Hieroglyphics

The Oakland-rooted Hieroglyphics collective has sustained an influential underground rap presence for decades by fusing an idiosyncratic aesthetic with deep roots in battle rhymes, freestyle techniques, and core hip-hop practices. Individual paths have thrived alongside the crew for founder Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Casual, the Souls of Mischief, Extra Prolific, producer and manager Domino, Pep Love, and producer Jay Biz—the last two also collaborating as the Prose. A robust internet footprint paired with relentless touring built a loyal audience among listeners craving an alternative to the genre’s growing commercialization, while the crew’s emblem—a three-eyed, straight-lipped visage reminiscent of the Mayan numeral for 8—appeared everywhere from concert venues and record shops to college radio playlists. Operating together since the early 1990s, they issued well-received projects such as Del’s I Wish My Brother George Was Here (1991) and Souls of Mischief’s 93 ’Til Infinity, then established the independent Hieroglyphics Imperium imprint in 1997 and delivered 3rd Eye Vision in 1998. Although the label became their primary focus, the members reconvened for the additional crew albums Full Circle in 2003 and The Kitchen in 2013.

Many participants had been acquainted since high school or before, and once Del secured a recording contract in the early ’90s through his cousin Ice Cube, several Hieroglyphics affiliates landed their own major-label deals. Del, Souls of Mischief, and Casual each cultivated devoted cult audiences, yet the collective never produced a mainstream breakthrough act, resulting in all members being released by their labels by the mid-’90s even though their output remained strong. They recovered by launching Hieroglyphics Imperium, which supplied both an outlet for subsequent material and complete artistic autonomy. The first release credited to the Hieroglyphics name, Third Eye Vision, arrived in 1998. Additional self-issued compilations gathered B-sides, earlier tracks, and live recordings, while the next proper crew album, Full Circle, appeared in 2003 and peaked at number 155 on the Billboard 200. In 2007 the members issued Over Time, a set of rare B-sides and remixes drawn from across the roster. Five years afterward the group reconvened for The Kitchen, marking the first full Hieroglyphics album in ten years.