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
Don't Forget
Del Tha Funkee Homosapien Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My rep gets bigger
And figgers on my checks
Flex,
Like Hercules
When I flow with ease
Usin' lingo that'll bring mo hoes
Front and center
Full of fun, for my niggas
Here's another one
You get a hand shake
And take a copy of the UNA
We're doin' a service
And who are they?
Questions and answers
And we can sure
Capture the spirits in ya soul cause the man's pure
And furious,
Cause curiosity killed the cat
Why fill the gat with lead & leave a nigga dead?
But if you was that nigga
Don't sweat me
Cause if I was that nigga I wouldn't pull the trigga
Protect yourself but don't project yourself
Into trouble
Cause, you'll perish, there is
Some things I never forget
Police sweats when we out posted like marionettes
We jets, unless them hands be empty
They lookin' for niggas, yeah
They not allowed to peel me.
[CHORUS:]
"Don't forget your niggas..."
Don't forget ya niggas
Even if they low down niggas
Cause I sho found niggas
Down on they luck
Here's a pound, and a buck
And you better not spend it on no booze
Choose what is more important
I'm a nigga who will ford shit
Before it starts
We score with heart
Artistic values
And I'll use a portion of the brain
Other niggas is ignorin'
Ya snorin'
What's up my niggas
Hi niggas
I figures
I'm the nigga who can rig a rhythm to ya soul
Plain & simple
Then pull, other tricks out my sleeve
And leave unseen
Clean & slicklike
Niggas need to get they shit right
For they step to HIEROGLYPHICS it might
Prove fatal
So move, wait till I'm dona
I use fun & fabrications
For your imagination
Wastin', spillin'
Blood when I'm ill &
Depressed
Cause I take it out on others
Not the brothers
Just record executives
And I bet you give
Up ya cash
When I leave you with a gash in ya ass
Cause I had a heart when I started
Now I departed
And I'm back again
Give me ends
'fore I bust into ya office squeezin' triggas
Because you, because you, cause you forgot us niggas.
[CHRUS:]
Now peep
I knew a nigga that was large
That nigga used to rap good
Now I'm askin' him
Perhaps, could you tell me how you fell off
Yet you was well off
But now the real niggas think ya soft
Cause we beat rhymes
You can't keep up with the times
It seems you have styles combined
From other fools
And you'll discover who will be a real nigga
You da man
You supposed to skill niggas
When you say you will
You don't display you skill
And still you throw your niggas out the doors
Scores of years ago you was bros
But now you got a little dough
And yeah you tryin' to play him like a hoe
But I don't think so
He ain't a puppet
Enough with that shit
Take that job,
Stuff it
Up ya ass
Just gimme enough for gas
I'm rough & I can last,
And get my own phuckin' cash
Well that's that
And what do you get for that?
Ooh you dirty rat
How could you forget the fool
That was down wit ya in school
Ya'll use ta shoot pool
Ya sorry busta
Never could trust a
Nigga think he's so large
That nobody can thrust him
Out the pilot seat
Ejected
You forgot ya nigga
Ya assed out
Expect it.
[CHORUS]
The song "Don't Forget" by Del Tha Funkee Homosapien is about not forgetting the people who helped you get to where you are. The lyrics are primarily focused on Del's loyalty to his homies and his journey towards success in the rap industry. Del promotes the idea of not forgetting where you came from and the people who helped you on the way up. He calls out those who have abandoned their friends and their roots in pursuit of success, emphasizing that money and fame should never cause one to forget their true friends and values.
The song also discusses the struggles and dangers that exist within the rap industry. Del speaks on the violence and brutality within the rap world, warning listeners to protect themselves and avoid getting caught up in dangerous situations. He criticizes those who use guns to solve problems, urging them to protect themselves without projecting themselves into trouble.
