the result is nothing at all like what we think of as rap-rock, whose unfortunate trajectory during the '90s went from Rage Against the Machine to rage against your girlfriend. Instead, Vigilantics makes hiphop—which he dubs "search-and-destroy hiphop"—that doesn't rely on the genre's oft-imitated tropes. The result is something original made out of familiar ingredients, and it's also really good; The Spade Tapes' "New Thing" in particular sounds like a gigantic hit in the making. NED LANNAMANN - Mercury

MAY 1ST FEATURED ARTIST: RAFAEL VIGILANTICSTAGS

I would like to welcome you and yours to,

Rafael Vigilantics…


Rafael Vigilantics; photo by Mike Pifke
I found Rafael Vigilantics through my sister’s boyfriend.

He and my sister caught a live Rafael Vigilantics show at the Roseland theatre in Portland and were impressed with his skills as a lyricists and also his original beats.

My sister left his “Bury Me Standing,” album on my desk one night by mistake.

It sat there for some time.

At the time, my desk looked something like a battle front mixed with a classroom.

Coffee spills, piles of required reading, and notebooks for days.

Late one night, as I was rushing through a long packet of articles for my feature writing class, trying to write a close reading and desperate attempts at cleaning in between, I found that pink CD of the hip hop artist my sister and her boyfriend told me I would dig.

“Why not,”

I thought.

Late.

Buzzed on caffeine.

No heart to continue the homework, but enough guts to try on this new groove.


Bury Me Standing
The first song I heard was PrizeFighter.

Inspiration to push on.

It was finals week of Spring Term 2011 and I had found my theme song to finish the horse *hit term strong.

I had “Prizefighter,” on repeat for most of that next day. Then I had “A Million Arrows,” on repeat the rest of the week.

Rafael’s words hit me hard.

I felt them flowing around Portland.

The goosebumps still come from time to time.

I am with you sir.

Thank you…

—

A pleasure to share with you now…my exclusive interview with Rafael…


Rafael Vigilantics photo by Mike Pifke
K.C. :Where are you from? What is your back ground?

R.V. : I’m from the dessert. I’ve always been a nomad but when I feel that dry dirt and can smell sage I know I am close to home. I need to see the stars to know where I am, New Mexico is one of the few places in America where you can still orientate yourself well. I think I am one of the last true gypsies. My heart is spread over more people and places on this earth than is good for me. I always thought my father was Mexican until I was getting dropped off in Juarez by my mother about a year ago and she told me to be careful, I said what do you mean be careful…I am with my people. She said, your people? “Hunny your dad was a Puerto Rican.” That was the last thing she said to me, and as I closed the car door I felt suddenly alone.

K.C. : What is your biggest inspiration for being an artist? How would you describe your drive/inspiration?

R.V. : I’ve made music my whole life. I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t writing a song. As an only child music is just one of the many games you play with yourself. I’ve shared my music on and off with the world since I was 13. I would say I have written more records no one has ever heard then records people have heard. I don’t think everything is meant to share, that’s the problem with people, they think they need validation for everything they do. I make music for me. I want people to enjoy it, but I am also just looking for answers to my own questions and that is how I find them, by writing and singing.

What inspires me most as an artist is fear. I take everything I am afraid of and build my music like a battle plan to combat it. I want to be possessed when I am on stage, to be not present in my body when I am performing is my goal. I have never achieved it, but I will never stop trying.

Do you have a muse? If so, what about that muse gets the creative juices flowing?

R.V. : My muse is still the nine heads of the daughters of Zeus. They are like hydras constantly changing. I find inspiration in women. I try to channel my heroes in my actions and so they tend to find their way into my art.

K.C. : What is your biggest challenge as an artist?

R.V. : My biggest challenge as an artists is letting go of my ego. I want my art to consume me and spit out my personality, whatevers left. Not the other way around. I am bad at dealing with people. I feel awkward basically all the time, this doesn’t challenge me as an artist…but it is a huge challenge when I try to move my art forward into the world that surrounds me.

