Devon is a 34 year old rapper from Joliet, Illinois who has a smooth yet raw approach to hip hop. His explicit lyrics, laid back delivery, and melodic hooks are present throughout his newest project which dropped over the weekend. Entitled "The Raw Tape", Devon is not holding back. It offers 13 tracks of hard hitting beats and bars.
"That p*ssy better than a diamond watch.."
Coming up, Devon would blast Jay-Z, 2 PAC, Nas, 50 Cent, and Joe Budden. More recently, he started f*ckin with street rap trio, Griselda. From his listening taste, you can hear his affinity for gritty, real rappers. And you can hear those influences in his sound.
Some of the standouts on the album include No Secrets, Mission, Hailey's Song, and Talk to Em. On No Secrets, Devon raps, "I can't lie... all quarantine, me and the team got high." Listeners can relate to him off jump. He's talking about real sh*t that real n*ggas are dealing with at this moment.
Mission is an ode to the hustle and the grind. As he raps, "money call, I hit ignore on the baddest chick," Devon reflects on his mission --"to make the bag exist." The beat on this track is dope. It has some nice vocal samples and live feeling drums. Its better than your average.
The project has a classic rap feel. It's not overly gritty nor is it politically incorrect. He's just spitting his genuine thoughts. One of the dopest and most creative tracks on the project is Hailey's Song, a track inspired by his daughter. One of the realest moments is when he spits about not being her "real" father, but coming into her life and then losing touch with her after Devon and her mom broke up. I can relate to the feeling, so this song really hit home for me. Again, on this track, there is a live drum feel, and this time, it is coupled with some soulful keys. Hailey's Song is a whole vibe.
"Before I sh*t on my brother, I take a dirt sleep..."
Talk to Em is another banger. It has a conscious rap kinda feel. He introspectively sheds light on his moral street compass --rapping, "never took from another, stood tall on both feet." Along with the street code, he delivers the lyrics over a mellow beat, borrowing elements from neo-soul and chill-hop. All in all, this is a well put-together project that shows much respect to the genre. Definitely worth a listen.
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