Words By: Blair Milbourne
Picture this. You end a hard week of work at a job that is run by a bunch of f@ckin’ “Lumberg’s.” It’s payday. You finally get in touch with that elusive street pharmacist for some “green” medicine. You cop your favorite papers. That bomb piece of ass you been trying to finesse over to the crib finally confirms a night off tricks to make Uncle Luke wanna put her on the payroll. Your night is set but the only thing missing is a soundtrack to support your night’s soon-to-be cinematic escapades.
Enter rapper Devin Copeland, better known as Devin The Dude. A 30-something Houston native, laying music funkier than the bong water you spilled right before yo’ high ass passed out the other night. This Fall Devin is poised to one-up his discography- a catalog endlessly packed tight like old-school dime bags with mo’ weed and mo’ pussy getting’ anthems than you can shake an intoxicated stripper at. “If you gonna smoke, then Sticky Green would be the best to smoke to” chimes Copeland in reference to the best Devin song to play while getting your “I wanna talk to Samson” on. Well what if the world wants to get some ass to a Devin track? “Hmmm, it could be “Sex Faces” but that’s Scarface’s track. I don’t know if you up on this one, but this one song called “Makin’ It Hard on My Thang. That’s definitely one of my tracks you can get ya groove to,” chuckles The Dude.
Since his 1992 Rap-A-Lot debut with The Odd Squad, The Dude has cooked up his entrées of funk over the years without pause and after going solo in 1998, he humbly lays claim to working with some of hip hop’s most revered talents from Dr. Dre, Scarface and Andre 3000, to Nas and Jay-Z. Its mid-August in Los Angeles and The Dude is wrapping up the final mixes on his latest album with his longtime homeboy and Odd Squad collaborator Rob Quest aka “Blind Rob.” The new record entitled Landing Gear [Razor and Tie Records] is due out in the fall and Devin is feeling the crunch of delivering his latest Funk opus on time. The mix has got to be tight. This writer takes a stab at the meaning, suggesting it has to do with coming down from that cozy high induced by that sticky green. With a soulful chuckle that seems to possess melodic cadence, Devin gives perspective of what this album is about. “Aw man, Landing Gear is simply about being prepared once you get to where you’re going.”
The self-proclaimed lover of bud might even have his homie Snoop beat when it comes to partaking in the inhalation of the “Ooo Wee.” As the albums have gotten mixed, mastered and distributed there is no doubt the quality of bud done changed. “Mayan I just got my card today! My favorite has got to be that Pineapple man. I got some right now and I’ma get some mo’ before I leave. They need to make this legal in all states. That’ll be real, real cool man.” Word to Seth Rogen and James Franco.
