Is the Seattle debut of cryptic local hip hop crew Shabazz Palaces (this Friday at Neumos).
Larry Mizell Jr. breaks it down:
It’s late October 2009, and I’m sitting on a stool in the performance room at the KEXP studio, watching Shabazz Palaces get ready to do a live in-studio set for Street Sounds. This will be Shabazz’s first live performance in their hometown (albeit on radio), and it’s kind of a big deal. Back in May, when Shabazz’s stunning debut EPs Shabazz Palaces and Of Light first materialized, nobody was even supposed to know the identity of the project’s architect, nor was it certain that they’d ever emerge to take the stage.
[…]
In a time of economic collapse, when the South End and the Central have become “superhot” (as he says on “32 Leaves”) with a staggering rise in gun violence (especially among young people), Shabazz Palaces’ sublime, abyss-straddling gospel resonates stronger than any self-styled “conscious rap,” and its rebel bass brings true revolutionary rumble to rattle the scene’s current wave of so-called “party” raps.
Read and comment on the whole story (and pick up your late pass if you don’t already know the identity of Shabazz’s Grammy-winning MC and producer) HERE.