A bit out of my comfort zone this one, and not exactly people that i've heard very much of, but regardless of all of that - This Album, 'Del the Funky Homosapien' & 'Parallel Thought' - 'Attractive Sin' - I picked up, because i felt that it was an album that people need to know about.
An album that i'm sure people have been waiting for in certain hip hop circles especially, and furthermore on Del's behalf, for his cool unique methods of making his music, but also i'm sure that the production crew 'Parallel Thought', have as well, for a lot of their previous work been just as much involved in the building buzz behind this Album. An album that i'm sure has had a lot of rap & hip hop fans anticipating it's release. I shall begin.
The first of 11 tracks, and the album opens with the song 'On Momma's House', and w/o listening one might assume that it's about Del's confidence that if he wanted to, he could gamble his own mother's house on his rap career, and as a result it wouldn't matter, because as a rapper he would win. A cool subject, but actually listening to the track, the title is more like a statement in its own right, because basically, content wise, it's more like a showcase of Dels ability to rap, rap & rap. Right from the jump & as soon as you hear the lyric.
"O-A-K-L-A-N-D - C.A - M.C - You think you can fade me? A-B-C Ya & I wouldn't wanna be ya".
An intro for not only the album, but as well as this, if you don't know Del, an introduction to what sort of rapper the Oakland MC really is. A rapper that raps & raps, right through to the next track, the funky jazz number 'Ownership'.
A track about, (obviously), which you will notice from the first line,
"This my S**T & i'm about to handle it, you can't funk with this"
is about ownership. A short track with the chorus at the start & for the rest of it, a continueos verse about basically ownership. How to get ownership, & the dos and don'ts of ownership, but anyway won't go on. Next up is 'Different Guidelines'.
About being unique in what you do, 'Different Guidelines' has alike 'Ownership' again a Jazzy kind of beat, but this time with a constant kind of African drum loop playing. It's different from the last two tracks, in the sense that it has a chorus. A catchy hook which goes something like
"F**k it hoe i do things different, I was brought up different, my brain thinks different, different guidelines I say i love you, but never was a hoe & i ain't going out with you...".
So definately a cool kind of track & if you're a fan of old school Hip Hop - i would say it has the same sort of sound, it's very early 90's esque, so i mean if that's what you're sort of thing is look no further. Although I will say that after skipping the track - the production (courtesy of 'Parallel Thought, of course') is switched up in a completly different direction with track no. 4 'Charlie Brown'. A bit similar to the album Intro actually in the respect that the rhyme structure, length (about 5 & a 1/2 mins long), and not too mention the same kind of random type of content is reminiscant. Although what i would say though, the thing which is different is the beat. Which i would describe as a bit less jazzy than the first 3, with a more acoustic kind of sound, but anyway continueing on.
Just about halfway through the album now, and we get to 'Activated Sludge'. A more upbeat kind of track which i would describe as, on 'Parallel thought's' behalf, a bit distracting, and mainly because the beat has so many different sounds. Sounds maybe with about 5 different noticable features, but not to take though anything away from Del, because on a second listen you can notice his word play, and it is a track that he can rap to.
So an ok kind of track, but moving on, and we get to 'Apply it to See'. A short kind of, I would say, interlude track. Which as body really kind of serves as a build up to track 7, '1520 Sedgewick'. A bit 'Cypress Hill'-ish i would say beatwise, and it's about trying it (rapping) out for yourself, something Del doesn't need to tell me, but continueing on, to the already mentioned track 7 '1520 Sedgewick'.
A track about a place, which if you look up on google, you will find out is a block of apartments in the Bronx, NY; where in 2007 was named as the birthplace of Hip Hop. Something which every Hip Hop fan should know about right? A track I would advice that you give maybe a few listens, and not just for the catchy beat, but for lyrics like:
"Okay I got some shit to express
Jump off my chest like a skydiver
Right into the fire, won't perspire
First off, all you half-ass writers, you're FIRED!
Retired and laid to rest DZL taste this test, nigga you ain't the best
You imitate straight down to the flesh, style and dress
but can't get it correct!
Sir DZL, the boy's a mess
Poison deployed and set
right with the cheese
Then I'm off in the night with a knife up my sleeve
Slicing thieves..."
Lyrics which stay consistent throughout, you could say, and in my opinion '1520 Sedgewick' is probablly my favourite, but there are others on the album which I like as well, and the next track 'Get to Drillin' isn't that bad either. A track mainly laced with Piano loops beatwise, with lyrics I can only assume are about making money. Suddenly getting rich like you've just, at that moment, struck Oil. Not exactly environmental, but heck it's not about drilling Oil is it, it's about making millions of pounds. Something i'm sure that Del must have, I mean with all the albums he's sold in the past, you wouldn't put it past him, but anyway back to the album.
On to track 9 now & this one is called 'Blow Your Mind'. An upbeat funky number about, the kind of lyrics that do just that, I would say, blow your mind. Blow your mind like track 10 'Shows Over'. A fitting name for the last track, except it isn't the last track, that is called 'Fronts Like You Know', but anyway back to track 10 'Shows Over', a synthy beat that content wise isn't about much just lyrics over a beat, but not bad though. Just as good as any other track on the album which unfortunately I am now listening to the last track of 'Fronts Like You Know'. A track i would describe as having a beat that kind of sounds like it's a transmission being sent across space. Possibly not what Del & producer's Parallel Thought was aiming for when they made the album, but heck for something which sounds as advanced as Del the Funky Homosapien's music - I think maybe any aliens that do intercept this album would possibly like it just as much as myself & any other human who knows about Del & Parallel thought. Who's album I am going to give an 8/10 rating, and an album I would recommend that is worth the purchase. An album for any real hip hop head.
Buy it here at Amazon.co.uk (For UK Buyers)
Amazon.co.uk (CD/ Physical Release)
Amazon.co.uk (MP3)
Amazon.co.uk (Vinyl)
Buy it here at Amazon.com (U.S Buyers)
Amazon.com (CD/ Physical Release)
Amazon.com (MP3)
Amazon.com (Vinyl)
No comments:
Post a Comment