We are in an era of hip hop where more and more artists are beginning to expand and spread their talents to different areas. As a result, we’ve seen more and more emcees producing their own music. Among these rapper/producers are Kanye West, the late J Dilla, Hi-Tek… and Del the Funky Homosapien?

That’s right, Oakland’s own Grammy award-winning emcee Del the Funky Homosapien is now stepping into the world of beat production. Save for three tracks, his new album Eleventh Hour is produced entirely by the man himself.

This is Del’s first solo release since his album Both Sides of the Brain was released in 2000. In the eight years that have passed since then, Del won a Grammy for his guest appearance on the Gorillaz’ “Clint Eastwood” and has been touring sporadically and making guest appearances for a number of other artists. But as many fans would agree, it was about time for a comeback.

And just like always, Del decided to come back on his own terms. He compiled all his beats on a computer holding only two gigabytes of RAM, meaning they’re cheap and simple, and sound as if they were made out of his bedroom, which they very likely could have been. This may be a bit disappointing to production enthusiasts, but the value of these beats lies in their experimental nature and the glimpse they give us into the oddity of Del’s imagination that his fans have grown to love.

Also, the simplicity of the beats on this album allows Del’s lyrics to shine. As always, the Oakland rapper came lyrically strong, displaying his professional mastery of the art of emceeing. In fact, a good majority of his lyrics are about just that, as he takes a little time to brag about his skills and poke fun at those who he feels are lesser than him, most notably when he calls himself “a man amongst some munchkins.”

Everything there is to love about Del’s lyrics is present on this album. His flows are off-kilter, his rhymes are strong, his subject matter is solid, and he never seems to run out of things to say despite rapping on 14 tracks all by himself, with only a little help from his featured guests Lady Mecca of Digable Planets and fellow Hieroglyphics member Casual. This album is lyrically sound, reminiscent of a time in hip hop when lyrics reigned supreme over beats.

However, this album won’t be a classic, it won’t go down in history, and it is not Del’s best work. You’ll find some tracks you love, some tracks you dislike, and some tracks you’ll get sick of after a few listens. It’s an enjoyable album, but most listeners will probably grow tired of it very quickly.

It doesn’t seem like Del was worried about negative responses, though. It seems like his main concern was putting out the music he wanted to put out no matter what and avoid adapting to mainstream trends, and that is highly respectable. Eleventh Hour may disappoint a good number of listeners, but fans of Del the Funky Homosapien will appreciate his continual and successful efforts to maintain individuality through his art.