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Right Before My Eyes: The Making of “3rd Eye Vision”

Director Jacob Rosenberg takes us behind the scenes of Hieroglyphics’ 1998 debut album as we reflect on its 30-year legacy and his career.

Right Before My Eyes

In November 2024, filmmaker and professed Star Wars fan, Jacob Rosenberg released Right Before My Eyes, a visual and written documentation of his relationship with skateboarding and hip-hop group, Hieroglyphics between 1988-1998.

From Plan B to “Blunt Magazine,” the work includes a seminal moment: the making of Hiero’s independent debut, 1998’s 3rd Eye Vision.

Right Before My Eyes by Jacob Rosenberg

The book is a collection of photographs, memorabilia, articles published in magazines and ‘zines, and an inside look at Hieroglyphics during their transition to becoming indie hip-hop pioneers.

Among its highlights is a reproduction of an article Jacob wrote for Hieroglyphics.com in 1997 about his time documenting the recording of the Hiero “family album.”

The original website article featured Jacob’s written account alongside photographs and movie clips, offering a rich, multimedia, behind-the-scenes glimpse into the creation of 3rd Eye Vision—a feature that delighted online fans in the era of dial-up modems, before social media made access to musicians more attainable.

Slides from a 1997 tour in Colorado with Hieroglyphics. See the pictures and read Jacob’s firsthand account here.

In honor of the book’s release, I wanted to republish the original Hieroglyphics.com article, update it for modern web browsers and mobile devices, and add some expanded context as 3rd Eye Vision approaches its 30th anniversary.

Table of Contents

    Behind the Scenes

    A Look at the Creation of 3rd Eye Vision

    Written by Jacob Rosenberg
    Photographs by Jacob Rosenberg

    Originally published on Hieroglyphics.com, 1997
    Updated for Hieroglyphics.org, 2025

    It’s a Family Affair

    Since 1990, each new year has brought spurts of Hiero curiosity for this enthusiast. Whether doubts about hyped new releases leave fans distraught or loyal listeners excited, Hieroglyphics has consistently proven innovative and original in each of their outings.

    Del the Funky Homosapien records his vocals during the 3rd Eye Vision sessions

    For me, I was fortunate enough to connect with the crew around 1992. At the time, I worked on a series of skateboard videos (Plan B), and one of my tasks was securing music for those videos’ soundtracks. After the success of the first two videos, The Questionable Video and Virtual Reality, Hiero realized the impact of the market that the videos strengthened and welcomed me to their shows and recording sessions in the years that followed.

    Since I had established contact with Domino, I conducted a series of interviews for Blunt snowboard magazine, featuring Del the Funky Homosapien and Casual. In August of 1995, I helped publish a ‘zine (Eklektic) in San Francisco, which featured a Hiero article and interviews with other local musicians like Bored Stiff. Since then, I have kept in touch with Domino, always asking for group updates and occasionally receiving a few tapes (even adding some rare Del tracks to Hiero Oldies #2). I’ve also attended as many shows as possible, steadily building a massive archive of photographs.

    Planning with Domino to assist with whatever I could for the upcoming album, I set out to document as much as possible during my vacation living back on the West Coast. I currently attend school in Boston, so my time in California was limited.

    What follows is an account of the events I witnessed leading up to the new album and a recounting of the time I spent in the studio with the crew while they prepared The Family Album, later renamed 3rd Eye Vision.

    Imperium Rising

    Clockwise from back: Tajai, Opio, A-Plus, Domino, Casual & engineer, Matt Kelley

    Hieroglyphics has always delivered innovative and refreshing lyrics and beats; they’ve consistently brought their own unique brand of music. From producing to managing, The Family was—and still is—the most important element of the crew. Despite poor promotion by their labels and contract disintegration (Elektra), that same element (The Family) has always remained.

    I first heard about a possible Family Album when Souls of Mischief was promoting No Man’s Land back in 1995. Their “family b-side” cuts (“O12” featuring a pairing of Opio & Pep Love, or Pep Love’s After Dark, etc.) had become as much in demand as their mainstream releases. By early 1996, a Hieroglyphics Family Album became the inevitable escape from the woes of weak label support and the artistic restrictions placed on the groups by their respective labels.

