Seattle, Washington-- Shabazz Palaces, the brainchild of Ishmael Butler, former member of Digable Planets, is the first Hip Hop act to be signed to indie rock powerhouse label, Sub Pop, so there must be something noteworthy about them. Few interviews, lack of web coverage, a bare official website, Palaceer Lazaro, the name by which Butler now goes by likes to keep himself and those he works with under wraps. For Butler, fans should be focusing on the music and the lyrical poetry that infest ever bump of his dubstep sounding beats.
Palaceer's (Butler) music defies most all hip hop and rap guidelines-- no lyrics about getting bottle service and taking a bunch of bitches back to the hotel room --and not the usual followable, danceable beat of a T. Payne song. Shabazz reaches deep into the dirty, grimy corners of the electronic music forum, but does not get pigeonholed in any specific sound. Shabazz Palaces explores the depths of funk, London-sounding dubstep, and typical Mbira drums and music. Political hip-hop for the Obama generation.
Their new album, Black Up, due out June 28th transcends hip hop boundaries, is forward thinking, and displays a diverse range of sounds as original as Palaceer himself.
Although the album does not come out until next week, you can stream the entire album on NPR. Which you should totally do, you won't be disappointed.
MUST CHECK OUT: "Youlogy" and "An echo from the hosts that profess infinitum"
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