I've been a fan of Del's music ever since 2001 when i heard him get down on Clint Eastwood with Dan Nakamura and Gorillaz,my interest eventually progressed into me wanting to hear more stuff from this guy because his words were so intricate,Thats when I Found "I Wish My Brother Was Here". And Ever Since then I've found myself being into Del's stuff.I've had the privilege to see him twice in Concert,Even For free one time up in West Hollywood,i had the chance to meet him that time around.he's a really cool and modest dude,and you'll see that in this interview,he also took time to address the rumors about a Deltron Sequel and his Involvement with Gorillaz which people seem to be Very Confused about.Im glad to have been able to have gotten a hold of him on his Facebook.where i set up the interview.Anyways,Here's How it went:Q: We’ve just seen the release of your new joint Entitled “It Aint Illegal Yet” What can we expect from this album since last we heard from Del?
Del: Well, with this lp I really just went back to a basic 80's hiphop bare beat production style and more of my insane insights on tha game and dealing with life in general. I also took a more futuristic approach to tha drum beat production, I wanted to expand upon it and not just re-create another "Rock The Bells" by LL Cool J, for example. Also, I haven't changed much as I've gotten older in age, so I still check out what's happening in music. What is poppin now is basically mega-80's style, if I can say that. I have an intimate relationship with that era as far as hiphop goes so I just used that knowledge and fused it with ideas of how I thought it shouldve grown with how the scene actually is.
Q: What made you decide to make your recent music easier to acquire by putting it out for free or having people pick their price?
Del: “The pick your price and free music is simply because that's how it started. I'm not too good to do it now. I still just wanna play the game and have people appreciate my music because I know that I'm better than alot of these cats out here assin around. It was like that in high school when I did it for fun and mental stamina, and it's still why I do it now. Then people started to notice that I wasn't foolin around, I was serious about it.
Yeah I need racks to support my music habit now. All the more reason to be just as dedicated to the art as before.”
Q: You’ve mentioned in past interviews that you were studying Music theory during your Leave of Absence from Hip Hop back in the Early 2000’s. How has that affected your outlook on how you go about doing your music?
Del: “Studying music has had an incredible effect on how I experience sound and music, period. There's so much that we actually think we discovered that actually has a recorded history before we were born. It's great! I'm the type of person who was always eager to listen to someone who knows, who can give me some insight. So to have just the history of music itself and Black music specifically, at my fingertips, it's very useful. Some people think just because the music is electronics based today that it's not real, they been poppin that shit for centuries. It's all just tools to get to an and. Sure it's easier to create tunes now but that's what the technology is for. Life is faster paced with way more demands of us today, so really every advantage must be taken to make it out here and be heard. Music theory is the cornerstone of all the techie stuff or any other instrument. It gives you your pallette to work with, your shapes and colors to draw with so to speak. Also traditional techniques to build upon.”
Del: Well, with this lp I really just went back to a basic 80's hiphop bare beat production style and more of my insane insights on tha game and dealing with life in general. I also took a more futuristic approach to tha drum beat production, I wanted to expand upon it and not just re-create another "Rock The Bells" by LL Cool J, for example. Also, I haven't changed much as I've gotten older in age, so I still check out what's happening in music. What is poppin now is basically mega-80's style, if I can say that. I have an intimate relationship with that era as far as hiphop goes so I just used that knowledge and fused it with ideas of how I thought it shouldve grown with how the scene actually is.
Q: What made you decide to make your recent music easier to acquire by putting it out for free or having people pick their price?
Del: “The pick your price and free music is simply because that's how it started. I'm not too good to do it now. I still just wanna play the game and have people appreciate my music because I know that I'm better than alot of these cats out here assin around. It was like that in high school when I did it for fun and mental stamina, and it's still why I do it now. Then people started to notice that I wasn't foolin around, I was serious about it.
Yeah I need racks to support my music habit now. All the more reason to be just as dedicated to the art as before.”
Q: You’ve mentioned in past interviews that you were studying Music theory during your Leave of Absence from Hip Hop back in the Early 2000’s. How has that affected your outlook on how you go about doing your music?
