Remember When Del Had Things To Say?

[Suplexmachine]

- Del's Nightmare
- Skull & Crossbones
- The Wacky World of Rapid Transit
- Corner Story
- Sleepin' On My Couch
- Dark Skin Girls
- Love is Worth
- Proto Culture
- If You Must
- Don't Forget
- Pet Peeves
- At The Helm
- Wrong Place
- Games Begin
- BM's
- Don't Forget The Bass
- Boo Boo Heads
- Soopa Feen
ETC.

I've noticed this happens during many MC's careers. They start to run out of things to say - like they've already said it and have now run out of new content, so they turn to just rhyming for the sake of rhyming and boasting about how great they are. I feel Del has fallen into this same problem.

When you look at Golden Era, Funk Man, Automatik Statik, It Ain't Illegal Yet, Parallel Uni-verses, Attractive Sin, Root Stimulation, West Coast Avengers I & II, etc. it seems like all he ever talks about is how funky he is and how wack everyone else on the mic is, and that he's "DZL".

Anyone else see this? If he didn't have relationship issues to talk about on 11th Hour it probably would have ended up like the other albums mentioned above.



Don't get me wrong...dude is arguably my favorite MC of all time, but unfortunately he's fallen off in recent years.

[K-Dubbs]

I agree with you. Del has really fallen into a monotonous spot rhyming wise. I was listening to Golden Era today and I was thinking the same thing. There are times on that album that I'm reminded of the Del that I used to love the one who rhymed retarded. Like on "Makes No Sense". I remember rewinding Third Eye Vision to catch Del's verses so much I fucked up the tape. But what I think I'm more pissed about is that Del didn't even rhyme through most of 11th Hour and Automatik Statik. But I guess whatever the old Del who used to make masterful songs is gone. I'm feeling the beats for Attractive Sin but man Del isn't even making songs with a chorus anymore. It just feels all over the place lyrically. One of my favorite Del songs is Town to Town. The chorus for that is so catchy and it's just a great example of how talented Del used to be. Bump it all the time in the summer. Last song on my summer playlist. Listening to "Oakland Blackouts" while I write this and remembering that Del.

But even more, this time in the hip-hop game is a sad time. Where is the good music to get excited to. It's summer and no one is dropping something to listen too. Besides O.C & Apollo Brown album, Ace & Doom and Phes. Pep's album has it's moments too. Wordsworth got a little something. Show & A looking forward to that. Early warm mixtape not bad. Crooked I mixtape not bad. Casual throughly disappointed me. Killer Mike's album is over rated. This is a very weak year in hip-hop. I hope some heat is coming soon and not just the days. Nas is already making me nervous.

[BigZigga]

I don't really think Del's music has ever been about making abig statement, with the exception of the 3030 album. Even that album had a lot of moments of him just rapping for the sake of rapping. I Wish My Brother George Was Here had messages on songs like "Dark Skin Girls" but I took that album as mostly just being fun. He's always been that type of rapper to me. I'm not much of a fan of Golden Era and all that stuff but that was more becase of production than anything. I think he actually does have some messages on Attractive Sin. Songs like On Momma's House where he's reminiscing about the old days, Different Guidelines where he's explaining how he always did things his way in the face of adversity, 1520 Sedgewick where he's paying respects to the birthplace of hiphop, and Show's Over where he's criticizing the watered down MCs in the game. It's a very old school Del type of album and while there are some moments it reminds me of Automatik statik and other subpar Del efforts, I feel like in general he did a great job on this one. One of our favorite Del albums, No Need For Alarm is mostly about how dope he is an how wack everyone else is. That's just Del for you. He still has things to say abou real life topics, and I think he's really starting to get back into prime form.

[Suplexmachine]

^^ Yeah Attractive Sin definitely has some messages on certain songs, like you mentioned. I'm liking the album more and more as I put it through multiple replays. I wish there were more choruses/hooks though...and I don't usually like choruses in hip hop

[BigZigga]

Yeah it is kind of lacking in that department xD I really like the hooks on Different Guidelines and Front Like Ya Know. I mean I get that he was going for that old schol stream of consciousness style but it seems like he could have thrown in a few more hooks. The horns on 1520 Sedgewick make a nice little hook too, but Charlie Brown could have used some kind of chant or something imo

[D13]

I've certainly noticed!!

