Shabazz Palaces - Black Up [Sub Pop]

8.4

Hailing from Seattle, the hip-hop group of Shabazz Palaces make some of the most fresh and woozy hip-hop from recent memory. Releasing their debut Black Up on Sub Pop Records, it seems out of place. Black Up sounds straight from the realms of a Warp record from a LA underground artist like Flying Lotus or Gonjasufi. Regardless, Shabazz Palaces released two other EPs within a two year span with Sub Pop and now their much anticipated, yet fairly unknown debut Black Up is reaching a high reception in the underground hip-hop community.

Delivering beats and sounds from all around the world with funk, London dubstep, downbeat jazz, and so many other funky elements to make Shabazz Palaces a unique, heavy listen. Shabazz Palaces can also seem daunting with their haunting, deep-bass sound bouncing throughout the entire album with a heavy authority, but ultimately the hip-hop group is very rewarding and will open your ear to new and interesting sounds expanding your plate of rhythms. “Endeavors for Never (The Last Time We Spoke You Were Not Here But I Saw You)” is a trippy experience through plethora of jazzy and surreal instruments expanding in so many directions like a spacey Flying Lotus tune.

Main rapper Ishmael Butler utters one of the truest lines on Black Up on “Recollections of the Wrath” when saying, “Clear some spaces out so we can space out.” In fact, Butler’s rapping is spot on most of the time. His flow and delivery is different and has a different, out of this world approach. It sounds like he would rap with pop beats, but there is still a hint of his voice being with the satisfying underground, experimental appeal of Shabazz Palace’s beats, almost a perfect median between the two.

One of the things hindering Black Up from excelling completely is the fairly weak beginning of the album with the forgettable intro “Free Press and Curl”, which has the right idea, but doesn’t create the “dope” beats that the rest of the Black Up has. Also second track “An Echo from the Hosts That Profess Infinitum” has a slightly irritating sample that isn’t necessarily terrible, but it just has an appeal that isn’t musically satisfying compared to rest of Black Up.

Though it is definitely a grower, Black Up’s almost out of this world beats and samples makes you continually come back to its dark energy. Ironically, Black Up closes on a very bright note with a tribal chant from the members about being “black”, it may be some dark comedic twang, but it sure sounds bright enough to be enjoyed on a light note. Some tracks will gradually creep into your liking like “Are You Can You Were You (Felt)”, but others will immediately grasp you into Shabazz Palace’s dark and surrealistic world with “Swerve the Reeping of All That Is Worthwhile (Noir Not Withstanding)”.