Shabazz Palaces: Black Up (best hip hop album of the last 10 years)

[The_Ripper]

Shabazz Palaces emerged out of the ether, or at least that's what group leader Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler would have you believe. The former Digable Planets MC originally operated under a veil of secrecy, taking the alias Palaceer Lazaro, declining interviews and performing behind a head scarf and sunglasses. After self-releasing two critically lauded mini-albums in 2009, Butler has loosened the grips on his anonymity.

Still, two years later, it's hard to find information on Shabazz Palaces. Butler won't name anyone else who's involved in the group. The only guest vocalist listed on the album is THEESatisfaction. There's no Shabazz Palaces MySpace page, and the group's website offers little more than tour dates and an online store. Butler seems dead-set on having listeners focus on the music rather than the persona behind it — and that's a good way to approach Black Up.

Out June 28, Black Up is a sonic world made up of discordant beats, swirling synths, bouncing 808s and Butler's nimble, impressionistic poetry. Straight narratives are nowhere to be found, and rhythms emerge and then vanish just as quickly. The effect can be bewildering, and yet the album is far from unfocused. Butler's rhymes are lyrical and tight in the opening track, "Free Press and Curl," where he offers an ostensible mission statement: "I run on feelings, f—- your facts / Deception is the truest act."

But there's more here than avant-rap experimentation. In "Recollections of the Wraith" and "Endeavors for Never," melodic female vocals float into the spaces between the unpredictable beats. It's a welcome break from Butler's tinny delivery, and it gives a warm, accessible touch to the tough-talking, hard-headed raps.

It makes sense that the album's last line is "Still it morphs, this s—- is way too advanced." If Butler's mission on Black Up is to create something intentionally out of order, he's done just that. It's a dissonant listening experience, but it's richly rewarding, revealing something new with each spin.

The production is 

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/znDsRydk3_w" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/znDsRydk3_w</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/ajk0kEi41Vc" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/ajk0kEi41Vc</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/UnoBIQWS5bs" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/UnoBIQWS5bs</a>

[westside4life]

still wack

[The_Ripper]

still wack

you are too stupid to appreciate an album like this one

[Chamillitary Click]

Elano tryna pass off his own stuff. I respect the hustle.

[The_Ripper]

Elano tryna pass off his own stuff. I respect the hustle.

 

[Fraxxx]

Not bad.

[Jay Bananas]

Ish from Digable Planets is in charge of this project. Its alright, a little overly cerebral.

[GangstaBoogy]

Glad I clicked this link

Not familiar with this artist/group at all but in an era where rappers tweet all day, its nice to see an artist stay out of the limelight and only promote their music. Breath of fresh air.

[SCREWFACE]

now dont get me wrong, i love me some shabazz. but the only people calling this the best album of the past 10 years are indie kids who heard about them on pitchfork, and backpackers who havent listened to rap since del stopped making albums

dont over-hype this shit. its good but its not THAT good

e: oh wow i just checked wiki and del is still making albums, so change to that too 'since del made an album anyone cared about' lol

[The_Ripper]

now dont get me wrong, i love me some shabazz. but the only people calling this the best album of the past 10 years are indie kids who heard about them on pitchfork, and backpackers who havent listened to rap since del stopped making albums

dont over-hype this shit. its good but its not THAT good

e: oh wow i just checked wiki and del is still making albums, so change to that too 'since del made an album anyone cared about' lol

in the last 10 years rap has gone downhill really badly, so if this is not THE BEST album of the last 10 years is ONE of the best albums...a top 5 no doubt.
and believe me, i'm not an "Indie kid" 

[SCREWFACE]

i completely disagree. rap hasnt gone downhill. the rappers making records in the 90s have gone downhill. there are plenty of good rappers making music these days, people are just too lazy to go looking for it or too stuck in the 90s to care. dont you think there are other loads of other great rap albums + mixtapes that didnt get the blog coverage shabazz did? if it wasnt for that coverage you wouldnt even have heard of them, and not many new rappers are lucky enough to get that kinda of exposure

[Javier]

Don't hate on the indie websites that are the only ones that actually give props to people making music.  It's not an indie thing, that's just the internet culture right now.  Look at stuff like metacritic, Rotten Tomatoes, etc.  People like calling something the best since X, or best of the year, or best since the last best thing, etc.  Don't take it that serious, you either like it or you don't. 

[The_Ripper]

dont you think there are other loads of other great rap albums + mixtapes that didnt get the blog coverage shabazz did? if it wasnt for that coverage you wouldnt even have heard of them, and not many new rappers are lucky enough to get that kinda of exposure

you don't know where or how i've discovered shabazz, so don't talk about things that you don't know.
don't take it as an offense, but you don't have a clue about it.

[The_Ripper]

Don't hate on the indie websites that are the only ones that actually give props to people making music.  It's not an indie thing, that's just the internet culture right now.  Look at stuff like metacritic, Rotten Tomatoes, etc.  People like calling something the best since X, or best of the year, or best since the last best thing, etc.  Don't take it that serious, you either like it or you don't.  

i'm not saying that Black Up iis one of the best hh albums of the last 10 years because (maybe) it has been written on a fuckin blog  

[Javier]

Don't hate on the indie websites that are the only ones that actually give props to people making music.  It's not an indie thing, that's just the internet culture right now.  Look at stuff like metacritic, Rotten Tomatoes, etc.  People like calling something the best since X, or best of the year, or best since the last best thing, etc.  Don't take it that serious, you either like it or you don't.  

i'm not saying that Black Up iis one of the best hh albums of the last 10 years because (maybe) it has been written on a fuckin blog  

I never said you did.