In 1996, Del was ready to release his Future Development album. However, just before its release, Del was released from his recording contract with Elektra Records. Around this same time, Souls of Mischief, Extra Prolific and Casual (all members of Del's Hieroglyphics group) were all released from their recording contracts with Jive Records. Frustrated, Del and the rest of Hieroglyphics decided to start their own record label, called Hieroglyphics Imperium. Because of the problems with Elektra, Future Development was available only on cassette via the Hieroglyphics website for a time, until its eventual widespread release on CD in 2002, six years after its proposed release date.
The mistreatment of Del & Hieroglyphics by their record labels became infamous in hip-hop circles, as a perfect example of "industry rule #4080" (record company people are shady). After Hieroglyphics' successful reemergence with their own independent label, Del & Hieroglyphics became an inspiration for some rap artists to start their own labels while keeping the lion's share of the money for themselves. Arguably the efforts of Del & Hieroglyphics paved the way for other famous independent rap labels known today, such as Roc-a-Fella Records or Rawkus Records.
In 1998, Hieroglyphics came out with their first full length album, Third Eye Vision, in which Del shined. The album was well received by both fans and critics. Two years later, Del came out with Both Sides of the Brain, and in 2001, he released Deltron 3030 with Dan the Automator Nakamura and Kid Koala, which garnered extreme praise for its combination of beats and flow and futuristic style. Deltron 3030 helped expand Del’s audience, though not quite to the commercial mainstream.
Del collaborated with Gorillaz for two songs on their debut album, both of which became singles: "Clint Eastwood" and "Rock the House". In their videos he was portrayed as a clown-like ghost. 2003 saw the release of Full Circle, a second album with the Hiero crew. This latest album has gotten many mixed reviews, with some people liking its originality and display of talents of the entire crew, whereas some have complained that Del was seen only sporadically on the album, acting more like a guest artist.
Del’s lyrics often reflect his imaginative interests, offering humor and themes not usually found in most new hip hop, including video games, bad hygiene, intergalactic rap battles, and more. In 2000, the song "Positive Contact" from Deltron 3030 was featured in the game Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX. In 2001, the song "If You Must" was featured in the game Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3. In 2003, the song "Positive Contact" was again featured in a video game - this time in Tony Hawk's Underground. In 2005, the song "Burnt" featuring Hieroglyphics was featured in the game Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland. In 2006, his song "Catch a Bad One" was featured in the game Mark Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure.
Eight years following his last solo album, Both Sides of the Brain, in March 2008 Del released his newest solo, titled Eleventh Hour, under the Definitive Jux record label.
In 2009, Del released Del's Leak Pack #1 (download) & #2 (download) via his MySpace page. In April of 2009 he released his 6th solo album, Funk Man (The Stimulus Package). The album was released online and can be downloaded for free here. He also released a second new solo album, Automatic Statik, via his BandCamp site in September of 2009. October of 2009 saw the release of Del's collaboration with Tame One, entitled Parallel Uni-verses. In January of 2014, he dropped a free album titled Iller Than Most online. On April 20th 2018, Del and producer AMPLIVE collaborated for the entirety of their newest project, GATE 13
Catch a Bad One
Del Tha Funkee Homosapien Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
People havin' memory loss; they don't remember I'm the boss.
You're claustrophobic when I close in.
In on your men and your faculty, you wack'll be
Out my face; you must be basin' if you think
That you could tackle the triumphant, I pump up the volume.
Increase as you mieces get sliced to pieces.
Please listen to my album;
Tuned with my tune, and I presume, and see doom, designated.
Yo, anyone who stated
A word against me; I serve an MC, simply.
Put, like my foot up your anus, ya Shamus.
Tryin' to get over, I'ma go for mine.
You know the time; now that I'm older I'm gonna
Rip niggaz heads with the said salutations.
Introducing Del, and his bid for boostin' tales
Of my adventures; attempt to try,
And you will limp or die; whichever I choose, you lose.
Crews get ashamed 'cause we blame 'em for bitin'.
You might win if you start writin', and stop fightin'
No time for games.
I'll rearrange my vocals in your headphones.
I hold till I get a answer.
Acknowledge and abolish all the wack records.
Hieroglyphics, you know, repected.
[Chorus x 2]
Who caught the harm? You bought the farm.
If you're a friend there's no need for alarm.
[Del]
I get juiced when I let loose a little of my cleverness.
Up under my follicles with no mousse.
Choose your weapon; you kept steppin'.
You're swept in a hurricane; Del'll blow your brain,
So your next generations of youth will be facin' the truth,
And the truth is I'll leave you with the loose tooth.
Gums get split if you bit.
I'll extract the truth out your ass, like I'm standin' in the pulpit.
