Del tha Funkee Homosapien - I Wish My Brother George Was Here
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Free Music Notes for I Wish My Brother George Was Here
Free Music Review: Dude, you're getting a Del!
Hit: 5 Stars
l once listened to ''Mistadaobolina'' on repeat for almost an hour and it just got better and better. The rest of the album is so-so, but ''Mistadabolina'' is Del's ''Stairway To Heaven''.Free Music Review: Trials and tribulations in the life of the everyman
Hit: 5 Stars
In 1991, Del tha Funkee Homosapien released his debut album "I Wish My Brother George Was Here" to an unsuspecting audience becoming engrained in the West Coast's booming gangsta rap scene. At this point in hip hop, the West Coast was synonymous with the menacing hardcore rap of N.W.A., Compton's Most Wanted, and related acts, and no real alternative or underground existed. Del's debut eternally changed the face of West Coast hip hop, and definitely for the better. Del is Ice Cube's first cousin, but as rappers one would never confuse the two. Here, Del established himself as one of hip hop's most enticing MCs for his character and subject matter. Del comes across as someone everyone can relate to, rapping about everyday occurrances. On "Brother George," he raps about such day-to-day topics as public transportation, freeloading neighbors, and fear of gang activity rather than participation in it. The listener is sure to find him endearing because, for most folks, he's just like someone in their corner. Del lives a normal middle class life and observes his surroundings, and his observations are reflected in his often hilarious rap verses. The songs and album are exactly the right length, he puts across his point and supports it, but his delivery and style keep your attention the entire time, and you can never lose track of his verses. He was only 18 when he recorded it, but from a lyrical perspective, this might be the most effective, funny, and certainly groundbreaking performance of his legendary career.
From a musical standpoint, I love this album as well. The executive producers are Ice Cube and DJ Pooh. The music is the same upbeat, pure funk with heavy Parliament sampling as found on Ice Cube's concurrent album Death Certificate. The producers and sound are fairly identical, and the thick grooves are inescapable nearly all the time. But it's funny how these grooves have such a different effect with Del rapping over them. Cube made them sound ironic, but Del makes them just a laidback backdrop. It's actually pretty amazing to listen to "Brother George" and Death Certificate next to each other. Although both albums are 1991 classics, very similar musically, and performed by first cousins, they complement each other in an amazing way. While Ice Cube angrily and menacingly speaks of the serious problems facing the urban community, Del sits back and observes the lighter side of life. Cube makes some vocal appearances on this album, almost poking fun at himself. He voices the stick-up kids and men on the city bus that Del encounters. While "Brother George" is the first album from the highly influential Hieroglyphics crew, this doesn't have too many similarities to the sound that they would later be defined by. The jazzy, artistic approach that Del and Souls of Mischief would later embrace began after "Brother George," in both music and lyrics. Del is alternative here not because he has the flower-power menality of the Native Tongues on the East Coast, but simply because he offers a different style to what reigned West Coast hip hop at the time. "Brother George" is a hilarious, entertaining, musically fulfilling and all-too-true album that is still essential listening sixteen years later.
The album opens with the heavy funk of "What Is a Booty?," which serves as little more than a musical intro, opening the disc in grand fashion. This gives way to the classic single "Mistadobalina," which is anchored by an unforgettable vocal sample and simple loop, with clever and conversational raps to a certain individual. "The Wacky World of Rapid Transit" is Del at his finest. He recounts an unpleasant experience commuting on the city bus, from being late and encountering unpleasant riders to missing his stop. This is so funny because it's so normal that most rappers would never stray so far as to talk about such ordinary annoyances, and his performance is hilarious, with his running conversations and griping that rings so true. The musically rich "Pissin' on Your Steps" is another winner, where he issues very funny and lighthearted disses towards Vanilla Ice, MC Hammer, and some hip hop ideas he finds disagreeable, threatening "yellow showers." "Dark Skin Girls" is essential listening. Here, Del offers commentary on his preference in females, but he also presents a little Afrocentric attitude towards women who feel that only white is beautiful, all with a funny hook. On "Money for Sex" he voices his dislike towards the practice of prostitution, and some simple insight into his brain on "Ahonetwo, Ahonetwo." The second single, the catchy "Dr. Bombay," is excellent, and following the cool "Sunny Meadowz" comes one of my favorites "Sleepin' on My Couch." Del talks about his dilemmas with freeloading friends who try to live off him. He's "had it up to here with these lazy cats" but worries about offending them by kicking them out, a totally legitimate argument. The funk and his understandable emotion make this track a highlight. I also love "Hoodz Come in Dozens," where he expresses his frustration with gangsters and stick-up kids that rob him and keep him from living the life he deserves. "Same Ol' Thing" addresses the lack of variety and originality in hip hop with a little sucker-MC bashing, and the album closes with the brief "Ya Lil' Crumbsnatchers," a fitting conclusion.
