Hip-hop
is one of the hardest genres to critique. In some cases, critics note lyrics
and production skills, these are the two most important aspects of a hip-hop
album. Then its the rapping, the vocal work. Last but not least, and in
my opinion the defining characteristic of the genre, instrumentation. So we're
led to an album that's not primarily hip-hop. It's the work of a production
legend, a scratching genius, and an underground rapper. Alternative hip-hop tickles
me in many different areas. It includes artists like The Roots and Gorillaz,
who are of course the knife to Deltron 3030's fork. It’s not
common for hip-hop albums to sound ageless, almost too fresh. The artists
behind Deltron 3030 are talented, in their own specific. They have a
role to play in the overall product, and when it all comes together on this
album, there’s no wonder why Deltron 3030 still stands as a masterpiece
in the hip-hop genre.
The
founding fathers of Deltron 3030 came together in the late 90s, with an idea of
creating a concept album, one of the first rap concept albums in fact. To
quote a splendid 2011 Wikipedia entry, Deltron 3030 is: "A concept
that tells of the fight by Deltron Zero (Del's alter ego) against huge
corporations that rule the universe. The lyrics were written in less than two
weeks and are characterized by extravagant allusions to futuristic outer-space
themes." It's the outer space theme that catches the audience.
Deltron 3030 is a good mix, from the well-produced beats of Kid Koala to the enigmatic
flow of Del the Funky Homosapien, the puzzle fixes itself. It's completed by
producer Dan the Automator, who's crisp production compared Deltron 3030
to the alternative sounds of Damon Albarn's Gorillaz. The trio worked
tirelessly finding the right instrumentals, leaving Del to write the entire
concept lyrically. Great samples are used in the right places, they are often
used for the chorus', splitting up Del's rhythmic rhymes. Some outstanding
tracks like "3030", "Things You Can Do", and "Positive Contact" kick the album in to motion. "Positive Contact" being
one of the early favourites and long-standing turn to track. These early tracks
outline what Deltron 3030 is all about - solid beats with well introduced
samples, a clear project rather than an underground rap album.
"3030"
is the long, centre piece of the album. It's the welcome track after Damon Albarn's
guest introduction. Del outlines the future, telling the story of a dystopian
world and how it's turned upside down. This track excels in telling the story without
needing to branch our musically. The simple refined retro beat sounds crisp,
natural, as if the essence of hip-hop has been plucked out of the 80s and dumped
in to the future word, in outer space. And Deltron 3030 never looks back after
"3030". The fourth track "Things You Can Do", features a
vocal sample of The Poppy Family. The lyrics: "Things you can do,
some can't be done," fit Deltron 3030's theme of a dystopian
corrupt world, with Del's job to fix errors in this world. It's not often rap
albums focus on politically aligned lyrics with focus on the abnormal. They
even stayed traditional by inserting short skits in to the final piece. Some
link the album together, others are just general pieces of sounds replicating
ideas, and themes of the world Deltron 3030 have created.
"Virus"
is an exceptional track. The sampled strings are ear-catching, with the typical
flowing lyrics fans of Del should be used to. This is one of the slower tracks
on Deltron 3030, featuring some of the milder instrumentals. Kid Koala's
scratches are used to an extent, however the main focus is clearly on the
heavy, deep beat and Del's vocal delivery: "The last punks walk
around like masked monks." Del raps about cleansing the
population of errors and miss-directions the public have suffered from in this dystopian
world. He manages to rap about it, keeping his lyrics both in with the theme,
and within the context of reality - as with the following track
"Upgrade": "Real artists are few between, you better lube
your screen" / "Hey, I reduce the game, when I boost my brain." This
track is about upgrading, or taking on higher intelligence through brain cells,
as the refrain goes: "Upgrade your grey matter, cause one day it may
matter."
Listeners
can dive deep in to the world of Deltron 3030, because the entire album and
concept is so bizarre. It's extraordinary to find tracks like
"Mastermind" and "Madness", the two singles placed in the
middle of the story. They're often considered the best tracks, and that’s down
to the finely crisp beats brought together by Dan the Automator. And Del pays
homage to this in the opening lyrics of the former: "Who
fuses the music with no illusions, producing the blue prints clueless?
