Devlin (rapper)

Devlin
Background information
Birth name James Devlin[1]
Born 7 May 1989 (1989-05-07) (age 26)
Origin Dagenham, London, England
Genres
Occupation(s) Rapper
Years active 2006–present
Labels
Associated acts
Website www.officialdevlin.com

James Devlin (born 7 May 1989), better known mononymously as Devlin, is an English rapper from Dagenham, London, England, he attended the Brittons Academy in Rainham. He signed to Island Records. Part of grime collective 'O.T Crew' with Dogzilla, Deeperman, M. Eye, Benson, Kozy, Syer Bars and Daze.[2] Devlin was also a member of The Movement, consisting of himself, Wretch 32, Scorcher, Ghetts, Lightning, Mercston and DJ Unique but has since left. He is known for his lyricism and flow.[3][4]

Career

Beginning

Devlin started working with a collection of Grime MCs called The OT Crew (Members; Dogzilla/Deeperman etc.). Soon he joined up with The Movement, members included friend and fellow east london Grime MC Ghetts and North London's Wretch 32 and Scorcher. In December 2006 The Movement released their first and only release entitled Tempo Specialists. Devlin's music began to reach commercial radio stations. He made appearances on Kiss FM and BBC Radio 1Xtra with DJs Logan Sama, Tim Westwood and Cameo. Devlin released his second solo mixtape The Art of Rolling[5] in 2008. US rap star Kanye West posted a video on his blog of Devlin's appearance on Grime DVD Practice Hours when he was aged 15.

In 2009, Devlin's first video was aired on Channel AKA. "London City" spent 10 weeks at no.1 on the channel's official video chart. Other videos followed including Community Outcast and Giant.

In December 2009, Devlin was announced on the long list for the BBC Sound of 2010. Devlin signed to Island Records in March 2010, and began working on his first studio album Bud, Sweat and Beers.

2010–11: Bud, Sweat and Beers

His debut album, Bud, Sweat and Beers was released on Island Records in 2010. The first single from the album was "Brainwashed", which was released on 8 August 2010 in the UK and debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number 31, and number 11 on the UK R&B Chart. The second single, "Runaway", was released on 24 October 2010, where it debuted at number 15, marking Devlin's most successful single to date. The single was succeeded by the release of the debut album, Bud, Sweat and Beers, which was released on 1 November 2010 and debuted at number 21 on the UK Albums Chart. "London City" entered the UK chart at number 181 following strong digital downloads from the album.[6] The third single released from the album was "Let It Go" featuring British-producer Labrinth. The track, which was released on 31 January 2011,[7] charted at number 59 in the UK based on downloads alone. In January 2011, Devlin appeared on Jessie J's UK version of "Price Tag".

Devlin featured on Tinchy Stryder's Game Over with Giggs, Professor Green, Tinie Tempah, Example and Chipmunk.

2012–present: A Moving Picture

Devlin stated on an interview with Tim Westwood on BBC Radio 1Xtra that his second album will be released in October 2012, and it will be called A Moving Picture. He also released the free 5 track EP "The Director's Cut", which featured long-time collaborators Ghetts and Rawz Artilla, as well as London City Part 2, the sequel to his earlier song.

New songs that he's released:

○ Devlin 50 grand ft. Skepta

○ Devlin Castella freestyle

○ Devlin corned beef city

○ Devlin - Bitches (February 19, 2016)

○ Devlin RiskyRoadz Freestyle 2016 (February 25, 2016)

Discography

Main article: Devlin discography
Studio albums

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, April 30, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.