Throwback Write-Up #21: Deltron 3030 - Deltron 3030 - HipHop | HipHop Channel

Pages

Throwback Write-Up #21: Deltron 3030 - Deltron 3030 - HipHop

Throwback Write-Up #21: Deltron 3030 - Deltron 3030 - HipHop

Throwback Write-Up #21: Deltron 3030 - Deltron 3030

Posted: 01 Oct 2020 08:38 AM PDT

Artist: Deltron 3030

Album: Deltron 3030

Label: 75 Ark

Release Date: May 23, 2000

Background

Deltron 3030, the collaboration of Del, the Automator, and the turntablist Kid Koala, released its self-titled concept album on May 23, 2000. Fresh off his collaboration with the ever-mysterious and untenable Kool Keith, legendary producer Dan the Automator provides the framework of this bleak future. A classic in its own right, Dr. Octagonecologyst helped establish The Automator as a pillar of the underground hip hop community of the 90s. Kid Koala, a turntablist known for his interjections of bizarre and obscure samples, provides an extra layer of scratching and beat changes that elevate the production to an even higher level. An array of B-movie soundbytes and how-to instructions keep the atmosphere light while also fitting well in the cynical, lugubrious universe in which the album takes place.

Before I really get into the track analysis, I need to state how mindblowing the production on this album was and still is to this day. Through this album, my own musical taste broadened and I found other underground artists like MF DOOM, Madlib, J Dilla, to name a few. The meticulous, weird, random samples that weave together to create this SciFi space opera could only work the way they do because of Dan the Automator. Deltron 3030 was an album that tore down the walls of what I thought hip hop could be. I owe a lot of my musical taste to this album and I'm glad I got to write it up on its 20th anniversary. While it might be a cliché concept in 2020, rebels raging against a mega-corporation that controls almost every aspect of the lives of humans was a fairly original idea, particularly framed in the context of battle rappers. While the general concept itself had been done even as early as 1976 on Rush's magnum opus 2112, Deltron Zero and Automator are heroes entirely of their own.

As an aside, I'm going to be skipping the skits as they serve only for worldbuilding. You should absolutely listen to them, in particular "Meet Cleofis Randolph the Patriarch".

Analysis

It's the year, 3030. And here at the Corporate Institutional Bank of Time, we find ourselves reflecting. Finding out that, in fact, we came back. We were always coming back

Damon Albarn, of Blur and Gorillaz fame, begins what would become one of the most influential and acclaimed hip hop collaborations with incredible exhaustion and apathy. His delivery both complements the lush and at times eerie production of Dan the Automator while also starkly contrasting the coming bombastic, at times humorous rhymes laid down by Del tha Funky Homosapien.

The track 3030 opens with an introduction to our two main characters, Deltron Zero and Automator. A grandiose, operatic soundwall carries Deltron as he describes the grim condition the world: Cyber warlords are aggravating abominations/Arm a nation with hatred? We ain't with that….Living in a post-apocalyptic world morbid and horrid/The secrets of the past they hoarded…No mistakes black it's our music we must take back. In many ways, this track parallels the opening track to 2112 titled "Overture/The Temples of Syrinx", plunging the listener into the stark reality and exposing them to the sheer magnitude of antagonism the hero of each album must face. Much the same way the Priests of 2112 have hidden passion and originality from music, the Capitalist overlords of 3030 have taken hip hop and manufactured it to be devoid of soul. Using mech suits, gravity stim packs, and a microphone, Deltron battles underground, spreading hip hop and trying to awaken the world from its proverbial slumber. His mission of fighting against bland, inoffensive, mindless music has been the eternal struggle of the underground hip hop scene since any form of the genre found mainstream success. Almost immediately, he is caught by the government and thrown into a cell. By merely speaking his mind, he is immediately targeted "for the pure verbal, they said my sentence was equivalent to murder". He breaks out of jail and immediately returns to his mech warrior roots, hijacking a mech suit and escaping with the help of his own prodigious rhymes. What follows is Automator and Deltron scheming against the unjust system that has kept them down their entire lives.

