Producer Dan the Automator and rapper Del the Funky Homosapien of alternative hip hop supergroup Deltron 3030 perform live on stage with a 16-piece orchestra in support of their album 'Event 2', at the King's Cross Scala on December 12, 2013 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Jim Dyson/Redferns via Getty Images)
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Wu-Tang Clan and Run The Jewels Show to Reunite Deltron 3030

Wu-Tang Clan and Run The Jewels Show to Reunite Deltron 3030

Published Tue, April 25, 2023 at 11:30 AM EDT

Del The Funky Homosapien, Dan The Automator and Kid Koala — collectively known as Deltron 3030 — have released two truly innovative albums. Beginning with 2000’s menacing self-titled debut, a concept album centered on the dualistic conflict of fatalism, Deltron 3030 took listeners on a kaleidoscopic trip into the future.

Event 2 finally arrived in 2013 and delivered more of Del’s futuristic musings set to a consistently masterful yet sometimes ominous soundtrack. The latter peaked at No. 41 on the Billboard 200 chart and No. 6 on the Rap chart, selling more than 8,000 copies in its opening week. 

The three Hip-Hop heavyweights ultimately continued down their own solo paths, leaving the project in limbo. In 2018, Dan teased a third installment in the series during a conversation with Red Bull Radio, saying “a couple songs exist.” But five years and one pandemic later, none of those songs have materialized. However, new Deltron 3030 music could be on the horizon. 

On September 8, Deltron 3030 will reunite for an AEG Presents show in Denver, Colorado alongside Wu-Tang Clan and Run The Jewels, one of their first shows since 2020. Naturally, that begs the question — will there be new Deltron 3030 music to coincide with the performance? In a recent interview with Rock The Bells, Del The Funky Homosapien not only teased the possibility but also revealed what he’d do differently. 

“I'm thinking about it,” he says of the next Deltron 3030 album. “We’re basically living in the future. I would just try to work on making it more whimsical this time, not as heavy. ‘Cause I think I kinda stepped away from that with the second one a bit. I would go back to it being a little bit more whimsical, a little bit more battle rhyme-ish, you know what I’m saying?” 

Del, who just wrapped up two back-to-back weekend performances at the Coachella Valley Music & Art Festival, is still based in Richmond, California where’s he been for more than 25 years. A loyal Oakland native, he’s essentially enshrined in the recording equipment that occupies his home. 

“I've got recording equipment all around my house,” he says. “That’s all I really do. I got multiple rooms in my house. I got a guest house out in the back with recording equipment in there. So it might be like three different rooms. Like my living room might be set up with recording equipment in there. That might be the main place where people at. Then I got two, three bedrooms, but I got a bedroom that just got equipment in there. So people just be in there. We just be getting loaded and just doing music.” 

Aside from the prospect of new Deltron 3030 music, Del and fellow Hieroglyphics member (and Del’s manager) Domino have begun working on Del’s next solo album, which Domino will produce in its entirety. He’s also holding on to a full album’s worth of material from longtime collaborator Kool Keith. The two paired up in 2022 for a project called Subatomic under the FNKPMPN umbrella and, evidently, those sessions were fruitful. In the interim, Del has been focused on his YouTube channel and a new “Manic Mondays” series. 

“I feel like that's the best way to reach people,” he says of the video platform. “You ain't gotta pay for it. I'm trying to get Ras Kass down, I’m trying to get Blu down—all my folks who I've known. I’m trying to just be like, 'Hey, it's popping.' I know I can't really do it alone, but if it's like full force… corporations and people with a lot of money, they look at us like some ants. They don't care until it's like a swarm of ants crawling on some shit and then they start seeing it.” 

Del’s creative output hasn’t slowed down since 1991’s I Wish My Brother George Was Here, his inaugural solo album. Coupled with his work with Da Lench Mob, Dr. Octagon, Hieroglyphics and Gorillaz (to name a few), his discography is stacked. Del appears on Gorillaz’s latest deluxe album, Cracker Island, on the song “Captain Chicken.” In fact, he was performing with Gorillaz at Coachella on Sunday (April 23). Del has been collaborating with the Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett-founded outfit since 2001 when he was recruited for both “Rock The House” and the platinum-selling hit, “Clint Eastwood.” As for touring with the band, he always looks forward to performing with De La Soul, who are typically in tow whenever the Gorillaz hit the stage to perform “Feel Good Inc.” But this time around, Dave—who passed away suddenly in February—was only there in spirit. 

“I really like being around Maseo,” he says. “After Dave died, it felt good to be around the homies and I think it’s good for them to be around the homies, too.” 

The Deltron 3030, Wu-Tang Clan and Run The Jewels show takes place 5,280 square feet above sea level at Fiddler’s Green Amphitheater in Denver. Bring your oxygen. Pre-sale: Thurs., April 27 from 12p-12p EST // pass: RUCKUS. On sale: Fri., April 28 at 12p EST. Find ticket information here.

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