Josh “Brown” Ballou,
The Broadside

He came to “funk you right on up, funk you right on up,” and that’s exactly what he did. Del the Funky Homosapien hit Bend Feb. 12 and showed you what 20 years in the game means.

Del headlined The Ice Cold Tour, which came to Bend on its fourth stop and delivered a show fans won’t soon forget.

The tour features The Serendipity Project, Bukue One, and Del offering three unique musical experiences.

First up, the six-piece band The Serendipity Project used fun rhymes and great energy when they hit the stage. They were one member short, due to maternity leave but the crowd would never have known if “Serendipity” hadn’t told us. The set was exquisite.

Serendipity is very reminiscent of The Roots, arguably hiphop’s most prolific band collective, with a dash of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers mixed in. They fused rock, hip-hop, funk, and soul into a groovy mix the crowd enjoyed.

Bassist Finn Stobbe added a lot of energy to the stage, with his rock-God flare: a Mohawk, skinny jeans, and a Flea-like energy that he expressed with jumps, crazy faces, and head bangs: all made for excellent fun. (for a CD review go to www.thebroadsideonline.com)

As Serendipity finished up, Bukue One jumped on stage and proceeded to grab two mics and deliver a reggae infused hip-hop set that was light hearted and playful, with the help of DJ Zac Hendrix.

Bukue One and Hendrix played off each other in classic hip-hop style, bringing some comedy to the stage with their antics- think DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince but in the new millennium. Bukue One gave the crowd a great mixture of musical and lyrical flavor. Fearless on stage, Bukue One also Manages his friend and tour-mate Del.

“I’ve been touring with Del since 2000 and started managing Del in 2002,” said Bukue One. “I’ve been a fan since 91.”

Now for Del

Before Del hit the stage I grabbed his Tour Manager, Sarah Steinbrecher and asked what we could expect.

“He took a long hiatus, and his energy is real good, you’ll get a good show,” promised Steinbrecher.

A good show is exactly what the crowd got. After 20 years performing, it’s easy for an artist leave out the earlier material or do a medley of the classics but Del performed a full compliment of his hits from “Dr Bombay” to “Get it Right Now.”

Determined to make sure the crowd “got funked”, Del’s preshow, low-key demeanor disappeared as soon as he hit the
stage. He delivered from start to finish; new and old fans alike got what they came for. Bukue One stayed on stage and hyped the crowd up during Del’s performance—classic!

Del and Bukue One took the crowd on journey through hiphops musical history as they flowed over some of its greatest
beats during a freestyle set. Then they brought The Serendipity Project back on stage for an “Ice Cold” free-for-all.

The whole tour line-up got onstage to have even more fun, freestylin’ and performing as one group.

This show was more than I expected, and exactly what Bend’s hip-hop fans needed. When it was over, I was exhausted from dancing the entire time, and the crowd was covered in sweat from following my lead.

After the show I got a chance to meet the man himself and ask: what has changed most about the game after 20 years?

“In some ways it’s more enjoyable than it was before, because I know more, I can experience more, because I have more control,” said Del in a quiet moment backstage after the show. He let me interrupt a very intense game of something he was playing on his phone, which was very cool.(For the audio clips check out www.thebroadsideonline.com

Del The Funky Homosapien has worked diligently to be an artist that continues to impact hip-hop and beyond. Bend now
knows first-hand just what hiphop is. I think it’s safe to say, new and old fans alike will be talking about this show.

For more information about the Del or to download his latest CD checkout: www.delthefunkyhomosapien.com

Josh Ballou can be reached at [email protected]