Divine Intervention: Fort Collins rapper DVNEHPPY wants more people to dance

When Divine Martin was a middle schooler in Houma, Louisiana, his sights were set on becoming a published poet. He wasn’t listening to much rap at that age, but he was already filling notebooks with verses and rhymes, unknowingly laying the groundwork for his current music career as the hip-hop artist DVNEHPPY (pronounced “Divine Hippie”).

In a sense, he has become a published poet, but his words reach audiences via albums instead of chapbooks. Now based in Fort Collins, he just dropped a sophomore album, “LIFE OF THE PARTY,” and will celebrate the release with his first-ever headlining show in Denver on Thursday, Aug. 27 at Lost Lake Lounge. 

Martin’s pivot from poetry to music began when a friend on his bus nabbed one of his notebooks. “He took my poem book, and I’m sure he was reading through it in an effort to try and clown me, but he was like, ‘Honestly, these are really good.’ That was my homie Tobias, and he was one of the first people who told me I should rap,” Martin remembers. But rap wasn’t really on his radar yet.

“I didn’t think that was for me at that point in time,” he admits. “When I was younger, I was a weirdo. I listened to rock music, EDM, oldies, not the typical ‘kid from the hood’ music. He credits the same friend with introducing him to some of his now-favorite hip-hop artists, fostering his love of the genre. “From hanging out with him, and him really pushing me in that direction, I started off my journey as a Christian rapper.” 

Through his church, Martin began finding his footing on stage as a teenager. “When I was 17, I was a youth leader, and my youth pastor saw the gift for music in me,” he recalls. “He knew I was enamored by the live performance aspect, so one day he offered me the opportunity to jump on stage, and I fell in love with it.”

Though he decided that Christian rap wasn’t the right path for him, he was eager to keep pursuing music on his own terms. “The real world hits you. Christian rap wasn’t really the route I wanted to go for anymore,” Martin explains. “I still have my faith, but I felt like I was censoring my real-life experiences, and I wanted to be able to express myself fully.” 

In 2017, Martin adopted the new moniker “DVNEHPPY,” along with the motto, “There’s no ‘I’ in ‘DVNEHPPY.’”

“I was on the fence about it, until my producer was, like, ‘If you feel like it’s too long, why don’t you take the Is out?’ That really resonated with me,” he says of his stage name. “I knew at that stage in my career, the things I was doing I wouldn’t have been able to do without other people and their support. It was an homage to the family that was helping out with my journey.”

While the first half of the alias came from his real name, the “HPPY” is part of his identity, too: “I always was a hippie, man. From the aspect of indulgence,” he says, miming smoking a joint, “But also, just the mindset of being chill and peaceful, and believing there’s a higher purpose in the world, and everyone is destined for their own journey.” 

Martin carries this ethos into his music through uplifting, positive lyrics and a laid-back, relaxed flow. His ultimate muse is his own “inner child,” he says.

“I want to be able to show him that dreams and aspirations, even if it’s not exactly what we were planning for, can be reality.” As a father to an almost nine-year-old little girl, he’s also aware that he’s leading by example.

“For my daughter, I want to be able to show her the same thing, that you can do whatever you put your mind to,” he says. “She wants to be an actress, a singer, an Olympic gymnast. I’m, like, ‘Baby girl, you can do it all.’” 

“LIFE OF THE PARTY,” which Martin dropped just in time for summer, is full of upbeat grooves designed to get people dancing. He didn’t intend to make it a whole project, but one song led to another, then another. “Truthfully, it wasn’t even supposed to be an album,” he admits. “It started off with ‘I WANNA DANCE’ with The River. We made that song, and I just kept listening to it, and listening to it, and listening to it. I was like, man, I really enjoy this pocket that I’m getting into now.”

“I WANNA DANCE” was produced by Denver artist and producer JG, someone Martin has repeatedly collaborated with as a solo artist and as the duo Hot Boyz. Once Martin told JG how much he was enjoying that first track, JG obliged with more funky, disco-inspired instrumentals, adding up to a cohesive track list.

While Martin’s music has always been shaped by artists like Isaiah Rashad and Childish Gambino, whom he hails as “A modern-day renaissance man,” Martin’s latest album was specifically influenced by a few projects released in the last two years. “You had Tyler, The Creator dropping ‘Don’t Tap The Glass,’ LaReezy dropping ‘La Reezyana,’ Kaytranada dropped ‘Timeless,’ Channel Tres dropped his project — just so many different people dropping music that was getting people moving,” Martin says. It wasn’t that he was purposefully “following the industry,” he clarifies, but that he was noticing and tapping into a widespread desire for more celebratory, dance-worthy sounds: “A project like this was [heading in] the right direction.” 

Essentially, Martin is aiming to make anti-wallflower music. “That was always something I hated about nightlife culture. I enjoyed being out with people, but I hated feeling like if I was dancing, that I was the weirdo in the room,” he says. “So I wanted to make something that would just force people to get out of the corner.”

The album itself feels like a party, and of course, no party is complete without guests. “That was always something I wanted, to be able to have a gang of homies on a project and really get into my executive producer bag,” he adds.

Six other Colorado artists and two producers are featured on “LIFE OF THE PARTY,” including Fort Collins-based singer k8ie and producer Ryan Adams, AKA Mixed by Ryn. “I told myself this year that one of my main goals was to be more Fort Collins-based, because, beforehand, I was doing a lot of Denver stuff,” says Martin. “From there, I was able to meet k8ie, who is featured on ‘STEP x STEP,’ and Ryan, who produced ‘MAKE ME FEEL ALIVE.’” 

Every single artist on “LIFE OF THE PARTY” will join Martin at Lost Lake on Thursday, Aug. 27, for a celebration of the project. It’s his first ever headlining show in Denver, and he’s going all out. DJ Yasmeen, who co-produced the track “SOLACE,” will get the party started with a DJ set before openers Yonnas & Yearning, Glamour Shot and 2-Bit Boyz warm up the stage. Then, Martin will perform “LIFE OF THE PARTY” in its entirety, along with everyone included on the album.

“I want it to feel like the biggest party. I curated this entire lineup by myself, and I’m calling it my night of Black boy joy,” Martin says, alluding to the fact that each opening act features at least one Black male artist. Martin’s parting words for his audience are simple: “The only expectation is to dance.” 

“LIFE OF THE PARTY” is out now on all streaming platforms. The “LIFE OF THE PARTY” album release show featuring DVNEHPPY, Yonnas & Yearning, Glamour Shot, and 2-Bit Boyz is Thursday, Aug. 27, at 8 p.m. at Lost Lake Lounge, 3602 E. Colfax Ave. Tickets are $24.80 for those over 21 or $29.80 for those under 21; message DNVEHPPY directly for fee-free tickets.