May 15, 2009
Shabazz Palaces!
Word on the skreets (and to anyone with a familiarity with Blowout Comb and a working sense of hearing) is, it’s Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler’s new shit- and that it’s fucking cracking. To me, it sounds like that next level hookah lounge blipster spy flick music. The info is quite deliberately scarce...no myspace, nothing- go here and get a taste- and go here if you wanna order it. So uh, how soon can we get a Shabazz Palaces/Champagne Champagne/Thee Satisfaction tour? (H/T to Dave Segal @ Line Out)
37 Comments
Rossta 3 years ago
WOW, im impressed after hearing that lil sample stream that site has got!! does all their music have that kinda feel to it???
truth 3 years ago
No Rossta, it does not. I tried real hard to support my man Ish; bought the download AND the the physical CDs off the website. Played that shit and…
crestfallen.
My boy said Ish got an musically identity crisis after listening through both CDs, and I might have to agree. It’s on some down-south meets El-P beats in a backroom of a hookah joint where the hookah got some mushroom in it shit.
MAKE YOUR OWN BEATS, ISH! WHY NOT, ISH!?!
My boy is callin’ you “Bitterfly” with those Last Poet lyrics. Not cool.....like that.
END RANT
Palaceerlaz 3 years ago
Yo “truth” you and your man sound like a nerds on steroids. Blogs are where clowns run free though. And your anylization is neither accurate nor clever. El p? Never! Identity crisis?creative clarity! Bitterfly? wooooow. Plus he DID do “his” beats! Get your munny back and when u see him clown then!...hambergers always think their opinion actually matters good or bad
truth 3 years ago
Whatever son,
My pedigree in this is known - TRIBAL PRODUCTIONS, the original townbidness. Also, ahem, this “blog” has a comments section where I left my opinion like I’m supposed to!?! Neither the opinion and/or analysis itself is suppossed to “matter”, whatever that means. Is is my fault I want Ish to come fresh like in the past? Or must I just be a supportive sheep and accept anything presented to me simply because it’s from the town? I think not, and that’s not the place I come from, family.
The record’s unfocused to me, the beats are literally on some Georgia meet deadprez abstract shit, and I DON’T LIKE IT. My understanding is that Eric Blood did the beats, but if Ish did ‘em himself then I feel worse about the project for that misinformation, full stop.
Out of fairness, and hope that maybe I was just up way too late last night to get a clear first impression, I’ll try again. I did like about three cuts total, two of which I heard previously, and which drove me to spend thirty in the first place. I won’t miss the paper I spent, but I will sitck to my standards, regardless.
INERTIATIC 3 years ago
First impression. Garbage. Beneath Ish / Bitterfly’s capabilities. Intended for a southern audience primarily. It does have some bump, but I feel the bump was victimized by being subject to wack layers above it burying it with wack melodies and cacophonic embelishments, not to mention elementary southern-Ish flows saying nada.
I felt humiliated because I just knew after all this time he would rise to the occasion of freshness after aging in hip hop withdrawl filled with failed experiments like Cherry Wine and hints of Digable redemption due to reunion shows. I got my false hopes up appropriately so in the Obama era, which just started. The days of Reachin and Blowout were coming back to “change the boogie, cause the boogie had to change”.
But nope....this nigga hit me wit Shabazz Palaces! I was intrigued for a hot minute becuause of the Hollabatch cut and the other tight one off the album, you know - that ONLY other one. And I thought they were just hints to what was about to blow me away.
But nope… I got bamboozled by website art and the cd art work and promo cuts that are fresher than the content inside ( I hate that shit when it happens ).
But yep...he’s having some more identity crisis problems. Not really from New York, not really tryin to rep Seattle, not really embraced by either as well. South is rulin hip hop right now. So if you can’t beat em, join em, maybe??? And if you can’t join em dont give em beats? Just tryin to figure it out. I will give it a second listen to try and understand what he was up to only because I still believe in him as a shapeshifter in hip hop history’s sound and that he can do it again. So far, not so good.
