Del The Funky Homosapien - Future Development 2xLP +7" - Black & White Splatter Vinyl (/500)

Rhymesayers (2026, Reissue)

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.

Future Development is Del's third album and it was originally meant to be his third for Elektra before he was dropped.  There's a lot of lore about how much of the eventually released album would have been the Elektra version, but that's not anything I can speak to with certainty.  All I can say is that the first version of Future Development that was released was on cassette only in 1997.  I mail ordered that from the Hiero website in those early internet days and found it to be solid, but I din't like it as much as his prior two.  

The next time this album crossed my path was when I found a copy of the 2002 reissue of it on CD at a random NYC record store that I don't remember the name of and I think that was the only time I was ever in there, killing time before a show at Arlene's Grocery or Luna Lounge or whatever pop up venue in that area of the city had bands playing.  It made me reevaluate the album and I liked it a lot more having let some time pass.  Eventually, I picked up the double LP a few years ago and for whatever reason, that's when it really clicked for me.

I'll still say this is an album with highs and lows.  I don't love every song on it as there are some where the production is just a little too slow and dreamy for my personal taste.  But as a whole it's a very strong record and has many highlights where Del reconfirms why he is my favorite MC of all time.  His flow is unlike anyone's and his ability to weave complex rhyme patterns, internal rhymes, external rhymes (sometimes no rhymes) and still all make it work in a way that seems so effortless is nothing short of remarkable.  Even on the tracks that might not have my favorite beats, Del still shines on the mic.

I'll have to be honest, the main reason I bought this LP again was the art of the deluxe version.  It harkens back to the original cassette artwork and I have a fondness for that.  Including a bonus 7" with some extra songs doesn't hurt either.  While they weren't part of the original release of this album, they're of the era and fit in pretty seamlessly.  Makes me wonder if they were slated to be part of whatever version would have ended up on Elektra.

Del The Funky Homosapien - Future Development:

https://delthefunkyhomosapien.bandcamp.com/album/future-development

Del The Funky Homosapien - Future Development 2xLP

Hiero Imperium (2002, reissue)

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 25+ 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.

As I have mentioned in the past, Del The Funky Homosapien is my all time favorite hip hop artist.  His second album, No Need For Alarm, was a seminal record for me and is definitely the sort of album I'd post a picture of on Facebook if someone asked me to play one of those games where I have to list the albums most influential to me.  After that album, Del was dropped from Elektra and retreated to the underground.  He reappeared in 1998 and put out Future Development on cassette as one of the first releases of the newly launched Hiero Imperium record label.

I mail ordered that album when I was in college along with the second Casual album, Meanwhile.  I never thought that Future Development quite lived up to No Need For Alarm as a whole, but there are some truly incredible tracks on this record and honestly, I like it more now than I did when that tape was initially playing in my car stereo.  I heard an interview with longtime Hieroglyphics producer Domino who said that the final Future Development record was not exactly how it was originally envisioned.  Specifically he had mentioned that the Del track "At The Helm," one of the highest highs of the first Hieroglyphics group album, was one of the songs originally planned for this third full length.

But again, there are hits on here.  Opening track "Lyric Licking" is incredible, with its pumping, low bass line and Del's unique lyrical delivery.  If the rest of the record had production like this, Del would have had another stone cold classic on his hands.  Where I think the album loses me a little is that the beats on the bulk of the album are a little softer than what I had been anticipating.  The hard hitting drums and unique samples were shelved in favor of a sound that can really only be described as mellower.  Lyrically, Del is swinging for the fences every time, and connecting way more than he misses, but it's the beats that leave me wanting more.

However, as I mentioned earlier, the more I've listened to this record over the years, the more I've grown to appreciate the things that make it different.  That, plus the fact that it could be considered the album that launched the modern independent rap scene, makes it a pretty important release in the history of hip hop.

Del The Funky Homosapien - Future Development:
https://delthefunkyhomosapien.bandcamp.com/album/future-development