[Si] TV

Some say there is a lot missing from the hip-hop game right now, Latinos being one of them. The D.E.Y. is ready to change that with their debut E.P. The D.E.Y. Has Come. The Fugee-like trio brings a new voice to the urban music scene by fusing everything from hip-hop, R&B, pop and Afro-Latino influences together, in both Spanish and English. Group members Divine, Elan and Yeyo are assembling a new soundtrack that will unite English, Spanish and bilingual Latinos alike, and address the concerns of today's multicultural youth. Gone are the days of putting Latinos in just one box, it's a new day.

BRIDGEZ: What does the D.E.Y. stand for?
YEYO: Well initially it stands for all of our names, Divine, Elan and Yeyo. But later on I realized it also stands for a personal saying I have "Do everything yourself," which was my father's advice to me.

BRIDGEZ: How did you come to form a trio?
DIVINE: Basically we've been a group for two years now. Me and Yeyo have been working together since 1998, he would work in Miami, I'd work my thing in New York. I started working with Yerbabuena, started getting more respect in the world of Latin music. Anthony Ramirez [known for bringing Daddy Yankee to the mainstream] stepped to me and said he liked what I was doing. I told him I came with a dude named Yeyo, who had the Spanish game on smash. Anthony tells us we are going to Miami to record a demo and then shop it around, so we are like bet. Before we head out, Anthony sees Elan coming out of a store and says that's it! This can be some Fugees s**t, and approaches her, not knowing I knew her already. She was the missing element, and when we came together that was it.

BRIDGEZ: How long did it take to get signed officially?
DIVINE: Well we immediately recorded four songs in Miami at Yeyo's studio. We went and showcased in front of Donnie Ienner who was the chairman of Sony at the time. After the second song he stopped the music and said "Welcome to Sony." Even the engineer told us he never saw that happen before. Ironically we all had things going on in our separate lives that attracted us to each other, that were incomplete, but once we came together it was instant.

BRIDGEZ: What does everyone bring to the table?
YEYO: We all bring different elements and influences from where we grew up. For instance I'm from Puerto Rico, Divine is from the Bronx, Elan is from Manhattan. My father is Cuban, so I have a lot of Cuban music influences, Afro-Cuban influences. Elan has an incredible array of musical experience that spans from classical music, to pop, soul, R&B to Indian! Divine is the poster child for the hip-hop baby, the official boricua hip-hop baby.

BRIDGEZ: So people are quick to label your music as reggaeton, is that what you classify it as?
YEYO: We have no reggaeton songs on the entire album, so no. I think reggaeton is a Puerto Rican word, so when you are Puerto Rican they just automatically throw that word in there. Boom, they put you in that box. That has been my struggle my whole life. I've never done reggaeton, I've been the anti-Christ of reggaeton, so it's like if you want to do it, do it right, not on some "mami ven aqui" cause you got little kids looking up to that. Then we have the highest percentage of teen pregnancy on the island. Then you have the whole calle aspect, with the street wars, and these dudes become the icons of little kids, like Don Omar but not everyone can sing, but everyone can pick up a gun and blast this other dude and get power. So you got to expose that some way, somehow.

BRIDGEZ: A lot of people compare The D.E.Y. to the Fugees, how do you feel about that?
DIVINE: Yeah that is on the same lines as the reggaeton label. However, I don't mind being compared to the Fugees, they sold 14-15 million worldwide, everyone knows who Lauryn Hill is, who Wyclef is, so it's a compliment. They influenced us, that's real singing and real rapping, who didn't get influenced by the Fugees?

BRIDGEZ: Who did you work with on the album?
DIVINE: Us, laughs. Stargate who produced all of Rihanna's stuff [and] Beyoncè's "Irreplaceable" did two songs on the album. Timbaland produced "Get the Feeling" which will be our first English single. JR Rotem also produced some tracks

BRIDGEZ: So far what has been the best experience for you as a group?
YEYO: Working with Timbaland, having him and [Justin] Timberlake just there in the studio. That's was crazy. Also signing the deal.