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ThaFormula.com - Now you're first album was a great album. Did it do what you thought it should have done?

Devin The Dude - Nah, not really but it was cool. It was a good chance for the people to hear me. The album was a growing process. It was my first solo album and people were even wondering,  can I even do it? But you know blessings started coming and certain people started coming to help me out. Scarface put a lot of work in with me. In '94 I was in a group called the Odd Squad and Dre had heard of us then too. During the first Chronic tour they said they was listening to the Odd Squad album. Him and Snoop and all that were hip on us then. It was real underground. We was just talkin' about pussy and getting high as fuck and havin' a good time, and it was cool. It was just word of mouth people hearin' us and just blessings started coming man. People started callin' us for stuff. Scarface he asked me to do a hook for him. Him and Ice Cube did a song and I was blessed on that one. He gave me an opportunity to get heard on that one, and since then I was workin' and never stopped working in the studio. Music that's first and foremost. We love music and while we was working, Scarface was like "what do you think about doing a solo album?" So I was like maybe it can work and we really worked hard and had a lot of fun doing it. It came out pretty decent. We didn't do a video for it or nothing. I was just blessed to have a first solo album and people said the response on it was cool. The few people who did hear it.

ThaFormula.com - Now it seems like everything comin' out the South is all bounce type music, but you came with something different.

Devin The Dude - Well there is a lot of different stuff happening in the South. It's not just that. There is a lot of stereotypes on how things happen and that's cool to because we have a known sound like most cities have there specific sounds but within that city there is a few different people doin there own thang..

ThaFormula.com - So you really had no plans on doing a solo album?

Devin The Dude - No not really at first. I always wanted to, but it was like I always wanted to build enough listeners or what have you. who liked what I was talkin' about to make an album.

ThaFormula.com - Were you expecting anything with your first album or was it just whatever?

Devin The Dude - I felt like I do on this second album. I just want people to like it or to say is it cool, or what songs I should do a video for or what songs I probably should have chilled with. I like the response, whatever it maybe. Just to have the opportunity to sit here right now and make a second solo album is a blessing for me, and then being asked for by Dre and Scarface or havin' an opportunity to do a song with Ice Cube and Too Short. That's all the people I listened to back in the day right there.

ThaFormula.com - Some people look at you like the next Too Short. What are your thoughts on that?

Devin The Dude - That's an honor to say right there. But there can only be one Too Short, Dre and whatever.

ThaFormula.com - Now you worked with N.O. Joe on your last album and that was definitely Gumbo Funk at it's best right there.

Devin The Dude - Oh! you know about N.O. Joe! Yeah! He's got the funk right there.

ThaFormula.com - Man I haven't heard Gumbo Funk like that since the Geto Boys back in the day.

Devin The Dude - Uh oh! Yep and come on now it don't stop! Since you brought that up, that track there (untitled track blaring in the studio) was on an instrumental beat tape that N.O. had and I think he had Face listening to it for his Untouchable album. We was listening to it and every time that song came on it was real raw, but I just had to rewind it every time I heard it. I knew that I didn't have no dibs on it so I would just listen to it. When it came around to it and I went to help Face with his album and he chose all the songs and we went back to that and I asked him if he was gonna use that one. He didn't use it, so I was like whoa! I had to use it. I called up N.O. like "what's up with this beat?" He said it's cool, so I wrote like the first verse when I went out of town to visit my mom and like a month or 2 later I had a verse and a hook and I had pretty much said everything I had wanted to say. So I just brought that little bridge back in, "Say whatcha wanna" so it sounded like one of those songs from back in the day how they used to arrange songs cause I like the old school type of ways of doing things in the studio. So it came out real tight.

ThaFormula.com - So did you study what was going on in the studio before you started getting in to it?

Devin The Dude - Yeah, hands on mostly. I went to the Art Institute of Houston right before we got signed like in '92. But as soon as we got signed I fucked around and quit. I should have stayed, I wouldn't be in here knockin' over beers and shit! HA!HA!! Nah, but it was a cool experience man and the knowledge they gave is all about really just your music, and your love for it, you know. How you just love the music really, because a lot of people are in the music for different reasons and there is a certain reason you got to be here to last! And it's getting' kind of wild with the way rap is going.

ThaFormula.com - Have you started to see any Devin biters out there or people following your style?

Devin The Dude - I take it as a compliment because the shit can drive a muthafucka crazy if you just let it. See, blowin' up to me is just everybody feelin' the same way at a certain time and that's not the way it is all the time. You blow up at that specific time cause that's what's going on or somethin', but later on it probably dies down some. If I could just make a song that just sits right there in the middle or just lasts forever, that would be cool. I don't wanna just blow up and then just fall down. I like to have music out there and just last really. I wouldn't mid just havin' a hit or something, but I don't think I would go in the studio and say, "OK, today were makin a hit", "Whoo! We're gonna blow up around this muthfucka!" (Laughs)

ThaFormula.com - So what's going on with the new album. What are we lookin' at right now?

Devin The Dude - Well right now we got Bob Brown over there (glancing across the mixing board) on the knobs. The original Bobby B (Laughs). He's mixed about 14 to 16 songs so far. Production wise I got my homeboy DJ Domination of the Geto Boys, Coffee Brothers, matter a fact let's take a little pause for the cause and check out a little something and come back to this.

ThaFormula.com - Oh without a doubt.

Devin The Dude - We haven't totally mixed down 15, but there is probably around 18 songs done and some works in progress.

ThaFormula.com - Did you record the whole album here in L.A.?

Devin The Dude - Nah, I did most of it in Houston.

ThaFormula.com - What's the reaction so far from the people that you have let hear the album?

Devin The Dude - So far it's pretty cool man. I mean you had a pretty cool reaction to it. You make me feel good about the situation.

ThaFormula.com - It's definitely dope man. If it was wack I would tell you it was wack, or I just wouldn't say anything at all. The Dre track is incredible! I haven't heard Dre come like that in a while.

Devin The Dude - (Laughs). So far so good man. Hard work slowly but surely.

ThaFormula.com - How long have you been working on this album now?

Devin The Dude - Up here in L.A. its been about 4 months so far.

ThaFormula.com - How much time did you spend recording your first album?

Devin The Dude - We didn't do the mix this long. It took us about 3 weeks to do the mix.

ThaFormula.com - So why has it taken so long this time for this album?

Devin The Dude - Because were still working on new songs. Actually I did like 3 new songs since I been here too.

ThaFormula.com - Are you the type of MC that can bust out 5 songs in a day or do you take your time on a track?

Devin The Dude - I gotta try and take my time, but that's cool too if they can bust quality work and make it sound like they took a lot of time with it. That's cool if they can go in there and just bust that shit, but if they just go in there and just rush that shit, it's different.

ThaFormula.com - Do you think that there is too many MC's doing the same ol’ shit as far as talkin’ bitch this bitch that?

Devin The Dude - Yeah, I just think that it ain't what you doin’ but how you do it. If it's already been done a certain way maybe you should try to switch up and do it another way.

ThaFormula.com - How much has your life changed since the up In Smoke Tour?

Devin The Dude - Actually I just been up in the studio trying to mash on this work and stay focused, but it's been like blessings after the tour though. A lot of people I run into either they saw it on video or were at the show. They will walk up to me and say I saw you on the tour and this and that. It's a blessing.

ThaFormula.com - Do you think most rappers are in this rap game for money and females?

Devin The Dude - For some that's it, but to me that's going through it. Women, bitches, money or whatever. That's going through the whole thing. It's up to you where you wanna end up. I mean what's your ultimate goal out of the whole shit.

ThaFormula.com - What were you doing before the tour? Did you get asked to go on the tour or did you ask Dre if you could get on?

Devin The Dude - Nah, I was asked. I was asked to get on the song too.

ThaFormula.com - Were you surprised when he came callin’?

Devin The Dude - Man, was I. I didn't think it was true. I thought they was just fuckin’ with me. He was like, "Hey man Dre wants you to come down and work on the Chronic 2 album." I said, "Get the fuck out my face man! Don't be callin’ me with this bullshit, you got some weed Nigga?" (Laughs hysterically) They were like, "say man this is for real man."

ThaFormula.com - I remember looking at your cover and sayin’, "Damn that is a ghetto ass cover", what made you use that as your cover?

Devin The Dude - Man, we took like a thousand pictures man and we went through all of them muthafuckas and that was the one people went for. It was cool. It was kind of funny.

ThaFormula.com - So do you live by your shows?

Devin The Dude - Yeah, most artists shows and appearances and stuff will get them paid throughout while they are working on somethin’ new.

ThaFormula.com - So what happens if there is no shows?

Devin The Dude - Shit, it depends on how your last album did and how much you had to recoup, and how much you was in debt, and how much you owed. There is a lot of shit involved with it. You gotta take certain steps. Like I'm takin’ longer then usual on the mix down, so I'm gonna try and conserve in another part. Like promotional tours, I'll cut back a little on that. It's like a roll of the dice. Really, it takes money to make money.

ThaFormula.com - How did your first album do? I don't really know anything about how it did?

Devin The Dude - Well, it's, uh, actually I don't either (laughs). Nah, I'm just fuckin’ with you man. It didn't go gold or nothin’, but it did good enough for me to recoup and get to where I am now.

ThaFormula.com - Also, I'm sure you didn't spend much right?

Devin The Dude - Right, you know. No video or nothin’. It was cool. It was a cool experience. You have to have a good first album in order to do a second or third album.

ThaFormula.com - Did you ever think that you would be sitting here working on your second album?

Devin - I was hoping, but I learned not to put everything into something. Music changes so much. You go through so many ups and downs and different times. You wanna just consider doing something else and you know it's just a lot of shit you go through. So you know nothing is promised, so you just got to have faith and pray and just work and put all you got into it and just let it roll.

ThaFormula.com - How do you stay focused when your hangin’ with mega-stars and groupies everywhere and shit like that?

