Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for twenty-five plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.
If you've been reading any of my Wednesday posts, you've definitely read mention of Del The Funky Homosapien. He & his Hieroglyphics crew are responsible for my favorite releases in the history of hip hop. I had decided that I needed to get my hands on the various golden era singles from those groups as the B sides and remixes were sorely missing from my collection on vinyl. This one is the third and it's the final single from Del's first album.
The album version of "Dr. Bombay" is definitely one of the highlight's of Del's debut. It didn't get the same sort of airplay that "Mistadobolina" received, but unlike "Sleepin' on My Couch," I do remember it being on Yo MTV Raps at least a couple of times. For the remix on this single, the beat is not as layered as the album version, and the stripped down production really puts the emphasis on the lyrics. In a lot of ways it sounds more in line with the styles Del would be known for in a couple of years.
The other remix is of "Hoodz Come in Dozens," this one tackled by the SD50s. While good, I don't see it being the huge departure from the original the same way that the "Dr. Bombay" is. The last track on this 12" is the previously unreleased "Eye Examination." This one was produced by Del and again is a glimpse into what Del was going to unleash into the world when No Need For Alarm came out in 1993. The beat has hints of Tribe Called Quest, but is still filtered though that bay area funk sound. Del uses this canvas to put down the type of lyrics and rhyme structures that it seems only he can do. Killer song and it's a shame that it's not one of his more well known tracks.
Del The Funky Homosapien - "Dr. Bombay (Remix)":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9J4mx5_fJBM&ab_channel=DelThaFunkeeHomosapien-Topic
Del The Funky Homosapien - "Eye Examination":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgJ8DqOfZBo&ab&ab_channel=DelThaFunkeeHomosapien-Topic
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