Del The Funky Homosapien, Dan The Automator and Kid Koala peaked ahead of their time with the first Deltron 3030 record. Banks and corporations had misappropriated funds far before Occupy Wall Street, and social classes split even further back, but the trio's 2000 debut struck and uncanny chord in retrospect when the 99 percent took to the streets during 2011. Del himself arrived two decades early for hip-hop's "nerdcore" trend with his '90s discography.
Therefore it's disappointing when Deltron delivers the same message 13 years later.
Ask any psychologist: Solving a problem first requires identifying the issue. Deltron called out the problem in 2000, and society caught up in 2011. Now, if Deltron/America could only craft a scheme to answer listener's realizations, and potentially fix the original problem, that would be an album worth hearing.
Deltron Event II only serves to re-remind us that something needs to be done. Joseph Gordon-Levitt reenacts his role from The Dark Knight Rises, introducing the album by describing a culture in turmoil, an economy in shambles, a populace desperate for the legendary hero to return and save them. Deltron shows up (along with his sidekick Automator), but mainly to kick the same asses he did 13 years earlier.
Lengthy lyrical passages narrate laser fights, psychic warfare, and the occasional throwing-punks-in-a-trash-compactor. Deltron makes out like a Star Wars Kid with swag, distributing beat-downs with tongue-lashings in tow. All good popcorn fun, but lacking in the potential for worthwhile social commentary that guest stars such as Zach De La Rocha invite.
Event 2 abounds with guest appearances, every one handling their preferred subject matter or genre, and muddying the mood of the album further. Comedian David Cross and actress Amber Tamblyn perform a pair of sketches that merit a laugh, but lighten the seriousness with which listeners take its following track, the deadly serious "Melding of The Minds" (featuring De La Rocha). The Lonely Island cracks jokes with its own mock rap, and celebrity chef David Chang discusses (what else?) gourmet food. Only rapper Casual can break free from simply singing a song's hook.
Deltron serves as a John Wayne during this epic: the baddest man in the universe, and yet always in the moral right. Not every hero needs to be an antihero, but for a rapper as forward-thinking as Del to subscribe to '50s Superman tropes is embarrassing. By the album's conclusion, Deltron has opened a small window into his soul, but hardly enough to qualify as character development. Even Jesus had to flip some tables on his quest to save humanity.
Classic turntable work from Kid Koala and Dan The Automator's emphasis on guitar riffs do their parts to back this potential sci-fi epic, but the storyline loops back to Deltron 3030's first event. The group succeeded in identifying the problem on its first go, but now the situation needs solving. Unfortunately, that'll take a bit more work than doodling in a notebook.