Del: “Studying music has had an incredible effect on how I experience sound and music, period. There's so much that we actually think we discovered that actually has a recorded history before we were born. It's great! I'm the type of person who was always eager to listen to someone who knows, who can give me some insight. So to have just the history of music itself and Black music specifically, at my fingertips, it's very useful. Some people think just because the music is electronics based today that it's not real, they been poppin that shit for centuries. It's all just tools to get to an and. Sure it's easier to create tunes now but that's what the technology is for. Life is faster paced with way more demands of us today, so really every advantage must be taken to make it out here and be heard. Music theory is the cornerstone of all the techie stuff or any other instrument. It gives you your pallette to work with, your shapes and colors to draw with so to speak. Also traditional techniques to build upon.”
Q: What made you want to get involved in Hip Hop?
Del: “The primary attraction to hiphop was the fact that what they were rappin about I could see right outside my door in the street on my way to school. It was so real! I thought that wasn't allowed in music up to that point. Also, I'm a gifted student: high comprehension skills, very good at subjects like English. I started getting into poetry very young like 3rd grade. I was reading Dr Suess books at 2 years old. So basically I was supposed to rap I feel.”
Del: “The primary attraction to hiphop was the fact that what they were rappin about I could see right outside my door in the street on my way to school. It was so real! I thought that wasn't allowed in music up to that point. Also, I'm a gifted student: high comprehension skills, very good at subjects like English. I started getting into poetry very young like 3rd grade. I was reading Dr Suess books at 2 years old. So basically I was supposed to rap I feel.”
Q: How do you manage to keep it real and authentic musically after all these years in which we’ve seen so many artists go from seeing the necessities of their music being Lyrical Abilities and Flow, To worrying about their Image and whether they’ll be on MTV ?
Del: “Like I said earlier, I haven't changed much since I was a kid, and never felt the need to: as a matter of fact, I always considered the way the world worked as being unnecessary and geared toward the rich staying rich off of peoples ignorance, but that's another page...My point being is that I haven't abandoned the things that made me who I was then. And now especially since everything I was into is now accepted and bigger than before, it's even more fun than it was before! But I guess those things are also the same things that got me signed as well. So it is what it is I guess.Malcolm X was also my hero growing up so maybe that too has alot to do with it, I dunno...”
Q: For a couple years now, there’s been rumors floating about there being a sequel in the works Deltron 3030, Will We See another Chapter being etched in the Saga that is Deltron?
Del: “Yes, there is a sequal sort of to Deltron, Event II is the title and it's just about finished actually.”
Q: What Happened With you being a Part of Gorillaz Escape to Plastic Beach Tour?
Del: “Like I said earlier, I haven't changed much since I was a kid, and never felt the need to: as a matter of fact, I always considered the way the world worked as being unnecessary and geared toward the rich staying rich off of peoples ignorance, but that's another page...My point being is that I haven't abandoned the things that made me who I was then. And now especially since everything I was into is now accepted and bigger than before, it's even more fun than it was before! But I guess those things are also the same things that got me signed as well. So it is what it is I guess.Malcolm X was also my hero growing up so maybe that too has alot to do with it, I dunno...”
Q: For a couple years now, there’s been rumors floating about there being a sequel in the works Deltron 3030, Will We See another Chapter being etched in the Saga that is Deltron?
Del: “Yes, there is a sequal sort of to Deltron, Event II is the title and it's just about finished actually.”
Q: What Happened With you being a Part of Gorillaz Escape to Plastic Beach Tour?
Del: "As far as the Gorillaz tour, I dunno. They weren't kickin in, if you smell me...and honestly I really didn't wanna go anyway, no offense to the guys at all. But I been at work on some interesting NEW musical developments that are more exciting to me and important than doin Gorillaz right now, if they don't wanna break bread. I feel I'm as important as all the other lavish crazy expenses they puttin into it. But hey, I dunno, nothin personal, I still love the OG idea of Gorillaz."
Q: Have you paid attention to anything they [Gorillaz] have done musically since you did your part on their first album in 2001? Like for instance, listening to their albums that followed their Debut?
Del: "Checking out the other Gorillaz projects? Honestly? No, but that don't mean they ain't good. It's just like I told people before: it ain't really my steez. Look, I be slapping 40 and Cam'ron half the time over here, I live in Richmond, CA, you dig? I'm not sayin I'm closed minded, but my lifestyle kinda demands more aggressive sounds. And personally music wise, to get even more evil, more funky, more aggressive sounds is my whole quest really. That's just my personality, but hey I'm the Funky homosapien for a reason."
Q: Have you and DefJux Gone Separate Ways since Eleventh Hour?
Q: Have you and DefJux Gone Separate Ways since Eleventh Hour?
Del: "Me and DefJux...well, we only had a deal for that lp so that was that.
