Customer Reviews

Best of Del Tha Funkee Homosapien: Elektra Years

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With this "Best of" collection, Elektra has done what I wish every record label would have the guts/brains to do: it opened the vaults to give us access to the infamous glut of "previously unavailable on CD" hip-hop tracks. Over half of the songs on this Del retrospective are remixes, b-sides, or soundtrack cuts that are difficult or impossible to find anywhere else on CD. I have many of these old remixes & b-sides on cassette singles, and I am very happy to finally have crisp, clean digital copies to play, rip, and burn. You might fault the selection of songs dubbed "the best," but you can't fault the inclusion of so many rare and elusive treats. "The Undisputed Champs," "Catch a Bad One (Remix)," and "Burnt" are stand-outs, but there's really not a bad song on the whole disc. Yes, some of the remixes are disappointing--but, really, how could a remixer top the original versions of bonafide classics like "Mistadobalina" and "Dr. Bombay?" Impossible. Just be thankful that some doors have been opened to some previously lost and forgotten tracks. And let's hope that the trend continues. (Are you listening, Jive? Let's get a similar compilation of Souls of Mischief vaulted gems, okay?)

This right here is basically a Del Greatest Hits album from the two albums that hes realeased on Elektra records (No Need For Alarm (1993) and I Wish My Brother George Was Here (1991)). Del would be dropped from Elektra around 1996 while he was recording "Future Development".

Now I have a beef with Elektra Records ever since I found out about the situation with that K.M.D. album "Black Bastards". In addition, around '04/'05, they would be bought out by Atlantic Records, but before they go, they would try to make some money by putting out some greatest hits albums under their name from some of their major artists (Brand Nubian, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Busta Rhymes, and more). This Del Tha Funkee Homosapien album would be apart of this also.

Now since he recorded two albums, Elektra would put some of the songs from them, as well as some rare 12" singles that were remixed that were not avaliable on the albums. The songs "Ahonetwo, Ahonetwo", "Mistdobalina", "Sleepin On My Couch" and "Dr. Bombay" were the funky tracks that would appear on the "I Wish My Brother George Was Here" and "Wack MC's" would appear on the "No Need For Alarm" album. Some of the remix tracks like "Catch A Bad One (remix)" and "Wrongplace (Cas remix)" would be good additions to this album (the origonals appeared on the "No Need For Alarm" album), although I don't think the remixes of the "I Wish My Brother..." album would amount to the origonals. Some of the unavailable tracks like "Burnt" (from the flipside of "Mistadobalina" single) features Casual and Souls Of Mischief thats good for many Hiero fans, while Pep Love and Q-Tip would join in for the track "Undisputed Champs", which is also pretty tight to listen to. I had a friend who had the "Judgement Night" soundtrack and the track "Missing Link" was on there as well as it is on here also.

Well, there you have it. Basically a bunch of Del tracks while he was under Elektra Records before he was cut from the label. I'm not too mad at this, because Elektra just HAD to make some money on the stuff that they owned. Although I believed that some tracks could have been an addition to this here (like "Worldwide" and "No More Worries" from the No Need For Alarm album as an example), but at the same time they were to release some hidden, hard-to-find tracks that many fans spent long a time looking for. If you don't feel like or don't have the money to buy Del's first two albums, or if you own both album and want to hear some lost tracks that Del had, then get this here. Del has plenty more never released tracks he recorded around that time, that could be found on the Hiero Oldies album.

In a nutshell and in response to the reviewer below me: Del had nothing to do with this album. He ended all his ties with Elektra records when he was cut from their roster around 1995/1996. This was all Elektra's cash in on one of their better acts before they were discontinued. But if you a Del fan, you knew that, didn't you?

When I first saw the CD, I instantly bought it. It's a great CD, and it's been a while since a new Del CD came out. It's a great set of songs, but unfortunately, considering it is restricted to 91-93, there's alot of good stuff missing. There are some great songs, but I feel there weren't enough songs from "No Need For Alarm". Infact, only Catch a Bad one and Wack MCs are from it. Regardless, this is a Del Fan's must own.

