Musician Profile: Del The Funkee Homosapien

When talking about the most colorful, out-there, and influential artists in hip-hop's history I think 'Del the Funkee Homosapien' has to be the first person that comes to mind for most avid hip-hop fans. The name "Funkee Homosapien" fits him perfectly. During the times of hip-hop's stone age Del was one of those pioneers who really brought flavor, funk, and swagger into the game.

Del, whose real name is Teren Delvon Jones, hails from East Oakland California with the rest of the Hieroglyphics and Souls of Mischief crew (you just need to listen to the 15 second marker of "93 Til Infinity" to figure that out).

Del The Funkee Homosapien's solo debut was an album called "I Wish My Brother George Was Here" and was released in the fall of 1991. The title is a reference to George Clinton of Parliament Funkadelic, who was and continues to be a major influence on Del's music. Produced by Del's cousin O'Shea Jackson, better known as Ice Cube (yes this Ice Cube), and fueled by the commercial success of the comedic and funky song "Mistadobalina", "I Wish My Brother George..." sold 270,000+ copies. Despite never reaching platinum or gold status the album is still a huge gem in the library of great hip-hop albums and is a must have for any true hip-hop fan.

Del's sophomore album "No Need For Alarm" was released 2 years later in 1993 and achieved RIAA's (Recording Industry Association of America) gold award.

This long winded narration of Del's career is only a brief paraphrase giving respect to his contribution to hip-hop. To give a detailed summary and biography of his whole career would entail creating a blog of it's own. Del is also a member of Hieroglyphics and later reinvented himself as the persona: Deltron 3030. Deltron 3030 is not only a contributing member of the Gorillaz, but also has his own self titled solo album (another must have album).