Del The Funky Homosapien, forever winner of the best rap name award, went all Beyonce and released a surprise LP on Wednesday. With the attached message, Del dropped the tape on Soundcloud:
“This in a new FREE LP that is futuristic and fun- but still on some Hiphop shit. Lyrically ill but fun to listen to, nothing super heavy. I did the production on it as well. Hope yall enjoy it, peace.”
On first listen, “Iller Than Most” sounds like throwaway recordings that went absolutely right. This is a jam, party release that doesn’t half-step at all. Del is your party leader throughout, with raps that sound like he was just flowing naturally into a handheld mic. The opening lyrics to “Delta Time” explain it best: “First off, don’t expect no deep shit. The world got enough tribulations, we tryin’ to beat it.” It’s kind of like a live LP from the studio, if that makes sense.
Production-wise, Del the Funky Homosapien lives up to his name. Classic hip hop sound, with just a bit of synth and tech to sound like it was released in 2014. And lyrically, Del brings it every damn time. On “Boogieman” he rocks to a beat that is simply drums, and it still sounds sick, because, well, he lyrically crushes it. On “Robust”, he can spit the line “I eat ’em up like a bagel, hold the mayo” and he still makes it sound like it isn’t a crappy Lil Wayne “freestyle” lyric. He does show a bit of his age, addressing sucker emcees on “Bitin’ Ain’t Samplin”, taking it back to a different time from the copycat-heavy environment of hip hop today. He later explains that it simply “isn’t for everyone”, so we should just dismiss it. No problem.
The back half of this LP is subwoofer-in-your-trunk ready. One of the standouts from “Iller Than Most” is “Wreckin’ The Upside”, complete with an absolute banger of a beat, ready for an EDM tape rather than a classic emcee. Del seems to go harder and harder as the LP goes on, as “10 Paces” hits hard on all levels, as well. By the time “Grand Royal” comes in, the party is in full swing. Closer “Land of Immediate Rap Hits” doesn’t disappoint either, putting a cap on this freebie with a chorus about today’s “anyone can make it” world of hip hop. Then he blows it up, quite literally, with a series of noises that sounds like the LP is self-destructing. Del got your time, said his piece, and now he’s out. Wonderful.
With no features, short tracks that sound vastly different from a lot of what is out today, and strong work on all fronts, this release definitely deserves more attention than it will inevitably get. Do Del a favor and share this tape with any true hip hop heads. They’ll be glad that you did.