Shabazz Palaces : "Robed in Rareness"

 2020's "The Don of Diamonds" was more of a psychedelic funk exploration. With "Robed in Rareness" things are darker, and rooted more in the current state of hip-hop. However,  Ishmel Butler emerged from the 90s as a member of Digable Planets, an era when the genre had more quality control as MCs would call out rappers who were not bringing it like they thought they should. Now rappers settle beef with passive-aggressive tweets, rather than working it into their mumbled verses. Butler is not as aggressive as those types of old-school 90s rappers, but he is a by-product of that time, as he makes his tracks pristine from every angle giving no one room to attack him. 

The first track "Binoculars" finds Royce the Choice, handling the second verse, and blending his voice like a hype man earlier in the track. Ishmel produces rap vocals like no one else in the game, his use of effects gives a surreal feel to the song,  Lil Tracy joins his dad on "Woke Up in a Dream". The vocals sit back into an ocean of reverb, to give the vocal booth a more cosmic feel. The song has an atmospheric drone that is more experimental than most hip-hop today. He continues to foster Seattle's up-and-coming rappers by bringing Porter Ray on for "P Kicking G". Lyrically the first three songs might as well be strip club anthems as their bitches are the focus. 

Lavarr the Star helps Ishmel to break away from his fixation with females on "Cinnamon Bun". The backing track is a smooth flourish of futuristic synths that helps to guide their minds elsewhere. Though the mood is a little detached from the urgency that came with rapping into some girl's ear at the club. The vibe changes to accommodate the more street-wise musing of O Finess. The minimalist beats feel like it's different from the backdrops O Finess is accustomed to.   Bronx rapper Geechi Suede's fits better with the more surreal ambiance this project conjures. He has more attack to his delivery which provides more backbone to the song. Where "The Don of Diamonds" felt like tapping into realms on mushrooms, this album is more about kicking back Hennessey.

"Hustle Crossers" feels more like spoken word than rap, since the beat is so faint it's almost not even there. This makes things seem more stream of consciousness than hip-hop as there is not the same pulse for the words to dance off. I will give this one a 9 as it takes more risks than most hip-hop today, despite this album being more accessible to urban audiences.