Saturday, October 15, 2005

Århus Took It, updates

I've filled in the missing part, the only stuff i miss now it's the pics and Cormegas' interview. But it will come in the near future for sure!!

Thursday, October 13, 2005

Århus took it 2005

Århus took it 2005

Yeah, finally! Århus took it 2005! I've been looking forward to this for, oh soo long man! I left Oslo, Norway ca 08:00pm, took the boat over to Hirtshals. After 12 hours on the boat i arrived in h.hals, so at 08:14am i sat my little tush on the train to Århus.
This is my first Århus took it, but the sixth overall. This years playlist are:

Talib Kweli (US) Thursday 06.10.05
Cormega (US) Friday 07.10.05
Devin the Dude (US) Friday 07.10.05
Boot Camp Clik (US) Saturday 08.10.05

and
Nemo (DK), Kontras (DK), Bumsestilen (DK), Clemens (DK), Cast (DK), Rent Mel (DK), Per V (DK), J-Spliff (DK) and Joe True (DK).

There were some Danish groups as well, Dj Static and Nat Ill, were the surprise on Thursday(1st night). Devin the Dude a dude from Houston, Texas. The king above all, with a silky laidback flow that's raw!! He has given out three solo albums:
  • Devin the Dude 1998
  • Just Tryin Ta Live 2002
  • Just Tryin Ta Live screwed up 2002
  • Devin the Dude chopped up 2002
  • Devin the Dude To tha X-treme 2004
  • Devin the Dude To tha X-treme screwed and chopped 2004

Devin the Dude, the first album, is my favorite!

Tonight, Thursday 06.10.05, opening night it's Talib Kweli(US) that's the "star" and some Danish "up-and-go-hip-hop". We'll see what they have to offer.After around 16 hours of travelling, with boat and train i arrived in Århus! I stayed at Århus City Sleep In. A nice hostel near the club, Train, where it all went down. The hostel had a sweet backyard, good for hanging out, sippin coughee.. Back to the event. The Danish artists where good, but i didn't understand shit..and i'm a Norwegian. Man it's hard! Yeah, yeah Talib Kweli had a good concert. With Dj and two backupsingers it was a good opening night! He had three guys from the crowd doing a breakdance session on stage man! Two out three were feelin it! But the last one, man, naha! Sorry man! But Talib Kweli did a few moves, still good man!! The crowd got more then they paid for and it was sold out!

Second day, Friday 07.10.05 with Cormega (US) and Devin the Dude (US) on the stage. People flew in from Sweden, Norway and Germany, as i did (Oslo, Norway). None of them have ever played in Scandinavia before. And it's rare or almost never we get quality artists up here. So i went to the soundcheck, and met Matt Sonzala (Devins' manager). We went to meet Devin, and as it turned out i chilled with them for the rest of the festival (almost). It's been the best time, man. And for the record, Devin is a down-to-earth-guy. He's cool!!

Third and last day, Saturday 08.10.05 with Boot Camp Clik (US), Buckshot, Sean Price and Smif'n'Wessun! I got up around noon, went over to the hotel where Cormega were waiting. Did he interview* in the lobby *(it will come later, have to edit it). After the interview i went to another soundcheck, trying to get a hold of BCC. But i didn't, but i've got some pics that'll come later.
But instead i met Matt (Devins' manager) outside the club and he invited me with them. So it turned out so good man!! Y'know, chillin, sippin coughee and feelin' fine.. Devin the dudes concert was the best man! Cormega was good too, inspite of that he was missing a Dj!! But Devin the Dude - OH SO GOOD! He's a musical genius and his style man!! This is the best concert i've been too! It might have something doing with me liking his music a lot, but live, man! He got this silky, cool, laidback flow! He took some songs from the last album, To tha X-treme and a couple of songs from the other two! It was sweet, and of course coughee sippin'...(he he)..

So, it's over, Århus Took It 2005! Big ups for Henning Winther, the big boss. It was a sweet time, for real! And BCC ended it all with a really great show. There were, Sean P, Buckshot and Smiff'n'Wessun. They even got Cormega to introduce themselve!
This has been, oh so sweet man! I've seen a lot of good artist, done two interviews and got to know Devin and the guys. They're cool mellow people with their feet on the ground, for real!!

Holla Cormega! thnx for the interview and a great concert! Keep it real man!

Holla Matt, Drew and of course Devin!! Denmark was sweet man! I had the best time!! Stay in touch for real man!!

Devin interview:

Lady AhY: Tell me about when it started.. How you got into hip hop?

