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So give us the lowdown on this most recent album? What were you trying to achieve with this new joint?

Oh man you know what I'm saying, it was pretty much actually the same message as the other albums, pretty much the same ethics or whatever. It was just a cool feeling you know to have our label Coughee Brothaz Music being able man to you know go out and try to come out with an album and projects and being independent.

Now your independent, as you've left Rap-A-Lot Records, are you running the new label on your own or is it a collective.

Yeah man it's me and the Coughee Brothaz, Odd Squad...

So now that your independent, do you feel you've got a bit more creative freedom?

Ah I mean it's pretty much you know, as far as creative control Rap-A-Lot they would never try and you know make you out as somebody, they always gave you the control of your creativity, you know and that aspect is pretty much the same just being able to be hands on with decisions and stuff that relates to promotion and marketing to everything.

So with the Areo Garden thing man I thought you had to buy special pods that worked with the machine and that they only came in Oregano or Tomatoes or whatever, how hard was it to get it set up and start growing that weed?

Yeah man they don't send you the Oregano and Tomatoes or all that shit. (Laughs) If you have your own seeds you can, you know, pop it in there! (Laughs)

You had quite a nice little farm going there! How was the smoke out of them shits?

Nah you know it was cool, what it was man it was like a time piece, I just put regular seeds in there and I had a male and a female in there and and they started pollenating and it all kinda went crazy and everything. My next batch man will hopefully be real cool

So it's like a learning process...

Yeah, yeah! You gotta learn to nurse it and talk to it and everything.

Yeah they say that about plants don't they, that they respond to that sort of shit...

Yeah man, I'd play em some old school hip-hop!

Speaking of music I noticed back on your myspace you had a playlist called Songs to Smoke To which was pretty diverse. There were a lot of musical styles in there. Is it indicative of the kind of music your listening to on any given day?

Pretty much, that's just what I listen too, soft rock man, some old school blues, some country here and there, reggae.

Where does that musical diversity come from for you?

Well my big brother Donnie man when we were living in Florida we used to live right in front of a radio station man and we used to listen to a lot of Casey Kasem top 40.

You lived opposite a radio station? You ever sneak in and run amok?

Well yeah, I used to get all the records out the trash that they used to throw away! They used to have cuts on the records, scratches here and there and they couldn't afford to play em live on the air.

Of course so it would become a part of your collection? 

Right, right, so I guess I was, I started off as a Dj like in the third grade! (Laughing)

So with that playlist then was that ever made available for purchase or was it more just to give people a feel of where your musical taste is at?

Just giving em a feel man, but I wouldn't mind selling stuff like that man, making some mix cds, tapes or whatever.

One track in that list is High Plains Drifter. That's a completely different era of hip-hop right there. How do you feel about the rap game today, seems like everyone has an opinion on it...

Right now man I'm just happy it still exists!

So what's the vibe around the country now that you've got one Mr Barack Obama in?

Oh man, everyone's pretty much still excited man!

So a new day?

Ah well you know it's beginning of one I guess man. You know the dawn of it. It's just a matter of everyone taking care of their business and doing what they got to do and to coincide with the new president.

So you think America will unite under Barack or do you think there'll still be all that partisan bullshit?

Oh there is gonna be a lot of that partisan shit man. Just cause of the simple fact of America now days is just on some, a lot of commercialised stuff man, everyones more concerned with what they're gonna be dressed in and who's gonna do the first lady's dress. What the new drapery is gonna be like. You know what I'm saying? (Laughs)

I feel you. More people are interested in the gossip than they are the issues.

Right right, you know what I'm saying. They had polls about 'what do you think about the new president and what he's gonna do? Do you think he's gonna be a good one or a bad one? Yes or no!' (Laughs) It makes no sense man.

It must be interesting to see how even in America hip-hop has spread, even a blend of it like yours, which is this eased out, smoked out, laid back kind of rap.

Yeah I mean it's definitely still going on man. I mean the demand for the shows is kinda crazy now because a lot of clubs are kinda trippin' on performances but other than that man it's still live on the set.

Your constantly penned in bio's and reviews as 'your favourite rappers favourite rapper' so I got to ask you who's your favourite rapper?

Oh man you know what, I have so many of em man! I have a lot of em!

You can't nail it down to one?

Nah nah nah, it's hard it's hard.

Okay give us 3 or 4.

Okay I'll give you Mc Shan, T La Rock I'll give you Black Thought, Nas, Slick Rick...

Oh nice Slick Rick, when is he coming out with a new album? He's due.

Oh Slick Rick? He's chilling man, he do what he wants when he wants to do it man! (Laughs)

(Laughing) The storyteller tells stories when he's ready to tell em', that's a fair call.

Yeah, you know! (Laughing)

So there is this joint on the latest album Landing Gear, the first song on the album In My Draws and there is a part where this girls calls up says that she wants you to come over so she can lick your balls! So does that shit happen?

(Laughing) Oh yeah man, it does happen man! Girls get creative on different things to lure you over you know. They say kinda, they get creative to throw out that bait for you to come get it! (Laughs)

So they throw that hook out.

(Laughs) Well I mean it doesn't happen quite often, it doesn't happen that often at all, but it does happen! It does and it can, and hopefully it will continue!

You can learn more about Devin's new label Coughee Brothaz Music and the man himself on his myspace.


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