Check Out Devin “Tremell” Fuller’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Devin (Tremell) Fuller.

Hi Devin, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My start is in Charleston, South Carolina, where I grew up in a house that held five generations for most of my life. You could always hear music in the house from old negro spirituals to Future and sometimes all in the same day. I’d always enjoy coming home from school and my great grandmother would be listening to 2Pac while making dinner. This environment eventually led me to doing poetry slams in high school, but I got tired of being made fun of, so I started to freestyle and rapping at little gatherings here and there. A few years passed by and I found myself going to college in Greeley at UNCO for communications and journalism. While I was in school, I found a love for not just freestyling but actually making songs and within a year I was performing my first opening show for Afroman at the Moxi Theatre with a group called Church of Lazlo. I never really wanted to attend college so I eventually dropped out, went solo and changed my name to Devin Tremell then began making a lot of music at Soul Sessions Studio with DJ Yetty. Over the years we found ourselves as part of this huge network of artists in Northern Colorado and doing our own shows at the Aggie Theatre in Fort Collins. Looking back now, I’m impressed with what we did in such a short amount of time.

During that time, I remember seeing things happening back home that I felt like I could’ve been a part of but missed. The Charleston Church Shooting happened and Walter Scott was shot by the police in the back all while I was here in Colorado making music. I felt awful because my home city was in so much pain and everyone started to come together, they marched and protested, and I just sat there and watched it. My great grandmother I mentioned earlier saw King speak when she was my age, that story was told to me since I was a young boy and now, I was an adult seeing some of what she saw in the 40’s and early 50’s. The moment I saw how we lost George Floyd this year was the moment I couldn’t sit around anymore. I stopped making music and distanced myself from anyone that wasn’t willing to share this moment with me. I went to every protest I could make, I raised money by live-streaming some music in a practice space, I organized a protest separate from the BLM or NAACP organizations to show that with a little bit of effort, anyone can take a stance. I think the most important thing is without the music and its ability to connect you through so many different things, none of this would be possible. Without the music, I could’ve ended up back home, and I could have been Walter or I could have been in church that day. Fortunately, I’m still here and will continue to share my story and spread it through my music. I live in Denver now, it’s the next chapter for me and I’m excited to see what comes of it this year.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely has not been a smooth road for me. One of the biggest struggles for me was establishing myself here after moving from South Carolina. I was poor and had a one-way ticket here, so it was rough the first few years as a teenager on my own in a place I’ve never been before. I also struggled with everything happening back home from the shootings and losing my great grandmother and losing close friends all while I couldn’t make it back in time to say goodbye. I do believe there’s a balance to everything though, for all the rough patches, there have been just as many smooth parts. The transition from being in a group to going solo was a smoother process than I expected but I also found out that I work better alone than in groups. I wouldn’t have it any other way though, where’s the fun if everything is smooth and easy?

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a recording artist. I make Hip-Hop, R&B and Alternative music. I would say that I’m more of a writer than anything. I’ve written a few things for other people mainly because I have a good rapping voice but an awful singing voice. I’d say I’m most proud of the headline shows I’ve done in 2019 and getting the cover of BandWagon back in August for the work I did organizing protests through my musical connections. I think that sets me apart. I’m just like the rest of you. I just got a big mouth. I’m not super flashy wearing all the trendy new clothes, but I still got my own dope little style, and you can reach out to me easily. A lot of artists try to be different and end up separating themselves from the world that inspires them. I take a more humble approach by trying to be a figure in the community not a product of it.

How do you think about luck?
Luck isn’t something that I think about often honestly. In the area I grew up in I’ve seen a lot of unfortunate things happen but I wouldn’t say those things came about through bad luck. I also have seen magical things happen but I also don’t consider that to be good luck either. I think luck is just something that has never really been in my favor so I go through life without it, if I didn’t then those bad experiences would hinder me from trying new things and exploring alternative ways of doing something. In my world, good luck can only take you so far for so long and bad luck doesn’t mean you had a bad idea or have a bad life. I try not to think about my luck too much, mainly because it’s kind of an uncontrollable force of nature, so I just go with the flow. I’ve avoided flowing into a rock or off a cliff so far, so hopefully we can keep that going for now.

Contact Info:

• Email: devintremell@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/devintremell/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DevinTremell/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/devintremell?lang=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCba0jHJ9nVNOFE3haPzT6zA

Image Credits
Yavez Fuller Woody Myers