Have you heard about this Dude named Devin? You haven’t? Well, he’s kind of a big deal. For more than 15 years, the Dude has been holding it down as one of Houston, Texas’ most time-honored and celebrated rappers, receiving accolades and finding his way onto the records of some of the biggest rap names that the East Coast, West Coast, Dirty South and Midwest have to offer. And while he may not share the controversially violent stylings of Scarface, or the name recognition of Mike Jones, Devin’s mark on Southern rap is lasting and undeniable. Simply put, he’s your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper.
Possibly best known for his standout appearance on the standout track “F— You” from Dr. Dre’s Chronic 2001, or the end-of-the-night party jam “Doobie Ash Tray,” Devin the Dude’s unmistakable technique is laid back but never boring, funny but never corny, explicit but never crass. Yes, most rappers don’t sound like Devin the Dude, because unlike him, most rappers probably don’t listen to the badassedly eclectic likes of Ambrosia, James Taylor, Steve Miller Band, Hall and Oates, and the Allman Brothers.
“Man, Charlie Daniels made the first country song with rapping with ‘Devil Went Down to Georgia,’ you know, I love it,” the Dude said. “I listen to all kinds of music that isn’t strictly rap; I like to keep a lot of diversity in what I listen to.”
In what will surely be the biggest party going down this Halloween, Devin the Dude will be back at the WOW Hall for a midnight banger that is sure to pop off larger than when he stole the show from Del the Funky Homosapien last spring. Backed up by his crew the Coughee Brothaz, Jugg Mugg and the aptly named Blind Rob, expect Devin to deliver everything short of a clever Halloween costume.
“Nah, I’m’a chill,” he said. “I might come to the show as a platinum artist and drape myself with all kinds of ice.”
Ever since The Furious Five came out with “The Message,” rappers by the likes of KRS-1 and Public Enemy have come with the political word while the likes of Nas and Scarface were spitting about guns and street life. Devin the Dude speaks on issues that resonate a little higher, if you know what I’m saying. The Dude, though from the dry, barren wastelands of Texas, loves smoking and talking about weed above anything else. Maybe that’s why he keeps coming back to Eugene.
“Oh man, it goes down up in Oregon,” the Dude said.” Y’all know what you’re doing up there. They all hold their own.”
Devin and the Coughee Brothaz are hitting Eugene and Portland halfway through the 35-city tour in support of the fifth Devin the Dude album, “Landing Gear,” released earlier this month. The album is Devin’s first solo release on Razor & Tie Records after long being a part of Houston staple Rap-a-Lot Records. While the record may share a home with the fan-favorite Kidz Bop series, “Landing Gear” doesn’t buck any of the traditions of his Odd Squad days, or even from the modern classic “Waiting to Inhale.”
“(When we record an album) we just go in there and have fun,” the Dude said. “We just try to lay down the best stuff we can, do the most stuff we can and, you know (laughing), smoke the best weed. We don’t try to approach it in any way, like looking at it from this angle or that angle, we just do it big every time.”
The cover of “Landing Gear” features the Dude decked out in a pilot’s uniform, hiding behind a pair of aviator shades. Though he may look like he’s on his way to a change in occupation, “Landing Gear” isn’t referring to any ambitions of flying planes.
“It’s just a term I use a lot,” he said. “You know, you’re doing a show, and somebody asks you if you need any green or any Coughee. I’ll say, no man, I got my landing gear already to go, you know what I’m saying? It’s just having whatever you need whenever you arrive to wherever you’re going.”
Devin the Dude might, however, be dipping into a future of public service announcements with the track “I Can’t Make It Home.” Released as the album’s lead single, it stresses the importance of good judgment before deciding to drive home after a long night of smoke and drink.
“Yeah, I’ve had some close calls, my friends have had some close calls, I think everybody’s had some close calls,” the Dude said. “I’m trying to tell people that when you smoke and you drink and you tryin’ to drive, I’m gonna let them know what could happen. Nobody wants to be taken with their hands up to go and be locked up, you know?”
So if you had a little too much fun at the show and blue lights flash on you as you’re driving home, don’t say Devin the Dude didn’t warn you beforehand.
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