Last month, veteran Compton, California MC King T revealed some of the once downplayed writing that Del The Funky Homosapien did for cousin Ice Cube’s AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted album. Del, then a relative unknown, would pen “Gangsta’s Fairytale” from the Priority Records solo debut. On the back of that album, “DEL” would be credited as part of the fledgling Lench Mob—which 26 years later, remains the name of Cube’s label.

In an interview with HipHopDX, the Oakland, California MC says that writing for his cousin was done not out of Cube’s laziness, but as a way to help a hungry artist. “If you can’t come out at the moment, you can eat just by writing people’s shit. Not everybody’s got the skill that you might have, and you can get paid off of that. That’s how I got paid. I’ve said that on stage. I remember that I couldn’t come out because [former Lench Mob member] Yo-Yo was coming out [with an Ice Cube-produced album first. So to put some bread in my pocket, Cube enlisted me to write some shit.”

Ice Cube Wrote For Great MCs, But King T Says He Had Some Help Too (Video)

Yo-Yo would release her debut Make Way For The Motherlode in early 1991. Seven months later, Del would follow with his own ’91 debut, I Wish My Brother George Was Here. As he revealed, Cube actually returned the writing favor. “[Ice Cube] wrote [my second hit] ‘Dr. Bombay’ actually.” He remembers his cousin writing for his clique of MCs at the time. “Cube wrote several songs, and a lot of them he didn’t use. He would just give them to Da Lench Mob, he’d just give them to Kam, or give them to Yo-Yo. He just had a book of them because that’s all [he did].” He says his royalties attached to the critically-acclaimed, platinum 1990 LP were purely generosity-based. “I had the chance to do that just to get some bread in my pocket.” Del maintains that his cousin loved writing, rapping, and the creative spirit. “Cube didn’t need me to write no raps for him, and Yo-Yo didn’t need me to write no raps for her.”

Elsewhere in the HipHopDX interview, Del (who is currently touring) chronicles working on Gorillaz’ “Clint Eastwood” with Dan The Automator. The Hiero MC reveals the reluctant beginnings to a platinum single that he admits helped make fund his current home.

Black Thought, Del, Murs & Fashawn Make An All-Star Collabo About The Fight Within (Video)

Del has released more than 18 albums over the last 25 years.