Customer Reviews

Both Sides of the Brain

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

People writing reviews hear are making me mad. People are speaking as if Del just showed up, when he's been making music since the early 90's. Get your facts straight before you post.

However..in my opinion, lyrically you can't do much better than this album. That's just it though..this album isn't for casual listeners. It's for people who are deeply into hip hop lyrics. The only thing that kind of threw me off from this album at first is the production of the beats. They fit Del, but they don't play well to a casual listener. Really listen to the lyrics of the first song Time is Too Expensive....tell me that ain't talent. And then listen to the rest of the album.

Despite what other may think, I believe Del is one of the finest MC's to touch a mic. There was a 1 star review on here that said Del rhyming is like "cat" and "hat" - your terribably mistaken. Del is far from that. His rhyming scheme is complex, and somehow he makes it flow very goood. You know who rhymes like "cat" and "hat" ? 50 cent. THAT is a simple rhyme scheme - hell, half the time he uses the same word to rhyme his words.

People say the production on this album sucks, because it sounds to "digitalised" or "futuristic" but I don't think so - or maybe I just like it. His beats are an aquired taste - that takes a few listens to get into them.

"Pet Peeves" is my favorite track on this album. The bassline is so dope - and overall it's just an intense track. I don't know who Del is dissin' - but whoever it was, del ripped him a new one. It's basically a 7 min diss song that goes through 3 phases. Totally insane. The EL-P produced track is also insane. El-P supplies a pretty basic beat, but the faded bassline is totally sick. Perfect beat to kick a freestyle on. "Catch All This" is a cool track, the beat is up-tempo and has a dance feeling. I like it a lot.

Anyways, not a whole lot to say.. just a great CD. If your new to Del, download the tracks I talked about to see if you like em - this isn't one of those CD's I would just jump out and by - because quite honestly, this CD gets mixed reviews from all types of people. So just sample it, then support the man by buying it (if you like it)

This is,by far,the best Del album to date.YOU are not a fan of hip hop,if YOU do not have this album in your hip hop collection.Del comes with raw rhymes and great unconventional hip-hop beats (some of which he produces himself)."I'm looney with language...this art form is truly endangered",Del says on the spitting "Jaw Gymnastics".He is truly in pure MC form,as his word connections carry you through seventeen linguistical experiences.The opening track,"Time Is Too Expensive",gets the listener ready to constantly rewind or skip back to songs and re-listen to verbal blurbs from Del.Like Ghostface Killah,Del has mastered the art of "breath control",pushing the limits of rhymes-per-air-taken-in.It amazes me how much Del is underrated as an artist.More importantly,Del finds ways to elevate the hip hop genre (who can forget past tunes like "Catch A Bad One"),staying away from the Rah Rah rap that plagues most of the California scene.Del directly addresses this issue on "Stay On Your Toes",saying "I know you're hungry pal...me too...I need food...but I don't re-do what he do...I'm lethal".One of the highlights on this album is the ode to video game life,"Proto Culture",which offers visual and reminiscent imagery about growing up in the game development culture.Khaos Unique also does a guest spot on this song,adding their gaming tidbits.El-P,from Company Flow,also appears on a tune with Del-- "Offspring",and definately commands the attention of the listener.One of the most catchiest songs and hooks for this album appears on "Skull and Crossbones".Del spits the lines,"Give me the keys...I'm ok...Quit telling me I'm drunk...I've only had five hurricanes",which will undoubtedly surface a few times in the listener's head!On "BM's",Del shows how good of a beat composer he has become.Del presents a very thumping and atmospheric sound,as he contemplates 'slowing down'."Phoney Phranchise" serves as the call to hip hop tune.Del ponders his verbal powers when he says,"Bench press rappers...doing sets...with my syntax".For a great laugh,one can't miss listening to "Soopa Feen",as Del talks about this guy,who interacts with some funny interventions.The head knodding underground hip hop purist will definately love "Press Rewind" (I would have loved to hear Ghostface spit over this one)!Del speaks with conviction,when he rips the line,"Who ever hearing this...Deltron Z be a lyricist...Fronting on your fake false appearances".You Can not contest that.......

