Del the Funky Homosapien emerged from the ravaged West Coast gangsta rap detritus of the early ’90s as the antithesis to his hardcore cousin Ice Cube, choosing to wax poetic about cerebral matters instead of crack rocks and bullet-strewn neighborhoods. As one of the more visible members of progressive rap crew Hieroglyphics, his psychedelically tinted albums’ neon-lit vocabulary was the kindling that helped spark what was then a burgeoning “alternative rap” contingent. This attracted a wider skate-friendly fan base, and led to critically lauded collaborations with Gorillaz and ridiculously creative projects like Deltron 3030. Over the past few years Del’s output of fresh material has been relatively low, but this decreased productivity hasn’t taken away from the iconic stature of his unmistakable baritone or the masterfully kinetic energy of his shows. CHRIS SUTTON