But El-P wasn't diggin the business side too tough, he wanted to get back to focusing on being an artist again, and I totally support El-P in whatever he wants to do, I don't care. I haven't spoke to El-P in quite awhile, I dunno if he mad at me, cuttin everybody off or what. But that's how I feel about El-P that's my dude for real, always has been."
Q: Other than you being a funky human being, there is something some people don’t know about Del; he’s also known to be a Gamer.
But El-P wasn't diggin the business side too tough, he wanted to get back to focusing on being an artist again, and I totally support El-P in whatever he wants to do, I don't care. I haven't spoke to El-P in quite awhile, I dunno if he mad at me, cuttin everybody off or what. But that's how I feel about El-P that's my dude for real, always has been."
Q: Other than you being a funky human being, there is something some people don’t know about Del; he’s also known to be a Gamer.
Del: "You know what? I honestly ain't been playin games seriously in years, man...no time to. To be the best you gotta really be the best, you know what I mean? I'm music 24-7 around the clock, that's it man...I have been playing the hell outta Skate3 tho, I love that game, but I had to put that down too after spending nights and days in a row stuck to it...I'd rather be studying or making more advancements in sound in my Sonic Concrete Lab over here."
Q: And Lastly,What’s next for you Project-Wise?
Del: " what's next projectwise? Too much to list but one thing that I'm really excited about is working with a young woman out of the East Bay named Hopie Spithard...we have been working along with her producer 6Fingers on a record called Dolls And Robots. And we on some next shit. While still keepin it somewhat lissenable, of course..Once business slows down to a more regulated pace (which may not come in my lifetime at this point in the nation), I am still always ready to Hiero it out with another record and everybody in the clique knows that they just gotta catch me and it's on cause all I do is music all day, that's a given if you know me. Me and Aplus got several projects but DZLFuel and Hypnotized are probably the main doggies we got planned. Im also pretty good friends with Psalm One too, and I'm always checking in on her to see what I can be involved in with her.Me and BukueOne were fleshing out a few projects as well...that's all I can put a x on right now...but I'm always cookin so just be ready! It's all a matter of can I get it out there?"
Q: And Lastly,What’s next for you Project-Wise?
Del: " what's next projectwise? Too much to list but one thing that I'm really excited about is working with a young woman out of the East Bay named Hopie Spithard...we have been working along with her producer 6Fingers on a record called Dolls And Robots. And we on some next shit. While still keepin it somewhat lissenable, of course..Once business slows down to a more regulated pace (which may not come in my lifetime at this point in the nation), I am still always ready to Hiero it out with another record and everybody in the clique knows that they just gotta catch me and it's on cause all I do is music all day, that's a given if you know me. Me and Aplus got several projects but DZLFuel and Hypnotized are probably the main doggies we got planned. Im also pretty good friends with Psalm One too, and I'm always checking in on her to see what I can be involved in with her.Me and BukueOne were fleshing out a few projects as well...that's all I can put a x on right now...but I'm always cookin so just be ready! It's all a matter of can I get it out there?"
Many Thanks To Del.You Can Buy His New Album At His Site(Below)
http://www.delthefunkyhomosapien.com/
http://www.delthefunkyhomosapien.com/
All Disgruntled Gorillaz Fans who have it twisted,You Need To Understand Where Del's Coming From.He Keeps It Moving and Does His Own Thing As An Artist.Can You Really Blame Him? I asked that question to Bury The Rumors, So Let's just Let it be.And enjoy what Gorillaz have to offer as a band.And what Del has to offer as an artist.
thanks,
R.M
I enjoyed this interview. Much love Del! <3
ReplyDeletegreat inteview. i dont think the gorillaz give del his due credit. they have grown since their original album but del a big reason anyone even gives the gorillaz the time of day. whats the biggest complaint about demon days? (which is in my top 5 easily) no del.
ReplyDeleteIn an earlier interview this year Del said he hasn't even talked to Hiero in years. So I'm in no way surprised that the Gorillaz aren't on his radar. He's always maintained that his involvement in that project was solely because of Automator. And Gorillaz haven't been working with him either.
ReplyDeletethe storm is gathering, I really hope deltron event II is going to blast the shit out of my mind, electrify the streets and all
ReplyDeleteEvent II. Please God, just drop.
ReplyDeleteEvent II!!!
ReplyDeleteWooooHooooooo!
Del not talking to hiero in years? That cant be true. post a link
ReplyDelete