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Hieroglyphics (band)
Encyclopedia
Hieroglyphics, also known as the Hieroglyphics Crew and Hiero, are an American
underground hip hop
collective
based in Oakland, California
. The collective was founded in the early-1990s
by rapper
Del tha Funkee Homosapien
. The collective is currently composed of rappers Del the Funky Homosapien, Casual
, Pep Love
, producer
/manager Domino
, DJ Toure, and the four individual members of the rap group Souls of Mischief
: Phesto D
, A-Plus
, Opio
, and Tajai
.
The Hieroglyphics combine fundamentally sound deliveries and lyrical content with original and sometimes jazz
y or funky beats and samples
. Since their inception, Hieroglyphics have found a following largely through their live concerts
, podcast
s ("Hierocasts"), and promotion through their website.
The collective uses a three-eyed
, straight-lipped face logo
that figures prominently on their albums
, website, stickers, and clothing.
in 1998
, and Full Circle
in 2003
.
In 2005
, the collective released a live
DVD
and accompanying CD
of the Hiero's 2003
Full Circle Tour.
The collective has also released five compilation album
s: Hieroglyphics B-Sides and Hieroglyphics Oldies, Vol. I in 1997
, Hieroglyphics Oldies, Vol. II in 1998
, The Building in 2004
, The Corner in 2005
, and most recently, Over Time
, in March, 2007
.
Individual members of the collective have also released albums of their own, either through solo projects or outside group projects.
The collective's ubiquitous, third eye
logo was created by Del tha Funkee Homosapien
, the son of an abstract art
ist, and has been used to promote the collective through reproduction on the Hieroglyphic's album covers, website, promotional materials, stickers, and clothing.
In a 2000
interview with the SF Weekly
, Del commented:
The Clerks comic in question was drawn by underground comic
artist Jim Mahfood
who has worked various rap and hip hop items into his work over his career and has had his live art shows compared to hip hop musicians. In an interview with halftimeonline in 2004, Mahfood mentioned Del and the Hieroglyphics by name:
It was also in Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead in Issue #5. One of the characters, Glenn, wore a shirt with the logo on it when the survivors were having target practice
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
underground hip hop
Alternative hip hop
Alternative hip hop is a sub-genre of hip hop music. Allmusic defines it as follows: -Origin:...
collective
Musical collective
Musical collective is a phrase used to describe a group of musicians in which membership is flexible and creative control is shared. Such entities have transitioned from the traditional hierarchical configuration that features either a frontman , or a plurality of band members in tension for...
based in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
. The collective was founded in the early-1990s
1990s in music
For music from a year in the 1990s, go to 90 | 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99This article includes trends in popular music in the 1990s....
by rapper
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
Del tha Funkee Homosapien
Del tha Funkee Homosapien
Teren Delvon Jones , better known as Del the Funky Homosapien or Del tha Funkee Homosapien, is an American MC.-Early life and beginnings: 1990-1997:...
. The collective is currently composed of rappers Del the Funky Homosapien, Casual
Casual (rapper)
Jon Owens , known by his stage name Casual, is an American rapper from Oakland, California and one of the founding members of the alternative hip hop collective Hieroglyphics...
, Pep Love
Pep Love
Paulo Peacock , better known by his stage name, Pep Love, is an American hip hop artist and motivational speaker. He is also one of the founding members of the Oakland, California-based underground hip hop collective Hieroglyphics....
, producer
Hip hop production
Hip hop production is the creation of hip hop music. Though the term encompasses all aspects of hip hop music, it's most commonly used to refer to the instrumental, non-lyrical aspects of hip hop. This means that hip hop producers are the instrumentalists involved in a work...
/manager Domino
Domino (producer)
Not to be confused with Domino , a different American rapper.Damian Siguenza, known by his stage name, Domino , is an American record producer, manager, DJ, and one of the members of the Oakland, California-based underground hip hop collective, Hieroglyphics.-Biography:Born in San Francisco,...
, DJ Toure, and the four individual members of the rap group Souls of Mischief
Souls of Mischief
-Studio albums:-Singles:-External links:* [ Allmusic Biography]* *...
: Phesto D
Phesto
Damani Thompson, known by the stage names, Phesto and Phesto Dee , is an American rapper and producer. He is one of the founding four members of the Oakland, California-based underground hip hop group Souls of Mischief, and, with the Souls of Mischief, a part of the eight-person, alternative hip...
, A-Plus
A-Plus (rapper)
Adam Carter, known by the stage name, A-Plus, is an American rapper and producer. He is one of the founding four members of the Oakland, California-based underground hip hop group Souls of Mischief, and, with Souls of Mischief, a part of the eight-person, alternative hip hop collective, the...
, Opio
Opio
Opio Lindsey, known by his stage name, Opio, , is a member of the four-member, Oakland-based underground hip hop group, Souls of Mischief, and the eight-member, underground hip hop collective, Hieroglyphics....
, and Tajai
Tajai
Tajai Massey, known by the stage name, Tajai , is an American rapper and producer. He is one of the four founding members of Oakland, California-based underground hip hop group Souls of Mischief, and, with the Souls of Mischief, a part of the eight-person, alternative hip hop collective, the...
.
The Hieroglyphics combine fundamentally sound deliveries and lyrical content with original and sometimes jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
y or funky beats and samples
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
. Since their inception, Hieroglyphics have found a following largely through their live concerts
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
, podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
s ("Hierocasts"), and promotion through their website.
The collective uses a three-eyed
Third eye
The third eye is a mystical and esoteric concept referring in part to the ajna chakra in certain spiritual traditions. It is also spoken of as the gate that leads within to inner realms and spaces of higher consciousness...
, straight-lipped face logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
that figures prominently on their albums
Album cover
An album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially released audio recording product, or album. The term can refer to either the printed cardboard covers typically used to package sets of 10" and 12" 78 rpm records, single and sets of 12" LPs, sets of 45 rpm records , or the front-facing...
, website, stickers, and clothing.
History
As a collective, the Hieroglyphics have released two studio albums: 3rd Eye Vision3rd Eye Vision
3rd Eye Vision is the debut album of Oakland, California-based, underground hip hop collective, Hieroglyphics. The album was released on May 24, 1998 by the group's own, independent record label, Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings.- Track listing :...
in 1998
1998 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1998.-Events:*January 28 – "Weird Al" Yankovic gets LASIK surgery to cure his myopia...
, and Full Circle
Full Circle (Hieroglyphics album)
Full Circle is the second album released by the Oakland, California-based, underground hip hop collective, Hieroglyphics. The album was released on October 7, 2003 by the group's own independent record label, Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings....
in 2003
2003 in music
-January:* January – following an investigation by The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and London detectives, police raids in England and the Netherlands recover nearly 500 original Beatles studio tapes, recorded during the Let It Be sessions. Five people are arrested...
.
In 2005
2005 in music
-Events:*During the year 2005, 12 rock music albums scored number 1 in the USA. This was the first time even ten albums have scored number 1 since 1996.-January:...
, the collective released a live
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and accompanying CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
of the Hiero's 2003
2003 in music
-January:* January – following an investigation by The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and London detectives, police raids in England and the Netherlands recover nearly 500 original Beatles studio tapes, recorded during the Let It Be sessions. Five people are arrested...
Full Circle Tour.
The collective has also released five compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
s: Hieroglyphics B-Sides and Hieroglyphics Oldies, Vol. I in 1997
1997 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1997.-January:*January 9 – David Bowie performs his 50th Birthday Bash concert at Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA with guests Frank Black, The Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth, Robert Smith of The Cure, Lou Reed, and Billy...
, Hieroglyphics Oldies, Vol. II in 1998
1998 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1998.-Events:*January 28 – "Weird Al" Yankovic gets LASIK surgery to cure his myopia...
, The Building in 2004
2004 in music
See also:* 2004 in music Record labels established in 2004-January:*January 1**The Vienna New Year's Concert is conducted by Riccardo Muti.**Kurt Nilsen wins World Idol....
