By Chris Richburg
With a desire to purse other career options, rapper Devin the Dude is parting ways with his longtime recording home Rap-A-Lot Records.
The departure marks the end of a 15 year-plus relationship between Rap-A-Lot and the Texas rapper, who decided not to renew his contract.
According to Devin the Dude, there was no ill will behind the split.
"Rap-A-Lot has been my family for a long time and there's no bad blood at all," said the rapper, who carved a niche for himself after signing a deal with the Odd Squad on Rap-A-Lot in 1992.
“Change is a part of life and I feel like this is the time to make a change and focus more on the business side of my career,“ the rapper said. “I've had a nice run so I'd like to develop artists and give some of these other cats out here a platform to shine."
Before going solo, Devin the Dude encountered success as member of Odd Squad on the group’s 1994 album Fadanuf Fa Erybody.
The release captured the attention of revered Houston rapper Scarface, who invited Devin the Dude to join his collective Face Mob.
The alliance resulted in Face Mob’s 1996 offering The Other Side of the Law.
As a solo artist, Devin the Dude released his classic debut The Dude, an ode to wine, women and weed that featured the emcee's humorous brand of risqué funk over production from the Coughee Bros.
Other Rap-A-Lot albums that were recorded over the last 10 years by Devin the Dude included Just Trying 2 Live in 2002, 2004's 2 Tha Extreme, and Waiting to Inhale, which was released in March 2007.
The rapper's most notable guest appearance was on the song "F**k You" from Dr. Dre’s album 2001.
This past year saw Devin the Dude promoting the recently released independent album Waitin Our Turn while touring with his original Coughee Bros.
The rapper, who expressed a desire to make new music, is currently exploring options concerning over several offers from various record labels.