page_title: DVS Mindz
section_title: Million Dolla Broke Niggaz
hierarchical_section_title: DVS Mindz / Million Dolla Broke Niggaz
caption_attribution_description: English: Str8jakkett of DVS Mindz
context_page_description: DVS Mindz was an underground rap music group from Topeka, Kansas that was active primarily from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s. The group's name stands for Dope Versatile Styles Manifested IN a Direction to Zucceed. The group's classic lineup consisted of four MCs: Str8jakkett, Killa The Hun, D.O.P.E., DL; and a DJ, Kutaculous. The group's sound was sparse, with raw beats and furious, nonstop rhyming from all members. While the group had very catchy material, many of its songs featured no chorus, just a sparse beat and verse after verse from the MCs. The group's lyrics were packed with inside jokes, mythology, pop-culture references, puns, numerology, religion, violence, and obscure references to the group's history. Each member also had alter egos and pseudonyms, and they sometimes rapped in those voices. During its decade-long career, DVS Mindz released one critically acclaimed CD, and opened for a number of notable rap acts, including Run DMC, Wu Tang Clan, Sugarhill Gang, Redman, De La Soul, Digital Underground, Das EFX, Black Sheep, and Goodie Mob.
context_section_description: In May, 2000, the group released its debut album, Million Dolla Broke Niggaz, which contained tracks that dated back as far as 1994. The album spawned two popular songs, "Niggaz" and "Tired of Talking," both of which were nominated for song of the year by The Pitch. These and other songs showcased a much harder sound than the previous DVS Mindz recordings, surprising some of the group’s long-time fans. The group was also singled out by members of the local rap-music elite, who claimed that DVS Mindz was posturing and boring. Kansas City music writer JJ Hensley noted that “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."
  Demencha Magazine weighed in with a review that compared the CD to "classic West Coast underground artists like Living Legends and Hieroglyphics come to mind as far as comparisons when you listen through these choice tracks featured off DVS’ Million Dolla Broke Niggaz album. They don’t pay much attention to choruses on this CD, in favor of just spitting flames back and forth for 15 tracks. More than half the album’s songs go for between 6–8 minutes in duration, and to hear these guys just trade verses (a’la Wu-Tang on 'Triumph') is amazing. Simply, Million Dolla Broke Niggaz is some old-school, local, underground shit in it’s [sic] rawest form." Str8jakkett explained the group's approach to recording this way: "It’s not that we didn’t know about counting bars, we just didn’t give a shit about counting bars. We wanted to spit. We come from a different era, as opposed to a lot of the younger guys coming into the game. They do a 16 and a chorus and a 16 and a chorus. We came up in the tundra. Spit. Give it your all. What was on that album, Million Dolla Broke Niggaz, was what I like to call 'off the corner rap.' Ain’t nobody trying to hear no chorus man, you know what I’m saying?"
caption: Str8jakkett
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