, The Corner in 2005
2005 in music
-Events:*During the year 2005, 12 rock music albums scored number 1 in the USA. This was the first time even ten albums have scored number 1 since 1996.-January:...
, and most recently, Over Time
Over Time (Hieroglyphics album)
Over Time is the fifth compilation album released by the Oakland, California-based, underground hip hop collective, Hieroglyphics. The album was released on March 20, 2007 by the group's own independent record label, Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings....
, in March, 2007
2007 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2007.-January:*January 1 - George Shearing is knighted for services to music in the Queen's New Year Honours List. Evelyn Glennie becomes a Dame...
.
Individual members of the collective have also released albums of their own, either through solo projects or outside group projects.
Logo
Third eye
The third eye is a mystical and esoteric concept referring in part to the ajna chakra in certain spiritual traditions. It is also spoken of as the gate that leads within to inner realms and spaces of higher consciousness...
logo was created by Del tha Funkee Homosapien
Del tha Funkee Homosapien
Teren Delvon Jones , better known as Del the Funky Homosapien or Del tha Funkee Homosapien, is an American MC.-Early life and beginnings: 1990-1997:...
, the son of an abstract art
Abstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
ist, and has been used to promote the collective through reproduction on the Hieroglyphic's album covers, website, promotional materials, stickers, and clothing.
In a 2000
2000 in music
See also:* 2000 in music Record labels established in 2000-Events:*January – Gary Glitter is released from jail, two months before his sentence for sexual offences ends.*January 1**John Tavener is knighted in the New Year's Honours List....
interview with the SF Weekly
SF Weekly
SF Weekly is a free alternative weekly newspaper in San Francisco, California. The newspaper, distributed throughout the San Francisco Bay Area every Wednesday, is published by Village Voice Media, a 16-paper alt weekly newspaper chain that also includes the New York City Village Voice and the Los...
, Del commented:
The Clerks comic in question was drawn by underground comic
Underground comix
Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books which are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority, including explicit drug use, sexuality and violence...
artist Jim Mahfood
Jim Mahfood
Jim Mahfood , a.k.a. Food One, is an American comic book creator.Apart from his creator-owned comic book series Grrl Scouts and his comic strip Stupid Comics he also did work for Marvel Comics on various Spider-Man titles, including Ultimate Marvel Team-Up and Spectacular...
who has worked various rap and hip hop items into his work over his career and has had his live art shows compared to hip hop musicians. In an interview with halftimeonline in 2004, Mahfood mentioned Del and the Hieroglyphics by name:
It was also in Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead in Issue #5. One of the characters, Glenn, wore a shirt with the logo on it when the survivors were having target practice
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
U.S. R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
U.S. Heat Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
||
| 1998 | 3rd Eye Vision 3rd Eye Vision 3rd Eye Vision is the debut album of Oakland, California-based, underground hip hop collective, Hieroglyphics. The album was released on May 24, 1998 by the group's own, independent record label, Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings.- Track listing :...
|
— | 88 | 26 |
| 2003 | Full Circle Full Circle (Hieroglyphics album) Full Circle is the second album released by the Oakland, California-based, underground hip hop collective, Hieroglyphics. The album was released on October 7, 2003 by the group's own independent record label, Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings.... |
155 | 53 | 7 |
Live albums
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 2005 | Full Circle Tour
|
Compilation albums
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1997 | Hieroglyphics B-Sides
|
| 1997 | Hieroglyphics Oldies, Vol. I
|
| 1998 | Hieroglyphics Oldies, Vol. II
|
| 1998 | The Building
|
| 2005 | The Corner
|
| 2007 | Over Time
|
Singles
| Year | Song | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | "You Never Knew" | 3rd Eye Vision |
| 2003 | "Make Your Move" (featuring Goapele Goapele -Early life:Goapele's South African father Douglas Mohlabane was an exiled political activist who struggled against the Apartheid System. Goapele's New York-born Israeli Jewish mother Noa had been attending protests since the age of 12. Noa attended Friends World College and was studying in... ) |
Full Circle |