You’ve heard the name — maybe through Gorillaz, maybe through a sample, maybe because someone handed you a copy of ’93 ’til Infinity and told you to listen. Wherever you’re starting from, welcome. Hieroglyphics is one of hip-hop’s most rewarding catalogs, and this guide will help you navigate it.
Start Here: The Three Essential Records
1. Souls of Mischief — ’93 ’til Infinity (1993)
This is the beginning and in many ways the best introduction. Four MCs from Oakland — Tajai, A-Plus, Opio, and Phesto — over jazz-inflected boom-bap production. The title track is one of the most recognizable songs in hip-hop history. The whole album holds up without a single weak track. If you need to know one Hiero record, it’s this one.
2. Hieroglyphics — 3rd Eye Vision (1998)
The collective record. Every member of Hieroglyphics on the same album, released on their own independent label. Proof that the model worked. Deeper cuts, more experimental production, and a collective identity forged after years of going independent. This is Hiero as a statement of intent.
3. Del tha Funkee Homosapien — Deltron 3030 (2000)
Del’s science fiction concept album, made with producer Dan the Automator and turntablist Kid Koala. A hip-hop narrative set in the year 3030. Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz) contributes. This is the record that made Del internationally famous and introduced Hiero’s sound to listeners who might not have found the Oakland underground on their own.
The Artists: Who Is Who
Del tha Funkee Homosapien is the creative godfather of the collective — a cousin of Ice Cube who deliberately built his identity against the Death Row/N.W.A. sound of early 1990s Los Angeles rap. His solo debut came out on Elektra in 1991 before he went independent with Hiero. Technically brilliant, conceptually ambitious, always unpredictable.
Souls of Mischief (Tajai, A-Plus, Opio, Phesto) are the group most casual listeners know first. ’93 ’til Infinity is their monument, but their catalog runs deep through six studio albums. Each MC has a distinct voice and style; their group chemistry is rare.
Casual is the crew’s most purely technical MC — dense rhyme schemes, unexpected vocabulary, and a flow that has never slipped across 30 years. Criminally underrated outside the underground.
Pep Love brings soulful introspection. His solo album Ascension is one of the Hiero catalog’s hidden gems. Acres of Diamonds, released in 2025 as vinyl and cassette only, is recent work worth hunting down.
Domino is the collective’s musical architect — a producer and MC whose contributions often hold tracks together from behind the scenes. His ear for arrangement has shaped the Hiero sound as much as any individual MC.
DJ Toure holds down the live shows and handles DJ duties for the collective, keeping the energy locked whether in a small Oakland club or in front of 9,500 people at Red Rocks.
The Discography: Where to Go After the Essentials
- Del — I Wish My Brother George Was Here (1991): The debut. Raw, funny, politically aware, unlike anything else from that era.
- Souls of Mischief — No Man’s Land (1995): Darker second album, underappreciated.
- Casual — Fear Itself (1994): Introduction to one of underground rap’s finest MCs.
- Del — Both Sides of the Brain (2000): Del at his most playful and inventive.
- Hiero — Full Circle (2003): The collective’s second group album.
Browse the full Hiero discography →
See Them Live in 2026
The full Hieroglyphics crew is performing live in 2026 at two major events:
- Red Rocks Amphitheatre — with Cypress Hill, Method Man, and De La Soul
- Hiero Day 2026 — Oakland homecoming festival
Seeing Hiero live is an education. The catalog knowledge you build now will make those shows better.
Stay Connected
Join the Hiero Family email list for new music, tour announcements, and early access to Hiero Day and Red Rocks presales.