DEL THE FUNKY HOMOSAPIEN & TAME ONE – PARALLEL UNI-VERSES, GOLD DUST
As far as collaborations go the common conception is that they are either a mismatched meeting of groups with some contrived agenda or a creative match made in heaven. Parallel Uni-Verses the new effort between indie producer Parallel Thought and two veteran MC’s Del The Funky Homosapien and Tame One is neither. What it does represent is a decent show case of the trio’s talents. Parallel Thought’s choice of beats and loops could just as easily have been wheeled up in 1994 which is definitely a good thing though they suffer from the gloss of being arranged and mixed straight from the PC. Tame One has never been the most lyrically advanced however the back in the days narrative which he’s rocked since his time in the Artifacts fit with the rest of the sounds on the LP. Del on the other hand comes off a little versatile with some tripped out hallucinations combining with similar language to Tame’s.
We Taking Over espouses such beliefs. Though it isn’t particularly ear catching the message of a lack of any serious classic rap LP’s or groups in the last decade is something I wholeheartedly agree with. Before This treads on similar “back in the days” themes with Parallel’s nicest production with it’s smooth Rhodes loop. Two other songs featured in the LP promo video, Flashback – a cut where Del talks about getting nastier than Blowfly – and a hard Amen break track missing from the promo are the two highlights of a not too underwhelming record.
The one setback which clouds the LP is that it seems more like a forced together effort for the three to dispense a surplus of words and beats. What sets it out apart from similar records of this nature is the common lyrical theme – nostalgia and a yearning for hip-hop to return to its glory days.
Omar Francis
