Surprise! Rapper Del the Funky Homosapien secretly wrote, recorded, and produced a brand new album, titled Iller Than Most. Even more surprisingly, Del has made his new LP completely FREE on SoundCloud, available for stream and download.

According to Del:

This is a new FREE LP that is futuristic and fun- but still on some Hiphop shit. Lyrically ill but fun to listen to, nothing super heavy. I did the production on it as well. Hope yall enjoy it, peace.

Del the Funky Homosapien has been rapping since 1991, when he released his first solo LP, I Wish My Brother George Was Here. His 2013 was particularly active, with the first Hieroglyphics album in a decade, as well as a reunion with producer Dan the Automator for the second Deltron 3030 album, Event II. You can read the review for Event II here. 

Now, Del’s rapping style is inimitable. His sophisticated rhymes flow effortlessly, backed by funky grooving from track to track. However, Iller Than Most refurbishes Del’s funky style into a somewhat sonically-offensive sound, with electronic production techniques that are geared for the dissonant.

The album begins with the industrial screeching of “Leader,” before Del begins his angst-laden first verse. His rhymes are tense, provoking anger at a symbolic authority figure (“take me to your leader, I want to see him”). The backing production work sounds more like an alarm than music, and the overall effect, with Del’s lyrics, is one of distress.

This trend is a common theme on Iller Than Most. Each track is representative of Del’s vague anti-societal anger, barely scratching the surface of genuine, social commentary. “Boogieman,” the second song on the album, starts with a building drum beat that should drop into a catchy hook, but instead of that hook, we get a static-y, mildly-insulting rant from Del to close the song. Then, “Delta Time” opens with a barrage of indistinguishable vocal samples.

All in all, Iller Than Most is music with angst. With little attempt at melody, Del pushes his smooth rhymes through a jagged soundscape on the new LP. While there is no doubt that Del is a lyrical genius, one may yearn for a funkier Funky Homosapien after listening to the new album.

-David Melamed (@DMelamz)