Devontée
Toronto artist blog.
Devontée, a Canadian rapper, songwriter, and producer, has been making waves in the Canadian hip-hop scene for several years. Born and raised in the East end of Toronto, Devontée was surrounded by music from an early age, and began writing and producing his own tracks by the age of 13. His first self-produced and written album, "Devontée by Devontée," was released in 2013, and he has since built an extensive discography that dates back to 2014, making him one of the OG's in the Toronto music scene. Devontée's popular moniker, W.O.E, stands for Working on Excellence, and he has been grinding for years, with a quality that is documented through the countless number of projects and popular singles he has released. His career first gained momentum when he released "Godspeed" featuring Joey Bada$$ and others, which was part of the "District Vibe" project. Devontée’s discography began in 2014 with his first official release titled “Devontée by Devontée.” It’s crazy to see how long Devontée has been making music, his cadence, and style have basically not changed since his first release. He has had this deep unique cadence that has remained to this day with a few key improvements and a bit more confidence. The production and mixing are actually really well done here. This is definitely the top 5 of the best first releases of anyone's career I have seen in Toronto, just solid work. His next release would be in 2015 titled “Bare Tings.” This is the single that gained him some noise. The production and beat selection on this track are exceptionally well-executed, resulting in a sound that's reminiscent of 2015 but still holds up today. The cover art is also impressive, a testament to the artist's talent, which has been evident since the beginning of their career.
Devontée wouldn't release another single until 2017, but this track and subsequent releases continued to showcase his growth and development as an artist. "Often" stands out as a personal favorite, with its bright, upbeat energy and departure from his earlier work. In 2018, he released an album called "Head Gone," which features standout tracks like "Wild West" and "Never That." The album is well-produced and showcases his natural talent and dedication to the craft. In 2019, Devontée experimented with a more underground, SoundCloud-style sound, but his consistency remained high. "ROMANTIC," "CHERRY," and "Show Me Your Moves" are personal favorites from that year, with "Show Me Your Moves" combining a Lil Uzi Vert-style sound with Devontée's signature cadence for a fun and unique vibe. Overall, his music continues to evolve and impress with each release. Devontée's project titled "WITH, LOVE" showcased his diversity and how he would continue to evolve over time. This project featured "CHERRY" and "ROMANTIC," as well as the standout track "PROTECT YOUR HEART" featuring Strick. Devontée's collaboration with Strick was a perfect match, and his more melodic tone on this project highlighted his versatility. In 2020 and 2021, he continued to level up the quality and consistency of his releases, delivering some of his best music to date. His sound and style are now the most diverse they've ever been, which is a significant reason for his continued success. For example, "EYE ON YOU" featuring Jxck Kxlly blends a more dance/house vibe with a melodic delivery from Devontée, resulting in something that sounds unique and more mainstream.
In 2021, Devontée released an EP titled "TAKE THIS IN" and two full-length albums titled "ONCE IN A BLUE MOON" and "OUT THE BLUE." The latter is my personal favorite, as it features tracks like "100 MILLION NO SETTLE," "EAZY PEEZY V2" featuring TVGUCCI, and "LOCKED DOWN." The diversity in music on this project alone is enough to build a discography out of. It's an impressive rate of release, especially considering that the quality of the music is consistently high. Devontée has been honing his skills for almost a decade and has become a master of his craft, which explains why he can maintain an NBA Young Boy-like release schedule. In 2022, he continued to drop a plethora of great music, including "EVERY WEEK," "CERTI STURDY," and "ANTI-SOCIAL BUTTERFLY," each offering something unique. "CERTI STURDY" features a drill beat with a different flow, while "ANTI-SOCIAL BUTTERFLY" has a more upbeat, Drake-like sound. His versatility and quality rival some of the best in the industry. Devontée's most mature and well-rounded project to date is his 2022 album titled "SKIP THE SMALL TALK," which contains an impressive 30 tracks and is the largest Hip Hop project to come out of the city. The album is chock-full of hit-worthy singles like "KEEP YOUR HEAD UP," "STAY THE COURSE," and "EVERY WEEK," and he shines like a star on each track. While 2023 has been slower for him, he has still released two impressive tracks, "HOW 2 BE (LIKE ME)" and "PALM TREES & ANGLES." Devontée is an immensely talented rapper, songwriter, and producer who has had a significant impact on the Canadian hip-hop scene in recent years. With several critically acclaimed projects under his belt, he has established himself as a rising star in hip-hop, and it's clear that he will continue to make waves in the industry for years to come with his unique sound and lyrical prowess. Whether you've been a fan for years or are just discovering his music, Devontée is an artist worth watching.
Written by Maxim Bayarsky
