Let’s go back to 2009, ok? Alright, I understand maybe you don’t want to revisit the entire 365 days of ’09, so let’s just sample a snippet. Digable Planets alum Ishmael Butler aka Palaceer Lazaro materializes out of the stratosphere and joins forces with Tendai ‘Baba’ Maraire to deliver the wonderful star stuff of Shabazz Palaces dropping two truncated EPs, Eagles Soar, Oil Flows and The Seven New.
Out of a magician’s hat something surreal materializes; unlikely album names coupled with off the beaten path track titles. But these weren’t the only oddities. Take into account the music, which is genre busting too. You may sense an understatement in the mist, which if you listen to the tracks below you’ll immediately understand.
In 2009 Shabazz Palaces not only turned hip-hop on it’s proverbial ear, but the persona, previously known as Butterfly re-wrote its underlying code. Shabazz Palaces offers hip-hop processed through the gigantic particle accelerator at CERN. Songs begin in one place and culminate in another. The lyricism is dope, but in an altered state sort of way, i.e. dreamy and mystical yet introspective and consciousness raising. In it’s raw organic form the music is easily digestible ; it is akin to avant garde jazz , in that it has structure but it roams terrain previously unexplored by most hip hop heads.
With Shabazz Palaces you never step into the same river twice, with each listen a new facet is revealed. So, if your looking for Top 40 hip-hop forget about it. But if you are looking for that monster tsunami to ride into the wee hours of the morning then jump aboard.
I posted the old stuff first, the latest Shabazz Palaces album Black Up dropped June 28th of 2011. The track An Echo From The Hosts That Profess Infinitum is 100% butta’. At times it is appropriate to give a primer before you hit ’em with the straight dope. Peace.