How Funkee can one Homosapien be? "With clever rhymes and a humorous style, DEL tha funky homosapien is staking his claim on the hip hop scene, as well as reclaiming his home, on his debut single "Sleeping On My Couch (And I'm Tired of That)." Over a fat mid-tempo beat, funky horns and live piano riffs, Del orders his homies to stop freeloading at his crib, eating his food and playing his video games: "And you can save your crocodile tears / Don't even start with the sob stories / I got enough from the other seven brothers / In the den playing Genesis / Damn I can't win at this." With the Bridges of Funkenstein, former background singers for Parliment-Funkadelic, picking up the chorus, it's a sound that's straight up funk." Peep the visuals to the track, cont'd below...
"Hailing from Oaktown (Oakland, CA), Del's sound is distinctive from West Coast hip hop. Along with his crew, the HIEROGLYPHICS (Randy (DJ), Kwame, CM-PX, Bert, Kalif, and The Emperor), Del combines clever lyrics with an amusing, offbeat delivery. With Ice Cube and DJ Pooh at the helm, Del's production style combines 70's P-Funk with 90's hip hop to form a new sound that can only be described as "D-Funk." Although he's 18 years old, Del is definitely not a new jack. He co-wrote "Jackin' For Beats" and "Make Way For The Motherlode" for Yo-Yo. He also makes an appearance on Cube's Amerikkka's Most Wanted, calling in on a simulated radio talk show to say "F#ck the radio!" But radio most definitely will be funkin' with Del on the "Sleeping On My Couch," and the radio-friendly tracks from his soon to be released debut album, I Wish My Brother George Was Here (Street Knowledge/Elektra Entertainment), 'cause Del's too dope to ignore." - Press Kit, '91
Not to gloss over it, the press release (1991) confirms that Del co-wrote his cousin Ice Cube's "Jackin' For Beats," at the young age of 17-18. It's clear that Ice Cube doesn't need a ghostwriter, yet he threw Del work (for Cube and Yo-Yo), trusting that his pen was strong enough to write for one of the greatest lyricists of all-time and a true pioneer in music as a whole. That's as impressive a stat as you could ask from an artist that had yet to release their debut single. To repay the favor, I believe Ice Cube played a role in writing one of Del's break-out tracks, "Dr. Bombay," also on I Wish My Brother George Was Here. They kept the money in the family! Watch the visuals below...
The original press release, as well as the Dr. Bombay one-sheet are below.
