Style 43

Collaborations in music can be a dodgy area. Some should be struck from the history books forever - Jay-Z and Linkin’ Park, Celine Dion and R. Kelly, Common and the god-bothering Jonas Brothers (f’real) - but there are others that should be praised forever - Mos Def and Talib Kweli, Kool Keith and Godfather Don, DJ Shadow and James Lavelle etc etc…

Well now it seems there is another dangerous duo on the horizon, with a combined back-catalogue so dope it almost hurts. Del the Funky Homosapien and Tame One are the legends in question and I don’t use that term for just anyone; both these emcees are responsible for producing powerful hip hop, in many manifestations, over many years.

Del’s career has gone from strength to strength, from his days of lyric writing for Da Lench Mob and releasing his first solo joint when he was just 18, to the successes of the Hieroglyphics, Deltron 3030 and the more recent stuff he did with Gorillaz and now Def Jux. Tame One made his name with El Da Sensei as the hugely respected Artifacts. He’s also released five solo albums, another immense collaborative effort with Cage as The Leak Bros, AND he’s part of my favourite supergroup, The Weathermen. So yeah, the dopeness is there for all to see.

The album, “Parallel Uni-Verses“, is the perfect showcase for their unique flows and with all the beats coming from the mind of Parallel Thought, it’s really a pleasure to the ears. He pulls in elements from jazz and funk then fuses them with some lovely hip hop beats. Some of them have a real old school flavour, working nicely with Del and Tame’s classic flows, including the excellent “Flashback“, which also gets my vote for best song on the album. As the title suggests, the lyrics take you on a trip down memory lane with the two veterans, touching on their various musical influences along the way.

Other highlights include the opening track, “Keep It Up“, “Before This” and the mammoth final track, “Gaining Ground“. I call them highlights but that doesn’t mean there are any low points, they’re just the better. This whole album is just what I needed to here right now. Two emcees of this stature, linking with a tight producer and producing something this brilliant, this late on in their careers is amazing. Plus with a Weathermen album finally on the cards, we’re bound to be hearing more and more from Tame One, and with the backing of Def Jux, Del is sure to be releasing more top-drawer material in the not too distant future. But for now, ride on the waves that are sure to be caused by this album and soak up the flows of two masters of the art. “Parallel Uni-Verses” is out 13 October on Gold Dust and you can see the video for “Flashback” below.

You can also download a free track that doesn’t appear on the album. “I’m A…” was recorded at the same time as the rest of the album, but unfortunately didn’t make it to the final cut. No matter though cos they’ve given it to us for free! You can either get it from ZShare or Media Fire. The whole album is also streaming on Del’s Myspace at the moment.

Tags: Del the Funky Homosapien, free shit, Gold Dust, hip hop, Parallel Thought, Tame One, video