It's interesting that in this year of global health crises and years of racial injustice coming to a head I find myself examining this album under a microscope. There's so much imagery within this universe that still rings true 20 years after its release. It's a testament to how intricate and masterfully this project was put together, while also somewhat disheartening that the themes of oppression, racism, and fascism are still just as apparent.

To spread their message, Deltron and Automator realize they must take their skills to the people. They spread a secret message of an upcoming rap battle (The Fantabulous Rap Extravaganza) which is picked up in a full-on advertisement. Fittingly, the track "Things You Can Do" begins with a sampled track repeating "Things you can do, some can't be done", a creed laid down by the government to keep MCs, minorities, and the poor down. In direct opposition to this, the first verse finds our hero laying down just how epic his talent is from the beginning "two-ton mic, leave you tongue-tied" and fervently describing his stance against the system that controls them with manufactured music: "Inhibit bacteria growth, material growth/Impenetrable, incontestable indigestible/Intelligence, never let a computer tell me shit". Deltron's zealous "Fuck You" to the overlords only gains strength as the track continues, with his delivery laiden with increasing amounts of machismo. His off-kilter bars shred the opposing MC. Empowered by this rap battle, Deltron decides to take his battle straight to the source.

Throughout "Positive Contact" Del is continuously escalating his prowess, emboldened by his victories and ultimately able to find a government base, he begins his verbal onslaught. "I'm what you call a legend, dominance with Armageddon/Gives me a warm reception. Deltron Z ebs and flows with the battle, absorbing energy from fallen opponents and gaining more power with each MC and each computer he destroys. Seemingly, his attack is eventually thwarted as the government mounts a response against the rebel operative and Deltron retreats to Mercury. It is here that Deltron tells Automator of his new plans: to devise a virus so infectious and disruptive that the entire government control system is upended.

Global controls will have to be imposed and a world governing body WILL be created to enforce them. Crises precipitate change.

One of the most iconic tracks from the album Virus begins with an ominous decree by the oppressive government that pursues Deltron and Automator. Given the current state of our own world, the bleak odds set up against Del weigh even heavier than when I first heard the track several years ago. The theme is timeless, and fits right into our own world of police brutality, fascism, and political turmoil. Much of this album deals with the oppression of minorities and stifling of those voices. Deltron rallies against this despite insurmountable odds. He waxes poetic about a supervirus that could destroy every computer, with complexity so intricate that no scientist could defeat it. A mid-track skit (sampling Star Trek, no less) seems to indicate the government caught wind of his scheme, with a malicious manifesto: We will not hesitate! We will destroy the Homosapien!. As Del frantically enacts his plan, he describes in detail his plan for the masses to rise up: burn all the terminals, decapitate the corrupt politicians, loot the stores of megacorporations. New Earth has become to cumbersome and Del states it's time they take their fight to the stars.

And then begins my personal favorite track from the album. "Mastermind" finds Del hyping up the genius behind his rebellion: the Automator. A force so deadly and powerful, he reprograms minds with his beats. His logic impress, a hypnotic effect./Ya latent patent you could call it a gift/Man he all in the mix nuclear physicist/Genetically tailored every bit of this stimulus The success Del has found thus far has been on the shoulders of the beats Automator has created. Even describing these beats as symphonies. Infectious, intricate, and inviting, Automator creates the stage upon which Del preaches his message, ending the track by recruiting a new protege.

The album reaches its midpoint with Del and his gang of rouge MCs in the midst of their war against the control system. Throughout the track, Del talks about how his rhymes will free the masses, so much so that other MCs wish they were as influential. Again, Del (real life Del) uses lyrics that could very well apply to his own life, talking about how survival as a black man is at times like a vice squeezing him, with an ever-looming suspicion of those around him that could possibly ruin everything he's built thus far. All the while, he tries to rationalize with himself, stating that he is no different than his proteges. Again, though, his hatred of the system within which he was born takes priority, as he exclaims "Put ***s on the moon and can't pay your burdens". He pushes his followers forward, begging them to keep fighting for a world free of classism, racism, and government control.

