The Return of Deltron

Deltron: Event II.

This is an album I’ve really been looking forward to.  Hands down, Del is one of my all-time favorite rappers, but he hasn’t had a whole lot of commercial success.  Don’t get me wrong, Clint Eastwood by the Gorillaz was huge, but NOBODY attributes that to Del.

The first time I ever heard Del was on the Judgement Night soundtrack, released in 1993, which is the ultimate culmination (I think very highly of it) of rap/rock.  Not rap-rock, but actual rappers, rapping with actual rock bands.  Amazing stuff.  When I saw the groups on the cover, (Pearl Jam, Helmet, Living Colour, Run DMC, House of Pain, and Sir Mix-a-lot) I KNEW this would be the record for me.  It wasn’t until I reached a track that I wasn’t even looking forward to, that I was completely blown away.  The Missing Link, was contributed by Dinosaur Jr. and Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, and after hearing it, I knew Del was someone I’d follow for life.  This was a dude, at the peak of the Gangsta Rap era, talking about comic books and video games, and just plain killin’ it!  His rhymes had a very unique flow to them, with catchy hooks, and a great rhythm.

In 2000, Deltron 3030 was a huge record for Del, Dan the Automator, and Kid Koala, and gave them tons of nerd cred for doing a thematic sci-fi space opera.  It was released so close to another of his albums (Both Sides of the Brain), that I didn’t really give it a chance right away.  Unfortunately, I gave it only one spin, and then put it away for a while.  It started to really click for me about 8 months after its initial release, and I was pissed off at myself for putting the album aside for so long.    

So here we are, 13 years later, and Deltron: Event II is coming out in about a month.  At first, I wasn’t sure what to think.  It was announced in 2008, and at that time, Del had just popped back on the scene with a new album called The Eleventh Hour, but I wasn’t too impressed.  It didn’t feel like that smart unique Del that I had come to know and love, so Event II looked like he was just going back to the well.  That album got delayed, and in the down time, he came out with 2 free downloads, and then a new record, which included the free stuff as well.  With these 3 endeavors, Del was back at the top of his game.  As of now, Event II has been pushed back about 30 times since it was initially announced, but a new EP has come out, and the date for the full album is currently set for October 1^st.  I’ll have to admit, even though it is only 3 songs, the EP is pretty amazing. 

So let’s get into it.  I think the thing I like the most about these new tracks, is that it sounds like they actually deserve the “Deltron” title.  It keeps that eerie, almost playful tone, mixed in with that dystopian future sound.  Too many times with hip-hop groups, they release an amazing record with an interesting sound, only to completely abandon it on their next record (Gravediggaz come to mind).  That being said, this isn’t a just boring re-hash of what they did 13 years ago.

My favorite track so far has to be City Rising From the Ashes, which is also the EP title.  It brings me right in with that, “Zoom-a-zoom zoom zoom…….. yeah,” Del putting out that playful vibe, right before he jumps in to catch us up.

Based on this small sampling, I’m pretty excited.  I guess, don’t think of this as a review, but a wide-eyed hope that this record will go beyond that space-opera, and finally get Del that recognition he deserves.  Whatever happens, it will be pretty unique.  The Lonely Island, Mike Patton, David Cross, and Zach De La Rocha are just a few of the guests on Event II, and that is a pretty eclectic group right there. 

Let’s see if Event II can deliver something great.  Now if I could just get Dan the Automator, Del, and Mike Patton to do a whole record together, I could die happy.