‘I’d rather just give you who I am’: How Oak Cliff shaped RJ the Weirdo and his emotionally raw new album

Dallas artist RJ the Weirdo is opening up about insecurity, fatherhood and relationships on his latest music project, At Least She’s Beautiful.

The project blends live instrumentation and genre-bending influences into an emotionally vulnerable body of work shaped by his upbringing in Oak Cliff and the Dallas music scene.

While his songs are based on personal experience, he wants his audience to see themselves in them.

“I want them to know that it’s not just them. I wanna give them gratitude in whatever they’re going through,” he said.

33-year-old Rodney Bellinger was raised in Oak Cliff. He describes his musical upbringing as “a melting pot,” filled with everything from R&B and rap to alternative rock and jazz. As the oldest of five, Bellinger said each family member brought their own taste into the home, helping him mold his own personal sound. He thanks artists like Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder for shaping his emotional delivery and songwriting, while bands like Coldplay and Linkin Park inspired his willingness to experiment across genres.

“Donnie Hathaway was the first person to make me cry… And Stevie Wonder’s just an amazing writer,” he said. “I aim for every time I write, I just want to tell the story in the simplest way I can.”

That storytelling is at the heart of the new album. One of the most emotionally difficult songs to write, he said, is a track dedicated to his two daughters. The song reflects the tension between pursuing music and being present as a father.

“I think I’m just doing my first steps, admitting my problems,” he said. “I’d rather just give you who I am so it’s not a surprise in the end.”

Compared to his earlier releases like his 2025 EP Ketchup, where he expresses the ups and downs of a messy relationship, Bellinger said At Least She’s Beautiful leans further into honesty and self-reflection. Rather than hiding his flaws or presenting a polished version of himself, he said the album is about confronting insecurity and accountability head-on. The project moves between alternative R&B, live soul and rock influences while staying grounded in personal storytelling.

The project is also inspired by Dallas, not necessarily in sound, but in perspective. Bellinger points to neighborhoods like Deep Ellum and the city’s overall culture as shaping his identity, even if it’s more subtly reflected in his storytelling.

Behind the scenes, producer Toroti “Sonic Major” Oke helped bring that vision to life. Oke, a University of North Texas alumni who spent years producing in Dallas before relocating to Los Angeles, said the project came together organically.

“We were going to the studio just for fun,” Oke said. “We was just doing it off of the love. There was less pressure… we had time to let the album tell us what it was.”

Live instruments, including in-studio recorded drums and guitars, give the album a raw feel. Oke describes the music as something suited for late-night drives through the city to be reflective, intimate, and unhurried.

They may have been making a passion project, but they caught the music industry’s attention. Bellinger has since been signed to EZMNY Records, co-owned by notable R&B singer Ty Dolla $ign and music executive Shawn Barron.

As Dallas continues to produce emerging talent, Oke said artists like Bellinger represent a distinct new wave that reflects the city without being confined by it.

“He’s an amalgamation of so many different things,” he said. “Dallas happens to be one of them.”

At Least She’s Beautiful is out now.