Del's frustrations deepen Time Keeps on Slippin' as Damon Albarn makes his second appearance on the album. Bringing along his melodica, Albarn laments on the chorus that time continues to pass him by but no one seems to see it. The entire melody and melodica are a good time capsule into Albarn's music, as Gorillaz self-titled debut album was about to release the following year. The melodica makes its most famous appearance on the track "Clint Eastwood", which is where I first heard Del as a kid. In much the same way I owe a lot of my musical taste to this album's production, Gorillaz was the catalyst for it all. Deltron's assault continues, ramping up to a level where the pillars of civilization begin to fall, and as this world comes tumbling down, Del "remakes the universe every time [he] uses a verse". He defeats MC after MC in front of him, emboldening his cause and laying waste to imitators.

The skit "The News" is an example of propaganda that describes Del as a vicious terrorist and alien invader hellbent on destruction and death. This leads into the next track Turbulence (Remix) where Del retaliates by exposing the seedy, dark truths of life under the current government. "I envision turbulence and murder since it's an everyday occurence", while also stating the casualties and collateral damage are worth it in the end if people can be free. Unfortunately, he also notes his own rebels have become distracted by drugs and no longer dedicate themselves to the cause in the same way as they did so long ago. He is not without self-reflection, going so far as to say his prowess with battle rapping and mech fighting are not hindered by his own drug use since he still believes in his cause. Del attempts to rally his rebels once more, describing the life of the elite. The privileged live in floating cities, far above the common people, who slave away in factories making the technologies that make life for the privileged so easy. Exasperated, the track closes with Del stating aliens did, in fact, attempt to invade Earth in the recent past. But, after seeing how docile and horrible the living conditions were, they could not possibly implement a more controlling system and thus left.

This frustration and burn-out leads Deltron to a rap battle Battlesong which turns into a sequence of battles on different planets. Strikingly, one MC on Pluto even goes so far as the disable the Automator, previously thought to be unstoppable. Fortunately, in an attempt to avenge his comrade, Del lays down a verbal assault by himself, without beats and pummels his opponent into submission. Finally, in a hilarious final battle, Del literally squeezes the brain out of a quadriplegic MC on Earth.

In a celebratory first, Del flies back to Oakland where he succumbs to the very vices he chastised his MC followers for, smoking weed and missing work. Probably the track with the funniest lyrics, we find Del jaded and lazy. I'm sittin' on the porch readin' Cosmopolitan/Peepin' all these dumb hoes with enhanced collagen. He loses his job, and must battle small-time MCs to make money and survive. Ultimately he spots a fine woman and boasts about his past accomplishments as the champion of the Galactic Rhyme Federation to no avail. Much of the narrative stops here, with Del falling prey to the traps that caused his followers to fail. The final track of the album serves as both a bookend of the apathy present in Del's universe as well as a statement on the fed-up attitude Del tha Funky Homosapien possessed on his own career and trajectory at the time.

20 years on, it's easy to see why this album continues to find new fans and is repeatedly named on "certified classics" lists. The impact the production of this album had on several high profile projects that followed (Gorillaz self-titled to name just one) cannot be overstated. It's a staple of underground hip hop and a who's who of the subgenre. If you haven't listened to it before, block out some time and give it a shot. Del's message of whack MCs and pure braggadocious lyricism are a sight to behold and the imagery he paints is vivid and engaging.

Favorite Lyrics

Neuromancer, perfect blend of technology and magic/Use my rapping so you all can see the hazards/Plus entertainment where many are brainless/We cultivated a lost art of study and I brought a buddy/Automator, harder slayer, fascinating combinations/Cyber warlords are aggravating abominations/Arm a nation with hatred? We ain't with that

Yo, Deltron thunderforce, ain't no other source/Of sunlight, two ton mic, leave you tongue-tied/Runnin' amok with technology with no apology/Shout it out to my colony with 3rd eye physiology

Nonequivalence, nine hundred Newtons/Crush you like croutons, you plus you, son/Hiero's like dipoles inside a silo

Many MC's cruise low earth orbit/Easier for me to use my search warrant/Drift by a star, absorb it, and store it/Leave Taurus porous, my galaxy's gorgeous/Quantum jump, I'm right at your doorstep

Cyber-tech dialect, you gotta earn my respect

I want to make a super virus/Strong enough to cause blackouts in every single metropolis/Cause they don't wanna unify us/So fuck—it total anarchy and can't nobody stop us

Break right through they/Terminals, burn 'em all, slaves to silicon/Corrupt politicians with leaders and their keywords/F.B.I. and spies stealin' bombs/De-cipitate they plans in their face and catch the fever/Everybody loot the stores get your canned goods/Even space stations are having a hard time/Peacekeepers seek to take our manhood/Which results in the form of global apartheid/Ghettos are trash dumps with gas pumps

First we coerce your brain patterns/Collaborate with time-consumin' re-programmin'/I apply the flow cannon, the combo so slamming/Atomically reconstruct the whole canvas/His logic impress, a hypnotic effect/Ya latent patent you could call it a gift/Man he all in the mix nuclear physicist/Genetically tailored every bit of this stimulus

You pop wide open from my sly slogans/I stay in effect with alien tech/Make you wanna say he's the best

Questions

-Which albums do you feel drew direct inspiration from this project?

-How do you feel about Deltron Zero's ultimate fate? Knowing Deltron Osiris rises in Event II, does this change your view?

-Why did this album work so much better than Event II?

-Which underground MC do you feel could fit over this beats?

submitted by /u/Arkaega
[link] [comments]

Daily Discussion Thread 10/01/2020

Posted: 01 Oct 2020 02:05 PM PDT

Welcome to the /r/hiphopheads daily discussion thread!

This thread is for:

  • objective questions with right/wrong answers (e.g. "Does anyone know what is happening with MIXTAPE?", "What is the sample in SONG?")
  • general hip-hop discussion
  • meta posts...e.g. ideas for the sub

Thread Guidelines

  • Do not create a separate self post for these types of discussions outside of this thread - if you do, your post will be removed, as stated in the guidelines.

  • Please be helpful and friendly.

  • If a question has been asked many times before, provide a link to a thread that contains the answer.

Weekly/Monthly Threads

Other ways to interact

There are a number of other ways to interact with other members of HHH:

New to /r/hiphopheads or hip-hop in general?

Check out these:

submitted by /u/ModsLittleHelper
[link] [comments]

[FRESH ALBUM] 21 Savage & Metro Boomin - Savage Mode 2

Posted: 01 Oct 2020 08:59 PM PDT

Links

​

Tracklist

  1. Intro [prod. Metro Boomin]
  2. Runnin [prod. Metro Boomin]
  3. Glock in My Lap [prod. Metro Boomin, Honorable C.N.O.T.E. & Southside]
  4. Mr. Right Now (feat. Drake) [prod. Metro Boomin]
  5. Rich Nigga Shit (feat. Young Thug) [prod. Metro Boomin]
  6. Slidin [prod. Metro Boomin]
  7. Many Men [prod. Metro Boomin]
  8. Snitches & Rats (Interlude) [prod. Metro Boomin]
  9. Snitches & Rats (feat. Young Nudy) [prod. Metro Boomin]
  10. My Dawg [prod. Metro Boomin & Kid Hazel]
  11. Steppin on Niggas [prod. Metro Boomin]
  12. Brand New Draco [prod. Metro Boomin]
  13. No Opp Left Behind [prod. Metro Boomin]
  14. RIP Luv [prod. Metro Boomin & Zaytoven]
  15. Said N Done [prod. Metro Boomin]
submitted by /u/souljahamed
[link] [comments]

6ix9ine reportedly hospitalized due to overdosing on caffeine and weight loss pills.

