Ishmael Butler Reaches for Infinity on New Shabazz Palaces LP
Ishmael Butler is charting a new course for his sound, releasing It’s a Style Sport, his first full-length album under the Shabazz Palaces moniker in six years. While his history is deeply rooted in the soulful sounds of the 1990s trio Digable Planets, the sonic journey of this new project places him further out in the cosmos, weaving together old influences with expansive, modern textures.
The shift in sound is immediate, yet fascinating. Though the distance between Butler’s current work and the era of his classic group is vast, echoes of his time with Shabazz Palaces and Digable Planets can still be heard. On recent tours, the emcee fluidly transitions between rapping and atmospheric soundscapes, demonstrating an evolution of his craft that extends far beyond traditional hip-hop boundaries.
It’s a Style Sport is less a straightforward record and more a captivating puzzle box, a deconstruction of genres that pulls in R&B, jazz, and new wave alongside hip-hop. The album is a strange and deeply engaging exploration of identity, drawn heavily from Butler’s life experiences.
The album was crafted through collaborative jam sessions with musicians who share the stage with Butler, allowing him to provide skeletal song structures that the collective then filled with sonic alchemy. Working with collaborator Erik Blood, Butler constructed soundscapes that are both brittle and serpentine, utilizing drum machines, abrupt bass stabs, and keys to entomb his voice in a whirlpool of sound.
Listeners diving into the tracks discover layers of personal reflection. Songs like “Olivia According to Touch” and “Jheri Curl Jump” offer intimate glimpses, while the opening track “Ahh World (I Won the Alpha Bet)” provides a portrait of the rapper as a middle-aged man. Further explorations, such as “Field Notes,” serve as a candid delivery of advice to a younger version of himself.
Butler, now 57, embodies a new kind of hip-hop elder. Rather than resting on past glories, Shabazz Palaces empowers the Seattle-based emcee to tinker and expand the genre. This expansion is evident in tracks like “Show Me the Missouri in Mink,” which sounds like futuristic R&B reassembled by a psych-rock band.
While the album may not mirror the immediate pleasures of earlier Shabazz Palaces efforts, it promises a rewarding experience for anyone willing to turn up the volume and open their minds to its complex harmonies. It’s a Style Sport is a testament to continuous artistic evolution, offering listeners a journey that is as unique as it is compelling.
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