    Total control of their music would mean creating what they wanted, how they wanted, and when they wanted. Already growing in production, studio, and promotion experience, the crew looked forward to a much more satisfying future.

    I always get excited when the people I meet—and respect—live up to the image I had of them before we met. Everyone in Hieroglyphics knows what they are about. There’s never an image thing or a “holier-than-thou” attitude.

    Whether it’s Casual bragging about a new video game or A-Plus quietly reading a comic book on the studio couch, these guys are down to earth. No question, though—with a mic in hand, these guys simply freak shit!

    I joined them in the studio for a few days during the summer of 1996 and again for a day at Christmas that same year. What I got was a whole new taste of Hieroglyphics.

    In the Studi

    My main contact with Hiero has always been Domino. So, when I crossed the Golden Gate to San Rafael and entered a studio to find Domino nowhere in sight, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was told by a shirtless, 40-in-hand Snupe that he was at a meeting.

    Tajai and Opio

    The studio was packed with people—many unfamiliar, but most I recognized: Del, Jay-Biz, Tajai, Opio, A-Plus, Casual, Toure, and Pep. I had met Del and Casual before for interviews, but given the buzz of weed smoke and alcohol, I decided to get some food and wait for Domino in the room outside the studio. It was obvious that certain group members weren’t too hyped about the number of people packed in the studio making noise.

    Outside in the other room, I talked to Jay-Biz for a bit. I had my camera equipment with me, and he told me about his video editing classes at college in San Francisco. He had made a short video for the group and had been going to school, working on video projects, filming, editing, etc.

    Pep Love & Jay-Biz

    As the crowd thinned out—notably with Del and Casual leaving—I was bummed. I not only wanted to hear their new stuff, but I also wanted to see them rip in the studio.

    I made my way into the studio to set up some cameras and struck up a conversation with Tajai. I had done an interview with him for a ’zine a while back, and after reminding him, he remembered. He told me to make myself comfortable, then escaped to the sound stage to lay down some vocals.

    Tajai & engineer Matt Kelley prepare for a recording session.

    At that point, it was Opio, Jay-Biz, Pep, Tajai, A-Plus, and the studio engineer, Matt Kelley. Matt had been with the crew from day one and showed his support by consistently helping the group out and engineering their sessions. I bummed a cigarette off Matt, and he told me how this was a “tax write-off studio” that he had finagled their way into for inexpensive recording. He loves working with the group and can be spotted in Del’s “No Need For Alarm” video as the white guy bobbing his head behind the mixing board. That’s Matt—bobbing his head to the beat, working 100 miles per hour, knowing exactly what the crew likes, and sharing a spliff, as the crew often does.

    Cameras Rolling

    I set up the cameras on the mixing board and filmed Matt laying down Opio’s vocals for the song “The O12.” With Hiero, every word matters. If there was a slight slur or a bad pitch, the song was done over until it was right. Pep stood in the mix room, offering comments to Opio and Tajai in the sound room.

    Opio

    A-Plus sat on the couch, smoking Newports and reading a comic book. He can be quiet for a while, but at any given time, he can be just as loud as anyone else. At a recent show, he got hella hyped and dove into the crowd! He was carried around and then placed back on stage.

    Hiero continued laying down the vocals for the song, and I kept filming.

    Domino arrived, and we talked briefly before I went into the sound stage to set up a camera to record Opio in front of the mic. In the sound room, you couldn’t hear the beat except for the faint leakage from the headphones the crew was wearing. The mood inside the studio was completely different—more focused and intense. Tajai sat on a stool a bit out of sight while Opio stood in front of the mic. He would record his vocals, listen to the playback, and get feedback from Tajai before hearing input from the crew in the mixing room. “It was tight” became the catchphrase of the day.

    Engineer Matt Kelley on the mixing board

    After laying down the main vocals, Opio went back to add his “ad-libs.” These are the doubled-up vocals Hiero often uses, creating the effect of an echo or an acted-out version of the words spoken. If I thought they were meticulous about laying down lyrics, they were just as focused on perfecting the ad-libs—even for a single word.