Posted: 01 Oct 2020 04:35 PM PDT

[FRESH ALBUM] Bryson Tiller - A N N I V E R S A R Y

Posted: 01 Oct 2020 08:59 PM PDT

SPOTIFY | APPLE MUSIC | TIDAL | SOUNDCLOUD

TRACKLIST

  1. Years Go By [prod. Streetrunner & Tarik Azzouz]

  2. Always Forever [prod. J-Louis, Teddy Walton & Cameone]

  3. I'm Ready For You [prod. NES]

  4. Things Change [prod. III]

  5. Timeless Interlude [prod. SykSense, Lee Major & Sean Momberger]

  6. Sorrows [prod. Gravez]

  7. Inhale [prod. Dpat]

  8. Outta Time (feat. Drake) [prod. Nineteen85, Vinylz & Noah "40" Shebib]

  9. Keep Doing What You're Doing [prod. J-Louis]

  10. Next To You [prod. Teddy Walton]

submitted by /u/Kitchen_Ur_Lies
[link] [comments]

[FRESH ALBUM] Westside Gunn - WHO MADE THE SUNSHINE

Posted: 01 Oct 2020 08:59 PM PDT

Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube | Google Play | Tidal | Deezer

Tracklist:

  1. Sunshine Intro (feat. AA Rashid) [prod. by Daringer and Beat Butcha]

  2. The Butcher and The Blade (feat. Benny and Conway) [prod. by Daringer and Beat Butcha]

  3. Ishkabibble's (feat. Black Thought) [prod. by Daringer and Beat Butcha]

  4. All Praises (feat. Boldy James and Jadakiss) [prod. by Alchemist]

  5. Big Basha's [prod. by Daringer and Beat Butcha]

  6. Liz Loves Luger (fear. Armani Caesar) [prod. by The Alchemist]

  7. Ocean Prime (feat. Slick Rick and Busta Rhymes) [prod. by Daringer and Beat Butcha]

  8. Lessie (feat. Keisha Plum) [prod. by Daringer and Beat Butcha]

  9. Frank Murphy (feat. Stove God Cooks, Flee Lord, Estee Nack, ElCamino, and Smoke DZA) [prod. by Conductor Williams]

  10. Goodnight (feat. Slick Rick) [prod. by Daringer and Beat Butcha]

  11. 98 Sabers (feat. Armani Caesar, Benny, and Conway) [prod. by Just Blaze]

submitted by /u/guyohmysigh3
[link] [comments]

[FRESH] Gorillaz featuring Elton John & 6LACK — "The Pink Phantom"

Posted: 01 Oct 2020 08:49 AM PDT

anonymous /mu/ troll falsely accuses JPEGMAFIA of rape in /r/jpegmafia, reveals this hours later

Posted: 01 Oct 2020 03:16 PM PDT

jpegmafia subreddit thread

HHH Thread

JPEGMAFIA response HHH thread

OP has revealing that they were trolling (screenshot)

also cope seethe cringe raptards continue whilst i kek and be based and trad....btw ask me where SawCon is

EDIT: I come from 4chan.org/mu/!! We on this board idolize our black kangz and obey them since they are superior over us cringe caveling cumskin mayofags...we could never COPE hard enough to be based as those tradfrican Kings!

There is more evidence against the claim in the HHH thread and on /r/jpegmafia

These threads were removed because we don't want anyone to think for a second that there is any veracity to this allegation.

donate to RAINN

They support actual victims of sexual assault and rape, which OP has done harm to.

submitted by /u/HHHRobot
[link] [comments]

Run the Jewels concert on Adult Swim has been moved to October 17th and will be emceed by Eric Andre and feature appearances from Zach de la Rocha, Mavis Staples and Josh Homme

