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. 

Shabazz Palaces : "the Don of Diamond Dreams"

The 5th album from this duo finds them continuing to pick up where Butler left off in Diggable Planets.   Their sound has more sonic layers. Psychedelic hip-hop would be a fair assessment. The sluggish robotics of "Fast Learner" is  as both cosmic and narcotic, so the album cover looks like this album sounds.  There is a pop touch added by the more sung vocal of Purple Tape Nate. There is more of an ironic feel to this than if they had an artist like the Weeknd add the hook. This album requires headphones rather than computer speakers. It's not the kind of hip hop to thump in your car as the grooves are lazy and abstract. The kind of sci-fi atmosphere of this album seems fitting given the current state of the world as we ready our dystopian soundtracks. Lyrically the out look is not grim as whole aside from questioning his social status. "Wet" is the first song that tends to conform more to the typical narrative of  hip hop in 2020. Not trap, more like the coffee shop that used to be ghetto before becoming gentrified.

The jazz influence is dialed way back from the Planets. There are flourished here and there. In the 90s that was more of thing. There are lots of retro synths on " Chocolate Soufflé " .  Butler muses that his phone is really not that smart here. He continues to be clever through the album. There are a few brief interludes called portals, which for the purpose of this review beat little weight on the album as a whole. "Bad Bitch Walking" is the kind of fantasy funk not unlike that of Outkast. It rides the bass line for almost three minutes before the verse comes in. For what these guys are doing this comes across as pretty straight forward as it is not colored by all the sounds being panned in. Hip hop producers should pay attention to what is going on with this album as they are ahead of their peers in how this is mixed. There are moments like the more 808 sound of "Yoga Money" that will not sound as alien to the more mainstream hip hop listener. This is the second song where there is more of a repetitive chant rather than going right into a flow of lyrics. "Yoga Money" has sparser lyrics.

"Thanking the Girls" is more like a r&b song due to the lyrical content. The minimalist beat contributes to this feel. I like the guitar tone that opens the last song. They kinda of jam out as the song floats when it unfolds. More like the kind of soul Marvin Gaye embarked upon with "Here My Dear". I will round this up to a 9 as the album sometimes meanders. This is the sound of 2020. The best hip hop album I have heard this year. But it is only April. Like their other albums this one drops on Sub-pop.