Automator - defy the laws of nature, electronic monolith throw a jam upon the
disc. The futuristic looper with the quickness, hyper-producin' hydrogen fusion
liquids keep your distance." Then "Madness", the second
vocal sample of The Poppy Family, this time it's "Of Cities And Escapes". Lead vocalist Susan Jacks has her voice sampled, to be used as
the tracks refrain: "I'm caught in the grip of the city...
Madness." The strings have also been sampled, to great effect. it
actually feels like a re-work of The Poppy Family, rather than a few short
samples looped.
It's
time to get low, low, low, and low - with Damon Albarn. "Time Keeps On Slipping" is a five minute long funk-esque, heavy bass and relentless
percussion track. It features Del's faultless rapping with Albarn melodically
singing in the background. This of course acts as the chorus, with Albarn
singing: "No one knows the time, pass me by." It has an
immense structure; with Albarn's ludicrously sexy backing vocals and Dan the Automator's
extensive lounge like beat. Damon's inclusion itself is an achievement, this
album wouldn't have received as much acclaim or be as welcomed if the guest
spots were not filled. Del's guest spot on Albarn's Gorillaz project, along with
Dan's production on that debut album, must have turned on the light in Albarn's
brain - he's never looked back.
The
most thought-provoking track "Turbulence" is introduced by a short 50
second skit, featuring Icelandic vocalist HafdÃs Huld. It's a sly play on the
confusion and futuristic language, lifestyle the people of 3030 live with -
"The News (A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Microsoft, Inc".
"Turbulence" really opens the eyes and the ears too. It grabs the
listener with its real references to the US government and life as a citizen in
the US. Del waves through verses, without any emphasis on any particular lyric.
Some of these lyrics tell the extremity of the 3030 government: "Senior
citizens are disposed against their wishes." Other lyrics rely on
corrupt figures and dictators for influence: "No president, we have
a ruler, 'You are to be inside by 9 o'clock or we will shoot ya'." Deltron
3030 peaks at this moment, right when the listener is becoming comfortable -
Del throws the listener off-guard with the following track
"Battlesong". It's preluded by a 3030 futuristic advertisement
for a rap battle. The rap battle, as portrayed in "Battlesong", is an
epic story of Del's rapping success. Working as an MC in 3030, Deltron Zero
tells the listener about his journey through space, winning important rap
battles to become the champion. "Love Story" follows with the
repercussion of Del winning the rap battle in the previous track. It's a cool
down, the rest before Del's 3030 finale.
Sean
Lennon is the guest vocalist on "Memory Loss". He sings the refrain: "Lookin
up the sky is red, city's burning up over head (flame on baby.) We can make the
best of it Del: (rock that,) In this post apocalypse (right on.)" Responding
to Del's lyricism with references to Oakland, California - where Del is
originally from. Del compares his dystopian world to the Oakland of today and its
desolate landscape: "Plantations is man labour for five bucks for
hourly intervals." Using minimum wage as standard slave pay in the
year 3030. There’s a focus on Lennon's chorus, especially when he sings: "Lookin
up the sky is red, city's burning up over head," a way of
informing the listener about how their world has gone to shit. Albarn ends the
album with a reprisal of the opening track. This time with scratches, as if the
transmission is losing signal - fitting with the theme of "Memory
Loss".
Deltron
3030 is a modern classic, and with time it'll become an even greater individual stand-alone album in the alternative
hip-hop genre. Del has written a story fit for a king, and Dan has written the
music fit for a legend. People speak of Deltron 3030 as an underground
album, I beg to differ. The production quality and assured single-esque tracks
make Deltron 3030 one of the best hip-hop albums ever made. From start to
finish Del never loses touch with his past, and writes it into the future.
Gorillaz are the popular version of Deltron 3030, and even then, the best
tracks on Gorillaz self-titled debut album feature Del as a guest vocalist.
It's an hour long and quite frankly, not long enough. Picking out favourites is
difficult because the whole piece, except the skits, work as standout singles.
"3030" introduces the listener to the classical sampling and perfect production
skills of Dan, while "Mastermind" outlines the quality of Del's
rapping. Deltron 3030 is a unit, it's the work of three great
individuals coming together to create a conceptual masterpiece.
~Eddie
9.2
