The Record Room

On March 29, 2024, Shabazz Palaces� two new mini-albums, Robed in Rareness and Exotic Birds of Prey, come out on CD and LP. Shabazz Palaces is masterminded by Ishmael Butler (Digable Planets), whose relentless drive to reimagine hip-hop � even as he enjoys his fifth decade on Earth � remains undiminished.

When Robed in Rareness hit digital platforms in 2023, NPR Music called it �enchanting and subversive," while Pitchfork observed that �the futurism of Shabazz Palaces has always been interwoven with the past and present, their songs scintillating tapestries of old-school shit talk, proggy psychedelia, and melodic flossing. Robed in Rareness is draped in this multiplicity as Butler and a team of close collaborators swagger across eras of rap.�

Exotic Birds of Prey furthers the modus operandi of Robed in Rareness: a respectful eye on the past, an embrace of an ever-evolving present, with its feet firmly planted in the future. Where Robed warped sounds like shoegaze and ambient music into the Shabazz Palaces multiverse, Exotic cross-pollinates these elements with twisted electro and funk vibes.