10 Greatest Hip Hop Concept Albums

The first collaboration between Del the Funky Homosapien, Dan the Automator, and DJ Kid Koala is a high concept, futuristic space opera that makes room amidst its posturing and free spirited fun for some sly social commentary.

Del, one of hip hop’s most charismatic figures, raps in the guise of Deltron Zero, a rhyming space soldier. Few could carry off the conceit like he does; he sets out his character on the seven minute “3030”, totally straight faced and making sci fi craziness sound cool over a world class beat.

Zero rises up from a futuristic underclass, where a small, super rich corporation-led minority influences civilisation. While Del remains preoccupied by posturing and spitting dense raps, there’s room for deeper material, like the violence of “Battlesong”.

Mainly, though, this is a triumph of collaboration, with Dan the Automator’s eerie, often sparse beats the perfect setting for Del’s rapid fire rhymes. Sci fi and hip hop don't seem like a marriage made in heaven - no one could have pulled it off but this collective (and the disappoint sequel proved it wasn't a trick that could be repeated).