Andre 3000, Snoop Dogg & Devin The Dude Got The Job Done & Then Some (Audio)

Nearly a decade after going solo, Devin the Dude released his fourth studio album, Waitin’ to Inhale. The LP’s title was a perfect combination of the Houston, Texas rapper’s lyrical cheekiness and appreciation for cannabis and all of its properties, medicinal and otherwise. By the time his AndrĂ© 3000 and Snoop Dogg-assisted “What a Job” dropped in 2007, the artist born Devin Copeland had already been signed to H-Town’s notorious Rap-A-Lot Records since the ’90s; first, as a member of the Odd Squad duo and then the Scarface-helmed Facemob. Finally, he arrived as a solo act with 1998’s The Dude, and by the time the 20th century had ended, he had landed some major features alongside West Coast big leaguers like Too $hort and Dr. Dre.

With 1999’s “Fuck You,” off Dre’s 2001, Devin earned himself same major cross-market exposure and cemented a relationship with Snoop Dogg that reappeared all those years later in the form of “What a Job.” The two had worked together over the course of the early ’00s, but never before on any of Devin’s solo works. Waitin’ to Inhale would prove to be his highest Billboard 200 charting to date, thanks in part to the contributions from guest MCs like Bun B, Lil Wayne, and of course his partners on the LP’s lead single.

An homage to doing it for the love, “What a Job” is a feel-good cut dedicated to all of the players involved in making a hard-working artist’s love for his craft a viable way to make a living. As Devin says, “this is for all the independents, a few major labels, the big studios who still give niggas favors” and “this is for all the engineers who smoke weed, can’t forget about the production cost and all the hidden fees.” The most memorable verse (unsurprisingly) comes from fellow third-coaster 3 Stacks, who uses his time to spin a tale of two devoted fans whose undying love for his music inspires him to continue his work. But he isn’t all rose-tinted, as he addresses the expectation to put out free music that bleeds artists dry. “So if I come to your job, take your corn on the cob and take a couple kernels off it, that would be alright with you?,” he asks.

Other Ambrosia for Heads Do Remember features.

In 2014, Devin the Dude launched an eponymous web series whose inaugural guest was Bun B. With the 20th anniversary of UGK’s Ridin’ Dirty having just passed on July 30, the conversation the two have is a great opportunity for Heads to learn about UGK’s history.