    Once Opio finished his verse, he left the recording room to listen to it in the mixing room. He discussed the ad-libs with Domino, and they agreed on the final result. Tajai was up next to lay down his lyrics. With plenty of downtime between takes, Tajai was happy to chat.

    We talked about past shows I had seen and his thoughts on the new album. ‘Nuff said—Tajai belted out his lyrics, peaking at 158 dB on the microphone, which Matt said was quite a feat. However, Tajai wasn’t satisfied with the congestion in his voice. After multiple takes, he came close but didn’t land the perfect one he was looking for.

    Tajai

    Opio and Pep Love were up next to record their vocals for another song. Opio returned wearing an A’s hat and nailed his verses quickly and efficiently. What they were working on was a rough lay-down of the final elements, which would later be remixed and mastered for printing.

    After Pep finished his lyrics, the crew called it a night. Inside the mix room, perfectly rolled blunts were passed around and smoked as the mood mellowed out. With most of the people gone, the remaining crew just hung out. Domino gave me a sample of some incredible Del tracks in his Jeep, and that was more than enough to keep me hyped until the next day.

    Pep Love

    Day 2

    The next morning, I arrived to see Del, Opio, A-Plus, Matt Kelley, and Domino. As Matt prepared the studio, I talked to Del and the others about the movie Trainspotting. We discussed anime; Opio and Del were definitely hyped on Ghost in the Shell, but Del was into a ton of other stuff as well.

    Del the Funky Homosapien

    Getting ready, Del sipped a Guinness and smoked a biddie. Reaching into a packed notebook, distinguishable handwriting emerged, and Del practiced his lyrics as Matt played the beat in the mix room. Running through it a few times, Del picked up the page of rhymes and walked into the sound room, ready to record. I joined him to set up the video camera. His rap was one long verse that could only be done in one take. He messed up a few times but quickly found the right flow, freaked it, walked to the mix room, listened to it, was hella juiced, then sat on the couch and smoked another biddie.

    (Clockwise from back): Opio, Casual, Matt Kelley

    A-Plus was up next to record his song for the album. Possibly the biggest perfectionist in the crew, Plus wouldn’t quit until it was absolutely perfect. Once he laid down his vocals, he ad-libbed his chorus, then came back into the mix room to see how the sound mixed down. Completely comfortable at the mixing board, Plus knew exactly what he was doing. Opio rolled a blunt that Matt, Opio, and A-Plus shared. Not much more needed to be done, so the crew left again after another productive day. Two more songs were recorded to a 2-inch master reel of tape.

    Miles to the Sun

    Hieroglyphics. Clockwise: Phesto, Jay-Biz, A-Plus, Casual, Opio, Tajai, Domino, Del the Funky Homosapien, and Pep Love.

    An entire semester passed before I was able to get back to Cali and see the group again. When I showed up this time, I brought photos for the crew to look at, and we discussed album insert ideas and such. I met up with them at Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco. Opio, Tajai, Casual, Del, Domino, and Matt Kelley were all there.

    On this day, the conversation consisted of video games, video games, and animation. Casual had bought Aeon Flux the night before but wasn’t as hyped on it as he had hoped. But today, he had a new anime (the name escapes me) that he was hella hyped to go home and watch.

    Battles over investments into Nintendo 64 vs. other game systems started, and Del and Opio talked about their latest games. Playstation seemed to be the most popular system among the crew. They played all sorts of games. Casual was talking about Live ’97, and Del and Opio discussed an action RPG for the Playstation.

    Tajai & Opio

    A few blunts were rolled, with Casual, Opio, Tajai, and Matt taking their respective turns. A group song was recorded in a round. All four members went into the sound stage and, in one take, each freaked a verse. Del squatted on the floor, twisting his hair and bobbing his head. Casual stood on one wall, Opio on the other, and Tajai moved between them all. As if they were rapping to an audience, the crew was hyped in the moment and pumped out a tight song.

