1. A rapper from… Read Full Bio ↴There are multiple artists who use the name Devlin:
1. A rapper from London, signed to Island Records.
2. A gothic metal band from Sweden, last signed to Napalm Records.
1. Rapper from United Kingdom:
It’s taken a handful of years for Dagenham resident Devlin to take his deep, dedicated lyrics out of the confines of East London and prove his worth across the North/South border. It’s now not unusual to watch Devlin causing carnage on stage in Northampton or booking shows in Amsterdam.
At 18 years of age Devlin has what can only be described as a cult following of supporters that value his intelligent and evocative lyrics, in a pool of MCs that all too often spawn monotonous and lacklustre rappers. A diamond in the rough, Devlin’s road to success began at O.T. Recordings where he still currently resides with label-mates Dogzilla, Shotz, Syer, Rachet, and Deverlish amongst others.
Devlin was first brought to O.T's attention when he hit the airwaves on a local radio station at jus 13; even then it was easy to see he had real talent. Devlin would go up radio as much as he could with whoever would let him on, he was also writing and recording songs with friends and local producers at a very young age. It wasn’t very long before he built up a good reputation in the area. A few years later he was brought to Dogzilla's attention again, this time by a mutual friend, Dogzy decided to give Devlin a chance and took him to the studio to check him out and lay some vocals. At the time the Danny Weed's (Roll Deep) "Heat Up" was one of the most popular tracks around, Devlin jumped on it and didn’t disappoint, spitting a high level of content at a good speed and at the same time displaying a style and flow well beyond his years.
Devlin was soon introduced to the rest of the O.T Crew and Dogzy wasted no time in organising a radio slot on Flava FM. Flava was a well known breeding ground for new talent, the management at Flava have had almost every big name in the scene on there at some point so it was the perfect place for Devlin to start his membership with O.T. The sets on Flava FM were massive, every week the phone line would jam when Devlin touched the mic. He soon made the switch to Rinse FM where he was an instant hit. Still only 16 Devlin had shown he could mix it with the big boys; he even managed to do a set with the legend that is DJ Slimzee before his departure from radio.
His relentless progression continued with each track Devz featured on. The combination between Dogzilla and Devlin on tracks was deadly and a freestyle from producer Rootz showed just how far Devlin had come, and in such a short space of time. The Rootz track along with eight other tracks featuring Devlin was to appear on O.T Recordings fist mixtape release.
The London Borough of Barking & Dogenham Mixtape was released in Feb. 2006 and received great critical success. (Check Blog - Reviews/Interviews). One of the stand-out tracks on the CD was Devlin's Ghetto Kyote Remix freestyle which was produced by O.T Recording's Deverlish. The track was played right across the board, from pirate stations like Rinse to commercial radio stations such as 1Xtra and Kiss Fm. Devlin has performed live sets on both commercial stations; with DJ Logan Sama at Kiss100FM and DJ Cameo at BBC 1Xtra. He has also appeared on The Media Gang's Practice Hours DVD and Target's Aim High, Risky Roadz and Rinse FM's Rinsessions mixtape.
2006 saw Devlin hit the shops twice with the O.T Recordings mixtape, vinyl release April Shower from O.T producer Shotz and Firein produced by production talent Rachet. Devlin also featured heavily on Broad Street Stories and the uber-successful Shot City Mixtape.
More recently Devlin joined The Movement; a group of some of the very best MCs and producers in the grime scene including Ghetto, Scorcher and Wretch 32. Tempo Specialists was released in 2007 and proved that the best MCs in the scene had formed a strong alliance.
Devlin's first solo mixtape entitled Tales From The Crypt was released in November 2006. It featured collaborations with O.T and The Movement members and was considered one of the best grime mixtapes of 2006.
Since Devlin’s first solo release, the young MC is gearing up for his second effort ‘Blood, Sweat and Beers’ and the Devlin E.P as the talented MC garners more press attention and support throughout the UK and Europe.
http://www.officialdevlin.com/
2. Gothic metal band from Sweden
Members:
Marcus Ehlin - Instruments, vocals (Siebenbürgen, Grand Illusion, Maledictum, A Canorous Quintet)
Lexi - Vocals
http://www.myspace.com/unofficialdevlin
The Cast
Devlin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We're all part of the moving picture
We're all part of the moving picture
We're all part of the moving picture
Stay still while I finish the portrait
You are part of the picture now
Everybodys got roles to play
The film premiere of life events that would pick me now
Somebody better sit me down
I'm too direct when I'm making a stand
Those who watched from afar
Thought the clock was a'fast
Those who watched me advance know how far that I've come from the past
Now this motion picture, ocean's bigger, I'm way too fast
You supported me in the awkward scenes, now you're part of the cast
We're all part of the moving picture
We're all part of the moving picture
We're all part of the moving picture
We're all part of the moving picture
This goes for the fans
Who stood by me from the day one
From tales of the crypt
The art of rolling and all that I've done
Bud, sweat and beers to here
It feels like I've already won
But if I had more luck, but now looks like the fortune the one
Thanks for the fans that followed me
And helped me in building a colony
You showed more fight than mars
The war God from roman mythology
Forget what the cameras capture
Because I'm the main character here
But believe me, I ain't actor
I'm just trying to write the next chapter
We're all part of the moving picture
We're all part of the moving picture
We're all part of the moving picture
We're all part of the moving picture
Thank you to everyone that played their part
And taking me from the bottom to the middle
To somewhere near the top
'Cause now you're all part of the cast (and the clock don't stop)
The last few years of my life
Have gone too quick
Pick from the bits and dangle with the life inside
A life full of paper, power and glyphs
I come from the real world, still I'm not sure what planet this is
I don't really feel well, I'm sick inside of insanity's grip
Make an action film for this
Leaving the drama, finding the grip
The lights below, I could be a father
But then I gave birth from this
Now you're a part of the picture
You got an insight into the scripture
You get it
My job here is done roll the end credits
Big love to every single one of my fans
And everyone who bought the tickets to one of my shows
Everyone that bought one of my CDs
Every download of any of my songs
Not about the mixtapes
OT crew
Devlin's song "The Cast" is an introspective reflection on life and the role that people play in each other's lives. The repeated line "We're all part of the moving picture" is a metaphor for life being a constantly evolving film, with every person playing a part in it. Devlin alludes to the idea of himself as the main character in his life, but acknowledges that everyone around him also has a role to play in his personal story.