Devin: I got into hip hop...uh.. when i was like in the 8th-9th grade. Like in the early 80's. Uh..it was fresh and new y'know. They had a radiostation called KTSU 90.9, and college radio station in Houston. And they used to play all the new hip hop every Saturday mornin y'know. So i would have my tape cassette ready to record every Saturday mornin'. And y'know.. it was just.. it was.. it went along with what we did. We was into breakdancin' and poppin' and stuff. So we was.. y'know.. we needed the music to do that with. So we was.. i was like a fanatic. Had to have all the new stuff every saturday. Had to be the only one with all the songs, the fresh new songs y'know..

Lady AhY: Yeah man! And we saw your breakdancing last night(07.10.05) actually, at the afterparty. And it was really good so..

Devin: Oh cool, it was kind a rusty man y'know. I do the old school thing y'know. But i'm glad they still keep breakdancing alive too. Cos i like the competition, i like the new rou..i like the new combinations and routines that they have now. They're still cool!

Lady AhY: Yeah, the new guys are really good!

Devin: Yeah!

Lady AhY: So your concert went really well. And you're like this huge star in Denmark! (..laughs...) You got like "attacked" when you walked around in the club and around town. How did that feel?

Devin: Ah.. it felt wonderfull man. I was surprised y'know. I didn't know they'd that much love here..y'know..for me. I didn't know if people heard my music or not, but y'know.. They even surprised me with music from texas that i've even heard yet too. So they.. y'know.. so it was incredible how they.. y'know respond and gave me the energy to give'em back on stage..

Lady AhY: Yeah, and they all know your lyrics and stuff. How was it to play in Århus/Denmark, cos you've never been Scandinavia before, right?

Devin: Right right. It's the first time here ever in Denmark man. So i was.. i didn't know what to expect. So i was just hoping everything would turn out cool y'know. And it came out even better than it would man. They have a lot of love for me out here man. So i'm glad to be here and i'm hoping to come back real soon!

Lady AhY: Rumor is that you're going on a Europe Tour over new years..

Devin: Yeah, we tryin to build something up llike in Sweden and London y'know. And try to get some stuff together y'know.. where we can come back y'know.. often because y'know it was very shocking.. (..laughs..) it was a shocking experience!

Lady AhY: Yeah, that's good! And i said to you before that i would LOVE to have you play in Oslo/Norway. And we would probably try to make that happen..

Devin: Ah of course! Most definitely man! I.. i've be glad to come to Norway ANYTIME y'know.. just give me a c.. invite me and i'm there!

Lady AhY: Yeah man, and i will FOR SURE!! Little bout your music.. you given out 3(6 with the screwed and chopped up albums) solo albums. The last one you said is kind of slower..

Devin: Yeah it's cool. It's a little bit slower y'know.. a little bit slower than the other ones i guess.. y'know.. i had fun doin' it, but not as much fun as i did with the first two. But it was.. y'know .. it was kind a laidback , it was experience that i had to do. Y'know i had to go around and look for producers and look for studios and do a lot of footwork myself on it. So that was.. that was a change right there, but it was.. it was nice to been through.. (..laughs..)

Lady AhY: Yeah..and probably that's the record that gotten you so popular now. Cos some of them doesn't know your others or the things you've done before with Odd Squad, Getto Boyz and Facemob. And you featured like Kool G Rap, De La Soul, Dr. Dre.. and you have like all the tunes (Devin: ..wow..) and it's really good! So i think they should know bout the "old Devin" too. And you've played old and new stuff at the concert.. ehm you've played some brand new stuff too..

Devin: Ah well well.. not just brand new, but ah.. it was from the To tha X-treme album. I did some from The Dude album(the first album) and i think i did one from Just Tryin ta Live 2.. yeah.. so i try to incorporate y'know.. a couples of songs from each album. But i appreciate all the people who.. who heard of me from the To tha X-treme album. And i definitely appreciate the ones that heard of me before then and gave me a lot of support and love for it.

Lady AhY: For sure! Cos you're not on the charts (top 20 stuff, ment as a positive thing), don't know bout the US. But i think that's good, cos you stay low-key, say "underground". Can do your thing and not what everybody else does. And that's probably what you want or..

Devin: Yeah y'know.. i wouldn't mind if y'know.. a lot of success and, and everything that's comes with it comes along. That's good y'know. The appreciation of music and the.. and people just lettin' me know what they.. y'know..they like what i do is, is cool. It will get me further.

Lady AhY: For real man! ..which of your album's the favorite?

Devin:
Ah, it's hard to say. We had lot of fun with The Dude album, had fun doin' that. The Just Tryin ta Live was, was more.. it was handled a lot better for as the budget and the studios. And the production and the people.. y'know.. i had to help me out with it. The third one was, was an experience y'know. Tryin to get all the stuff arranged and everything together y'know. Y'know practically almost by myself y'know.. kind a.. that was an experience so. All of them i had each individual y'know..likeness about.. Um, but i guess if i had a favorite one.. it would be hard to say.. but The dude i had the most fun with..

Lady AhY:
Ah, cool. That's the album i like the most too actually! (..Devin: oh good, cool) ..Eh it's the best one i think..

Devin:
Cool! Thank you

Lady AhY:
Oh, you're welcome! Um, what're you working on right now? you got like a dvd..

Devin:
Yeah, i'm workin' on a documentary. Yeah, and i hopefully gonna put a few copies of my next solo album. Workin' on another solo album, workin' on another Odd Squad project, ah..ehm..my Coughee Brothaz, we're doin a coughee brothaz thing too y'know.. That's like Odd Squad plus all our friends and stuff.. Who come around and drink, and smoke, and rap, and sing and everything..we're just y'know.. (..laughs..)

Lady AhY:
Yeah, that's cool! What's your next album gonna called, if you can say that..

Devin:
Ah, i'm not sure yet. I definitely for being honest, i don't know yet.. I'm just like half way done with it. So i guess we might run into a couple of songs that might give a general idea of how the entire album sounds.

Lady AhY:
And do you have any features?

Devin:
Oh, i have the Odd Squad on there, i got Butch Cassidy, guy named Tony Mac.. I got a few producers y'know.. that's got real good music and none of you heard, That aint Richer for Picnic, Time music, ah Chuck Keith from LA, Uno Blast from the Odd Squad.. And i'm puttin' a little touches on there myself and tryin' to help out with the production and everything too.. So i will try to have the way around it.

Lady AhY:
It's good! When you write, where do you write and where do you get your inspiration from?

Devin:
Well.. it depend y'know. I can be in different places. I might write or think about a few lines in one place and finish it somewhere else. And go to the studio in the mornings and try to get a y'know.. head start in the morning try to write on somethin'. So y'know, i don't have just one certain place that i write. And the inspiration comes lot of times from the music.. It gives me kind of an idea of what goes with certain instruments inside a song.. it might give me a lead on where to go y'know. Sometimes a melody kind a let me know how to write the beat and what to say.

Lady AhY:
You've said something bout Zeldar (track 1 on Just Tryin Ta Live 1) and that it's a "jam session"...

Devin:
(..Laughs..) Yeah it was a.. i was freestyling. I was gonna lay a hook for another song and i started talking through the mic.. It start sounded kind of crazy y'know weird.. having an effect on it, and the beat was going and i just start rappin'. Like oh, i was like alien. I was (..laughs..) and they were like, "we can't hear you, keep goin, KEEP GOING!" (laughs) They press record on me man, and i just kept on going. And when i was finished with it, everybody was laughing and.. And it was like "come inside, lets hear it!" I was like " nah, i gotta lay the hook" and the "no man that's it, leave it alone like that!" Like, ohh man.. (laughs)

Lady AhY: ..
So that's it.. It's a fun "tune"! (laughs)

Devin:
Cool!

Lady AhY:
It's cool that you can do things like that! Just come out with a track in freestyle..

Devin:
Yes, we had fun doin' that! (laughs)

Lady AhY:
And your songs, are they taken out from your real life, your experiences?

Devin:
Ah, pretty much. Either that, what i've been through, what i y'know.. wishful thinkin'.. ah y'know.. previous experiences that i've maybe been through with somebody else or somethin' i don't wanna go through or somethin y'know.. (laughs) so, yeah..

Lady AhY:
And you got kids, right, how many?

Devin:
Four kids.

Lady AhY:
How old are they?

Devin:
They're from 14-2.

Lady AhY:
Right, and how's the "father-hood", is it good?

Devin:
Yeah yeah, what the "father-hood"? It's cool man. It's nice to look at somebody
shorter than you, that looks like you.

Lady AhY:
Are they boys and girls?

Devin:
Yeah, three girls and one boy.

Lady AhY:
Like holidays, it's Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas is coming up. What are you doing in the holidays?

Devin:
Ah, hopefully we're doin' some shows (..laughs..) Hopefully we're doin' some shows. And like for Christmas i try to.. oh for Thanksgiving we try to make it down to my mom. And we all get together, the whole family get together y'know. And for Christmas we do the chill at the crib and y'know.. Holla lot of coughee folks that living in Houston y'know.. and holla at our friends and..

Lady AhY:
Real! What's your favorite thing bout Christmas? if you have a favorite..

Devin:
Well, ah.. i guess the way, oh people tend to treat each other on the average on that day. I think it should be like that pretty much everyday. Everybody's like smiling feelin' good and y'know.. "merry Christmas and i love you all". It's kind of extra friendly y'know.. Ehm..but on the flip side of that too, a lot of people are kind of sad. Cos they don't get the things that they expected and gifts and stuff for Christmas.. And you know.. it goes..

Lady AhY:
..both ways..

Devin:
Yeah, both ways. But it seem like Christmas should be everyday!

