Del the Funky Homosapien
Photo: Jacob Rosenberg

Del the Funky Homosapien, the laid-back rapper who assisted on Gorillaz's debut, is in a Venice, California, loft-turned-studio with the Hieroglyphics working on their second album, Full Circle.

Besides contributing a guest rap to Gorillaz's breakthrough single, "Clint Eastwood," the hired gun also co-wrote the track "Rock the House" with Dan the Automator, one of the three masterminds behind the cartoon rock quartet, along with Blur's Damon Albarn and animator Jamie Hewlett.

The Bay Area Hieroglyphics — Del, Pep Love, Casual, Domino and the four-member Souls of Mischief (Tajai, Opio, A-Plus and Phesto) — derive their name from Hieroglyphics Imperium, the label the collective's constituents founded in 1996. Domino runs the label's day-to-day operations and is producing much of the new Hieroglyphics album. The follow-up to Third Eye Vision, the label's first release, is expected to be completed early next year, Domino said.

The title Full Circle is an apt description for the situation in which the Hieroglyphics find themselves. After individually being dropped from major labels — Del from Elektra, Casual and the Souls from Jive — the future Hieroglyphics launched the label and released Third Eye Vision two years later. Subsequent solo albums followed, and now the parts have become whole once more. Additional individual projects are expected, with the members contributing to each other's works, a practice that's become commonplace among hip-hop groups like the Wu-Tang Clan, Cash Money Millionaires and Ruff Ryders.

The Hieroglyphics are expected to tour following the album's completion, Domino added.

For a feature on Gorillaz, check out "Gorillaz: In the Cage."

• Del Tha Funky Homosapien
• Hieroglyphics
• Gorillaz