    Hiero Crusaders

    After a mixdown of the song, Domino played the DAT of the currently recorded Family Album songs for Casual to listen to. Rewinding and advancing at a moment’s notice, I was given snippets of some songs and full exposure to others.

    One that stood out was “Mics of the Roundtable,” a visual rap about a Hiero crusade. Casual talked about how he pictured the video in his head: “I’m standing in the desert with a hooded robe, fat sandals, a gold rope belt, a staff, and sunglasses just to freak it!”

    Casual

    Del and I talked about new rap acts. He listens to almost everything that comes out, so there really isn’t any group he hasn’t at least heard of. He’s incredibly “well-read” in regards to how much he knows about rap music.

    Tajai explains that the crew is about being true to what they are: rappers. “I mean, we rap, and that is our life. We ain’t trying to come out and do some phony shit. We stay true to what we are.”

    True indeed. From the sounds of what I heard, fans will be more than satisfied with the latest outing. As for the masses, if they’ve been sleeping this long, it’s a wonder if they’ll ever wake up.

    Live ’97

    Hieroglyphics Crew. Clockwise from center: Tajai, A-Plus, Jay-Biz, Opio, Phesto, Del the Funky Homosapien, Domino, Casual & Pep Love.

    Truth be told, Hiero is doing what they want to be doing, making the music they want to make. To me, they are artists in the purest sense of the word. “Cab Fare” is the perfect example. People who listen to it know it’s got a catchy beat and a hook. Stylistically, it isn’t Souls of Mischief; it’s a demo, and it’s simply a fun song.

    Knowing that, it didn’t represent the group the way they were, and it never made any of the albums. Upholding their musical integrity by not releasing a potential hit, I give them the utmost respect. Del’s “Eye Examination” dropped as a B-side in 1991, and it’s still one of the most original rap songs to come out of the ’90s.

    Hieroglyphics. Clockwise: Domino, Jay-Biz, Del the Funky Homosapien, Opio, A-Plus & Alex Tse.

    1997 could very well be Hiero’s year. If not to be a true “mainstream” success, they will at least uphold their territory as rulers and originators of true rap music, as well as the underground.

    – Jacob Rosenberg


    Postscript

    Written by Stinke
    For Hieroglyphics.org, January 2025

    You Never Knew

    Jacob Rosenberg, producer Alex Tse, and Del the Funky Homosapien filming the video for “You Never Knew” in Hawaii

    Re-reading Jacob’s article nearly 30 years later, in 2025, it’s charming to realize that Jacob could not have foreseen at the time how his relationship with Hieroglyphics would evolve—particularly in directing the debut music video from 3rd Eye Vision, “You Never Knew.”

    The story of “You Never Knew”—the first independently funded and released music video from Hieroglyphics, and the first of three collaborations with Jacob as director—would be incomplete without acknowledging the contributions of another director, Michael Lucero.

    Twenty years ago, I was sitting in my apartment in Boston when my phone rang. It was Domino, sharing the tragic news that the director Michael Lucero had died.

    Jacob Rosenberg (from an Instagram post marking the 20th anniversary of 3rd Eye Vision, March 26, 2018)

    Michael Lucero

    Fans of Hieroglyphics have most assuredly seen at least one of Michael’s music videos with Hieroglyphics, whether it’s Del’s “Dr. Bombay,” “Sleeping on My Couch,” or perhaps “Made in America.”

    What about Extra Prolific’s “Brown Sugar” (Version 2)? Possibly, Souls of Mischief’s “Get the Girl, Grab the Money and Run”? Or surely their breakout hit, “93 ’til Infinity”?

    Hieroglyphics and Michael Lucero had a prolific history together, which you can read more about in a behind-the-scenes look at the Made in America music video.

    Pre-Production Begins

    Michael and Hiero were slated to begin work together on “You Never Knew,” presumably right after Xzibit’s “What U See Is What U Get” video wrapped production, which, unfortunately, would become Michael’s last video before his untimely death. (The video includes a dedication to Michael from Xzibit.)

