DVS Mindz

DVS MINDZ

Beginnings

DVS Mindz was a seminal rap music group from Topeka, Kansas. DVS Mindz stands for Dope Versatile Styles Manifested IN a Direction to Zucceed. The group opened for a number of notable acts during this time, including Run DMC, Wu Tang Clan, Sugarhill Gang, Redman, De La Soul, Digital Underground, Das EFX, Black Sheep, and Goodie Mob.

DVS Mindz formed in 1993 when rappers Str8jakkett and Killa The Hun, who met in middle school, began collaborating on music. D.O.P.E. signed on a few months later and the trio debuted Nov. 4, 1993, at a Topeka talent show.

The group's original sound owed major influence to hardcore East Coast rap groups such as the Wu Tang Clan, as well as old-school rap acts such as Erik B and Rakim. The trio began recording and performing in earnest, eventually landing two tracks on a 1998 compilation CD entitled "I.C.U.: The Revival." The tracks were "No Coast" and "Real MCs," both of which underscored the group's lyrical prowess. Through numerous shows in the Topeka, Lawrence, and Kansas City areas, DVS Mindz was becoming a popular live attraction.

1137 The group eventually recruited two more members who solidified the group's classic lineup, DJ Kutaculus and a young MC named DL. The group took refuge in a dilapidated house at 1137 N. Sawyer in Topeka, Kansas. Unable to afford utilities, the group paid for just enough electricity to run their recording gear. During this time, the group bonded and wrote a number of its most popular songs.

In December, 1999, the group opened for U-God, an affiliate of the Wu-Tang Clan, at the Bottleneck in Lawrence, Kansas. The group caught the eye of local music journalist Geoff Harkness, who subsequently wrote a rave review of the group, which was published in the local newspaper, the Lawrence Journal-World. Harkness wrote an extensive article about the group a few months later, which appeared on the cover of a local music weekly.

In May, 2000, the group released its debut album, "Million Doller Broke Niggaz," which contained tracks that dated back as far as 1994. The album spawned two popular songs, "Niggaz" and "Tired of Talking,"

Shawn Edwards Controversey

After the group was the lone act mentioned by [Pitch] writer Shawn Edwards in a cover story about a local promoter's ill-fated events, the members of DVS Mindz felt they had been singled out for ridicule in connection to a concert that had far deeper problems than subpar sets by its performers. "No Respect" then became the unofficial Y2K battle cry for DVS Mindz, which took time out at every show to preach from the pulpit about the evils of the local music bureaucracy. Over time, these diatribes snowballed into full-blown conspiracy theories.

The group addressed the controversy from the Liberty Hall stage on August 7, 2000, when it opened for the Wu Tang Clan. Kansas City music writer Andrew Miller wrote that DVS Mindz, "delivered a fierce set teeming with intensity and emotion. Using stop-and-start beats and group recital in an impressive fashion, the crew spit fire on tracks such as "Tired of Talking," and its DJ showed and proved on the turntables after the set was done. Like Wu-Tang, DVS treated fans to some "real live a cappella hip-hop lyrics," with one rant that blasted the music industry for sleeping on the Midwest and several others that brutally lambasted Pitch writer Shawn Edwards, who the group felt gave it a bum rap in his piece 'One More Chance.' ... This was the group's big-time showcase, and it proved to a tightly packed crowd and two touring bands that it deserves major-label interest."

"There are two schools of thought on the Mindz: those who think DVS Mindz is the area's tightest rap group and those who think their rhymes are unoriginal and their beats add nothing to the songs. There's some merit to both arguments."

Break Up and Solo Careers DVS Minz had more than two dozen tracks left over from "Million Dolla Broke Niggaz. These songs included, "Rowdy Hip-Hoppas," "Central Time Zone," "Let It All Hang Out." The group also had new material, including tracks such as "Heat," "Flamethrower," "Haterville" and "Genocide," all of which were performed live in concert at one time.

In March, 2002, Kutaculous released a compilation disc entitled "G-Coffee," that consisted of tracks recorded with various rappers in his Topeka studio. The members of DVS Mindz appeared throughout the disc, but there was no group track included.

http://www.restaurants.lawrence.com/news/2000/dec/21/a_puzzle/

http://www.pitch.com/2000-04-27/music/the-arsonists-dvs-mindz-seven-fold-symphony-mac-lethal-approach