This is the thread where I ask which singles on Rap-A-Lot are the hottest.

You fuckhead -- now I will never know which Yukmouth song to p2p downline off the internets.

Devin the Dude is probably the greatest hip-hop artist you’ve never heard. He crooned his way onto “Fuck You” on Dr. Dre’s 2001; he represented for thick women on De La Soul’s “Baby Phat.” But beyond that, the Houston rapper, once called the new Too $hort, has laid down three solo albums, including this year’s To tha X-Treme, that have highlighted his impressive storytelling skills and made him one of the most respected and sought-after artists in the industry. As one of the few emcees who has worked with the best in the underground, mainstream, East, West and South, Devin is your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper.

With such an impressive resume, a million questions raced through my head as I waited for Devin outside an upscale steakhouse in midtown Manhattan. Unlike most artists who meander in hours late, Devin arrived early, sitting over a plate of fried calamari and collards. Expecting an eccentric character, Devin proved to be a humble Southern boy who is big on family and his love of hip-hop.

Prefix Magazine: You recently preformed on Carson Daily’s show. How was that experience and how does it feel to be on national TV?
Devin the Dude: Oh man, it was my TV debut. It was really cool. They made me feel real comfortable; I got a chance to see how it works from the inside. It was good to be a part of.

PM: Do you think the love you get from the hip-hip community equals the money you get out of the industry?
Devin the Dude: There is no comparison: The money is over here and the love is over there. But the love is the most important thing.

PM: You have worked with an impressive array of artists: Scarface, Nas, Xzibit, DJ Premier, De La Soul, Dr. Dre and the Roots. How does it feel to get respect from all segments of the hip-hop nation?
Devin the Dude: Man, I could never imagine it would be like this, people asking me to be a part of they’re projects, especially when they got big names. I get blessing after blessing every time I turn around, it keeps me going just being asked to be a part of a project.

PM: What was it like working with Dre on 2001. You killed it on “Fuck You.”
Devin the Dude: Actually, I didn’t believe it when they told me I was going to be a part of it. I was at the crib when I was told Dre was going to call me in thirty minutes. Thirty minutes passed, then an hour passed, and I knew they was bullshitting me. Next thing you know he called. I answer the phone. Dre starts singing my song, “So what the fuck you wanna do,” and I was like, “Yo, Dre, kick in the bass.” So we started off on a cool conversation like that. He started to tell me about his up-and-coming project, The Chronic 2001, and he wanted me to be a part of it. I was like whenever, however -- just let me know; I’m there.

PM: And this was all off the strength of your 1998 debut, The Dude?
Devin the Dude: Yeah, when I went down there he said he was already familiar with our music from when I was with Oddsquad -- shout out to everybody. In ‘94, they used to listen to that during the tour for the first Chronic album. He and Snoop used to listen to my songs; it was a surprise.

PM: You have a smooth, bluesy voice; you can flip a catchy hook and you could spit thirty-two bars without breaking a sweat, making for one of the most distinct styles in hip-hop. How did you develop this unique combination?
Devin the Dude: I guess from growing up listening to old-school songs. The hook was very important; it was the meat of the song. And I’ve always made it a part of what I was doing. I never thought I was gonna do music at a young age, but I knew I enjoyed listening to it. I’m glad the people are relating to what I’m doing, and that includes a catchy hook if you wanna put it that way.

PM: Have you ever thought of ghost writing songs?
Devin the Dude: No, but I would be honored to write for anybody who wanted me to. I wouldn’t mind doing that, but it’s nothing I would throw myself at.

PM: Your second LP, 2002’s Just Tryin’ to Live, was of the best hip-hop albums in years. Why’d the media sleep on it?
Devin the Dude:I guess it was a timing thing. We were trying to have that album out much earlier, and we didn’t make it so. I went back into the studio and did some mixing and a few more songs, and I guess the hype just wasn’t there. If we came out with it after the Chronic tour it would have done a little more. But for the most part it was cool, the response I got; it was very real, and that was satisfying for me.

PM: Besides Zeldar, the redneck in “Refer and Beer,” the Mexican in “Motha” and the cop in “Go Fight Some Other Crime,” do you have any other characters?
Devin the Dude: Not really. I tried to impersonate people while I was growing up, being a kid having fun, and I try to incorporate that in the music. But for the most part in “Refer and Beer,” I was just in the studio trippin’ and wanted to try something. I didn’t know it was gonna catch on I guess and I didn’t even mean for the song to make the album, but people were like, “Come on man; that’s a funny song.”