Lady AhY:
What's beeen your favorite thing bout Århus/Denmark? Cos it's your last night and you're leavin tomorrow..

Devin:
Um, other than the people.. i like the peacefulness. I like the freedom, that y'know, they pretty much have. And every y'know.. it's a live time y'know. They have good spirit in everybody, pretty much cheerful and stuff y'know. I didn't really hear to many people arguing or getting mad bout anything to much. Y'know and if they were they probably just drinkin' a bit to much or something. But other than that..y'know.. for the most part y'know.. it's a lot of cool people here.

Lady AhY:
Eh, what's your favorite memory from your carrier up till now?

Devin:
WOW! Yeah, nah i can't even sum it up. It's been so many pretty good times. It's been SO many y'know good times.. i... just can't think of just one, "look-the-best-time-i've-ever-had", but.. one pretty cool time.. was like for me with the Odd Squad, when we finally got like a deal, y'know? A record deal. It was like, from some, oh from a record company who a lot of people wanted to be on with. And the fact that they y'know came to us, and and heard what we did and asked us to be a part of the team. Was really cool. Got really excited bout that!

Lady AhY:
That's cool! but when you decided to go solo, where you afraid of people nor liking your music?

Devin:
No, wasn't really afraid. I was just, just used to a group thing y'know. I always like a group y'know, footballteam, basketballteam, the rap groups.. always a group y'know.. breakdancingteam y'know group. And it was just, i didn't wanna seem like i was like selfish or anything i just did by myself. I had a lot of support from the people who had helped me, the people that was in the group with me. And different groups y'know... they was real supportive bout me doing a solo album too, so they helped me out a lot. I'm chosen to do it y'know.

Lady AhY:
What would you do if you weren't an artist?

Devin:
I don't know, i don't know.... maybe a dj or a comedian... (laughs)

Lady AhY:
Yeah, you do the funny stuff!! (laughs)

Devin:
Well i like to laugh, i like to y'know.. i like to laugh.. and i like to y'know.. i don't know. But it's a cool thing to be in this business, in the music business..

Lady AhY:
Yeah you experience so much and you can go places, see things and..

Devin:
Yeah, and just the idea of like people listening to my music like i used to listen to y'know, other peoples music..it's like ah.. to rewind it and take it back and listen, record and just y'know..
Hear people, "hey, you've heard this?" Y'know, so i like being a part of it.

Lady AhY:
Some peolpe will might get a bit superior by being famous or well known. But you seem like a-earth-kind-a-guy..

Devin:
Yeah, it's a blessing y'know, to be a part of something like this, y'know. So i don't, i could never take it for granted and think that y'know.. i can never lose it or i'm the greatest and.. y'know to good for this and that. Cos y'know in the time of what could happen. You got to chary every moment! And y'know especially when people's givin' you love and stuff. You got.. y'know you got to show'em their back y'know.

Lady AhY:
Yeah it's really good! When you don't do music, what do you do then?

Devin:
Ah, if i had some spare time that would be real cool, but between, y'know.. the family and the studio y'know.. I'm either here or there y'know.. or out on the road with the music. I don't get any spare time.. (laughs)

Lady AhY:
It's a jet-set life you're chosen, but it's fun though! You'll get so much..

Devin:
Yeah for sure, for sure man..

Lady AhY:
Can you tell me what we'll hear on your next album.. if you'll give me some hints..

Devin: ..
Eh..um..

Lady AhY: ..
Sing me a tune.. (laughs)

Devin:
Well, well.. nah, i probably not gonna have nothin' to sing just yet, cos i don't know if every things gonna be just y'know.. Well.. you're gonna expect some good time, y'know.. some good feelin' music.. y'know, if you like to sip coughee.. y'know you like to sip coughee you'd enjoy it! Somethin' to sit back and thank you tunes. Some y'know.. i guess some humor parts in it too y'know. Hopefully we can.. you can laugh out, y'know of the deal too. And y'know i just wanna get it back to a fun lovin' type music atmosphere y'know.. So it'll be a little...it'll be a little interesting, it'll be interesting. Like i said i'm half way there so.. y'know i can only tell you bout half of it..

Lady AhY:
Yeah, and i'm looking forward to hear your new album when it's out! When is it out?

Devin:
Hopefully by the summer, next year, 2006.

Lady AhY:
Cool!! In the end, can you give some shoutouts to Kingsize?

Devin:
Yo what's up? This is Devin the Dude. Like to give Big shoutouts to Kingsize magazine! You all keep doing you're thing. Much love, keep making major moves!! (beat box sound) Devin the Dude (beat box sound)

Lady AhY:
Thnx!!

...(laughs)..

So this is my interview with Devin the Dude, 09.10.05.
there will come more on this site.. and i will correct it.. i just have to get to bed!!