K.C. : If you could change the world, what would your first step be? Second?

R.V. : There is nothing for me to change in this world. There are as many worlds or aspects of this one as I desire. I simply have to choose what I would like to see. I only wish for others to see it this way as well. The big adventure is the only thing that is important to me. I would like to meet others on the path more often. Who am I to say though. As I change the world changes around me, what better proof of magic is there?

K.C. : Could you describe in your own words, what it looks, feels, tastes like to turn your passion into your day job?

R.V. : Turning music into a paying job feels amazing. There is no other feeling like watching your art turn into whisk - Jillian Rabe

Portland, Oregon’s Rafael Vigilantics is turning the punk and hip hop worlds upside down. He first appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, on a bill with local hardcore punks (and future Horns Up Records labelmates) The Altarboys. Vigilantics won over the largely punk crowd, and within 6 months was opening for independent hip hop superstars like Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip and B. Dolan.


Rafael Vigilantics on the cover of his album 'Bury Me Standing'

His debut album Bury Me Standing transitions easily between blistering punk and straight up hip hop. While some hip hop fans may not be in to it, Vigilantics’ sound has struck a chord with punk rockers. Johnny X of punk news site DyingScene.com said of the track “Jolene” from Bury Me Standing, “Take it from a guy who typically hates hip-hop, the song is worth a listen.” Listening to the album, it’s pretty clear why Vigilantics has been embraced by the punk scene. On his collaboration with The Alterboys, “No Friends,” lyrics like “I’ve got no friends/Just best friends/And I’d stab any one of you motherf***ers for them” could have been lifted straight from a hardcore punk song. Vigilantics sums it up best on his OurStage profile: “Bury Me Standing might not be the album for you if you already love hip hop, but it might be the album for you if you need a good place to start looking at a new side of it.” - Ourstage

Rafael Vigilantics has unveiled the music video for "Ramblin' Bones," the first single off of his new album Orleans. Once again, Vigilantics has broken down musical boundaries with this new track. The video has peaked interest from fans and the music industry for its avante-garde undertone and stunning cinematic qualities. Vigilantics is a true storyteller and knows no confines with his musical expression which puts emphasis on making music that requires visual pairings.

"Ramblin' Bones" is a song that feels pure, honest and timeless and the video is visually stunning and captivating with its brutal honesty and dark narrative. Vigilantics got to work on recording Orleans in late 2016 when he hit the studio after a tour with Onry Ozzborn (Olddominion and DarkTime Sunshine) and Rob Sonic (Aesop Rock). The album is currently in the recording phase with Sanford Parker (Voivod, Local H) and co-written by Noah Harmon of the Airborne Toxic Event. - Pure Grain Audio

Los Angeles, widely known as a hotbed for musicians and groups in every genre, all grapple to make their mark in a music scene oversaturated in weekly single releases, remixes and showcases. When the new single “Ramblin’ Bones” by Rafael Vigilantics crossed my inbox, I nearly dismissed the track as representing another LA artist on the move. Being almost a minute into the song, I knew he strayed from the pack to forge a sound that will span into a long, expansive career.

While “Ramblin’ Bones” is a departure from his previous work as a self-described “Search-And-Destroy-Hip-Hop” artist, this single takes the listener down an emotional path that can be felt as genuine, dark and without borders. Vigilantics’ lyrics and crooner voice are perfectly paired with the energy of the music, which conjures notes of Americana paired with an urban grit.

I enjoy artists like Rafael Vigilantics, and more so after reading more into his history of crossing boundaries of Hip-Hop, folk and indie. He has even been described as the “Iggy Pop of Hip-Hop” by the Huffington Post, which is almost hard to image until you really understand his music and creative visuals. “Ramblin’ Bones” is the first single from his upcoming new album Orleans, which will be released in 2017. - PPCorn