Devon Brent (formerly Codeine Martin) started rhyming out of spite. Inspired to make dope by mighty penned emcees like The Palmer Squares, Brent brings a respect for the craft into the fold, placing an emphasis on dense and witty, often off-the-top nonsequiturs that make listeners think and perhaps laugh once in a while, no surprise given Brent’s pedigree as a standup comedian. Unfortunately, Brent says his laundry list of health issues has dulled his improvisational blade a bit, so he’s returning to writing with frequency for the first time in years. Regardless of approach, I’m hearing considerable growth on his latest and greatest: “The Recording Autyst.”
While some of his eccentricities and humorous takes on drug benders remain in line with previous work (see standout track “Kilo”), Brent’s growth in critical categories of emceeing like vocal command and engineering a clean flow is evident throughout “The Recording Autyst”, an album almost exclusively engineered and produced by frequent collaborator Eddie Ambition. His growth doesn’t stop there as he’s graduated from the Codeine Martin moniker by way of being sober and dropping what he called a “persona” in a recent interview with Hype Magazine. Unable to perform live by way of his aforementioned health issues, full-length projects are truly the best way to get to know Devon Brent, “The Recording Autyst” and most importantly, the person.
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