At 20 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 with Dogzilla,Deeper, Shotz, Syer, Rachet, and Deverlish amongst others.
The London Borough of Barking & Dogenham Mixtape was released in Feb. 2006 and received great feedback. One of the stand-out tracks on the CD was Devlin's Ghetto Kyote Remix freestyle Produced by O.T Recording's Deverlish. The track was played by dj's right across the board, from RinseFM to 1Xtra and Kiss100. Devlin has performed live sets on commercial stations; with Tim Westwood (Radio 1), Logan Sama (Kiss100FM) and DJ Cameo at BBC 1Xtra to name a few. He has also appeared on a number of DVD's including The Media Gang's Practice Hours DVD and Target's (1Xtra, Roll deep) Aim High, Risky Roadz, Rinse FM's Rinsessions mixtape and F@k Radio.
Devlin had two releases in 2006; O.T Recordings mixtape and vinyl release, April Shower from O.T producer Shotz. Devlin also featured heavily on Broad Street Stories and the Shot City Mixtape from O.T producer Shotz.
Late 2006 Devlin joined The Movement; a group of some of the very best MCs and producers in the grime scene including long time friend Ghetto, Scorcher and Wretch32. 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. He followed Tales From The Crypt with the DEVZ E.P which was a four track free download, then in 2008 Devlin released The Art Of Rolling E.p which featured Tracks Like F.U, Life's F@ked Up and Shot Gritty.
Devlin has worked with some of the biggest names in underground music and now the young MC is gearing up for his first album entitled 'Bud, Sweat & Beers'which will feature the massive 2009 hits, London City which has clocked up over a 1,000,000 views on youtube.
Keri Hilson - Have you seen that gorgeous model-looking chick that’s got Usher sprung in the video for ”Love In This Club?” Turns out, she’s a recording artist in her own right. Keri Hilson is about to be huge. And she's one of those rare people who deserve to be. For Keri, music was a childhood friend she kept throughout adulthood. "In school, I would get in trouble for singing all the time. I unknowingly hummed every chance I got. It got so bad my friend's nicknamed me 'Keri-okey'". She wears that name proudly on her sleeve, and in credits for every major hit she writes.
Destined for stardom since day one, the Atlanta native's determined spirit first materialized all before she'd turn a teenager. While performing in school plays and winning talent shows all around Atlanta, she taught herself how to write songs at twelve. Impressed with Keri's vocal ability, her piano-turned-voice teacher ushered her into a studio session where she learned the nuances of recording music. "That was when I really knew that I could take music seriously," she says. “But at the time, I didn’t know if there was such a job as production or songwriting.”
“I come across a lot of people who are opportunists and they’re like, ‘If it happens, it happens.’ I’m not one of those. I’m a go getter.” True to her words, by 18 she was arranging songs, cutting vocals and engineering sessions. While on her journey to making a name for herself as one of the strongest songwriters out there, Keri eventually ran into producer Polow da Don working in recording studios all over their hometown Atlanta. One afternoon, he asked her the pivotal question—"'What producer do you think would get you where you want to be as an artist? Who would musically inspire you the most?' I said, 'Timbaland- hands down!'" Little did she know, Polow had already been talking to the Virginia Beach producer about her potential. Polow called her one morning with the news that Tim wanted to meet her. Keri was elated. "I wasn't freaking out," she recalls of that morning, "I was prepared. While I had taken all this time to hone my craft as a songwriter, I always believed that I would eventually get to be an artist. Everything I experienced, everything I felt growing up, all the work…I was just like, 'Ok. Wow. This must be it. It must be happening.'"
It was definitely happening. As soon as Keri and Timbaland met there was chemistry. “A lot of nights we would just listen to other people's music and critique it. Not for the sake of study but to listen to it and discuss it. We don't agree all the time. Definitely not. But I think that's what happens when you get two strong creative minds in the same room."