Devin - Your responsibilities man. You just have to stay focused on your responsibilities especially if you have kids. Luckily my hobby just turned into what I gotta do to keep my family fed, and that just puts some good pressure on me to keep focused.

ThaFormula.com - Do you feel you learned anything from working with Dre?

Devin - Yeah, it's a learning process everyday, and then especially on the tour. Those three months was like everyday was like a double learning process. The fun was 50% and the work was 60%, and you need 110% going through that muthafucka because you got to give your all in every city, because that city is expecting a cool show. Like you just fresh out and it's kind of hard to do that 3 weeks down the line, day to day jumpin’ up and then getting fucked up at the after parties and shit. You gotta pace yourself and stay focused. You can't look at every bitch and say, "Oh, I wanna stick my dick up in you" (laughs).

ThaFormula.com - But do you get tempted?

Devin - For sho, I'm tempted on a lot of shit.

ThaFormula.com - What's the craziest thing you saw a girl do to try and get back stage?

Devin - I was in Canada, Toronto. Sometimes I got my little part on the stage that I'm doing and then when I finish that I got out in the audience and hang out. In Canada, I went back in the audience after I got off stage and this girl just came out of nowhere...

"Hey, what's up?" I said "what's, what's your name?" She said some crazy name. She said, "You Devin right?" I said "Yeah." Then she said, "Hey, take me back stage, I'll suck your dick, I'll deep throat, I'll do all that shit!” I said "what?!" She said, "yeah, just take me back stage, I'll do it right now come on." Then there was a security guard that she tried to take me up to and said, "security let us back stage." I said to her, "hold up girl it don't go like that, you can't just do it like that, watch out, just chill right there baby." She said, "come on, I'll do it right now!" I said, "Ok, just chill though." The security was a lady and she was like, "no fuckin’ way I'm gonna let this bitch back stage!" (Laughs) So I told her, "baby you gonna have to chill." Then she says, "oh come on, who else you got with you? I'll do everybody!" I told her, "you can't go back stage!” So then she drug me like in the men's restroom and started rippin’ down some shit and all of a sudden here come the police bangin’ on the door. "Hey, hold on you know you can't do that!" I said, "but she came and dragged me in here!" They said, "come on man you know you can't do that, you know better then that." I was like "c'mon man!" "She was just about to suck my dick dammit!!”

So you know that was kind of wild, but other then that, it didn't go down. I didn't get my dick sucked, but I had fun though. Toronto was real cool. Canada is real cool. The girl was kind of cool. She was a little Ms. Piggish. She was alright, kinda thick. That shit was crazy man. I let her drag me to the bathroom! I let her pull my pants down! I let her pull my dick out, almost! Ha Ha!!!

ThaFormula.com - How was it getting to tour with the top dogs in the industry?

Devin - It was an honor man to meet all them cats man. Everybody was cool. The Eastsidaz, D12, Xzibit.

ThaFormula.com - Was there a lot of artists trying to jump on that tour?

Devin - Not that I know of man. Because when they came to me with it, it was like would you mind being on it. It was like they already had it together. This shit was already planned. Dre was trippin’ before every show, he's out there helping them set up, getting the mics ready, before every fuckin’ showz! So he put a lot of work into his shit man. It was a blessing just to see cats of that caliber working that hard and see how much it takes and how focused you have to be.

ThaFormula.com - So let's give people out there a run down of the album before we break.

Devin - Ok, the name of the album is called, "Just Tryin’ to Live" Because in this rap career, people just see different things of rappers in the videos and just think it's a certain way when it's really not. It's a constant struggle. It’s a lot of people that's involved in this project, I got the Odd Sqaud who I go way back with on the ‘94 album "Fat Enough for Everybody". I got a guy name Manchild on the album and on that song, "Just Tryin to Live". Production wise, I got Mike Dean, Rob, I did a couple of tracks, Suave House, DJ Domination nigga! He did a lot of the last album. My Coffee Brothers, I'm still waiting to hear from my dog N.O. Joe. I recorded about 35 songs to prepare for this album altogether. That was about 1 year and 9 months worth of work right there. It's been just non-stop since "The Dude" album.

ThaFormula.com - Do you think you will ever quit smokin’ or drinkin’?

Devin - Well, smokin’ weed is natural. It's from the ground, it's from the earth, it's for you and me man! But alcohol may be different. Too much of that can fuck you up. I mean, I don't know if anybody ever overdosed on weed. "Say man, you heard about cat dog? Man that nigga smoked himself to death late at night nigga!” (Laughs) You never heard about a overdose, but I wouldn't suggest no school bus driver smoke weed.

ThaFormula.com - So what do you expect to happen after the album drops?

Devin - Well, right now I'm at a stage of trying to set new goals. I have to try to set one goal at a time. My last goal was just finish up my second solo album and get my family taken care of and once that's done try and reach for something else. But right now it's just to try and get a good response on it and if it's accepted maybe I can work on the third album or just go out on tour or something.

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