The Scene:
Del The Funky Homosapien's crib side lab (i.e. the extra bedroom in his house which is loaded with recording equipment, Manga videos, 4 game consoles, and music theory books). The sun is shining brightly outside, but inside, however, the incense is smoldering…
Besides diving into his latest obsession, which is studying music theory, Del is also gettin' back to the basement, as far as recording techniques go. That's right, D-E-L is all about home recording, makin' the tights beats at the crib, where you can capture spontaneous creativity with the touch of a button.
"Now I'm primed to record all my albums from now on here. So that's in-effect. This was my dream. The best it's gonna be is right here, trying to repeat it, it ain't never gonna be as good," he says while motioning to his small but strong in-house studio set-up. "It's digital. It ain't gonna get no better'n that."

Hailing from Oakland, California, Del and his crew, the Hieroglyphics, came out as a markedly non-gangsta response to a burgeoning West Coast scene. After being introduced to the world at the tender age of 17 by his cousin Ice Cube, Del released two records on Elektra, I Wish My Brother George Was Here (1991) and No Need For Alarm (1993). Despite record sales in the hundreds of thousands, he recorded a third album, Future Development, which Elektra elected not to release.

Del parted with Elektra and started work on the Hieroglyphics’ family album, 3rd Eye Vision (Hiero Imperium, 1998). Hiero went on the road and toured incessantly in support of the album for much of 1998. Del also spent a good portion of his time drawing, practicing Japanese, and playing mass amounts of video games.

In 2000, Del released his first solo album through Hiero Imperium records, Both Sides Of The Brain, seventeen tracks of pure Del. ”. In the past, Del has felt restrained by the formulas in hip hop and the expectations fans place upon emcees who have had hits, but he says of his work on this album: “I’ve had complete control”. Apart from collaborations with Prince Paul, El-P, and help from a few of his Hiero cohorts (A-plus, Casual, Domino) Del handled the majority of production on this album.

The year 2000 also brought about the release by the underground hip-hop supergroup Deltron 3030 that featured Deltron Zero (Del), the Cantankerous Captain Aptos (producer/remixer Dan "The Automator" Nakamura) and Skiznod The Boy Wonder (turntablist Kid Koala). In 2001 His role of hired gun rapper for the Gorillaz’s awesomely popular tune “Clint Eastwood” arguably makes their debut album.

In the winter of 2003, after what seem like an eternity, Hiero Imperium released Full Circle, the follow up smash to Third Eye Vision. Del and the Hieroglyphics crew once again hit the road on a 40 day, 40 night North America tour. Album sails soared and critics again fawned over the lyrical prowess of Del and his crewmates.

Currently Del is in the studio working on his next opus for Hiero Imperium, the 11th Hour. This time around Del is handling a large portion of the production with a little help from Hiero-Domino, Casual and A-Plus.

By staying true to himself, Del has earned legions of adoring fans. He may have said it best in his classic, “Mistadobalina” when he declared, “it’s all in the mind and the heart”. Indeed.