Shabazz Palaces Returns with "It's a Style Sport": Ishmael Butler's Focused Comeback

Ishmael Butler, known for his work with Digable Planets and Shabazz Palaces, has released a new album titled "It's a Style Sport." The album features ten songs and no guest rappers, marking a shift from his previous two post-2020 projects, which were criticized as uninspired and shallow, running under 30 minutes with numerous feature guests. For this album, Butler spent eight days in the studio with members of his live band, developing ideas and songs collaboratively. The result is a collection of ghostly, abstract, afrofuturistic soundscapes that stand out as the album's major strength. Tracks like "Heliocentric Immortality Manifesto H.I.M." include a funky outro with a sci-fi breakdown, "Deadstock Dude" features sparkling piano, and "From one Future to another" showcases Butler's falsetto singing. Lyrically, Butler draws on his seasoned coolness and clear-eyed view of the music industry, having resisted its temptations. However, the content occasionally veers into self-aggrandizement, making the rapper sound less timeless and more washed-up. The opener "Ahh World (I won the Alpha Bet)" uses "ahh" seemingly for "our," while Generation TikTok uses the same word to bypass algorithms with "ass." Butler may be intentionally playing with this double meaning, as suggested by another track title, "Tongue in Chic." The sex jam "Jheri Curl Jump" is hopefully meant with a wink. Overall, Shabazz Palaces are fun again. The review is by Matthias Jordan.