I’m sick as hell and my brain feels like it’s been stripped and sold for scrap metal. I tried to write a Kriss Kross obituary, but the words came out as tangled as the dance moves I once attempted to bust to “I Missed the Bus.” But let me offer a heavy-hearted RIP in lieu… Continue reading »
Quiet as kept, Tendai Maraire of Shabazz Palaces dropped a solo LP last October, under the banner of Chimurenga Renaissance. Judging from the group’s website, it’s a concept record about the history of Zimbabwe, Cecil Rhodes, wars against imperialism, and blood diamonds. The record’s first track, “A Toast to Frame and Ro,” features Palaceer Lazarro… Continue reading »
When you name a song “Iridescent Asteroid Mists” you know what to expect. Something straight out of the Siberian asteroid debris playbook. Synthesizers that glow like moon rocks, drums that boom like a rocket launch, and a veil of confusion and chaos that sounds like extraterrestrial takeover. Ask and ye shall receive. Few do the… Continue reading »
Shabazz Palaces, dropping the video for my favorite track off Black Up. Their raps have always seemed divined from some esoteric and secret scroll stashed in one of Haile Selassie’s hidden archives. So maybe it’s fitting that this video is half in Amharic and aims for the dopest Ethiopian vibes that the Pharcyde once spoke… Continue reading »
Tonight: serrated rap and subduction zone bass. I have two pairs of tickets to give away to the first two people who e-mail passionweiss@gmail.com to tell me the sample on this Digable Planets song.
Oct
12
The Echo, for the Hosts that profess infinitum. There is only one excuse not to go to this — that you’re going to Portishead at the Shrine. And even then, Portishead play on Wednesday night too. So there are no excuses. Now that that’s settled. Download: MP3: Shabazz Palaces-”Swerve…The Reaping of All That is Worthwhile… Continue reading »
With the stealth they so desire, Shabazz Palaces may have made the most influential underground rap record of the year. No need to namedrop, but no less than a half dozen rappers this site regularly features have approached me with astonishment –absolutely blown away by the record. That’s rare, especially in our jaded “post post… Continue reading »
For today, you can call Douglas Martin, Ishmael. Within the first minute of Black Up, Ishmael Butler conjures an incredibly loaded image. “I cried with Mooch at Papi’s wake / Snuck an extra slice of cake / When the pigs came ‘round to make they case / I looked them dead up in they face… Continue reading »
Photo via Kristen Blush Between Shabazz Palaces, Hail Mary Mallon, Has-Lo, and the new Open Mike Eagle and Serengeti albums, it has been a stellar year for dense cerebral hip-hop. I am investing my 401K in both blunt and head wraps. That is, if I had a 401K. Shabazz Palaces make music like they haven’t… Continue reading »
Photo by Alex Crick “Noir not withstanding.” Black Up. You don’t need to take tips from Shabazz Palaces’ titles to become aware that their music is murky, lampless Seattle rap (no Mix-A-Lot). When you dwell in a permanent mist, songs often assume a suffocating bass and aggression (see also: London). But unlike most of their… Continue reading »
Excellent Adventures
Bogus Journeys
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Listening
Jeff Weiss
Sach O
Douglas Martin
Aaron Matthews
Doc Zeus
Max Bell
Evan Nabavian
Tosten Burks
Matt Shea
Slava P
Jimmy Ness
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Adam Wray
Reading
Jeff Weiss
Sach O
Douglas Martin
Max Bell
Aaron Matthews
Slava P
Jonah Bromwich
Doc Zeus
Adam Wray
Alex Piveysky
Evan Nabavian
Watching
Jeff Weiss
Sach O
Douglas Martin
Max Bell
Aaron Matthews
Evan Nabavian
Jonah Bromwich
Slava P
Doc Zeus
Matt Shea
Adam Wray
Alex Piveysky
Inner Sanctum
Miscellaneous Apostles
Local Natives
Understanding Media
The Sporting Life
2011
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Miscellaneous
