Character from Gorillaz by Damon Albarn & Jamie Hewlett
The spirit of Russel's deceased best friend, who lives within Russel's body and emerges to rap, advise, and commune with the living.
Del was Russel Hobbs' best friend before the drive-by shooting that killed him and several others. Rather than passing on entirely, Del lodged himself inside Russel and has been there ever since — a permanent passenger with a perspective, a flow, and opinions about everything. He's appeared on Gorillaz tracks, most famously 'Clint Eastwood,' rhyming with a lightness that belies his status. Del is the most communicative of the spirits within Russel, and their relationship is a kind of ongoing conversation across the living/dead divide. He has insight into things the living members miss, and he worries about Russel in ways that are touching and occasionally infuriating. He's at peace with being dead, mostly. The music helps.
When he manifests, Del appears as a translucent young Black man in Brooklyn street clothes — hoodie, jeans, fresh kicks — his form occasionally flickering at the edges like a bad signal. He has an easy smile and the animated expressiveness of someone who is very much still processing the fact that he's dead.
Also known as: Del the Ghost Rapper, Del, The Ghost