Published: Tuesday - February 5, 2008
Words by Liz "Red" Thomas
Devin The Dude (Photo: Rap-A-Lot Records)
Houston rapper Devin The Dude has ended his stint with Rap-A-Lot Records after more than a 15 year relationship with the Texas label.
According to the rapper's camp, Devin opted to not renew his recording contract with Rap-A-Lot to pursue other career options.
Devin originally signed with the label back in 1992 with his group the Odd Squad, who released their first album, Fadanuf Fa Erybody, in 1994.
Recognizing his unique style, Rap-A-Lot founder, J. Prince, invited Devin to join another group called Face Mob, which only put out one album together (The Other Side of the Law, 1996). But when Face Mob broke up, Devin finally decided to go solo, which immediately followed with his first solo classic, The Dude.
Devin recorded three solo albums with Rap-A-Lot over the course of the last 10 years -- Just Trying 2 Live in 2002, 2 Tha Extreme in 2004, and his most recent, 2007's Waiting To Inhale.
"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.
Devin has spent this past year touring with his original Coughee Bros. promoting their recently released independent project, Waitin' Our Turn.
As a free agent, Devin's camp said the rapper has several offers on the table for label situations, but right now are exploring their options.
Features Slim (of 112): Hi Haters What else do you want from Slim? His prolific group 112 has sold over 20 million records worldwide, and with a bevy ... full story
Editorials & Columns Scouting Report: Bambu You can refer to Bambu with various terms: rebel, revolutionist, Filipino, thug, artist. From the outside looking in, ... full story
Beyond Hip-Hop Game Review: Far Cry 2 Gone are Jack Carver, his Hawaiian shirt, and the trigens from the first installment of "Far Cry," but in comes spine ... full story
Video Bambu: Like Us (Music Video) We recently featured Filipino rapper, Bambu, in our Scouting Report column, and now, he's just dropped a new video. ... full story
Digg It
Del.icio.us
