Devin Burgess’ talents are multifaceted. The Cincinnati Hip Hop artist is perhaps best known for his crafty studio work — he’s worked with numerous other artists, be it providing beats, mixing or mastering. His skills as an MC are less known, but only because his focus has, particularly of late, mostly been on the recording side of things.
That changed recently when Burgess unveiled the 14-track release Alone, a trippy, dark and dank album that is a compelling showcase for his unique artistry. Fittingly titled, Alone is truly a “solo” project — he says it’s his first album he’s rapped on and fully produced. It follows a few albums of beats released over the past couple of years (which you can listen to at devinburgessmusic.bandcamp.com and on his pages on other streaming platforms) and is his first official album since 2018’s Trash, which featured a slew of special guests, including fellow Cincinnati artists like Bla’sze, Siri Imani, JayBee Lamahj, Dayo Gold and D-Eight.
“Dropping Trash in 2018 took a lot out of me mentally so I wasn’t rapping a lot, but (I) had to find another outlet for creating so I started making beats again,” Burgess says via email. “That turned into creating a sound for myself and eventually an album.”
On Alone, he conjures a dark tone that’s reflected in the textural sound of the project— murky, hazy and psychedelic with a loping, lurching (but never lazy) flow that’s incredibly hypnotic.
Though the sound is often rather somber, Burgess comes off as lyrically and vocally confident and resilient. The Alone title also serves as a thematic statement — Burgess says the insular creative process resulted in the kind of self-reflection that comes during periods of isolation. But instead of loneliness, Burgess thought about how such seclusion can serve as a form of self-care and self-improvement.
“Alone is really about me decompressing and searching for inner peace,” he says. “It’s not really a sad album, more of an exhale from a weight being lifted off your shoulders. How people perceive being alone really just comes down to perspective. In theory, if a person tells you that they’re alone, you tend to think that they’re sad, depressed, looking for attention, which isn’t always the case.
“I take my alone time to heal and grow. So even if I’m not around a lot, it doesn’t mean I’m wallowing in my sorrows. It can mean that I’m working on growth within myself.”
Find Devin Burgess’ Alone on your favorite digital platform here. Visit facebook.com/devinburgessmusic for more info and also check him out on Twitter (@d_burgessmusic) and Instagram (@DevinBurgessMusic). The album is also available to stream/download via Bandcamp:
