Del The Funky Homosapien clocks on

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LONG time hip-hop innovator Del The Funky Homosapian's fifth solo album Eleventh Hour sees the legendary Oakland rapper turning back the clock.

Best known for his work on projects such as Gorillaz and Deltron 3030 that pushed more envelopes than a workaholic postman on commission, his 2008 return to solo work after a four-year hiatus is an unexpected celebration of old school boom bap beats and battle raps.

Del's first - and arguably best - solo album, 1991's I Wish My Brother George Was Here, was produced by his cousin and contemporary Ice Cube, however since then Del has been treading his own experimental path, growing to become one of the biggest names in alternative hip hop.

By returning to the mainstream of gangsta rap Del could have shot himself in the foot - luckily his production stands up.

But although Del's funky flow over the top compares favourably to rapper parodies such as Snoop and 50 Cent demostrating a tone and dexterity virtually unparalleled, sadly rapping about guns and prostitutes makes it really not worth listening to anymore.