Written by Chandler Kirkman //
Shabazz Palaces with Porter Ray, FELA KUTCHii //
Great American Music Hall – San Francisco
August 18th, 2017 //
2017 has been a huge year for Seattle-based experimental hip-hop group Shabazz Palaces. From the minds of Ishmael Butler (aka Palaceer Lazaro) and multi-instrumentalist Tendai “Baba” Maraire, the duo broke onto the scene in 2009 with its first two EPs Eagles Soar, Oil Flows and The Seven New, which were both self-released anonymously. Subsequently, those releases led to Shabazz Palaces’ instant popularity and them signing with the renowned Sub Pop Records as one of the label’s few hip-hop acts.
In 2011, they dropped their debut LP Black Up, which was named as the No. 1 album among local music acts by the Seattle Times. Then in 2014, their second studio album Lese Majesty premiered at Seattle’s Pacific Science Center Laser Dome and went on to be a huge hit with fans. So far this year, Shabazz Palaces have already released two themed albums, entitled Quazarz: Born on a Gangster Star and Quazarz vs. The Jealous Machines, that views modern America as though it were a strange planet.
Influenced by abstract muses, Butler and Maraire often find inspiration in various podcasts, mixtapes, jazz overtones and African percussion, and for their newest albums, utilized that material to tell the story of a protagonist by the name of Quazarz (and played by Butler) who navigates this new planet that feels familiar and terrifying on Gangster Star. Meanwhile, the ensuing Jealous Machines depicts how devices are used as extensions of ourselves and how we have become dependent on them to exist. What makes Shabazz Palaces compelling to listen to is their free-form composition structure that allows the listener to make their own conclusions and mental connections.
This Friday, Shabazz Palaces will perform at The Great American Music Hall with support from Porter Ray and FELA KUTCHii. Tickets are available for $25, or you could win a pair of tickets by submitting your full name and email below.
Contest ends this Friday at 3 p.m.
Follow Showbams on Twitter for more contest giveaways throughout the week. Be the first to respond to our contest tweets to GO4FREE to these shows:
• Sleepy Sun: August 17th (THUR) @ The Independent
• Your Fearless Leader: August 17th (THUR) @ Slim’s
• Pickwick: August 17th (THUR) @ The Chapel
• Møme: August 18th (FRI) @ 1015 Folsom
• Travis Hayes: August 18th (FRI) @ Brick & Mortar Music Hall
• Matthew Sweet: August 18th (FRI) @ The Independent
• Vetiver: August 18th (FRI) @ Swedish American Music Hall
• Neon Indian: August 19th (SAT) @ Cafe Du Nord
• Abbot Kinney: August 19th (SAT) @ Great American Music Hall
• Summer Soul Celebration: August 19th (SAT) @ The Chapel
• Showga: August 20th (SUN) @ The Swedish American Music Hall
• Laetitia Sadier: August 20th (SUN) @ The Chapel
Enter your name (First and Last) along with your email below. If you win a contest, you’ll be notified on the day the contest ends (details above).
CONTEST CLOSED.
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