T:  Where did the name Devynity come about?

D: My given name is Devyn which, ironically, means poet. I chose Devynity to be my name because I feel that my music is something that comes from God. My music is a definite reflection of God’s significance and existence in my life. I try to address topics in my music/spoken word that are relevant to my community and my experience as a Black woman. Devynity is the all-encompassing word that ties my art together. I am from a higher being and so is the work that I create.

T: Tell us about your background and how it connects to your artistry?

D: I am the only child of a single parent home. I grew up in Jamaica, Queens, NY with my mom and grandmother. Growing up in that environment gave me the foundation to get up on a stage and perform. Living in the hood, my family always drilled the mantra “do better than we did” into my head. I was pretty much a loner as a young girl. I used to get teased a lot by others my age, so I was always in my own head, you know, imaginary friends and things like that, lol. Writing became that therapeutic outlet for me, as far as dealing with not having a father figure around and missing my mom because she was always working. Being alone so much allowed me to find that artistic and creative part of myself and as lonely, as I sometimes was and still am, I am so thankful for those moments because they make me the creative individual that I’ve become and aspire to be.

T: When did you first know that you were a poet?

D: I honestly didn’t really think of myself as a poet until very recently. Up until a few months ago when I got the opportunity to perform at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans, I felt like I was just someone speaking my mind. I saw myself as a woman trying to find herself through her thoughts as opposed to a bon-a-fide poet. Being on such a large stage, amid so many people and seeing their response to my words was so overwhelming. People were coming up to me telling me how they shared the same experiences I spoke about in my pieces and thanking me for putting into words what they weren’t able to. After that, I was like, “Ok, you’re a poet, this is more than your own, it belongs to your audience.” I know it seems weird that someone who’s been performing for so long feels that way about themselves, but my work has been very personal to me and spitting on stage has been my way of just getting it out.

T: What themes do you speak on?

D: The last poem I wrote pertained to the Jena 6. Before that, I wrote a piece on Sean Bell. I had the opportunity to do a rap project with The Shield Magazine and an emcee named HiCoup called Domestic Violence. My work on that project addressed how females in the hip-hop industry are denigrated as both artists and listeners of the music. I have a very whimsical side to my music as well. I am working towards striking a real balance between being substantial and entertaining at the same time because at the end of the day, people don’t buy music to be educated, they buy it to nod their heads.

T: Tell us about your new project.

D: I am currently working on two projects. I’m working on a follow up to my first spoken word release and a hip-hop album. I am really excited about the new stuff I’m working on because it comes from a different place within. I am much older than I was when I put the 1^st one out and a lot has happened in that time. I am also excited about increasing the musicality of my work, since most of the 1^st spoken word album was a cappella.

T: Where have you performed?

D: I have performed at several colleges and universities. I slammed at the Nuyorican Poet’s Café. While on the Nuyorican Slam Team, I got to flow in Minneapolis. I’ve been around, lol.

T: What inspires you to write?

D: I’m inspired by my experiences and that which surrounds from a socio-political viewpoint.

T:  Do you feel that more poets are connected to speaking the truth than rappers? If so what is the reason?

D: I feel like poets are more prone to using “consciousness” to further their careers than rappers. Lately, to me it seems that poets use controversial socio-political topics as a guise to get their product sold. Popular rappers are capitalistic, but there is an integrity to their stuff in that their not fronting. Sometimes I sit in cafes or at poetry meetings and wanna gag because I know there is no sincerity behind their words. I know it seems like I’m defending the commodification of Black culture in Hip-Hop music, but I’m not. I think that it’s gross and it’s gone too far, but if all you do is party-rap about that. If you want to address the state of Black life in America in your music, do that too. The issue  at hand to me is the business side of the industry packaging the Black experience as this one-dimensional ghetto party where  women are denigrated and diamonds are the  only thing to aspire for.

T: What's next for you?

D: Hopefully, a million record sales and big house, lol. Nah, I just want to be able to subsist off my music, get married, have some baby emcees and just chill. I will be going back to school to work on a graduate degree.

T: Where can people reach you?

D: You can contact me at www.myspace.com/devynitythemc or www.devynity.com.  Check me out, if you haven’t, let me know what you think. I’m open to constructive criticism.