Devin The Dude
Landing Gear
Razor & Tie
In the interest of full disclosure, I should mention right up front that there’s not a Devin The Dude record that I don’t like. The Dude’s rap style is laid back, drum tight and as natural as it gets, and the subject matter of his verses generally covers topics that I can definitely get behind — beer, weed and women. So it’s no surprise that Landing Gear is fast becoming my favorite Devin record since 2002′s Just Tryin’ Ta Live.
This record just feels right. From the slow, low and funky opener, “In My Draws,” to the ballad-y closer, “Stray” — with smoothly crooned refrain “I can’t stand stupid bitches / I keep away / Have no plans with stupid bitches / I tend to stray” — there’s not a single out-of-place track, not a single lyrical misstep, and at no time during the album’s 12-track playlist do I reach for the fast-forward button. It’s all just right.
Though there a handful of guest spots on Landing Gear — L.C., Young Malice, 14K, Snoop Dogg & Tony Mack among others — it still feels like a more straightforward Devin experience, possibly because the best songs on the album mostly feature Devin alone on the mic. Of course, there no fronting on Snoop’s contribution, and L.C.’s chorus performance on I Can’t Make It Home is also particularly fresh (“One blunt / One more shot of patron / I’m lit / I can’t make it home / cops right behind me / I might be gone / I can’t make it home“). Of course, not one to be outdone, Devin laces his own chorus on “Thinkin Boutchu,” which kinda personifies his appeal as an artist: sure, he’s not the best vocalist out there, but there’s something about the way he sings “Smokin’ my weed / drinkin my brew / but I’m thinking boutchu girl / Out in these streets / playin all the music that we used to listen to girl” that makes it real, that makes it (here’s that word again) right.
Musically, like most of Devin’s catalog, the overall vibe of Landing Gear is mellow and smooth, with lots of synth, 808 kicks and claps, deep rumbling bass, the occasional vocoder, and some live instruments (the continuously running guitar on “Stray” lays just under the sonic surface, but once you notice it, it’s hard to shake). Ultimately, Landing Gear exemplifies everything I love about a Devin The Dude album: It makes me wanna get a beer, twist a bleez and holler at my baby-mama.
This record marks Devin’s departure from longtime label home Rap-A-Lot, and his new venture with cross-genre label Razor & Tie. But I’m willing bet J. Prince wishes he’d been able to do one last record with Devin.
Devin The Dude, “Let Me Know It’s Real,” Landing Gear (Razor & Tie):
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