Devin the Dude and the Coughee Brothaz came through to Warehouse Live on Thanksgiving Eve. Devin set the building ablaze — literally and figuratively. He gave the crowd of mostly teenage fans a whirlwind tour of his catalog with hits like “Lacville 79,” “Anythang,” and “Doobie Ashtray” (one of my favorite Devin tracks). When “What A Job” came on, though, the building erupted. I managed to take some pics, the inadvertent high from second-hand smoke notwithstanding.

Check them out after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

I had a chance to check out Devin’s latest album, Landing Gear, and was surprised at how fast he plundered into redundancy. Inasmuch as I love Devin’s past work, I think he’s reached that dreaded stage in a rap career where every album sounds just like the last one.

Devin - “Highway” (Feat. Smokey Dza)
As you probably know, Devin never gets tired of rhyming about ganja. It has to be his favorite topic on the mic. That said, I don’t know if the world is ready for an album chock full of tributes to the sticky icky.

[Thanks for the heads-up, Mr. Factz]

Devin the Dude - “I Don’t Chase” (feat. Snoop Dogg)
Devin teams up with his playa partner Snoop Dogg for the most foul-mouthed song of 2008 so far. This is definitely no “Lil Girl Gone.”

Actually, don’t click that link unless you’ve been so thoroughly desensitized to contemptuous misogyny that you no longer recognize it when you see it.

[Raise one to Zilla]

Devin is a good dude on and off the mic. He’s definitely one of the most under-appreciated MCs to ever breathe on a mic and I never miss an opportunity to show my support. I really wanted to crash his show tonight, but Hurricane Ike had other plans. I’m not even sure they’ll go on with the concert, since the feed on my TV now loudly declares “all Houston events canceled.”

We haven’t heard from Devin the Dude, aka Hip-Hop’s No.1 Court Jester, in a while. Here, he delivers a PSA (”Get off the couch and make something happen”) while his weed carriers get busy in the back.

Glad to hear that he has a new album titled Landing Gear on the horizon.

Devin the Dude - Doobie Ashtray (prod. by DJ Premier)

I’m not the type to go coco loco over anyone’s Greatest Hits (no, not even Biggie’s). For the most part, a Greatest Hits CD is a random assortment of singles or popular songs packaged by the label. The problem with this approach is that popularity doesn’t always equate greatness. That said, you can’t go wrong with a Devin the Dude compilation no matter how you sort it. This one includes tracks all the way from his first album to his recent instaclassic “What a Job.” My only gripe with this Greatest Hits is that it’s missing my favorite Devin/DJ Premier collabo, “Doobie Ashtray.”

If you’ve been sleeping on Devin Copeland for the past 10 years, here’s a chance for you to get familiar with hip-hop’s #1 court jester.

Peep game. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s Friday and I’m in a good mood. So, here’s a bunch of joints from Devin’s
Smoke Sessions mixtape.

Devin the Dude feat. Odd Squad - “Gettin’ High”
Devin the Dude - “Take Me Home”
J Blaze - Freestyle

Previously:
Devin the Dude - Makin’ It Hard

Devin the Dude - “Making it Hard”

This is from his upcoming mixtape Smoke Sessions vol. 1, due out on April 1.

It’s hard to believe that Devin the Dude smokes around the clock. Then again, I once had a roommate who lived to smoke weed. For him, ganja was breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That was how I got introduced to this thing called Febreze.

Read the rest of this entry »

Devin the Dude has had enough of J Prince and Rap-a-Lot Records. Devin will not renew his contract with RAL after 15 years at the historic Houston label.

From Ballerstatus.net:
“Rap-A-Lot has been my family for a long time and there’s no bad blood at all,” the rapper explained of his decision to leave, “but change is a part of life and I feel like this is the time to make a change and focus more on the business side of my career.

“I’ve had a nice run, so I’d like to develop artists and give some of these other cats out here a platform to shine,” he continued.

No worries here. Devin should have no trouble finding another label; He’s nice on and off the mic (and I’m not just saying that because he offered me a spliff once — I passed on it, of course). He’s also blessed with the unique ability to electrify audiences everywhere through his comical narratives.