I’m assuming that my introduction to Del through Gorillaz is
fairly common, right? I am disappointed in not delving into Del’s solo work
earlier as “Rock the House” and “Clint Eastwood” are some of my favorite tracks
from Gorillaz’s self-titled debut. And now, after listening to Deltron 3030, everything makes perfect
sense. This completely batshit insane album stands tall as a landmark in weirdo
rap.
You don’t even have to buy into the story of Deltron Zero
and his rag-tag crew of space anarchists who are attempting to take down the
dictators at the Bank of Time, but it helps. Del paints a world where great
flows can have magical properties, killing lesser rappers and taking down the
corrupt system that rules the universe in the year 3030. Over ten years since
its release it still sounds futuristic. Dan the Automator and Kid Koala mix
classical, soul, and industrial backgrounds to make Deltron Zero somehow
believable. They could have stopped there, just making it a deeply experimental
album; instead we get an album that can be as anthemic as it is strange. Just look at the first proper song on the
album “3030” which is held down by a rusty bass and sliding guitars before a
freakin choir comes in and Deltron’s robotitized voice calls the chorus over a
spaghetti western background. And it’s damn catchy.
3030 thrives off
of making the unorthodox instantaneous. Del turns “Update your gray
matter/Cause one day it may matter” into one of the album’s biggest hooks and
the cartoony horns of “Memory Loss” will be ingrained in your head for days.
But it’s also a flexible album, “Positive Contact” and “Virus,” the two biggest
songs from the album, are more straightforward and pure hip-hop gold. Yeah
Del’s still talking about alien invasions, but shit bangs.
It’s still Del’s show. He’s a national treasure and one of
the most underrated MCs ever. His flow is as fast as it is engrossing and it
seems absolutely effortless. Even when the world seems to be crashing down in
the production Del stays cool and smooth. This is undoubtedly one of the best
hip-hop albums I’ve heard in a long time.
Grade: A-
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