Teren Delvon Jones (born August 12, 1972 in Oakland, California),[1] better known as Del tha Funkee Homosapien, is a hip hop artist.
Music career
Early life and beginnings:1990-1997
Cousin of renowned rapper Ice Cube, Del began his career writing lyrics for Cube's backing band, Da Lench Mob.[2] In 1991, with the help of Ice Cube, Del released his first solo album, I Wish My Brother George Was Here,[2] at the age of 18. The album was a commercial success, largely due to the popularity of the hit single, "Mistadobalina". Ultimately Del, who was not pleased with the limited musical range of the album, took matters into his own hands, and severed his production-artist relationship with Ice Cube for his next album, No Need for Alarm. Del is considered a member of the Native Tongues Posse according to the myspace page.
No Need for Alarm also saw the introduction of the famous Oakland clique Hieroglyphics,[2] whose original members included the widely acclaimed Souls of Mischief (Opio, A-Plus, Phesto and Tajai) Casual, Pep Love, Del, and producer Domino. No Need for Alarm was a bold move on Del's part as it allowed him to develop, display, and solidify his unique style as an MC, and also helped to expose both the regional Oakland sound of hip hop, as well as the freestyle based, "golden era-97" style of hip hop being expanded at the time.
Middle era: 1998-2006
Due to touring, mundane activities, and frequent psychedelic drug use, it would be another five years before the release of his third album. About a month before the release of his third album Future Development Del received a letter from his label, Elektra, stating that his contract had been terminated.[2]
Del's third solo album Future Development became available in 1998. The album was only available on the Hieroglyphics website in tape form. Future Development was re-released in 2002 under the Hieroglyphics Imperium label. Del also released another collaborative work with the Hieroglyphics crew in 1998, 3rd Eye Vision, it was the Hieroglyphics crew's first album. Two years later, Del released his fourth solo album, Both Sides of the Brain, as well as Deltron 3030 which was a collaborative work with artists Dan “the Automator” Nakamura and Kid Koala, featuring a special guest appearance by Scotty "the Great Gatsby" Beezle. Exposure from the 3030 project helped to expand Del's fan base—the 3030 project worked well as a marketing move because the CD capitalized on the growing interest of computer technology, incorporating motifs of science fiction, telling stories about life and hip hop based in the year 3030, and infusing much of the popular internet terminology and culture in circulation at the time.
2003 also saw the release of Full Circle, the second full-length album from the Hieroglyphics crew.
In 2004 Elektra released The Best of Del Tha Funkee Homosapien: The Elektra Years without the approval of Del. The CD only includes songs from his first two albums, along with a handful of b-sides from that era. Del was not pleased and advised people to not buy the CD, saying it was just Elektra trying to make money off of him due to his newfound fame.
Together with his crew, Del has established his own independent record label, Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings, which primarily consists of an expanded Hieroglyphics roster and a few other artists with whom the group collaborates regularly.
Recent years: 2007-present
Del performing in Red Deer, Alberta in 2006
On March 31, 2009 Del's new album Funk Man was made available for free download on the internet. The album is mainly available at his page on Bandcamp.com, though he gave away some hard copies on his supporting Funk Man tour. A new video for the first single called "Get It Right Now" is on youtube. In September of the same year, he released a new album, "Automatik Statik", for an unfixed rate with a minimum of $3.
In other media
The Homosapien's songs repeatedly appear in video games. In 2000, the song "Catch All This" from Both Sides Of The Brain was featured in the game Street Sk8er 2. In 2000, the song "Jaw Gymnastics", featuring Casual, was featured in the game Knockout Kings. In 2000, the song "Positive Contact" from Deltron 3030 was featured in the game Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX. In 2001, the song "If You Must" was featured in the game Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3. In 2003, the song "Positive Contact" from Deltron 3030 was featured in the game Tony Hawk's Underground. In 2005, the song "At the Helm" featuring Hieroglyphics was featured in the game Tony Hawk’s Project 8. In 2006, the song "Catch A Bad One" was used in the game Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure. Also in 2006 his song "Dr. Bombay" was used in the movie Beerfest and more recently a Hieroglyphics song "At the Helm" was featured in commercials for and is used in Tony Hawk's Project 8. A Hieroglyphics song "Don't Hate the Player" was also featured in NBA 2K7. His song "Burnt" was featured in Tony Hawk's American Wasteland.
Del has also had many songs featured in snowboarding movies. "Press Rewind" was the song for Eero Ettala's part in the film White Balance and "If You Must" was featured in DC Mountain Lab.
The Hieroglyphics song "Soweto" is featured on NBA 2k6. The Hieroglyphics crew is unlockable as a bonus team.
Collaborations
Del was recently seen on an episode of the MTV show MADE in Canada, where he encouraged the youth to drop-in on a mini ramp and later performing and dedicating "If You Must" to the main character. He also provided songs for the soundtrack.[citation needed]
Del collaborated with trip-hop group Gorillaz for two songs on their debut album, both of which became singles: "Clint Eastwood" and "Rock the House". In their cartoon-based videos he is portrayed as a ghost. Del later commented in an interview on the success of "Clint Eastwood" by saying to the interviewer that he actually wrote the song with the book "How to Write a Hit Song," a book that he bought with a coupon his mother gave him. After the song went platinum he gave the plaque to his mother[1]. As part of Russel Hobbs' backstory, the character of Del was one of Russel's friends that was gunned down in a drive-by shooting, whose ghost possessed Russel.
Discography
Solo studio albums
Other releases
Hieroglyphics
Gorillaz
Deltron 3030
Mike Relm's "Spectacle"
with Tame One
- Parallel Uni-Verses (2009)
Appearances
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- Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood Single (The Blue Phantom), Debut Album, 2001
- Gorillaz - Rock The House Single (The Blue Phantom), Debut Album, 2001
- Judgment Night (movie soundtrack), Missing Link (with Dinosaur Jr.), 1993
- Digital Underground, "Food Fight", Future Rhythm 1996
- The Coup, The Repo Man Sings For You, Steal This Album, 1998
- Handsome Boy Modeling School, Magnetizing, So... How's Your Girl?, 1999
- Sunspot Jonz, Ice Pirates, The Child of the Storm, 2000
- One Big Trip (movie soundtrack), One Big Trip, 2002
- Handsome Boy Modeling School, White People, 2004
- Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Haiku D'Etat, and Zion I, Calicomm 2004, 2005
- Opio of Souls of Mischief, What's Wrong With This Picture?, from Triangulation Station, 2005
- Think Differently Music, Fragments, and Preservation (with Aesop Rock), Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture, 2005
- Zion I, What U Hear, True & Livin', 2005
- Molemen, Scarlet Letter, Killing Fields, 2006
- Terracotta Troupe, Dynasty. Released on vinyl with Z-trip remix and Monster!
- Rainydayz Remixes, released 10 January 2008, remixes of Radiohead's In Rainbows
- Balance, "Left Field" Featuring for Swollen Members
- Twigy, Rockin' It, Akasatana, 2007
- Jurassic 5 - "Soul Searching (Remix) - Jurassick! (Freestyles and Rarities), 2003
- Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 with the song "If You Must"
- [(Marc Eckô´s Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure)] with the song " Catch a Bad One"
- Mike Relm - Everytime, Sep. 2008
- Tony Hawk's Project 8 with the song "At the Helm"
- Eligh - A Lesson Garden - Gas Dreams - 2000
- Sleep - Lothar - Hesitation Wounds, 2009
References
External links
Official Pages
Interviews