Posted: 01 Oct 2020 03:20 PM PDT

[FRESH ALBUM] YG — My Life 4Hunnid

Posted: 01 Oct 2020 09:00 PM PDT

FULL ALBUM

TRACKLIST

  1. Jealous
  2. Blood Walk (feat. Lil Wayne, D3szn)
  3. Traumatized Interlude
  4. Out On Bail
  5. Rodeo (feat. Chris Brown, Tyga)
  6. SWAG
  7. Hate On Me (feat. Lil Tjay)
  8. War Scars (performed by YG & Tayx2)
  9. Surgery (feat. Ty Dolla Sign, Gunna)
  10. Thug Kry (feat. Calboy, Lil Mosey)
  11. Traumatized Interlude #2
  12. FTP
  13. Laugh Now Kry Later!
submitted by /u/PmMeYourChromebook
[link] [comments]

[FRESH ALBUM] The Alchemist - A Doctor, Painter & An Alchemist Walk Into A Bar

Posted: 01 Oct 2020 08:59 PM PDT

[LEAK] J. Cole x Kendrick Lamar- Wait For Tomorrow

Posted: 01 Oct 2020 06:35 PM PDT

[FRESH EP] Lupe Fiasco & Soundtrakk - Tape Tape

Posted: 01 Oct 2020 09:02 PM PDT

[FRESH VIDEO] Megan Thee Stallion - Don't Stop (ft. Young Thug)

Posted: 01 Oct 2020 09:05 PM PDT

[FRESH EP] Giveon - When It’s All Said and Done

Posted: 01 Oct 2020 09:02 PM PDT

[FRESH] Fivio Foreign, Polo G, Kenny Beats - Bop It

Posted: 01 Oct 2020 09:00 PM PDT

[FRESH ALBUM] Yung Gravy - Gasanova

Posted: 01 Oct 2020 09:00 PM PDT

[FRESH] 21 Savage, Metro Boomin - Mr. Right Now (feat. Drake)

Posted: 01 Oct 2020 09:08 PM PDT

[FRESH] Travis Scott & Young Thug - Franchise (Remix) Ft. Skepta & Lancey Foux (Official Audio)

Posted: 01 Oct 2020 11:39 AM PDT

[FRESH ALBUM] Larry June X Harry Fraud - Keep Going

Posted: 01 Oct 2020 09:06 PM PDT

[FRESH] 21 Savage & Metro Boomin - Rich Nigga Shit (feat. Young Thug)

Posted: 01 Oct 2020 09:11 PM PDT

[FRESH] A$AP Ferg - Big A$AP (feat. Monica)

Posted: 01 Oct 2020 09:07 PM PDT

What’s a lyric you heard when you were younger but didn’t understand it until you got older?

Posted: 01 Oct 2020 07:08 AM PDT

For me it's: "Airport atheist, only pray when there's turbulence"- Childish Gambino

And

"I mean damn, did you even see the test? You got D's, muthafucka D's, Rosie Perez"-Kanye West

submitted by /u/BabeRuthCoochie
[link] [comments]

[FRESH] Bryson Tiller - Outta Time (feat. Drake)

Posted: 01 Oct 2020 09:04 PM PDT

[FRESH] LIL YACHTY - COFFIN

Posted: 01 Oct 2020 07:14 PM PDT

[FRESH] TMG - Sofia

Posted: 01 Oct 2020 09:28 PM PDT

What are some opportunities that artists blew?

Posted: 01 Oct 2020 08:48 AM PDT

Stolen from /r/popheads

Here's some hip hop/rnb examples from the thread:

For example, I feel like with 'Barbie Dreams' Nicki had an opportunity to get a cute lil viral video if she featured all the male rappers she mentions in the track. At the very least if she was really committed to the puppet theme she should have had a puppet of each of the male artists, it seems like she half-assed it.

Rihanna's Sex With Me charted for 15 weeks despite it not being released as a single, it def could've been another top 10 hit for her, it even went 2x platinum... same with Loveeeeeee Song which also charted for over 10 weeks

Lil Nas X not releasing "Call Me By Your Name" when it was getting hyped up

Trippie Redd not sending his verse in time for Drake's ''God's Plan''

submitted by /u/TheRoyalGodfrey
[link] [comments]
at