The rapper you hear on G's Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition trailer theme song is the same you might recognize from Gorillaz's 'Clint Eastwood'
Del the Funky Homosapien of Hieroglyphics fame was a great choice for this Street Fighter track
Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition's latest newcomer, G, saw his big reveal back at EVO 2018 earlier this month. The self-proclaimed President of the World debuted in his official gameplay trailer showcasing several of his devastating attacks, an appearance that looks like a cross between Uncle Sam and Abraham Lincoln, and instantly memorable presidential quotes.
You might have noticed that Capcom featured a song in the trailer that wasn't actually G's official character theme. The gameplay montage was backed by a Hip Hop track entitled "President of the World."
As noted in the trailer, this upbeat song came from the minds of producers Dan the Automator and Domino, as well as longtime veteran in the Rap world, Teren Delvon Jones a.k.a Del the Funky Homosapien.
Del, who also goes by Sir DZL at times, hails from Oakland, California, and got his start in Hip Hop in the early 90s. Jones' humble beginnings saw him writing lyrics for former N.W.A. member and legendary rapper Ice Cube's group "Da Lench Mob," and the two happen to be cousins.
In 1991, Del released his first solo album "I Wish My Brother George Was Here" at the age of 18 — with the help of Ice Cube. Two years later Del's next album, "No Need for Alarm," would follow, which introduced the world to Oakland Hip Hop group Hieroglyphics.
The original Hieroglyphics crew consisted of Opio, A-Plus, Phesto and Tajai — who comprised the Souls of Mischief group — as well as Casual, Pep Love, Del himself, and producer Domino. Hieroglyphics' first album, "3rd Eye Vision," released on March 24, 1998, and Del has remained a staple of the group over the years.
Another of Del's most notable works came from the Deltron 3030 group that consisted of Del, Dan the Automator and DJ Kid Koala. Their album also titled "Deltron 3030" released in 2000 and was considered a "rap opera concept album" set in a dystopian future.
Del the Funky Homosapien's list of credentials and works in Hip Hop is massively impressive, but if you've never heard of him before you will very likely recognize him as the rapper on Gorillaz's 2001 hit "Clint Eastwood." The British virtual band created by Blur lead singer Damon Albarn and artist / co-creator of popular comic book series Tank Girl, Jamie Hewlett, brought Del on for two tracks on their self-titled album — "Clint Eastwood" and "Rock the House."
Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition's "President of the World" song features Del the Funky Homosapien, Dan the Automator, and Domino, meaning not only do Hip Hop / Street Fighter fans get the treat of having these talented musicians representing our beloved fighting game franchise, but we literally have two pieces of Deltron 3030 and an original Hieroglyphics member on the track.
This isn't the first time Capcom has featured high-caliber Hip Hop artists in Street Fighter 5. Upon the game's initial launch in February 2016, an official track entitled "Rise Up" — which is Street Fighter 5's tagline — was released that featured a star-studded cast of rappers including Del the Funky Homosapien, The Roots' Black Thought, Murs, Fashawn, and producer Domino.
In February 2017, Capcom released the official gameplay trailer for Kolin — one of Street Fighter 5 Season 2's DLC newcomers. The showcase also featured a Hip Hop track that differed from the character's main in-game theme; this song was called "It's Not Design" and came from Lupe Fiasco who also had quite a bit of involvement with the fighting game community and defeated legendary player CYG|Daigo Umehara in an exhibition match back before the game's launch.
It is pretty clear that someone at Capcom USA has great taste in Hip Hop. All I can hope for now is that the standalone track for "President of the World" is released at some point so I can bump it while bodying people online with G.
Photo via the official Street Fighter YouTube channel.