Or a lie dectector wrecked ya sector, when you're standing.
I can swing, branding, expanding, on what I'm handing
To the people, 'cause we will, and you can't say
A damn thing about it if you doubt it.
You're already outta line, so let me remind your behind
About the switch, which I used to bruise your bottom.
That little nigga tried to cut; I caught him.
He didn't think that I would see that.
So be that, and be off the D, 'cause we rap.
We sap the strength and lap the length around the whole course of time,
And still got the time to unwind.
[Chorus]
[Del]
Weak MC's make me hurl.
Hurl as your world is crushed because I gotta make you hush.
You gotta be eliminated; the way I demonstrate it.
You hate it, but still I am the greatest.
Like a boxer, I'ma knock your socks off.
Nowhere to run to; exits are blocked off.
Steadily I'm dissin' men; I hope you're listenin'.
Brothers like my flow.
Others ride my jock like a bicycle, but I'm psycho.
Fools try to play me like Tyco; gotsta pull the rifle.
Daisy, graze the ass with the B-B.
It comes speedy; sign the peace treaty,
Or you'll be needin'
Medical attention when I leave you bleedin'.
Throw a monkey wrench in your program;
Crammed up your ass and it's just too bad, son;
Catch a bad one.
Who caught the harm? You bought the farm.
If you're a friend there's no need for alarm.
Who caught the harm? You bought the farm.
If you're a foe I'm gonna break your fuckin arm!
[Del]
Know what I'm sayin'? Peace.
In Del Tha Funkee Homosapien's song "Catch a Bad One," the lyrics speak to Del's prowess as a rapper and his ability to take down any competition that comes his way. He boasts about his skills and intellect, claiming to be the boss and not backing down when he closes in on his opponents. Del raps about how he can take down anyone who goes against him and can slice them to pieces with his rhymes. He urges listeners to tune in to his album, even if they are not familiar with hip hop culture, while reminding listeners that he is respected by the hip hop community.
Throughout the song, Del speaks about how he will eliminate weak MCs, stating that they make him hurl. He hopes that others are listening to his flow and that fake rappers will stay away from him. He mentions how some people try to play him, but he won't let them get away with it because he's psycho. Del is not afraid to use violent imagery in his lyrics, as he mentions using a rifle to take down foes.
Overall, the song "Catch a Bad One" is a tribute to Del's skill as a rapper and his commitment to hip hop culture. Del sets himself apart from other rappers with his clever rhymes and confident bravado.
Line by Line Meaning
People havin' memory loss; they don't remember I'm the boss.
People are forgetting that I'm in charge.
You're claustrophobic when I close in.
When I approach you, you feel trapped.
In on your men and your faculty, you wack'll be
I'll come after your crew and anyone associated with you who lacks skill.
Out my face; you must be basin' if you think
That you could tackle the triumphant, I pump up the volume.
Get out of my face, you're delusional if you think you can take on someone as triumphant as me who makes music that gets people pumped up.
Increase as you mieces get sliced to pieces.
I will gain power as I defeat my enemies one by one.
Please listen to my album;
Even if you're white like talcum, and unpaid get'cha stayin'.
I implore you to listen to my album, even if you're white and struggling to make it financially.
Tuned with my tune, and I presume, and see doom, designated.
If you listen to my music and vibe with it, you'll understand that doom is imminent for my enemies.
Yo, anyone who stated
A word against me; I serve an MC, simply.
If anyone speaks against me, I'll serve them with ease as an MC.
Put, like my foot up your anus, ya Shamus.
I'll kick your ass so hard that it'll feel like my foot is up your ass, Shamus.
Tryin' to get over, I'ma go for mine.
You know the time; now that I'm older I'm gonna
Rip niggaz heads with the said salutations.
I'm going to do everything in my power to succeed, and now that I'm older I'll destroy my enemies with my words.
Introducing Del, and his bid for boostin' tales
Of my adventures; attempt to try,
And you will limp or die; whichever I choose, you lose.
I'm introducing myself as Del and I'm going to share stories of my life. If you try to stop me, I'll obliterate you either physically or mentally, your choice.
Crews get ashamed 'cause we blame 'em for bitin'.
You might win if you start writin', and stop fightin'
Other crews get embarrassed because they copy us. If you want to succeed, focus on writing instead of trying to fight us.
No time for games.
I'll rearrange my vocals in your headphones.
I'm not here to mess around. I'll even adjust my sound in your personal headphones.
I hold till I get a answer.
Acknowledge and abolish all the wack records.
Hieroglyphics, you know, repected.
I'll keep pushing until I get a response from the industry. We need to acknowledge and get rid of all the bad music. Everyone respects Hieroglyphics.
