Del the Funky Homosapien

Del Tha Funkee Homosapien led the Bay Area’s outgrowth of hyperlyrical, jazz-informed ‘90s rap, then outlasted it with several iconic left turns. The Oakland native started out writing for his cousin Ice Cube’s group Da Lench Mob before making his major-label debut with 1991’s I Wish My Brother George Was Here, executive-produced by Cube and featuring the indelible “Mistadobalina,” a comical sketch of a hip-hop poser. Over his next decade as a rapper and producer, Del drilled into a humorous and nimble freestyle approach, pioneered the art of self-releasing music online, and launched his Hieroglyphics crew. His early run culminated with 2000’s Deltron 3030, a sci-fi hip-hop opera about a battle-rapping soldier in an interplanetary dystopia, with producer Dan the Automator. Around the same time, Dan invited Del to record for another concept album—and his verse became the heart of Gorillaz’s breakout hit, “Clint Eastwood.” Through it all, Del has straddled the line of everyman and eccentric, always pushing the form.