AN EYE ON DEVMO AND HER $U$HI
Hailing from Santa Monica, Devin Moses AKA DEVMO, brings a thrilling flow and lyrical dexterity that's been stunning and enrapturing audiences across the US and the world. She has opened shows for artists like Angel Haze, Snow Tha Product, Caskey, and many more. I don't think it takes long to convince listeners of her talent with the kind of poise and confidence she steps on stage with.
My first gulp of the DEVMO glass was the (as of yet) unreleased track "$U$HI". A great display of stunningly melodic vocals set to the aforementioned flow that bites into your ears, It's a very mischievous and frisky song that retains a certain subdued mystique, it dances around its own meaning, teasing and having light-hearted fun with itself, a perfect introduction to the vibes that one can easily expect from the rest of Devin's growing catalog.
It should strike you as no surprise that DEVMO has a lot of range, the melodic focus of "$U$HI " testifies to the versatility of her vocals, and her latest Soundcloud release, "Feel Good Feel Okay", doesn't leave flow behind but it does take a completely different musical direction by implementing traditional instrumentalization into Pop-Rock territory, reminding me of Long Beach heroes, Sublime, and the geographic proximity that breeds this kind of sound, this is Cali music 100% and you cannot convince me that location doesn't play a part here.
That is what I found the most exciting and refreshing about DEVMO, the fact that she's both willing and able to break out of the purely electronic trappings of modern Hip-Hop and explore completely different musical backing that plays to her vocal and lyrical strengths, while simultaneously staying true to identity as a bonafide MC. That takes guts and lots of vision.
DEVMO is relatively fresh off the release of a 5 song EP this year entitled "Tears", which in spite of its title and lyrical content, doesn't fully fall into the emo-rap label, because it plays up to her confident sound and constantly cheerful vocal tone; this makes for an interesting bitter-sweet contrast that I personally can't get enough of.
Of course, just because the EP is out, doesn't mean a hard worker like her is done, she continues to release fire after fire, and if you're familiar with the #GarnierMaskMoment hashtag, then you've probably heard DEVMO and didn't even know it. The campaign has gone viral (over 4 BILLION plays) in no small part due to the song she wrote for them, and what's amazing is that this isn't even the first time DEVMO has managed to produce wildfire content, the #TooManyShoes campaign also hit the 4 billion mark, even earning a video by (The) J-lo to promote her own shoe line. Her music has also been featured in shows like Love Island US season 2, Siesta Key Season 4 and even HBO Max’s F-Boy Island. All of this speaks volumes to the explosive potentiality and infectious charm coursing through the petite redhead.
I won't let you sleep on DEVMO! if you want to experience true pop music plasticity that expands upon what's built up by Hip-Hop, then look no further than this inventive Santa Monican MC.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Samuel Aponte is Venezuelan-born raised and based.
I joined Rival Magazine after a few years of doing PR work for independent musicians of all stripes; understanding their struggles to be heard in a sea of constant ADHD noise and paywalled access to platforms, I now bring a willingness to always appreciate and encourage the effort and creativity that artists put into their work . Can also find some of my writings on LADYGUNN and We Found New Music.