Del tha Funkee Homosapien

Both Sides Of The Brain

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Editor's Review:

The long, long, long awaited first full-length Del album from the indie hip-hop music machine that he started — Hieroglyphics Imperium — is finally about to drop, and after several schedule push-backs, it’s about damn time. Fans have been teased with two singles, "Phoney Franchise" (B/w "Press Rewind") and "If You Must" (B/w "Fake as Fuck"), jams that simply served to make the mouths of Del fans water profusely, and represented only the tip of the musical iceberg contained on this stellar joint.

Of course, Del comes with high-tension, air-tight raps, focusing on everything from video games ("Proto Culture") to self-propping lyrical semantics ("Jaw Gymnastics"), but his cleverness and conviction really shine through in a series of tracks collectively labeled "Pet Peeves." Comprised of "FWA (Fair Weather Associates)," "Shit Talkers" and "Followers," this trilogy contains a healthy dose of Del’s frustration in dealing with the types of folks he doesn’t like, busting on rich kids from the Oakland Hills trying to be hard and fakers who front in general, taking a slight shot at a hip-hop luminary in the process.

The beats on Both Sides of The Brain smack of the worldly musical understanding that highlights the mood behind Del’s vocal styles, and run from jazzy and super funky to hard, abstract and dark. Guest rapper / producers include Prince Paul, New York underground enforcer El P (Company Flow), and fellow Hiero members Casual, A-Plus and Domino — with a range of varied aural colors and flavors, these guests’ sounds lend to balance the heady, groovy tracks that come from the mind of Del, and round out one of the most highly anticipated (and for good reason) albums of y2k.

- Max Sidman

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