RapReviews | Review: Devin The Dude – Seriously Trippin EP

In this age and time where the hottest new rapper seemingly emerges out of thin air every two months and has legions of devoted fans overnight, it’s refreshing to see that there’s still a place for some of the veterans of the game who grew their fanbases organically rather than by some formulaic approach. If you’re familiar with Devin the Dude, part of the previous sentence may have come off as a pun. I suppose you could look at it as such if you want to, but pun or not, it’s true. Devin cut his teeth (or planted his seeds, if you will) with Rap-A-Lot Records in the mid-90s as the breakout member of Odd Squad. He soon became RAL’s own in-house version of the late Nate Dogg, delivering memorable hooks as early as “Hand of the Dead Body” from Scarface’s seminal classic album, “The Diary.” Other standouts include 5th Ward Boyz’ “P.W.A. (Pussy, Weed & Alcohol),” Facemob’s “The Other Side” and Scarface’s “Fuck Faces.” The Dude released his solo album of the same name in 1998 and received his first widespread recognition with his guest slot on Dr. Dre’s “Fuck You” from “Chronic 2001.”

Fast forward about six more well-received solo albums, two group albums with Coughee Brothaz and an EP later and we’re back to the modern day where Devin’s charismatic but ordinary everyman approach to most life situations in general allows him to be as crass as he wants to be without necessarily coming off as threatening and has enabled him to have a cult following among weed-smokers and nonsmokers alike. When “Landing Gear” was released in 2008, Rap-A-Lot, no longer being Devin’s home label, decided to release their own album of Devin material on the same day entitled “Hi Life.” Subsequently, my eyebrows were raised in 2010 when “Suite 420” came out and then just a couple of months later, another release, “Gotta Be Me” hit the streets. While I’ve now come to the conclusion that “Gotta Be Me” was an official release from The Dude, I will have to admit that I initially passed on it due to my skepticism. As of late, Devin’s been on the guest verse circuit and you can hear him on the latest albums from the likes of Young Jeezy and Big K.R.I.T..

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