    As a director and Hiero fan, Jacob had a great deal of admiration for Michael, to the point that when Hiero initially offered him the opportunity to direct the video, Jacob felt intimidated by the proposal.

    Domino told me that the crew thought I should direct their first video that Michael Lucero was slated to do.

    Michael was an incredibly talented director, and he made a handful of videos for the various Hieroglyphics members, including the amazing “93 ’til Infinity.”

    I told Domino that I was incredibly honored and grateful but that it was just too daunting of a task and too big of boots to fill. I simply felt like I wasn’t worthy.

    I hung up the phone.

    I sat in my apartment, thinking and being afraid of not delivering a video to their expectations and caliber.

    Then, I stopped thinking about that and started thinking about the incredible trust and opportunity that had been bestowed upon me.

    I thought about what my mentor would say, and I called Domino back within five minutes and corrected my position—fuck that, I am all in.

    Jacob Rosenberg (from an Instagram post marking the 20th anniversary of 3rd Eye Vision, March 26, 2018)

    Hieros in Hawaii

    Photograph by Jacob Rosenberg

    Despite the tragic loss of Michael Lucero, Hieroglyphics and Jacob Rosenberg pushed forward, building a new relationship shaped by Jacob’s unique perspective and voice, while honoring the legacy of Michael’s visionary work.

    We flew to Hawaii and spent eight days scouting the entire island of Oahu and methodically filming each member in a different part of the island.

    The video was an intentional tribute to what Michael did with “93 ’til,” and meshing these artists with the raw settings of Hawaii felt oddly correct.

    I shot the video myself on a 16mm Eclair, and I edited it on Adobe Premiere with a Video Vision Telecast video card.

    My producer & friend Alex Tse cleared locations or distracted cops while we stole shots and attached speakers and a Discman to his backpack and stood off-camera playing the music for them to rap to.

    I am forever grateful for the trust, friendship, and opportunity that this seminal collective gave me.

    Jacob Rosenberg (from an Instagram post, March 26, 2018)
    Photograph by Jacob Rosenberg

    “You Never Knew” also marked the end of Jacob’s Right Before My Eyes era, as chronicled in his book covering 1988–1998.

    A Director at the Helm

    After the smash success of “You Never Knew”—which received airplay on television networks such as BET and MTV—Jacob and Hiero began conceptualizing the second and final video from 3rd Eye Vision, a Del the Funky Homosapien solo song called “At the Helm.”

    That video was followed by Jacob Rosenberg directing his last video with Hieroglyphics (for now): 2000’s “If You Must” from Del the Funky Homosapien’s fourth album, Both Sides of the Brain.

    Learn More About “If You Must”

    “If You Must” marked a true evolution of the work Jacob and Hieroglyphics had started just two years earlier, both technically and creatively.

    A transition from 16mm to 35mm film elevated the video’s overall look. While the earlier videos appeared professional, the increase in resolution was evident, as was the shift to a more cinematic 16:9 aspect ratio.

    The video was filmed on a sound stage with professional lighting and featured actors. It even included visual effects and props, such as a Hieroglyphics operating system displayed on simulated computer screens, and a handmade, life-like Del doll to scale.

    The actors portrayed music video directors who guided Del in a way that satirized the formulaic and predictable nature of mainstream music videos of the era, with the concept of the video deeply intertwined with its execution.

    Everything about “If You Must” was bigger and more impressive. This was a deliberate choice by Jacob and Hiero to remain competitive in a rapidly changing music video landscape.

    “Always in motion is the future” — Yoda, Star Wars

    Jacob Rosenberg, Del the Funky Homosapien & Opio. Photograph by Rye Beres, November 2024

    Jacob has since built a long and storied career as a photographer, filmmaker, storyteller, and a pioneer in skateboarding and hip-hop culture.

    Celebrate his collaboration with Hieroglyphics by exploring the many articles we’ve created together, here at Hieroglyphics.org.

    You can follow Jacob Rosenberg’s work on his website: jacobrosenberg.tv.

    Below are photographs I took in Los Angeles at Jacob’s book premiere for Right Before My Eyes in November 2024, featuring special guests Hieroglyphics.

    – Stinke

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