Del Tha Funkee Homosapien

Say what you want about Del, he has a nose ring, lip ring, dresses like Andre 3K... whatever. He is a UGK, an Underground king for those that don't know, and Ice Cube's cousin for those that do know.
Anyway, back in '91, with the help of Cube and Da Lench Mob, Del released "I Wish My Brother George Was Here", probably his most wide-reaching album (not his best-seller), yet most Del fans' least favorite album. Del himself did not like the direction his career was taking, so he severed all ties with Cube and Da Lench Mob for his album "No Need For Alarm", one of my favorite West-Coast albums of all time.
With the album "No Need For Alarm" came the hip-hop supergroup: The Hieroglyphics... consisting of Del, The Souls Of Mischief, Casual, and a few other members. The Hieroglyphics really put California alternative rap on the board.. they really paved the way for guys like MURS, and even Pac Division.
In '98, Del's contract was dropped by Elektra Records... and so his album "Future Development", was very hard to come by, it was re-released 4 years later. He released "Both Sides Of The Brain", and "Deltron 3030" both in the same year... Deltron 3030 getting insane acclaim from anyone involved in underground hip-hop. Dan The Automator is a heavily slept-on producer, and Kid Koala doesn't even get his credit for being in the group.
Since then, Del has been working with Gorillaz, and The Hieroglyphics... and recently started his own record label "Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings"... and has gotten pimped out of some money by Elektra, with the bullshit "Best Of" album. And if you are a gamer of any sorts, you know that Del has at least one song on every soundtrack. Finally, he also teamed with indie fan-favorite El-P and his record label Definitive Jux to release his new album "11th Hour".

So take notes, underground artists, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien is an example of an underground king.
Posted on 1:09 PM by Guy Fawkes and filed under , | 0 Comments »

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