I get juiced when I let loose a little of my cleverness.
I feel great when I express my cleverness.
Up under my follicles with no mousse.
My hair is natural with no hair product.
Choose your weapon; you kept steppin'.
Pick a way to fight me and come at me with it.
You're swept in a hurricane; Del'll blow your brain,
So your next generations of youth will be facin' the truth,
And the truth is I'll leave you with the loose tooth.
I'll dominate and devastate you, leaving you literally braindead and with a missing tooth. Future generations will remember who took you down.
Gums get split if you bit.
If you try to come at me with a weak bite, I'll hit you so hard your gums will split.
I'll extract the truth out your ass, like I'm standin' in the pulpit.
I'll make you tell the truth, even if I have to be forceful like I'm preaching at church.
Or a lie dectector wrecked ya sector, when you're standing.
Even a lie detector test will prove you wrong, even when you're standing there denying it.
I can swing, branding, expanding, on what I'm handing
To the people, 'cause we will, and you can't say
A damn thing about it if you doubt it.
I can do whatever I want with my product and grow it because we have the support of the people, and if you don't believe me, you can't say anything.
You're already outta line, so let me remind your behind
About the switch, which I used to bruise your bottom.
You've already crossed the line, so let me remind you of the punishment you already received.
That little nigga tried to cut; I caught him.
Someone tried to abandon me, but I caught them in the act.
He didn't think that I would see that.
So be that, and be off the D, 'cause we rap.
He didn't think I would catch him, so he's not getting any more attention from me, because we're too busy making music.
We sap the strength and lap the length around the whole course of time,
And still got the time to unwind.
We use up energy, but we still have plenty of time to relax and enjoy the journey of life.
Weak MC's make me hurl.
Hurl as your world is crushed because I gotta make you hush.
I can't stand weak MCs and will do everything in my power to silence them completely.
You gotta be eliminated; the way I demonstrate it.
You hate it, but still I am the greatest.
I will remove anyone who opposes me, even though they hate me. I know I'm the best and nothing can change that.
Like a boxer, I'ma knock your socks off.
Nowhere to run to; exits are blocked off.
I'll punch you so hard that your socks will literally fly off. You can't escape and I've blocked all possible exits.
Steadily I'm dissin' men; I hope you're listenin'.
Brothers like my flow.
I'm constantly insulting other men, hoping they're listening. Other MCs enjoy my style of rapping.
Others ride my jock like a bicycle, but I'm psycho.
Fools try to play me like Tyco; gotsta pull the rifle.
Some people are obsessed with me, even though I'm crazy. Others try to take advantage of me, but I have to be aggressive and defend myself.
Daisy, graze the ass with the B-B.
It comes speedy; sign the peace treaty,
Or you'll be needin'
Medical attention when I leave you bleedin'.
I'll shoot you in the ass with a BB gun, and it'll come at you fast. Sign a peace treaty, or I'll hurt you badly and you'll need medical attention.
Throw a monkey wrench in your program;
Crammed up your ass and it's just too bad, son;
Catch a bad one.
I'll disrupt your plans and mess with you. There's nothing you can do about it. You'll lose.
Know what I'm sayin'? Peace.
Do you understand what I'm saying? Peace out.
Who caught the harm? You bought the farm.
If you're a friend there's no need for alarm.
You've been hurt and defeated. If you're on my side, there's no need to worry about it.
If you're a foe I'm gonna break your fuckin arm!
If you're an enemy, I'm going to physically hurt you and break your arm.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JONES, TEREN DELVON / OWENS, JONATHAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bryan Davis
i wish rappers today would learn how to do it correct.
a sample. bass line. a drum a kick.
del rips four sections in this song.
its almost four minutes long.
its just him spitting and on the chorus.
no auto tune. no singing. no talking about how much money he has.
no bullshit.
emcee'ing at its finest.
Truman Burgess
This is honestly one of the best hip hop tracks ever made
For real
T Mac
Truman Burgess 'I hope ya listening'. no Fuckin joke del da dam troof
Tomax
This whole damn album was 🔥...this and Future Development. I wasnt a 3030 fan...but white ppls looooooved it lol. This shit made me proud to be from Oakland CA
Shere Khan
Agree
Red like foreman
Play bloody knuckles with ur self to this track on the snare and ull b so sore lol
8732Best
and so is the emcee who made the beat.
William Farrell
This song gives me goosebumps.
Andy G
one of my ALL TIME favorite Del tracks... one of the best rappers. hands down
Jeremy Miles
Yup, in the midst of g-funk, he did his own thing. He grew up with E-40, and happens to be Ice Cube's cousin. 40 gives him a couple of shoutouts on "In a Major Way"
ecliptic13
Yep 🔥🔥🔥