Artist: Devin The DudeTitle: Waitin’ To InhaleRating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Adam Thomas
To those who find themselves never shying away from the radio, you may never discover subgenre’s in Hip-Hop other than the party and bullsh*t that usually permeates the airwaves. He may not feature 1000 spin anthems, but those who hear Devin the Dude know that he is liable to kick a rhyme or sing a hook that can pull you in for an experience that you can relate to. Three years after his last album, To Tha Extreme, Devin pushes the limit once again with Waitin’ to Inhale (Rap-A-Lot Records).
To those who are familiar, Devin’s signature sound is still there. Tales of sex and weed lace this LP, with a bit of self-depreciating comedy that will find your relating to him. He still achieves the sound that makes you feel like he is one of the dudes in your crew. “Lil Girl Gone” featuring Lil Wayne & Bun B and “What a Job” featuring Andre 3000 & Snoop Dogg shows Devin holding his own with some of the biggest stars in the game.
Even with his normal style entertaining fans, Devin takes chances on this album and delivers something that goes beyond the normal stories of misogynistic glory. The aforementioned “Lil Girl Gone” gives a look into girls lost with the gloomy beat mixed with a provoking hook “Lil girl gon, somewhere out there stranded, She was raised good can’t blame her parents, lost in the sauce is not the way that they planned it,” makes for a deep song. “No Longer Needed Here” features a more somber and depressed Devin as he talks about a breakup. The concepts may differ, but matched with Devin’s style and skill, its diversity pushes the album to the next level.
Within this album, you are liable to find a song to describe your mood on a normal day, with just enough bump and slide in it to let you play it all the way through no matter how you feel. Even if we had to wait a while to inhale the flows and concepts this album provides, in the end, you will find that it was well worth the delay.
