Posted on 06/29/2009
Del the Funky Homosapien has a different definition of "funk" than most. Despite him carrying the word in his moniker for nearly 20 years, the funk that makes you think of Funkadelic and other traditional slick grooves is no longer a staple in Del's music. Del now represents the funk by remaining untouched by trends, at least when it comes to his sound. His distribution strategy is quite current with Funk Man being written and produced entirely by Del himself and offered as a free online release. His lyrical flow still verges on stream of consciousness, yet is too meticulous to be of random inspiration. On Funk Man, Del continues to play in a league of his own with his shadowy, electronic hip-hop sound. The funk in his case is less of a sound than a state of mind.

Del spends a good portion of Funk Man on familiar hip-hop terrain, discussing how bad he is, but in ways more abstract than your average hip-hop braggadocio. On "And They Thought That Was Hell," Del explores musicians' love affair with the limelight and how such shenanigans reappear online and in reality TV. His distinctive vocals constantly command attention as he manages to string along crazy phraseology in a sing-song flow that still manages to come off speedy at times. "Straight from the Big, Bad West Coast" finds Del taking aim at the supposed irrelevance of West Coast artists, while still showing love for rappers with something to say, whatever their locale. Perhaps contemplating the difficulty of exposure for a lot of artists, he speaks of unity, "Let's work together like in the '70s/ so we can all shine incredibly."

Funk Man finds the Oakland veteran more grounded and focused in subject matter than usual, but it's still hard to detect what exactly is so funky about this album other than its creator's refusal to be typical. But maybe that's all it takes.

- Candace L.