Dagenham, Essex's very own Devlin. ‘bud, sweat & beers’ is a step change for grime. Released 1st November 2010
At long last it feels like UK rap music is well and truly erupting. Every way you look - from the summit of the charts to the breaking waves of the underground - the UK rap fraternity is seizing control. In between the ricocheting lyrical crossfire one face is emerging as one of 2010's most notorious breaking artists, and that's the angular bone-structure of Dagenham, Essex's very own Devlin. ‘bud, sweat & beers’ is a step change for grime. Socially aware. Spiritually conflicted with a sacred heart and profane mouth. Dark, accurate and artful lyrical sketches of life at social margins. Capacious enough to make reference to Hollywood’s Wesley Snipes, super-bug C-Difficile, Pengi, Nostradamus, Picasso, Tectonic plates and Elvis. It’s an imaginative feast. Lyrical meaning unfolds on meaning. Metaphors come as quickly as the mind can process. The album opens with the thunderous cavalcade of ‘1989’ where heavy-metal guitar stabs provide an urgent, heart-in-mouth backdrop for