Devin Copeland (born June 4, 1970), better known by his

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Devin the Dude, is an American rapper from

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

. He is known for his unique rapping style and his 2002 songs "Lacville '79" and "Doobie Ashtray".

Early life

Devin Copeland was born in

Pontiac, Michigan Pontiac ( ') is a city in and the county seat of Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 61,606. A northern suburb of Metro Detroit, Pontiac is about northwest of Detroit. Found ...

on June 4, 1970. He spent most of his early childhood in St. Petersburg, Florida and moved to

while in the fourth grade. He spent the rest of his youth moving back and forth between New Boston and

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

, finally settling in Houston after graduating from high school. He smoked

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various t ...

for the first time at a skating rink in seventh grade; marijuana would later become a major influence on his music. As a teenager, Copeland became interested in breakdancing, joining several dance crews until he began rapping, which soon became his main interest. After graduating from high school, he met Rob Quest, a rapper and record producer Jugg Mugg. The trio formed the group the Odd Squad.

Musical career

After forming the Odd Squad (later known as the Coughee Brothaz), the group signed to Rap-A-Lot Records. The label is notable for being the home of hip-hop artists such as

Geto Boys Geto Boys (originally spelled Ghetto Boys) was an American hip-hop group originally formed in Houston, Texas. The Geto Boys enjoyed success in the 1990s with the group's classic lineup consisting of Bushwick Bill, Scarface and Willie D, earni ...

, Scarface, and Too Much Trouble. Copeland moved on to become part of Scarface's Facemob before going solo in 1998.Shapiro, Peter (2005) ''The Rough Guide to Hip-Hop'', Rough Guides, , p.86-87 Copeland has released ten solo albums: '' The Dude'' ( 1998), '' Just Tryin' ta Live'' (

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), '' To tha X-Treme'' (

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...

), '' Waitin' to Inhale'' (

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...

), ''

Landing Gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Mart ...

'' (

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

), ''

Suite 420 Suite 420 is Devin the Dude Devin Copeland (born June 4, 1970), better known by his stage name Devin the Dude, is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. He is known for his unique rapping style and his 2002 songs "Lacville '79" and "Doobie A ...

'' (

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

), ''

Gotta Be Me ''Gotta Be Me'' is the seventh solo studio album by American rapper Devin the Dude. It was released on November 2, 2010 via Real Talk Entertainment. Production was handled by Big Hollis, Cozmo, Real Talk Ent. and Devin himself, with Derrick "Sac" ...

'' (2010), '' One for the Road'' (2013), Acoustic Levitation (2017) and Still Rollin' Up: Somethin' To Ride With (2019). He also made a number of guest appearances, including on

Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and w ...

's "Fuck You" in 1999,

De La Soul De La Soul () is an American hip hop trio formed in 1988 in the Amityville area of Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternati ...

's "Baby Phat" in 2001,

Slim Thug Stayve Jerome Thomas (born September 8, 1980), better known by his stage name Slim Thug, is an American rapper. He initially gained mainstream attention for his contribution to the hit single by rapper Mike Jones, " Still Tippin'". In July 2005, ...

's "I'm Back" off of Boss of All Bosses in 2009,

Gucci Mane Radric Delantic Davis (born February 12, 1980), known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper and record executive. He helped pioneer the hip hop subgenre of trap music alongside fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Young Jeez ...

's "Kush Is My Cologne" of off The State vs Radric Davis in 2009 alongside

Bun B Bernard James Freeman (born March 19, 1973), known professionally as Bun B, is an American rapper. He is best known as one half of the southern rap duo UGK (UnderGround Kingz), a group he formed in 1987 alongside Pimp C. Aside from his work wit ...

E-40 Earl Tywone Stevens Sr. (born November 15, 1967), better known by his stage name E-40, is an American rapper. He is a founding member of the rap group The Click, and the founder of Sick Wid It Records. He has released 26 studio albums to date, ...

Tech N9ne Aaron Dontez Yates (born November 8, 1971), better known by his stage name Tech N9ne (pronounced "tech nine"), is an American rapper. In 1999, he and business partner Travis O'Guin founded the record label Strange Music. He has sold over two ...

's "After Party" in 2010 off of The Gates Mixed Plate, and Young Jeezy's "Higher Learning" off of the late 2011 album Thug Motivation 103: Hustlerz Ambition. In 2007, he appeared in a documentary titled ''Screwed In Houston'' produced by ''VBS/Vice Magazine'' that details the history of the Houston rap scene. In 2008, he ended his 15-year relationship with Houston-based Rap-A-Lot Records after he decided not to renew his contract. Later that year, he signed with indie label

Razor & Tie Razor & Tie was an American entertainment company that consisted of a record label and a music publishing company. It was established in 1990 by Craig Balsam and Cliff Chenfeld. Based in New York City (with additional offices in Los Angeles a ...

. Devin is currently being distributed by

E1 Entertainment E1, E01, E.I or E-1 may refer to: Transportation Aircraft * Azcárate E-1, a Mexican sesquiplane trainer * Fokker E.I, a German fighter aircraft * Grumman E-1 Tracer, an American airborne early warning aircraft * Hydra Technologies E1 Gavilá ...

, formerly Koch. In 2013 Devin starred in the stoner comedy ''Highway 420'', in which two pot smoking buddies go on a quest to find the best bud in the country on the legendary Highway 420. The soundtrack featured songs by 2 Chainz, UGK, Smoke DZA,

Tha Dogg Pound Tha Dogg Pound is an American Hip hop music, hip hop duo made up of rappers Kurupt and Daz Dillinger. They were signed to Death Row Records in their early careers and were key to the label's success. Kurupt and Daz went on to release solo albu ...

Curren$y Shante Scott Franklin (born April 4, 1981), better known by his stage name Currensy (often stylized as Curren$y), is an American rapper. In 2011, he founded the label Jet Life Recordings. Music career 2002–2008: No Limit and Young Money ...

, David Banner, Asher Roth and more. On June 24, 2013 Devin announced that his eighth studio album would be titled '' One for the Road'' and be released in September 2013. It would later be confirmed for an October 8, 2013 release.

Reception

Despite being a critical success, Devin the Dude has not achieved mainstream success. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' has called him "A brilliant oddball with a spaced-out flow." In addition, he has been called "Rap's best-kept secret" and "Your favorite rapper's favorite rapper".Martinez, Rafael (2000)
Devin the Dude: Every Rapper's Favourite Rapper
, ''Prefix'', 1 January 2000

Discography

Studio albums

Collaboration albums

Compilation albums

Extended plays

Singles

Guest appearances

References

External links

MP3 audio interview
with Devin the Dude on the radio program The Sound of Young America
Devin the Dude Interview

The DJBooth: Interview with Devin The Dude
(Apr '07) {{DEFAULTSORT:Dude, Devin the 1970 births Living people African-American male rappers Singers from Texas Rappers from Houston Southern hip hop musicians Underground rappers Songwriters from Texas African-American songwriters Cannabis music 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people American male songwriters