Eric Blood? WTF...who are you? Why? When? How?
MarcFuri 3 years ago
I think the albums are brilliant, personally. The packaging is fire. I dig the potent simplicity of the music. I seriously don’t think it was targeted for a southern audience as much as it’s for anyone who feels the music as stated in a post from above. I like the blended, varying time signatures and the clever use of rhythm both vocally and otherwise. I give my man Ish props for the so-noted “identity crisis” as stated above. What one critic refers as a “crisis” I’d just call that range and being creatively open. Shabazz Palaces is what’s up.
-Z- 3 years ago
I NEVER believe anyone else’s “critique”, cuz YOU are “probably/hopefully” a unique person w/ your own style & taste. I had people tell me shit was wack, come to find out THATS MY SHHEEEEIT. (& visa versa) I may not like a lot of what u like, f**k “rap” “music”, as you “know” it. I GOTTA GET THE DAMM CD, what i heard from it was DOPE.
Matson 3 years ago
damn, who the F are these commenters? we need yall around here more often! i will definitely check this music at my earliest convenience.
INERTIATIC 3 years ago
It is true that Ish hit a different range, it’s just out of range for me. The rehash of black revolutionary seed-planting this time into a Southern comforted style of hip hop (just my opinion) is consistent lyrically. Actually, Ish comes off lyrically tighter than Ive heard him before. I just don’t think the beats did him justice. We Steppin Out and Hottabatch are my two joints that did do justice and more of that raw woulda had me wanting to run back to the lab. I miss the funk and the jazz cause Butter str8 spoiled us with it.
To be fair though, Im picky as hell obviously and I cant stand any southern hip hop except for of course Outkast (damn shame I know) and some ole Ghetto Boys. I mainly dig that ole cliche ‘east coast’ and bay area, seattle soundin shit. B-boy shit.
these beats are too drab for me. dark and monotanous. I miss the color sound. that feel good hip hop sound. He still got the touch though - I can tell.
He kept sporadically embelishing tracks with old school soundbytes that youll find on most dj’n records. That was like the hidden code for me that he could whip out somethin ill if he wanted to.
But he’s on to somethin else. I just cant git wit it this time. Come with a remix version ...I request ummm some electro-Ish hip hop version…
or just send me the acapella and I’ll do my beats.
Acapella? yea..lemme get that.
grassboy 2 years, 12 months ago
notice the ones that so called hate it go on the longest in a lame masterbatory hip hop personal ad. some people hate mayonaise some order extra.
sweetstreet 2 years, 12 months ago
both albums blast!!! haters are you serious? the dancehall one!!! the beat will always save us!!! the one song number 7 on the gold album!! shiiiit!!! short and to the bomb ass point. the beats the music is fresh as hell some ol other… southern?! how ? people hear for yourself. unlike the haters he never judges just observes with curiousity and respect and from inside xtra seasoned. dope shit!!
...and what kind of music fan dont listen to NO southern rap?
YOUNG BOUNCA 2 years, 11 months ago
AYO R YALL DUDES CRAZY THIS JOINT SHABAZZ PALACES IS FIRE !!! THIS IS SOME NEXT LEVEL HIPHOP SHIT. LIKE MY NIGGA ISH SAID “NIGGAZ BE REHEATIN THE SAME BEATS AND RHYMES ALL FUCKIN DAY.. THIS IS SOME CREATIVE, TOTAL ORIGINAL ADVANCED SHIT. ISH DEFINITLY HAVE 100 STYLES AN HOUR. AND THIS DOESNT SOUND NOTHING LIKE THE FUCKING SOUTH WAT YALL FUCKIN TALKING BOUT ?? IF ANYTHING THIS IS AN INTRO TO THE SEATTLE SOUND THAT ABOUT TO TAKE HIPHOP TO AN HIGHER LEVEL, CAUSE CHICAGO AND OTHER STATES ARE JUS REHASHING THAT EARLY NATIVE TONGUE SHIT.. BUTTERFLY IZ TAKIN MUSIC TO ANOTHER FUCKING DIMENSION, FUCK WIT IT OR GET FUCKED OVA !!!!