The first verse describes the way in which people have supported and helped Devlin throughout his life, and how they have become part of his personal cast. He uses the metaphor of a portrait to explain how each person is now a permanent part of his life, and how their actions and influence have helped shape his story. The second verse is more personal, as Devlin reflects on his own journey and the role that his fans have played in getting him to where he is today. He thanks them for their support and dedication, and acknowledges that they too are now part of his story.
The chorus is repeated four times throughout the song to underscore the main message that we are all connected and play a part in each other's lives. Devlin ends the song by thanking everyone who has supported him and contributed to his story, before finally rolling the end credits.
Line by Line Meaning
We're all part of the moving picture
We are all part of the grand scheme of life, like actors in a movie
Stay still while I finish the portrait
Accept your place in life as a part of something bigger
Everybodys got roles to play
Every person has a role to play in life
Inside of my picture house
Within the confines of my perception of life
The film premiere of life events that would pick me now
The culmination of life events that have led to my current situation
Somebody better sit me down
I need to take a break and reflect on my life
I'm too direct when I'm making a stand
I can come off as overly aggressive when standing up for myself
Those who watched from afar
People who observed my progress from a distance
Thought the clock was a'fast
They believed that my success happened quickly
Those who watched me advance know how far that I've come from the past
People who have closely followed my progress understand how much I have accomplished
Now this motion picture, ocean's bigger, I'm way too fast
My life has become even more expansive, and I am moving at a faster pace
You supported me in the awkward scenes, now you're part of the cast
You helped me through the hard times and are now a part of my success story
This goes for the fans
This message is for my supporters
Who stood by me from the day one
Those who have been supporting me since the beginning
From tales of the crypt
From the days when success felt unattainable
The art of rolling and all that I've done
My experiences and journey in the music industry
Bud, sweat and beers to here
From the rough times and hard work to my current success
It feels like I've already won
I have achieved so much, it feels like I have already won
But if I had more luck, but now looks like the fortune the one
If luck were more on my side, it would look like I was destined for this success
Thanks for the fans that followed me
Thank you to the supporters who followed my journey
And helped me in building a colony
They helped build a community around my music
You showed more fight than mars
My fans showed more passion and determination than the god of war
The war God from roman mythology
Reference to Mars, god of war in Roman mythology
Forget what the cameras capture
Don't focus on the image portrayed in the media
Because I'm the main character here
Remember that I am the main focus and driver of my own life
But believe me, I ain't actor
Despite my success, I am still just being myself
I'm just trying to write the next chapter
I am focused on continuing to build my success in the future
Thank you to everyone that played their part
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to my success
And taking me from the bottom to the middle
For helping me move from a difficult place to one of more stability
To somewhere near the top
For helping me achieve a high level of success
'Cause now you're all part of the cast (and the clock don't stop)
Now that I have achieved success, everybody who supported me is a part of it and the journey doesn't stop
The last few years of my life
My recent experiences
Have gone too quick
Time has passed by quickly
Pick from the bits and dangle with the life inside
Reflect on the meaningful and impactful parts of my life experiences
A life full of paper, power and glyphs
My life has been driven by material success and influence
I come from the real world, still I'm not sure what planet this is
Despite my success, I still feel disconnected from the world I live in
I don't really feel well, I'm sick inside of insanity's grip
I am struggling with the emotional toll that my success has taken on me
Make an action film for this
I want to create a dynamic and exciting narrative for my life experiences
Leaving the drama, finding the grip
I am moving away from the drama in my life and focusing on stability
The lights below, I could be a father
I am seeing the success below me and considering starting a family
But then I gave birth from this
My music and success are like my children
Now you're a part of the picture
My supporters are now a part of my success story
You got an insight into the scripture
They have gained a deeper understanding of my experiences
You get it
You understand
My job here is done roll the end credits
I have achieved what I set out to do, and now it's time to move on to the next chapter
Big love to every single one of my fans
I have immense love and gratitude for my supporters
And everyone who bought the tickets to one of my shows
Thank you to everyone who has attended one of my shows
Everyone that bought one of my CDs
Thank you to everyone who has supported me by buying my music
Every download of any of my songs
Thank you to everyone who has supported my music by downloading my songs
Not about the mixtapes
This is not just about the music, it's about my journey and the people who have supported me along the way
OT crew
Reference to the Over Time crew, Devlin's music collective
Contributed by Adeline J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.