Devil's Pie

Album: Voodoo (1998)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Written by D'Angelo and Gang Starr's DJ Premier, this funky track is a slam against greedy materialism in the hip-hop community. It was the first single from D'Angelo's second studio album.
  • DJ Premier originally offered this to Jamaican-American rapper Canibus, who rejected it.
  • Several samples were incorporated into the track, including Fat Joe's "Success," Raekwon's "Interlude," Pierre Henry's "Jericho Jerk," Teddy Pendergrass's "And If I Had," INI's "Fakin' Jax" and Natruel's "Big Daddy Anthem."
  • This was featured on the soundtrack to the 1998 drama Belly, starring a host of rappers, including DMX, Nas, Taral Hicks and Method Man.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Chris Tomlin

Chris TomlinSongwriter Interviews

The king of Christian worship music explains talks about writing songs for troubled times.

Trans Soul Rebels: Songs About Transgenderism

Trans Soul Rebels: Songs About TransgenderismSong Writing

A history of songs dealing with transgender issues, featuring Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Morrissey and Green Day.

Phone Booth Songs

Phone Booth SongsSong Writing

Phone booths are nearly extinct, but they provided storylines for some of the most profound songs of the pre-cell phone era.

Ramones

RamonesFact or Fiction

A band so baffling, even their names were contrived. Check your score in the Ramones version of Fact or Fiction.

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s EditionMusic Quiz

You know the scenes - Tom Cruise in his own pants-off dance off, Molly Ringwald celebrating her birthday - but do you remember what song is playing?

Bryan Adams

Bryan AdamsSongwriter Interviews

What's the deal with "Summer of '69"? Bryan explains what the song is really about, and shares more of his songwriting insights.