Del went from being my favorite MC.. to now i dont care... still anxious for event II

I anxiously awaited the 11th hour..my response to that was WTF??.. after the second slap in the face i stopped paying attention all together.

It sucks cause i'm sure i'm not the only one (obviously) who went from del being on the top of their list to having a bit of contempt and resentment towards him due to all these sub par slaps in the face. Now i add the caveat to all conversations that i used to love del, he was one of the most original.. and now, i dont care.

There have been some decent tracks over the years, but i really have lost all interest in digging for them.

[Hieroglyphics]

honestly i don't think the ratio of songs where he's givin a message versus just battle rappin has changed at all. The only real difference to me now is that he feels the need to remind us that he is Sir Diesel about five times a track. I don't think there's one track on Attractive sin where he doesn't say that shit. Really gets on your nerves after a while.

[smug]

Originally Posted by D13

I've certainly noticed!!

Del went from being my favorite MC.. to now i dont care... still anxious for event II

I anxiously awaited the 11th hour..my response to that was WTF??.. after the second slap in the face i stopped paying attention all together.

It sucks cause i'm sure i'm not the only one (obviously) who went from del being on the top of their list to having a bit of contempt and resentment towards him due to all these sub par slaps in the face. Now i add the caveat to all conversations that i used to love del, he was one of the most original.. and now, i dont care.

There have been some decent tracks over the years, but i really have lost all interest in digging for them.

I couldn't agree more.

[Suplexmachine]

Originally Posted by Hieroglyphics

The only real difference to me now is that he feels the need to remind us that he is Sir Diesel about five times a track. I don't think there's one track on Attractive sin where he doesn't say that shit. Really gets on your nerves after a while.

I think there is a song on Attractive Sin where he says "DZL" three of four times. I was listening to that shit and it just blew my mind...was like WTF

[switch32]

Honestly, I am gonna start telling people to call me King D-Rock from now on.

[aplusen]

Originally Posted by Hieroglyphics

honestly i don't think the ratio of songs where he's givin a message versus just battle rappin has changed at all. The only real difference to me now is that he feels the need to remind us that he is Sir Diesel about five times a track. I don't think there's one track on Attractive sin where he doesn't say that shit. Really gets on your nerves after a while.

agreed. del has mostly battle rapped since NNFA

[nuntype]

Really dope album to me. Among my 10 favorites of the year. And on another note, anyone who thinks R.A.P Music is overrated is not a true hip-hop fan. That album oozes hip-hop in an undeniable way.

[bjnelson19705]

Originally Posted by nuntype

Really dope album to me. Among my 10 favorites of the year. And on another note, anyone who thinks R.A.P Music is overrated is not a true hip-hop fan. That album oozes hip-hop in an undeniable way.

True.

[K-Dubbs]

Originally Posted by nuntype

Really dope album to me. Among my 10 favorites of the year. And on another note, anyone who thinks R.A.P Music is overrated is not a true hip-hop fan. That album oozes hip-hop in an undeniable way.

3 dope songs on a 12 song album doesn't cut it for me. Nuff said. I agree to disagree wit ya. Oh and also damn every time I listen to Killer Mike all I can hear is Big Boi.

Anyway back to Del, I just feel now that his rhyming is so forced. It used to come so effortless. He was in such a zone when he did NNFA, Full Circle, Future Development, 3030, Clint Eastwood and Rock The House songs from Gorillaz, BSOTB. Yeah he was bragging and boasting on those albums but he was doing it in a creative way which is what he lacks now. His rhyming has become too one dimensional and lack of places to go with it which is why he reverts so saying DZL ten times. Sometimes it's hard for me to put it in words but maybe it just boils down to his old style was just more fun. I kinda miss the video game sound production. Even like obscure little singles he had out there like Help Me Out, Hoe!!, Cyberpunks. Those were fun ass songs chorus and all. I have hope though because I've heard glimpses of what he's trying to do of mixing his new style with his old style. He did his thing on Parallel Universes. I just hope he does his thing on Event 2 because 3030 was such a dope ass album and if you're going to do a 2 come crazy dope with it or just leave it alone

[nuntype]

Originally Posted by K-Dubbs

. Oh and also damn every time I listen to Killer Mike all I can hear is Big Boi.

Yikes, talk about ear problems if you think they sound alike. You completely lost me with that. Thank Allah your opinion is in the minority by far.