Devin The Dude: Waitin' To Inhale

Cult hero Devin The Dude could probably get away with naming each of his albums More Songs About Weed And Girls. Devin's lyrical concerns seldom venture beyond his oft-noted desire to fuck, drink beer, and smoke some shit, but on Waitin' To Inhale, he continues to explore infinite brilliant variations on stale subject matter. Who else would try to seduce a reluctant partner with a vow that his genitalia is so fresh and clean it could safely be boiled with collard greens and then served on a plate alongside lima beans Who else would deliver that boast with a trembling sincerity that suggests that he'd be deeply hurt to learn that his erection isn't generally considered one of the four major food groups And just when it seems Devin has run out of ways to express his enthusiasm for nature's healing leaf, he trots out his hillbilly alter ego, slips into a country-and-western drawl, and croons the no-rolling-paper country-rap-blues on "Nothin' To Roll With."

Inhale roars out of the gate with one loopy stoner anthem after another. "Hope I Don't Get Sick-A-This" could double as Devin's infectious theme song. The same could be said of "What A Job," a star-studded collaboration where Devin contemplates the joys of the rap life alongside Snoop Dogg and Andre 3000, who delivers a sweet-and-sour verse dissing downloaders and paying poignant homage to fans paying poignant homage to him.

Inhale's weaker second half finds Devin goofing on '80s R&B with jokey numbers like the "I Need Love" parody "Just Because" and "Cutcha Up," a thoroughly creepy bubblegum-pop homage to the enduring charms of jailbait. As long as Devin keeps turning out albums this strong, it's unlikely he'll ever get sick of rapping about weed and girls, just as it's equally doubtful his rabid fan base will ever get sick of hearing his take on those topics.