Del is flat out one of the best mc's in hip hop period. After putting out 2 good albums with "no need for alarm" and "I wish my brother George was here", and the exceptional "future Development" (contains the very dope "del's nightmare") Del comes back on the scene with his 4th solo album, both sides of the brain. This is one of his best releases to date. Del's beats on both sides of the brain are very very fresh, complete with video game samples and all. El-p also lends a hand with the very dope "offspring" as both el-p and del go at it. Prince Paul also lends Del a dope beat on "signature Slogans", one of the highlights on the album. Other highlights include "BM's", a tribute to the herb man himself, bob marley. Domino lends some of the albums best production on "press rewind", and del and A plus advise commercial heads to underground heads to "stay on your toes", another highlight. This is one of the best underground hip hop albums of the year. If you want Del's best work check "deltron 3030" with automator and kid koala, one of the best hip hop releases to date. Get this one to.

Del was still hella fresh nine years after his debut. Actually, he arguably improved as an MC by the turn of the millenium compared to the early-90's. I recommend peeping this album. It's vintage Del. You get 17 full songs where Del shows that he has perhaps the best vocaulary in the biz and brings tremendous energy to the mic. I'm not sure if he writes all his rhymes or not, but the way he raps relentlessly definitely gives off that freestyle-type feel. Each song here packs some memorable moments, so the favorites are subjective to the listener's taste.

Sure, he could impart a little more wisdom into his music, but nobody ever said that was his specialty. The first track, "Time Is Too Expensive" is actually really good, with a crazy mellow beat and his raps in a distorted voice. The next one, "If You Must," is Del's twisted idea of a club track, perhaps. He steps back from his usual routine to talk about good hygene in a comical way. "Pet Peeves" is a seven-minute track about fair-weather and groupie friends, not one of my favorites. "Style Police" is actually I think aimed at those who might bite his style. He vents some anger towards pop rappers on "Fake As F**k" where he actually only curses on the hook and the beginning of the track, not in the verses. I really thought this song was essential to the album. He takes some time in the middle of the album to express some tongue-in-cheek messages. "BM's" has a cool beat and he ponders getting high vs. drinking, and "Skull 7 Crossbones" is a comical tale about driving under the influence and he actually portrays his own fictional death. "Soopa Feen" is a weird, somewhat-funny track about a crackhead who just loses it.

Otherwise on the album, "Proto Culture"(w/ Khaos Unique) is a worthwhile track about video games. Some vintage Del tracks here include "Jaw Gymnastics,"(ft/ Casual) "Press Rewind," "Style Police," "Disastrous," and "Phoney Phranchise," among others. I really wish he would of done all of "Jaw Gymnastics" by himself, because he was really rocking it! Songs like "Time Is Too Expensive," "Signature Slogans,"(prod. by Prince Paul) "Catch All This," and "Stay On Your Toes,"(ft/ A+) literally 'stand out' because they sound a little different musically or because Del challenges himself a little more lyrically. Those four are my favorites. "Stay On Your Toes" might possess Del's best verse, and should satisfy the conscious Hiphop heads out there. This song states that Hiphop is still alive and well, and calls for all artists(mainstream and underground) to 'stay on thier toes!'

I enjoyed the production constantly throughout "Both Sides of the Brain." It's a little weird and different, but definitely funky and, most importantly, fresh. A lot of it was done by Del himself, but some help from Prince Paul, El-P, and others. The main reason I gave this 4 stars is that it grows a little monotonous after 2 or 3 listen-throughs because of his relentless style. No big deal though, it's still an essential 2 or 3 listens to everyone! If you want to know what Del's all about, I would start here, because you get a lot more of his personality than on "Deltron 3030," which is an awesome record by the way. 'If you must', run out and cop this because 'time is too expensive' and you will need to 'press rewind' often to 'catch all this', because it ain't no 'phoney phranchise' and it's not 'fake as f**k', and Del is a master of the 'jaw gymnastics.' So share this with your 'offspring' and 'stay on your toes' and occupy your time with a little 'proto culture' until the next Del or Hieroglypics album drops!

