DEL THA FUNKEE HOMOSAPIEN
I WISH MY BROTHER GEORGE WAS HERE
1991
Like the kid who just keep showing up until someone gave him his chance, Ice Cube's younger cousin Delvon had a hand in Cube's Amerikkka's Most Wanted as an honorary member of Cube's Da Lench Mob and also co-wrote the majority of Cube's protege Yo-Yo's debut Make Way For The Motherlode in 1990-91. In 1991, his debut I Wish My Brother George Was Here had everyone rockin' on their heels. Not only was the production unrivaled in terms of Left Coast hip hop except for maybe Cypress Hill's first with its seamless use of trunk-rattlin' funk, intrictate beat programming and synth-heavy composition.
And Del, as an emcee managed to completely disassemble the stigma attached with West Coast emcees as the gang-bangin', drug slangin' criminal-turned-poet. Del's drawl was more reminiscent of the chilled flows of his East Coast counterparts--injecting moments of wit and humor to intentionally distance himself as a "18-year dweller of the meadow." His purposeful aversion leads him to raps about "Dark Skin Girls", "The Wacky World of Rapid Transit", his homie sleepin' on his couch and the "Sunny Meadowz."
Elektra would drop Del after his second record which would make him the first in a long line of rap acts discarded by Elektra that would go on to ultimately hold some level of prestige in the rap game (Brand Nubian, Leaders of the New School, KMD (MF Doom), Pete Rock & CL Smooth). Shame on you, Elektra.
Album Highlights:
"Pissin' On Your Steps"
"Dr. Bombay"
"Same Ol' Thing"
"The Wacky World of Rapid Transit"
"Mistadobalina"
2 comments:
Yea, Del definitely broke the mold of what everyone thought he'd sound like coming from one of Cube's crews. That probably hurt sales, but showed that the West Coast wasn't just shoot em up bang-bang raps. Only true heads can appreciate this album.
moreso, it really put bay area on the map being that there were no really significant bay area rap records prior to 1991.
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