Review Summary: It would be worth checking out even if it had a price tag.
When various media outlets reported that
Angel Haze had “pulled a
Death Grips” by prematurely uploading her major label debut to SoundCloud, it was solely a comparison to the noise-hop trio’s unique distribution tactic of releasing new material without any prior promotion, but not to their musical style. However, with
Del tha Funkee Homosapien’s new, free project,
Iller Than Most, the eminent
Deltron 3030 member further establishes
Death Grip’s method as a trend in hip-hop while simultaneously hopping onto the sonic style that they’ve helped to popularize. And while the project surely has its flaws, Del provides a worthwhile start to hip-hop for the New Year.
It is important to note that
Iller Than Most isn’t truly a
Death Grips clone;
B L A C K I E and
Clipping are more apparent influences on Del’s production choices and delivery. The beats are the strongest element of the album, with the sounds throughout demonstrating a more polished version of noise-hop, retaining the brash, loud sounds without overbearing use of distortion, glitches and feedback. Del truly went into the project with a well-researched mindset and ultimately produced some of the most accessible examples of noise-hop to date. Production highlights such as “Leader,” “Delta Time,” “Bitin’ Ain’t Samplin’” and “Wreckin’ the Upside” all succeed by providing ferocity while also remaining catchy and memorable.
Del rides his beats with confidence as well, adapting a cadence similar to Daveed Diggs of
Clipping and a flow comparable to the off-kilter, nearly spoken word style of
Billy Woods. This vocal delivery fits perfectly with the direct but solid lyrical output throughout
Iller Than Most. While Del declares, “Don’t expect no deep ***/The world got enough tribulations,” he still maintains that when it comes to “Fools with the hokey pokey rhymes in their songs/I ain’t hatin’ but my matrix be a step beyond.” He proves that his veteran status is not undeserved tenure, with “10 Paces” being a particularly brutal attack on his competitors both old and new.
Yet, even though there are no lyrical complaints in regards to the verses on
Iller Than Most, the vocal choices on several songs are the album’s most apparent flaws. Del inexplicably chooses to tamper with his great flow and rhymes by adding in vocal dubs along with his delivery. The voices sometime shout the rhyming word from a line, rap a healthy portion of the line along with Del or, in the case of “10 Paces,” yell random exclamations in response to Del’s rhymes. All of these additions are unnecessary and simply provide distractions from otherwise strong tracks. Additionally, many of the hooks are far too repetitive and last much longer than necessary, only exacerbating the problem. While some hooks are well-written enough to not be too monotonous, others severely hinder the song’s other components, especially “Mental Fitness” and “Grand Royal.”
These complaints don’t truly ruin the album though, as Del has created and overall quality project that works as a potential stepping stone for appreciating other, more challenging noise-hop groups. As both a producer an emcee, Del deserves praise for what he accomplishes on
Iller Than Most.