O! 2 years, 11 months ago
After I heard it the first time I was trembling. It didn’t seem like music could have this effect on me any more… once again was reminded of how Mr Butler is one of the truly great artists of the age. I don’t even know where to begin praising the merits of Shabazz Palaces EPs… the lyrical depth and poise. The man is a razor. The music is of metaphysical proportions. It is vicious, way ahead of the time (as always) and yet capturing the zeitgeist perfectly in this passionately intense yet insipid dark period… This is hip hop but more importantly art. All you fakers pay attention if you have more than 2 seconds’ worth. It’s sweet but like a gunshot. No bullets just stars. Even a book-length discussion couldn’t begin to appreciate the depth and breadth and beauty of this latest example of Ish’s divine instincts. Fittingly appropriates Islamic and Sufi imagery on the packaging - this ecstatic offering will freshen your soul. He did it “for his people so you know that yall can have it”.
O (London)
Z 2 years, 9 months ago
I’m listening to the EP’s for the first time - kinda wish I’d bought the physical CDs too cause the packaging sounds cool. It’s great to see how some people in the world actually appreciate Ish’s, Butterfly’s, Cherrywine’s, and now Shabazz’s brilliance!! Kinda makes me wanna move to Seattle, there’s some good music coming out of there in ‘09!! Peace to all.
kitty wu 2 years, 8 months ago
kinda tripping cuz there are so many comments on this post...which i have never seen before here. but that’s good...bring on the bitching. quintessential seattle.
if you are shitting on the albums you are TRIP-PING. i started out with the brown package (that’s racist!) and got stuck on it on repeat till JUST TWO DAYS AGO put on the black package and was pretty pissed cuz the genius is on the black cd. hrm...i can’t can’t even say that. cuz they were both next level.
yeah pretty much, motherfucker good times.
FIREmagic 2 years, 7 months ago
LOL. GRASSBOY has it more on point than TRUTH:
GRASSBOY 4 MONTHS, 1 WEEK AGO
notice the ones that so called hate it go on the longest in a lame masterbatory hip hop personal ad. some people hate mayonaise some order extra.
truth 2 years, 7 months ago
To each his/her own. I actually did re-listen several times and now have a much better appreciation of what Ish is doing musically. Lyrically he’s always been on point. I’d like to publicly apologize to Ish for my foul comments several months ago. I think back to when we first dropped Untranslated Prescriptions and then Do The Math all those years ago, and I would’ve responded just as Ish did to me above if someone would have shitted on our stuff like that in a public forum. Not cool, and I regret doing it. Hip-Hop is expanding sonically, and now I’ll have to play catch up. I’m up for the challenge.
/masturbation
Liz 2 years, 5 months ago
Soaking it up (yep, on repeat) for about a month now. Even though I’m finally fully immersed, I just can’t get enough of that divine sonic nutrition.
It’s so good that my heart has to expand a little just to make room for the wise sweetness, a gorgeous life soundtrack. This music propels me into a space that I can see a little clearer--I ish I could better explain the inspired fire in my brain. I can’t wait to see ‘[our bodies] talk about the beat’ on the dance floor at the show.
K.Koczar 1 year, 8 months ago
Wow, I’m not from anywhere near Seattle but I will say I’ve only listened to the self-titled ep because I didn’t want to overdose on inspiration. This is Art and while some can’t appreciate it, I think all art has that flip-side to it. I like that there are very few people that know about this crew and I happen to be one of them… Shabazz Palaces a live-memory of the Art and Essence of Hip-Hop!!! If you don’t dig the music then it probably wasn’t meant for you…
Peace,
Kamikaze
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Never seen a bteter post! ICOCBW
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