Only a little more than a year after releasing two EPs -- a self-titled one, and
Of Light -- Seattle's
Shabazz Palaces signed to
Sub Pop for their full-length debut. Even on a high-profile label, former
Digable Planets member
Ishmael Butler (formerly
Butterfly) maintains a shroud of mystique, rapping under the facade of
Palaceer Lazaro and purposely avoiding publicity, interviews, and liner credits. Considering his long-term time in the game, his wordplay is still surprisingly relevant, and, masked as
Lazaro, he reinvents himself by adding an air of sophistication to the persona of a streetwise gangster. Jazz references are no longer the norm and Butler steers away from the blaxploitation slang and rhymes about being an insect or a creamy spy, but he still has a distinctive, surreal style of flowing. Compared to former albums by
Digable Planets,
Cherrywine,
Camp Lo (
Butler guested on some of their tracks), or even on the prior
Shabazz Palaces EPs (which were pretty dark to begin with),
Black Up is a much harder-edged album. There are no obvious singles, and the beats are murky, splintered, and synthesized, reminiscent of the space-age rap of acts like
Deltron 3030,
Kool Keith, and
Daelek. In a year when minimal production is on the upswing -- a trend highlighted by the enormous buzz surrounding
Odd Future and
Tyler, the Creator's bare-boned productions --
Shabazz Palaces seems perfectly in tune with a modern underground movement that embraces the most ominous and difficult aspects of hip-hop. As the mainstream becomes more and more predictable,
Shabazz Palaces' inscrutability is a welcome change. Because the beats are so abstract, roots take precedent, and a strong presence on the microphone becomes the most important aspect.
Butler fills this role with ease. His smooth, sparkling rhymes glue
Knife Knights' watery environment together to create a provocative listen from start to finish. ~ Jason Lymangrover
