Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.
This is another one of those records that I bought ages ago and still haven't written anything about it. I will buy pretty much anything that has Del The Funky Homosapien's name on it. He's been my favorite since No Need For Alarm rearranged by brain back in 1993 and as far as golden era rappers go, he has had way more successes in the intervening than most in my book.
Del always, and I mean always, brings in on the mic. I'm not sure there has ever been anyone that has ever rapped in a way that connects with me more than him. There's something really unique about the way he weaves his rhymes in super intricate ways, but makes them so they can still be understood and digested. He has a cadence that has been part of my life for over 30 years and it's always familiar, but surprising, if that makes any sense. This album is no exception, every song has piles of lyrics to dissect and enjoy. And unlike a lot of folks, del has not abandoned the concept of having a hook.
What separates good Del albums from great Del albums is usually the production. I'm not familiar with AMP Live and I wasn't really sure what to expect as far as beats go. And honestly, they're somewhere in the middle. I don't think they're incredible, but they're good enough. I wish they were a little louder and faster, a bit more rugged perhaps. There's something that feels a little clinical about their sound. Even the ones that I really dig, like "Gravy Train," seem to be missing a little bit of fuzz or analog hiss that would make everything feel a bit more grounded.
So as far as Del's catalog goes, I'd put this in somewhere in middle. Gate 13 is not the same thing as his 90s releases (which it's not going to be, that was ages ago). but it's a solid record and gives Del an easy to listen to playground to spout off his unmatched lyrics.
Del The Funky Homosapien + AMP Live - Gate 13:
No comments:
Post a Comment