Seattle Subsonic

Del tha Funky Homosapien @ Neumos Dec 6

December 2nd, 2009

You know Del. Even if you haven’t heard his solo albums, futuristic concept album with Dan the Automator (and Kid Koala), or any work from the super indie rap collective, Hieroglyphics; Del tha Funky Homosapien has been in your head before before.
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There are few emcees with as distinct a voice and style, as Del’s. In the mainstream, he should be recognized from the 2001 Gorillaz hit, “Clint Eastwood”, which still sounds fresh every time I hear it getting air play. Or, if you’ve played the classic PS2 game, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3, Del’s funky song, “If you must” stood out on a killer compilation.
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I first heard Del on the rap opera concept album, “Deltron 3030″, which someone made me listen to, after a disappointing (and short) Ludacris concert (yeah…we all started somewhere). This was the first time that I had heard a hip hop album with constructive lyrics. His solo albums did not disappoint, good lyrics (often playful) and beats that were indeed funky, and different than anything else I had heard. Ironically, as much as his music set itself apart from the rest of the rap scene, I finally found out that his first album (in 1991) was helped along, by his cousin and pioneer of a different scene, Ice Cube (this still intrigues me).
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Del founded the Oakland collective, Hieroglyphics, whose range of talent is even more dynamic then Jurassic 5 (L.A.’s similar indie collective). Featuring unique and distinctive emcees, sound lyrics, and funkier beats, I highly recommend all of these CD’s for any underground rap collection.
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He’s been lower on the mainstream charts then he deserves (probably a good thing), gone Gold with “No Need For Alarm” (before I knew hip hop existed), and topped the indie charts time after time. But if you missed all of this, then now is a great time to pick up the pieces; after an 8 year solo-hiatus, Del has produced 3 albums in 2 years. The beats are still funky, perhaps even more refined and complex, and matched by his unchanged voice and the expected sharp lyrics. Hopefully the hip hop audience has finally caught up enough to fully appreciate this indie hip hop pioneer.
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I recommend:
A) checking out his new free album, “Funk Man” (on bandcamp.com)
B) fighting the times and purchasing “Automatik Statik” direct (for an unfixed price with $3 minimum)
C) going to the Neumos show, Sunday Dec 6th!!!
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Del tha Funky Homosapien
w/ Bukue One (fellow Oakland emcee and DJ)
Yirim Seck (from Seattle)
Life Cycle (from Tacoma)
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Sun-Dec 6-Doors@8pm
21+/ $20 adv.
Neumos