Even better things happen when you get three strong, creative people in the same room. September 2008 will see the release of Keri Hilson's first album, “In A Perfect World…” It is being issued as a joint release from Mosley Music Group (Tim's label) and Zone 4 (Polow's label) as an imprint of Interscope Records (Jimmy Iovine's label). The album is about relationships, it's emotive, human, gorgeously and deliberately imperfect. "No human is exempt from the realities of life—heartbreak, love, failure, success—I want my album to convey a sense of reality. That's the standpoint that lent itself to the title. There will always be something you’d change if only you lived ‘In A Perfect World…’ and I’m no different.”
The highly anticipated debut features her indomitable songwriting skills, the genre-obliterating production of Polow da Don and Timbaland, and Keri Hilson's undeniably incredible voice. "I deliver my songs with emotion," she enthuses, "I don't like a lot of effects. It takes away from the emotion. Like the raspyness of my voice in 'Slow Dance' (written with Justin Timberlake) for example. I love the way I sound on that track—straightforward, throwback, and old school. I don't want that feeling taken away. I'm so particular about those emotions. I don't want anyone to walk away from my album just thinking, 'that sounds nice.' Anybody can do that. I’m much more concerned that they walk away thinking, 'that felt great.'"
For her humility, the album is as dizzyingly good as it should be. It's a watershed moment that meets both goals—it sounds and feels great. The songs are unconventional. It's universally appealing in its pop offerings (infectious hooks are plenty) but the arrangements are challenging in how many layers there are to listen to. Heavy synth-laden basslines to the classical guitar in the tensely urgent Polow-produced "Ready to Fall," Keri anchors it all with a pitch-perfect voice that is refreshing in its versatility. From the sweeping cinematic orchestration of Timbaland's "Mic Check" ("I loved harnessing all that aggression in my voice.") to the speedy cascading electro bassline of "Return the Favor." The mutual trust between artist and producers allows them to take bold risks. Keri shouts out all the “fly girls” on her song “Get It Girl”. “A ‘Get It Girl’ is focused on getting everything she wants out of life. She is strong, independent, determined, loves to have fun, always stays fresh - and no matter what, accepts no limitations.”
“In A Perfect World…” represents a world where music is music and you can’t put it in a box. It’s a catalyst for Keri to defy categorization, “I want to be a point of reference” states Hilson. “Hip-hop has become pop; pop is hip-hop. Music is definitely changing. I want to be the crux of that. I want to be a reason, not a result.”
Elli Goulding - Signed to Polydor Records in September 2009, her debut single "Under the Sheets" was released on independent label Neon Gold Recordsrather than Polydor so that she would not be put under too much pressure. Premiered on BBC Radio 1 on 30 September 2009, it has since gained heavy airplay. It was released digitally in the United Kingdom on 15 November 2009 and peaked at number fifty-three on the UK Singles Chart.
In October 2009 she toured the UK supporting Little Boots, and on 30 October 2009 performed "Under the Sheets" and "Guns + Horses" as a guest on Later... with Jools Holland.
She collaborated with Frankmusik on "Wish I Stayed"—which was featured as the Single of the Week on the UK iTunes Store from 22–28 December 2009—and provided vocals for the Starsmith remix of Passion Pit's "Sleepyhead".
Lights: 2010–present
Prior to the release of her debut studio album, it was announced that Goulding topped the BBC Sound of 2010 poll, which showcases the critics, broadcasters and music industry insiders' top choices for rising stars and artists for the coming year. She also won the Critics' Choice Award at the 2010 BRIT Awards which makes her the only artist to top the BBC Sound of... poll and win the Critic's Choice award in the same year.
Goulding's debut album, entitled Lights, will be released through Polydor on 1 March 2010, preceded by its second single, "Starry Eyed", due out 22 February 2010. For the majority of the album, Goulding worked with English producer Starsmith.
Simian Mobile Disco - was originally formed as a traveling DJ duet, playing on the side of their early four-piece band Simian. They ultimately released a number of low profile singles, such as "The Count" on Kitsuné Music, but arguably gained more fame for their remixes of artists such as Muse, Klaxons, The Go! Team, Air and others. In 2006, Kitsuné released SMD's underground hit "Hustler", which features a vocal performance from New York singer Char Johnson.
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