Del is undoubtedly one of the greatest rappers in the game. His lyrics, wordplay, and delivery are all completely off the hook. Plus, the beats are pretty tight and refreshingly strange. I found myself wearing out the rewind button on my stereo when I first heard this album. Also, I am glad Del hasn't changed to try to claim success or anything. Still, its sad that garbage like 50 cent can go double platinum and rappers like Del and others can't enjoy commercial success. Its just a tragedy. The only flaw is that Del is cocky and sometimes pissed off about this trend, but I guess after 10+ years, he has a right to be somewhat bitter.

This installment in Del's catalogue is certainly a move forward for his style. Yes, it may not have "deep" content in some peoples minds. But, is that what you look for in a Del album? I don't i look for fun, lighthearted music and lyrics that you can bob the head to and laugh at also. Del has come again with an album stocked with flip flop lyrics that will confuse the common. Making refences to everything under the sun as usual. I find that he has moved with the sound on "Third Eye Vision" musicwise and taken it forward even farther. This is a very good album and will stay in my player for a while. The guest appearances by Casual, A Plus, etc. are great too!

Del's old stuff is just so dated. The production on No Need For Alarm is complex in it's creative manipulation of the sampler, and although that sound can still be relevant, you have to be a revivalist like Madlib to pull it off. Here on the other hand, Del seems to roll right off the hype he created among my friends with the track he did on the first Handsome Boy Modeling School album. I don't even think Deltron 3030 is as hot as Both Sides of the Brain, and among my friends that statement is a no-brainer and hardly debateable at all. Personally the only negative critique I would give Both Sides is that I wish Prince Paul and EL-P had produced the whole thing. Surely this is a point where I can see eye-to-eye with these other reviewers. Actually I have one other critique: I could do without the song "Supa Fiend" all together, and in fact I feel it brings this already lengthy album down a peg. If I could make it perfect I would next remove "Time Is Too Expensive," "Style Police,"Disasterous," & BM's.

Ultimatly though, me and my nerdy friends say this is Del's highest peak of creativity. I mean, come on people...peep game:

"My mainframe gumption is brain bustin'

I like lumpin' up dumb cuts with abundance

Rhyme reservoirs that glitter like a gun bust"

Nobody even cares about rapping lines like that anymore except Def Jux, Heiro, and maybe MF Doom or Stones Throw. They should all merge and form one label to compete better. Del rips like ten million lines that good across the course of this album.

Both Sides will be in my all-time top 20 for life! I'm saying this after listening to it since the day it came out. Don't beleive the naysayers. I also think Rubberoom's "Archetechnology" is another badly slept on gem, but whatever...you can listen to these other reviers and miss out if you insist on doing so.

Im fed up with most rap, esp. on the radio, but Del the Funky Homosapian is def. a fresh experience. Actually, I LOVE this CD!! The lyrics are great, often hilarious! He raps about stuff that other rappers might find childish or stupid, but its extremely funny. His lyrics are a little ridiculous, talking about video games, personal hygeine, crack feind super-heros, drunk driving, but its really a fun cd to listen to. Del has a unique style of rhyme that I really dig, so you should check out the samples, and if you like them, go get this cd. Your friends will be impressed at your amazing taste in music.

This is, in a word, a masterpiece. Del showcases his best flows to date, as well as sum pretty impressive production skillz. In my opinion, this is the best Del album to date. Actually, itz 1 of my all-time CD's. Trax like "If You Must" and "Phoney Phranchise" are classics. Del was way ahead of his time w/ this 1. I highly reccomend it.

High points: "If You Must", "Phoney Phranchise", "Signature Slogans", and "Stay On Your Toes"

Low Points: "Offspring". Not a bad song, just not 2 likeable.