Del tha Funkee Homosapien
Del tha Funkee Homosapien, also known as
Del the Funky Homosapien and a few other phonetic approximations, is an
alternative hip hop artist. Del was born
Teren Delvon Jones on
August 12,
1972 in
Oakland,
California.
Del was born and raised in
Oakland, California. In
1991 Del, with part of his
cousin Ice Cube’s backing band
Da Lench Mob, made his first solo album,
I Wish My Brother George Was Here, with support from Ice Cube. The title “Brother George,” possibly adapted from a
Liberace catch phrase[
1], refers to legendary funk musician
George Clinton. Critics and fans had mixed opinions about the album, but more were positive then negative. Del's next album,
No Need for Alarm, did not feature Ice Cube. It did, however, mark the first appearance of Del's crew
Hieroglyphics.
In 1998, Hieroglyphics came out with their first full length album,
Third Eye Vision. This album was well received by both fans and critics. Two years later, Del came out with
Both Sides of the Brain, and in
2001 he released
Deltron 3030 with
Dan “the Automator” Nakamura and
Kid Koala, which garnered praise from critics and helped expand Del's audience.
Del collaborated with
Gorillaz for two songs on their debut album, both of which became singles: "Clint Eastwood" and "Rock the House". In their videos he was portrayed as a clown-like ghost. Del later commented on the success of "Clint Eastwood" by saying that he actually wrote the song with the book "How to Write a Hit Song," a book that he bought with a coupon his mother gave him. After the song went platinum he gave the plaque to his mother. As part of
Russel Hobbs' backstory, the character of Del was one of Russel's friends that was gunned down in a drive-by shooting, whose ghost
possessed Russel. When Del was not invited to work on the
Demon Days album, a story was written that Del and the other spirits that possessed Russel were
exorcised in
2003.
Most recently,
2003 saw the release of
Full Circle, a second album with the Hieroglyphics crew. This latest album has received mixed reviews.
Together with his crew, Del has established his own independent record label,
Hieroglyphics Imperium, which primarily consists of Hieroglyphics and a few others artists with whom the group collaborates regularly.
Del’s lyrics often reflect his interests, offering humor and themes that differ from mainstream hip hop. His songs have discussed video games, bad hygiene, intergalactic rap battles, and more. In
2000, the song "Jaw Gymnastics", featuring
Casual (rapper), was featured in the game
Knockout Kings. In
2000, the song "Positive Contact" from
Deltron 3030 was featured in the game
Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX. In
2001, the song "If You Must" was featured in the game
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3. In 2003, the song "Positive Contact" from
Deltron 3030 was featured in the game
Tony Hawk's Underground. In
2005, the song "Burnt" featuring Hieroglyphics was featured in the game
Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland. In
2006, the song "Catch A Bad One" was used in the game
Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure.
Del is currently working on his next album
11th Hour which will come with both a CD and a
DVD.
*
I Wish My Brother George Was Here (
1991)
*
No Need for Alarm (
1993)
*
Third Eye Vision (with
Hieroglyphics) (
1998)
*
Future Development (
1998)
*
Deltron 3030 (
2000)
*
Both Sides of the Brain (
2000)
*
Full Circle (with
Hieroglyphics) (
2003)
The third album,
Future Development, was originally available (in 1998) only in tape format in
Japan and on
the Hieroglyphics website. It was later rereleased in 2002.
*
Deltron 3030 (
2000)
*
Deltron 3030 Instrumental Version (
2001)
*
Gorillaz, tracks "Clint Eastwood" and "Rock the House"
*
Judgement Night (movie soundtrack), track “Missing Link” (with
Dinosaur Jr.)
*
One Big Trip (movie soundtrack), track “One Big Trip”
*
Think Differently Music Presents-Wu-Tang Meets The Indie Culture tracks "Fragments" and "Preservation(with Aesop Rock)"
*
Handsome Boy Modeling School,
So... How's Your Girl? (
1999)
*
Handsome Boy Modeling School,
White People (
2004)
*
The Coup, track "The Repo Man Sings For You," from "
Steal This Album" (
1998)
*
Zion I "What U Hear", from
True & Livin',
2005*
Opio of
Souls of Mischief, "What's Wrong With This Picture?", from "
Triangulation Station",
2005*
The official Hieroglyphics website*
Short biography of Del
