A filling portion of raw hip-hop music awaits at the Beta Bar.
After a main course of Del The Funky Homosapien and side dishes of Lifesavas, Skhool Yard and People Under the Stairs, the Cali Comm Tour 2002 plans to leave audiences stuffed with the essence of hip-hop flavor.
The House of Blues has been presenting the tour across the nation, and tonight the bus stops here. The Beta Bar doors will open at 9 p.m. with the show beginning at 9:30 p.m.
“This show is going to be amazing,” said Dan Boldman, 23, assistant manager at Vinyl Fever music store. “The line up is great, but Del is really going to put the icing on the cake.”
Teren Delvon Jones (Del The Funky Homosapien) entered into the world of hip-hop in 1990,writing lyrics for Da Lench Mob and for his cousin Ice Cube. In 1991, with Ice Cube’s help, Del completed his first album under Elektra Records Group titled, “I Wish My Brother George Was Here.”
From his first album to the present, Del has undergone producer and record label changes but has never jeopardized his original sound.
“His music and lyrics are very original,” said Marcus Duval, 21, a senior at Tallahassee Community College
“You have rappers who rhyme about material stuff and you have hip-hop artists who are into black empowerment, but Del incorporates simple everyday life, humor, black power, science and politics. His lyrics and way with words force you to think so much deeper.”
Del’s creativity and musical experiments are among his most noted attributes. Under the co-production of Ice Cube, Del also released his sophomore album “No Need for Alarm,” which sampled heavily from Parliament.
Prior to his third album he was dropped from Elektra records.
After leaving Elektra and Ice Cube’s direction, he joined forces in 1998 with his Oakland hip-hop group, the Hieroglyphics and Souls of Mischief, where he formed a more complicated and jazzy sound, according to All Music Guide.
“When he hooked up with the Hieroglyphics is when his real creativity surfaced,” Duval said.
Radio listeners recently got a chance to hear the sound of the funky homosapien, along with Dan the Automater when he rendered his voice to the animated band the Gorillaz, in “Clint Eastwood.”
“I hadn’t heard of Del until that song with the Gorillaz,” said David Benoit, 21, a student from Miami. “[The song] had a very electronic sound, but Del’s voice put a hip-hop spin on it.”
Del has also recorded “Both Sides of the Brain,” “Future Development,” a bonus album entitled “Deltron 3030,” and a slew of compilations and singles.
Catch Del’s display of lyrical talent tonight as he headlines the Cali Comm concert at the Beta Bar.
“You can’t find a better show featuring raw underground hip-hop,” Boldman said.
Tickets are available at Vinyl Fever and CD Warehouse for $16.