Del the Funky Homosapien facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Del the Funky Homosapien
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Del performing in 2008
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| Birth name | Teren Delvon Jones |
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| Born | August 12, 1972 Oakland, California, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1988–present |
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Teren Delvon Jones (born August 12, 1972), known by his stage name Del the Funky Homosapien or Sir DZL, is an American rapper. He is famous for his unique style and clever lyrics. Del has released many solo albums and worked with popular groups like Gorillaz and Deltron 3030.
Contents
Del's Music Journey
Starting Out in Music (1988–1997)
Del was born in Oakland, California. He is the cousin of famous rapper Ice Cube. Del started his music career by writing lyrics for Ice Cube's group, Da Lench Mob.
In 1991, when he was 19, Del released his first solo album. It was called I Wish My Brother George Was Here. The album became popular because of the hit song "Mistadobalina". Del wanted to try new sounds, so he decided to work on his next album without Ice Cube's production.
His second album, No Need for Alarm, came out in 1993. This album introduced the Hieroglyphics crew from Oakland. This group included Del and other talented artists. No Need for Alarm helped show off the unique hip hop sound from Oakland.
Building His Own Path (1998–2006)
Del did not release another solo album for five years. Before his third album, Future Development, was released, his record label ended his contract. So, Del and his Hieroglyphics crew started their own independent record label. It was called Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings.
Future Development was released in 1998. It was first available online as a tape. Later, in 2002, it was re-released on his own label. In 1998, the Hieroglyphics crew also released their first group album, 3rd Eye Vision.
In 2000, Del released his fourth solo album, Both Sides of the Brain. He also worked on a special project called Deltron 3030. For this project, he teamed up with artists Dan the Automator and Kid Koala.
Del also became a guest performer for the virtual band Gorillaz. He appeared on their first album in 2001. He was featured on their hit songs "Clint Eastwood" and "Rock the House". In 2003, the Hieroglyphics crew released their second album, Full Circle.
In 2004, Del's old label released a "best of" album without his permission. Del told his fans not to buy it. He felt it was just the label trying to make money from his new popularity.
Recent Music and Projects (2006–Present)
Del continued to release new music. In 2008, he released Eleventh Hour. In 2009, he made his album Funk Man (The Stimulus Package) available for free download online. He also released Automatik Statik that same year.
In 2010, Del released It Ain't Illegal Yet. He let listeners pay what they wanted for the album. He even offered special rewards for those who paid more, like chances to work with him. In 2011, he released Golden Era.
Del shared a free album called Iller Than Most in 2014. He produced this album himself. He described it as "fun to listen to" and "nothing super heavy."
In 2024, Del started a series called Manik Mondaze on his YouTube Channel. He and his local crew release new songs weekly. They also share interviews and behind-the-scenes content on their website. In April 2025, Del helped create a new hip-hop band called thegoodnews. They released an EP called This Just In!
Working with Other Artists
Del has worked with many different artists and groups. In 1993, he collaborated with the band Dinosaur Jr. on the song "Missing Link." This song was part of the Judgment Night movie soundtrack.
From 1999 to 2000, Del formed the supergroup Deltron 3030 with Kid Koala and Dan the Automator. Their first album, also called Deltron 3030, came out in 2000. This project helped Del gain more fans. It told stories about hip hop in the year 3030, using science fiction themes. A second album, Event 2, was released in 2013.
Del is well-known for his work with the virtual band Gorillaz. He was featured on two songs from their first album: "Clint Eastwood" and "Rock the House". Both songs became big hits. For the Gorillaz music videos, Del played a character called "Del the Ghost Rapper." This character was a spirit hiding inside the band's drummer, Russel Hobbs. Del later shared that he wrote "Clint Eastwood" using tips from a book called How to Write a Hit Song. He gave the platinum award for the song to his mother.
In 2018, Del was performing with Gorillaz at a festival in Denmark. He accidentally fell off the stage during "Clint Eastwood." He fractured seven ribs and punctured a lung. He recovered and was back touring by September 2018. Del worked with Gorillaz again in 2023 on the song "Captain Chicken."
Del has also collaborated with artists like Sleep, Gift of Gab, Dirty Heads, ¡Mayday!, Figure, MF Doom, Kool A.D., and Mr. Lif. In 2018, he worked with Dr. Octagon on the song "3030 Meets the Doc, Pt. 1."
Del's Music in Games and Movies
Del's songs have been used in many video games, movies, and sports videos.
- In 2000, "Catch All This" was in Street Sk8er 2. "Jaw Gymnastics" was in Knockout Kings. "Positive Contact" from Deltron 3030 was in Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX.
- In 2001, "If You Must" was in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3.
- In 2003, "Positive Contact" was in Tony Hawk's Underground. "The Izm" was in Rolling.
- In 2005, the Hieroglyphics song "Soweto" was in ESPN NBA 2K5. Del's song "Burnt" was in Tony Hawk's American Wasteland.
- In 2006, "Catch a Bad One" was in Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure. "At the Helm" was in Tony Hawk's Project 8. His song "Dr. Bombay" was used in the movie Beerfest.
- The Hieroglyphics songs "Don't Hate the Player" was in NBA 2K7, and "Clint Eastwood" was in NBA 2K14.
- "Teamwork" is featured on PlayStation Home.
- Many of his songs have been in snowboarding movies, like "Press Rewind" in White Balance and "If You Must" in DC Mountain Lab.
In 2010, Del worked with John King and Mark Mothersbaugh to create music for the video game Skate 3. In 2016, Del and other rappers recorded a song called "Rise Up" for the video game Street Fighter V.
In 2018, Deltron 3030 collaborated with the Cartoon Network show Craig of the Creek. Del appeared as his character Deltron in an episode. He also made cameo appearances in movies like Who's the Man? and Mid90s. He also appeared as a rapper named "Old Skool" on the Nickelodeon series Middlemost Post.
Del's Albums
Solo Studio Albums
- I Wish My Brother George Was Here (1991)
- No Need for Alarm (1993)
- Future Development (1997)
- Both Sides of the Brain (2000)
- Eleventh Hour (2008)
- Funk Man (The Stimulus Package) (2009)
- Automatik Statik (2009)
- It Ain't Illegal Yet (2010)
- Golden Era (2011)
- Root Stimulation (2012)
- Iller Than Most (2014)
Key Collaborations
- Deltron 3030 with Deltron 3030 (2000)
- Gorillaz with Gorillaz (2001)
- Event 2 with Deltron 3030 (2013)
- Parallel Uni-Verses with Tame One (2009)
- Attractive Sin with Parallel Thought (2012)
- Gate 13 with AmpLive (2018)
- FNKPMPN with Kool Keith (2022)
- Cracker Island (Deluxe) with Gorillaz (2023)