Overall, "Don't Forget" is a cautionary tale about loyalty, friendship, and the dangers of the rap industry. It promotes the importance of staying true to oneself and remembering one's roots while navigating the industry's obstacles.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't forget ya niggas
Remember the people who have been with you from the beginning and have supported you
My rep gets bigger
My reputation is growing larger
And figgers on my checks
And there are more figures on my paychecks
Flex, like Hercules
Show off my strength and confidence like the Greek god Hercules
When I flow with ease
When I rap effortlessly
Usin' lingo that'll bring mo hoes
Using slang that will attract more women
Front and center
Directly in the spotlight
Enta this blissful twist
Come into this joyous state of mind
Full of fun, for my niggas
Full of enjoyment, for my friends
Here's another one
Here is another song for you to enjoy
You get a hand shake
I will shake your hand
And take a copy of the UNA
And take a copy of our album, UNA
We're doin' a service
We are providing a service for our audience
And who are they?
And who are the people who doubt us?
Questions and answers
We have answers for their questions
And we can sure
And we are confident
Capture the spirits in ya soul cause the man's pure
We can connect with the audience on a deep level because we are genuine
And furious,
And angry,
Cause curiosity killed the cat
Because being too curious can lead to dangerous situations
Why fill the gat with lead & leave a nigga dead?
What's the point of shooting someone and killing them?
But if you was that nigga
But if you were in that situation
Don't sweat me
Don't worry
Cause if I was that nigga I wouldn't pull the trigga
Because if I was in that situation, I wouldn't shoot
Protect yourself but don't project yourself
Defend yourself but don't go out of your way to get into trouble
Into trouble
Into dangerous situations
Cause, you'll perish, there is
Because you'll die, it's a fact
Some things I never forget
There are some things that stick with me forever
Police sweats when we out posted like marionettes
The police are nervous and watching us closely
We jets, unless them hands be empty
We will leave quickly, unless the police don't have anything on us
They lookin' for niggas, yeah
They are searching for Black people, yeah
They not allowed to peel me.
They are not allowed to harm me
Even if they low down niggas
Even if they are bad people
Cause I sho found niggas
Because I have found good people
Down on they luck
Who are going through hard times
Here's a pound, and a buck
Here is a handshake and a dollar
And you better not spend it on no booze
And you shouldn't spend it on alcohol
Choose what is more important
Decide what is more valuable
I'm a nigga who will ford shit
I'm a person who will get through difficult times
Before it starts
Before the situation becomes bad
We score with heart
We succeed with passion
Artistic values
Values related to creativity and art
And I'll use a portion of the brain
And I will use my mind
Other niggas is ignorin'
Other people are ignoring this
Ya snorin'
You are sleeping and not paying attention
What's up my niggas
What's going on, my friends?
Hi niggas
Hello, my friends
I figures
I thought
I'm the nigga who can rig a rhythm to ya soul
I'm the person who can create a beat that will speak to your soul
Plain & simple
Straightforward
Then pull, other tricks out my sleeve
Then surprise you with more abilities
And leave unseen
And go unnoticed
Clean & slicklike
Smooth and cool
Niggas need to get they shit right
People need to get their act together
For they step to HIEROGLYPHICS it might
Before they challenge our group, it might
Prove fatal
Prove deadly
So move, wait till I'm dona
So back off, wait until I'm finished
I use fun & fabrications
I use humor and exaggerations
For your imagination
To capture your attention and inspire your creativity
Wastin', spillin'
Wasting, squandering
Blood when I'm ill &
Causing harm when I'm feeling sick and depressed
Depressed
Sad and down
Cause I take it out on others,
Because I unleash my anger on others
Not the brothers
Not my friends
Just record executives
Just the people who control the industry
And I bet you give
And I'm sure that you will give
Up ya cash
Your money
When I leave you with a gash in ya ass
When I hurt you badly
Cause I had a heart when I started
Because I was sincere when I began
Now I departed
Now I am gone
And I'm back again
But now I'm back
Give me ends
Give me money
'fore I bust into ya office squeezin' triggas
Before I come to your office shooting a gun
Because you, because you, cause you forgot us niggas.
Because you forgot about us, Black people.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jones, Keziah
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind