Shabazz Palaces Release It's a Style Sport

I interviewed Shabazz Palaces' Ishmael Butler and Erik Blood over a decade ago for Tape Op #106. They were pushing the definitions of hip-hop then, and they have not taken their foot off the gas since. Their latest release, It's a Style Sport, is another sonic exploration that utilizes synths, drum machines, live band instrumentation, and reverbs and echoes to create an interstellar universe for Butler's introspective lyricism. The album is a listening journey and a world unto itself. It moves between trippy west-coast underground hip-hop vibes on "Ahh World (I Won The Alpha Bet)" to the acoustic jazz meets the Voyager 1 space probe hurling into the outer reaches of the universe on "From One Future to Another." There are moments that sound like 1977 and others, 2077. I loved the band's 2020 release The Don Of Diamond Dreams, and 2023's Robed in Rareness for their hazy late-night exoplanet club aesthetic, and although some of that is present on It's A Style Sport, it feels a little more terrestrial and focused. Stack all three albums sequentially and you have a top-tier late night drive soundtrack that'll have UFOs pulling up for the ride.

It's a Style Sport was recorded over eight days at Seattle's Hall of Justice studio, and was produced by Ishmael Butler and Erik Blood, who also handled the bulk of the engineering. There are musical contributions from bassist Evan Flory-Barnes, guitarist Thaddeus “Thaddillac” Turner, drummer Kassa Overall, bassist Gerald “Tugboat” Turner, vocalist Marquetta Miller, and saxophonist Carlos Overall. The album was mixed by Erik Blood at Circular Ruin Studios in Brooklyn, and was mastered by Warren Defever at Third Man Mastering in Detroit.

Listen and Purchase at Shabazz Palaces Bandcamp