Recap Del The Funky Homosapien at High Noon Saloon

Layering his satirical lyrical attacks on arrogant MCs over funky, bass-laden beats, Del The Funky Homosapien proved why he’s still a mainstay in non-mainstream hip-hop circles Saturday night at the High Noon Saloon.

Deftly bouncing between tracks and through breakbeats, the man also known as Sir DZL and Dr. Bombay propelled himself through the night on his backpacker raps, effortlessly keeping the crowd involved and on its feet—just as you would expect from a rap veteran of nearly 20 years. Although he played a short set—about 40 minutes, if that—and included only a scant amount of material from his earlier days, the Oakland native catered to longtime fans with gems like 1994’s “Catch A Bad One” early on, and following up later with the classic, up-tempo “Mr. Dobalina.”

Del's partner in rhyme for the night was Souls Of Mischief’s A-Plus, who is also a member of one of Del’s side projects, the Hieroglyphics crew. Having shared the stage many times during their careers, the two played perfectly off each other, and A-Plus never over-stepped his duties as hype-man. On tour behind the free, Internet-only release Funk Man, Del also smashed through his current single, the methodical “Get It Right Now,” which most in the crowd recognized and responded to with revelry. Other highlights included the aggressive, rapid-fire “Foot Down,” and then, as the set wound down, the appreciative “Thank Youse.” Through his somewhat spotty career, Del’s biggest success came from Gorillaz’ hypnotic “Clint Eastwood,”so it's not surprising that's what he ended the show with.

Opener The Serendipity Project amped up the crowd early on with its rock/rap/funk fusion, and Berkeley, Calif., MC Bukue One turned in an unforgettable set that included skateboarding, freestyling, and both at once.