Shabazz Palaces live at KEXP
Here it is, the raddest set in Larry’s brief Street Sounds hosting history, for sure. I was there, and will say it felt legendary. I ordered a pizza.
Not that I should be holding forth on “blackness” or anything, but it was like a mini-spectrum of blackness in that booth. Ish all hip and abstract and bohemian. Tendai seeming quite African with his mbira and congas. The rapper known (I believe) as Silk almost debonair in his slomo O.G. phrasings. Larry in the corner, being analytical and astute.
There’s a song on the Shabazz Palaces called “Kill White T,” but looking in on the festival of blackness that was the Shabazz in-studio, I saw love of music and connected with it through glass.
Which is really what Shabazz is about, to me. Music. Kind of pissed they didn’t do “Chuch,” Seattle’s first, only, and best-of-all-time dubstep hiphop track.
Check my initial post on M.o.M. for more insights into the mystery of Shabazz.
2 Comments
lar 3 months, 1 week ago
this was dope man. was on a high after that instudio for sure.
everything i’ve tried to write about shabazz hasn’t done it justice. ish packed so much in to it IMO. the street, the struggle, the self-examination- connecting an authentic hiphop pedigree and perspective (not to mention one of the illest vocal styles ever to originate from the west coast) with stark, futuristicaltype production; plus it’s completely forward-pushing without any obvious “space"-y trappings. this music is a gift to everybody everywhere and obviously ish has a cachet that ppl respect worldwide- but i see it as a particularly transformative milestone to seattle artists and producers.
trying to think of like an early grunge album that set the table for the seattle scene of the late 80’s/early 90’s...can’t, but IMO this is like that.
TilesOne 3 months, 1 week ago
“Its good to see you picked up on that.” I fell out.
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