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
Yesterday's News
Devlin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So long that my brain has gone delirious inside
I think back on all the years that I've survived
Holding back the tears that keep appearing in my eyes
But now I'm yesterday's news
And I'm tomorrow's promise but I've got my mince pies
Open wide trying to visualize devils in disguise
I'm walking under rainy skies but the flame never died
It stayed alive cause I was made to ignite
Like dynamite I'm from the cold with heavy night
I'm riding tight notice flows slip and slide
Like a tire in the snow cause there ain't no grip on ice
I'm cold in the Moscow and it's minus 29
So welcome to my life, I've cleverly designed minds
Lost souls just trying to live the higher life
I've been here so long through the sadness and the blues
But it's funny how I'm still here,
With the government and yesterday's news
I've been here so long through the sadness and the blues
But it's funny how I'm still here,
With the government and yesterday's news
Devlin, I'm dangerous I'm dead guys
And every week forgotten like yesterday's headlines
I've been through the blues just like Elvis' best time
But I ain't wearing suede shoes, I've just got the best rhymes
I refuse to die, you could attempt to kill me twenty times
But I'll still rise like I'm the day walker Wesley Snipes
So let me stick my teeth into the game and bleed it dry
When I witness blood seeking through his veins
This has become apparent I've got a talent that these other rappers haven't
So what would be the point of bloody keeping it in chains
About my rhymes but when I'm talking about?
So cut the conversation cause I've been lower rating
Taking anything I'm pleasing taking off the aviation
To a better place in time better for leaving this place behind
I've been here so long, through the sadness and the blues
But it's funny how I'm still here,
With the government and yesterday's news
I've been here so long, through the sadness and the blues
But it's funny how I'm still here,
With the government and yesterday's news
I can't see no reason why I can't retain success
I just need a real good time away from all this stress
I can't see no reason why I can't retain success
I just need a real good time away from all this stress
I've been here so long, through the sadness and the blues
But it's funny how I'm still here,
With the government and yesterday's news
I've been here so long, through the sadness and the blues
But it's funny how I'm still here,
With the government and yesterday's news
In Devlin's "Yesterday's News," the rapper reflects on his journey in the entertainment industry, where he feels he has been around for so long that he's become forgotten - yesterday's news. He talks about the overwhelming emotions that come with reflecting on the time he's invested being a part of this world while holding back tears. Through his lyrics, he shows how his love for creating music has kept him striving and coming up with some of his most profound work yet, even though the industry sees him as yesterday's news.
Devlin goes on to highlight how he has been through various hurdles and still managed to give his best performance every time he is on stage. It's through his experience and the ability to come up with diverse experiences in his creative process that he manages to stay relevant. Although he's been through various storms, he still refuses to be subdued, saying he's not ready to die yet. He has an uncrushable spirit and a burning passion for his craft, and that's what sets him apart.
In summary, Devlin's "Yesterday's News" is a heartfelt, introspective look at his journey in the music industry. Despite the challenges he's faced and the industry's perception of him, Devlin remains fiercely dedicated to his craft, refusing to let his past experiences hold him back. His lyrics are a testament to the enduring power of passion and determination, and a reminder that staying true to oneself is the key to overcoming any obstacle.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been here for a period of time
Devlin has been around for a while
So long that my brain has gone delirious inside
He's been around for so long that it's driving him crazy
Holding back the tears that keep appearing in my eyes
Despite it all, Devlin is still here and holding strong
But now I'm yesterday's news
Despite surviving for a while, he's no longer new and exciting
And I'm tomorrow's promise but I've got my mince pies
But he's still full of potential for the future
Open wide trying to visualize devils in disguise
Devlin is always on the lookout for danger
Devz I'm like Picasso cause I've been through every shade of blue
He feels like he's been through all of life's hardships
I'm walking under rainy skies but the flame never died
Despite all of this, he's still alive and fighting
It stayed alive cause I was made to ignite
He believes that he was born to succeed
Like dynamite I'm from the cold with heavy night
He comes from a difficult background
I'm riding tight notice flows slip and slide
He's always careful to stay on top of things
Like a tire in the snow cause there ain't no grip on ice
But sometimes things get out of control and he struggles to keep up
I'm cold in the Moscow and it's minus 29
He's been through tough times, including some incredibly hard winters
So welcome to my life, I've cleverly designed minds
Despite everything, he's managed to create a life for himself
Lost souls just trying to live the higher life
He's not alone in this struggle, and many others are trying to do the same
Devlin, I'm dangerous I'm dead guys
Devlin is a force to be reckoned with and shouldn't be underestimated
And every week forgotten like yesterday's headlines
Despite this, he sometimes feels overlooked and forgotten
I've been through the blues just like Elvis' best time
He's felt down like everyone else at times
But I ain't wearing suede shoes, I've just got the best rhymes
But he's not letting those feelings get him down, because he's got a talent
I refuse to die, you could attempt to kill me twenty times
He's not going to give up, and he's not going to let others stop him either
But I'll still rise like I'm the day walker Wesley Snipes
He's determined to fight and come back stronger than ever
So let me stick my teeth into the game and bleed it dry
He's not holding back, and he's going to give it his all
When I witness blood seeking through his veins
He's been through some tough times and has seen a lot of violence
This has become apparent I've got a talent that these other rappers haven't
But he knows that he's got something special
So what would be the point of bloody keeping it in chains
He's not going to hold back his talent, he's going to let it shine
About my rhymes but when I'm talking about?
He's asking why he can't talk freely about his talent
So cut the conversation cause I've been lower rating
He's had enough of people doubting him
Taking anything I'm pleasing taking off the aviation
He's going to take control of his own life and do what he wants
To a better place in time better for leaving this place behind
And he's going to do it because he wants a better future
I can't see no reason why I can't retain success
He believes that he's capable of achieving great things
I just need a real good time away from all this stress
But sometimes he needs to take a step back to recharge
But it's funny how I'm still here, with the government and yesterday's news
Despite everything he's been through, he's still here, and sometimes it feels like he's been forgotten
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BENJAMIN HARRISON, JAMES DEVLIN, JAMES MURRAY, MUSTAPHA OMER, SHAHID KHAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind