Longevity and success are the goals of any acknowledged musician. Rapper, best-selling songwriter, creator, educator, and hip hop architect Devious has most certainly achieved those goals.
Devious helped to create New Orleans hip hop music through a series of steps, most notably the fact that he began his career when he was a mere pre-teen. After decades of a pilgrimage of sorts, it culminated in him being awarded ASCAP Songwriter of the Year, a proud honor that only a handful of artists can claim.
Devious’ work with youth to create positive outlets where they can express themselves and showcase their talent has only added to his resume. He created the New Orleans Union of Entertainment, a successful organization that helped shine a light on the city’s underground talent. He eventually added a youth chapter where teens and others can take part in brainstorming, networking, sharing entertainment ideas, and much more. In addition, his music has also taken a turn toward positivity and inspiring others, most importantly, our youth.
Devious’ recent collaboration with international superstar Kevin Gates is set to unleash a stream of consciousness and create a positive and thought provoking single,” You Sleep Out Here”. The single will be available on iTunes on July 15th. It is produced by award winning New Orleans based producer, BlaqNMild.
We wanted to know more about this epic collaboration – we caught up with Devious to get his take on it. Here’s what he had to say, “Kevin is an intelligent guy and his work ethic speaks volumes. My cousin Eddreon who lives in Baton Rouge, made me aware of him two years ago and suggested that we collaborate. Based on my cousin’s referral, his team responded to me. After a few months of Gates being unavailable, his team reached out to me. Cise made a hot mixtape record for me and I felt Gates fit the track. BlaqNMild produced the iTunes version. Kevin is down to earth and his team is very accountable. Out of respect for his craft and success, we wanted to add to his movement versus just grabbing a feature to bandwagon his buzz. Cise and I have been creating instrumental songs and submitting them to major labels for placement. I think it bridges the gap between my audience and his. I wanted to do something special to reach the youth and show Louisiana that we really work together regardless of status or label affiliation. I reached out to BlaqNMild because I wanted people to hear his skill set on a hip hop composition. He’s extremely talented and diverse. It all worked out and the stars lined up for all of us on this record. It’s a gumbo mix for sure.”
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