Zeldar was a freestyle I did while trying to lay down the hook for another song, “Killer,” and it was about some weed. I started talking on the mike and it had some crazy effect on it. The previous night I was working on some other song and I started trippin’ about some Martian character. They were trying to get a level on it, and they recorded it and I didn’t even know. When I was finished with it, they said that was enough. I was like, “I didn’t lay down the hook yet,” and they were like, “No, that is it; it’s a keeper.”

Prefix Magazine: All of your albums are weeded, especially To tha X-Treme. Can you touch on your love of the sticky green?
Devin the Dude: Well, I didn’t want that to be a major part of what I was doing, but when we started rappin’ it was a hobby and we just talked about what we did: smoking and chilling, getting away from it all. When I think of rap, I think of a conversation, and that kind of stuck with me right there. A lot of people start coming up to me like, “I like the way you talk about weed,” or “I like the way you relate to it differently than other people relate to it.”

PM: The South is running shit in hip-hop right now. Where do you fit in, especially with an album like To tha X-Treme?
Devin the Dude:It’s hard to put myself in a position or try to puzzle myself to where I fit in. I’m just happy to be a part of it, just to be mentioned. As far as the album, it’s a little more laidback than other albums. I figure I’m getting a little older, make it sound more mature, a little laidback. If I were to do these songs later in life, I don’t know how long I’ll be able to scream them out, so I’m gonna have to calm down and chill out so that they will sound pretty cool five to ten years from now.

PM: Can you touch on your lyrical content? You present the good, the bad and the ugly on women, weed, poverty, crime, bad luck.
Devin the Dude:I think it’s important to come up with some type of style; each artist should have their specific style that people can relate to. I try to be well-rounded with it; dealing with music is like dealing with life.

PM: What are bumping in your sound system right now?
Devin the Dude:It’s kind of crazy; I got so many songs: mostly ‘70s to late-‘80s, light rock, classic rock, some Paul Simon, James Taylor and Ohio Players all the way to the Whispers, Steely Dan, Fleetwood Mac. A little bit of everything.

PM: You have any upcoming projects?
Devin the Dude: I did a song with a guy named Rock; he’s working with John Rifkind, the brother of Steve Rifkind of Loud Records. He is real cool. I got my own independent label I am working with called Coffee Brothers Music, dealing with a lot of in-house procedures that I have worked with over the years. And Oddsquad.

PM: So there will be another Oddsquad album before the next solo venture?
Devin the Dude: That might be possible; there may be another Oddsquad album before the next solo album.

PM: Any final shout outs?
Devin the Dude:Thanks to everybody who’s been listening to my music, or anything that I’ve been associated with, and those who appreciate what I’m doing. It keeps me going. It’s just a blessing to be a part of hip-hop.

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I heart Devin the Dude.

As you can see I'm on a Z-Ro bender here in H-Town. He's the king of all of us down and out dudes who ride the city bus.

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Houston rapper Devin the Dude, best known for his appearance on Dr. Dre's Chronic 2001, reintroduces himself to the world in a new documentary DVD venture -- "Who is Devin the Dude?"

Devin the Dude, is launching a DVD entitled "Who is Devin the Dude?," a documentary which follows Devin's performances as he travels through different cities across the country. The film shows behind-the-scenes footage as well as the Dude's stage performances. In his travels Devin visits Seattle, Cleveland, Columbus, Austin, Houston, Dallas, Tulsa and New York City.

"I've always wanted to do a documentary, but not just a documentary -but a collage of shows and performances and stuff. I just wanted to have a little library of shows. After we did a few shows, I was like, ‘Hey let's do a documentary showing the insides --the jokes, the fun that we have, and the serious side, the no shows at the show; all of the inside scoop of what I'm going through," Devin told SOHH.com

Devin worked closely with Drew "The View" Hooper, from Restless Natives Motion Picture Production Company, to bring his vision to life. Drew recreated the ideas that Devin had and served as the director, cameraman and editor on this project.

Hooper tells SOHH.com, "I didn't want to show people stuff that they already knew, for the most part. I wanted to show people what Devin is really like. So that we might understand the things we know better."

Special appearances on the DVD include Mike Jones, Capone (CNN), Eryka Badu, Ace Deuce and the Odd Squad.

Aside from the documentary, the Dude is also working on another solo project, a second Odd Squad album and a compilation joint. He anticipates the solo album will drop by the end of the year.

Devin and Hooper are running a contest for his fans to be a part of the documentary. Fans are given the opportunity to take part in the film by submitting a home video of themselves explaining exactly "Who Devin the Dude" is to them.

The "Who is Devin the Dude?" DVD will be released in the first quarter of 2006.

http://www.sohh.com/thewire/read.php?contentID=7034

For the Devin fans, that's his first group.