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Rhap Around With South Bronx’s The D.E.Y.

Sunday, December 16, 2007
By: Michael Ivey

We throw “eclectic” around like Peyton Manning on Sunday’s and, though many hip hoppers mix different elements to create, The D.E.Y. organically applies other cultural to a rugged South Bronx tradition. “It’s what’s missing in the whole Latino-urban experience,” says singer Elan in a recent crew interview with Rhapsody.com. “It’s like the evolution of music,” says Yeyo.

The D.E.Y. is comprised of Elan, emcee Divine and bilingual, Miami based vocalist Yeyo. The trio, which tackles Earth, Wind and Fire’s “Fantasy” for their single “Give You the World,” is sourced by the American cradle of hip hop, as well as East Indian Pop and Latin vibes. The groups’ Sony/Epic debut, “The D.E.Y. Has Come,” is slated for a spring ’08 release and reportedly will feature pervasive producer Timbaland (“I Get the Feeling”).

“The first conversation I had with Tim before we even knew we were going to do a session with his beatmakers was about our favorite Indian singers,” says Elan, who, as a youngster, shared studio time with a rookie Brittany Spears and performed with Marc Anthony in Paul Simon’s Broadway production, The Capeman. According to Divine, Elan’s spiritual trip to Tibet, India, and giving the gift of a meditation bowl to her mother, fast tracked the singer’s admiration of the country’s culture and music. She is formally trained in East Indian pop.

The D.E.Y. has been compared to international hip hop trio The Fugees, but Divine declares that his crew just wants to make timeless music. ‘The D.E.Y. Has Come’ EP is available, through itunes, at www.thedey.com.