Del would go on to an outstanding career as one of the leading figures in the West Coast underground, but his debut album remains one of his finest pieces. A masterpiece from start to finish, "Brother George" is as entertaining as any from this era and never gets old. This is the type of album you could use to sell hip hop to a nonbeliever. If you haven't already, treat yourself to "I Wish My Brother George Was Here," a unique hip hop classic.
Free Music Review: I WISH MY COUSIN's were as funky as GEORGE!!
Hit: 4 Stars
Some mc's you just know from the second that you hear them are going to become one of your favourites if they hopefully get the backing they deserve. Del was one of those that I instantly loved listening to. Throughout his debut the funk laced tracks perfectly inable him to showcase his amazing wordplay and witty sense of humour. Although his style is very much darker+sharper nowadays this is the perfect 1st glimpse at the fun side of Del. With help from his cousin, the legendary Ice Cube on the production side of things with his Boogiemen crew (Bobcat and Dj Pooh) the album is very funky with lovely Funkadelic/Parliment samples over hard head nodding beats. Del's playful lyricism is all over the tracks and his stories are both funny and insightful. He deals with issues in his community in a more funnier way than his cousin would do and puts a lovely twist on them such as tracks like "Wacky World Of Rapid Transit" (the state of the public transport), "Pissin' On Your Steps" (white cats in the hiphop industry, particularly Vanilla Ice), "Dark Skin Girls" (his preference in girls), "Sleepin' On My Couch" (story about friends taking liberties when he extends kindness), "Hoodz Come In Dozens" (about thugs being in every hood). The main standouts were the singles "Mistadobalina" (still amazing to this day) and "Dr. Bombay" aswell as "Wacky World Of Rapid Transit", "Ahonetwo, Ahonetwo", "Sunny Meadowz", "Sleepin' On My Couch", "Hoodz Come In Dozens" and "Same Ol' Thing". Excellent debut that is GUARANTEED to entertain. Free Music Review: Even today it still has such an impact on me.
Hit: 5 Stars
If you had to own at least one of his records this would have to be the one. While NO NEED FOR ALARM was my personal favorite, I will admit that overall this was better. Lyrical wise & Beat-wise he has never put out anything better. One of the best MC's from the Heiro-crew and one of my favorite MC's from the west coast in general. This LP will take you back to your B-Boy & B-Girl days and/or just help you remember again why it was you loved HIP HOP so much. PeaceFree Music Review: (9 out of 10) Del's Major Label Debut
Hit: 4 Stars
Del Tha Funkee Homosapien hit the West Coast scene back in 1991, with his debut album I Wish My Brother George Was Here. Now to me, the whole concept behind this album came from left field, when I first heard this album. Probably because I've listened to all Del albums before this one, and on those albums he talks about dissing wack emcees and video games. On this album, he go the route, sort of like his cousin O'Shea Jackson (aka Ice Cube) went back in that time. Here his subject matter expanded to more other topics, like riding the bus on the song "The Wacky World Of Rapid Transit", and living in the hoods in the songs "Hoodz Come In Dozenz" and "Sleeping On My Couch". He would also show a taste of a preferance of dark skinned females over light skinned ones in the song "Dark Skinned Girls".
As for Ice Cube, his production (along with DJ Pooh) would play a standout part in this album. Like I said before, I heard all other Del albums before this one and they were mostly produced by members of the Hieroglyphics. When Cube brought some of his P-Funk into Del's album, I thought it didn't mix at first. But giving it a few more listens, it actually has a nice sounding fell to it. The songs "Mistadobalina" and "Doctor Bombay" (lead singles?) are part of the songs that would mix with the P-Funk style. Also Cube would play sort of a humorous paroody in the album, shouting out adlibs on some songs, like on "The Wacky World Of Rapid Transit" he says his car is in the shop and asks Del for a bus transfer. Or in the song "Dark Skinned Girls", Del says they're better than light skinned, and Cube shouts "I disagree with you homeboy!" telling Del to pick up a light skinned girl.
So overall this debut for Del was pretty nice. Del's rhymes mixed with some P-Funk would make this album more unique than any other album that he as recorded. If you're a fan of Del or love Ice Cube's production, I recommend this album to you. This would be the only album that he worked with Cube, before he would expand into more of the Hieroglyphics type albums. Argubuly his best album behind the more recent Deltron 3030.
Lyrics: A
Production: A
Musical Vibes: A+
Overall: A
Favorite Tracks: Mistadobilina, The Wacky World Of Rapid Transit, Dark Skinned Girls, Dr. Bombay, Ahonetwo Ahonetwo, Hoods Come In Dozenz