Some of the remixes are almost better than the original, but others are rather disapointing (Mistadobalina to be specific).

Finally a new Del album after Both Sides of the Brain. This one should be good. It has remixes and other stuff. If you are a Del fan vote 'this review was helpful'. If your not a Del fan vote 'this review was not helpful'.

Ok, the review by Ray Moon was a little rough. We're not reviewing Del the man here, we're reviewing a so-called 'Best of' CD that the man had nothing to do with. I recall Del giving an interview and was pretty angry that Electra put this out only to rake in more dollars....

I like DEL. He has a unique and instantly recognizable flow and put out more Northern Cali classics than you can list in an Amazon review. So what if he's been drunk for the last five years? He made a lot of great tracks. This CD is not the Best of Del. It is a sampling of Del's first two albums, the only two that Electra owns the rights to. So that's all they could put on the CD. The song selection is OK, with my favorite being 'Undisputed Champs'. Q-tip, Pep Love & Del wreck it and 'stun 'em with the verbs, instead of using clips'. I bought the 12" of this song at A-1 in NYC a few months before I got this CD, and the dude there said it wasn't that hot. I kinda disagree.

In any case, this CD is a good overview of Del's early releases for those that may not already own his first two albums. The booklet that comes with the CD is also pretty good at giving some biographical background at how Del got started and the lyrics to the songs, if I remember right. Again good for the uninitiated. Being a pretty big Del fan, I bought the CD for completeness sake. Plus I didn't have any Del on CD, only vinyl, and I don't have a record player in the car and I'm too lazy/busy to transfer vinyl to digital and burn a CD.

In the end, I say buy this CD if you want to get an overview of Del's early work. I think Del would say don't buy it because Electra is a bunch of jerks, but who cares what he thinks. He's probably drunk anyway.

No self respecting del fan would buy this album. I bought it and didn't respect myself afterwards. Not the best sampling of del tracks, even for old school. Not to mention del has likened his time at elektra to being a slave on a plantation...in fact do yourself a favor go cop the album with that track- future development.

I remember around 1991, NBA Inside Stuff did a feature on B.J. Armstrong (my favorite player) of the Chicago Bulls. B.J. said that his favorite song was "Mr. Dobalina". I remember thinking, well, if B.J. Armstrong likes this guy named Del tha Funkee Homosapien, then he must be good.

And yes, Del's first album "I Wish My Brother George Was Here" is an absolute hands-down hip-hop classic. So I recommend that album over this one (it's cheap too). Del was at his creative peak with that first album; it featured great production from Ice Cube (back when Ice Cube made good albums instead of movies).

Since then, his career's been a mixed bag. His CD's are very inconsistent. A Best Of CD is probably a good way to get an overview of those mixed-result cd's.

But I think you'd also be better off buying "Deltron 3030" and "I Wish My Brother George..." instead.

What has Del seriously done for the music industry in the past 5-6 years? He releases Deltron 3030, one of the best hip hop albums of all time, and then drops off the face of the earth. I've seen him since at Hiero shows almost too drunk/high/whatever to even perform. I don't want to give the impression that I have never liked Del. In fact, Del has been one of my favorite emcees throughout my entire hip hop listening days. It is just a shame that I see him sell-out and release a "best of" album. Really Del...a "best of" album? Most people these days could probably make a better Del mix with the music they own on their very own computers. Unless Del is hard at work at some masterpiece finale album thats gonna rival the next Dr. Dre release and change hip hop forever, he's lost my support as a dedicated fan or even respecting individual. Don't buy this album. Don't download this album. If somebody tries to give you this album for free; fart for the time equivalent to 16 music tracks, then tell that person that what you have just done is more worth hearing than Del sell himself out through Elektra.