Shabazz Palaces

The first hip-hop crew signed to the Sub Pop label, Shabazz Palaces is the brainchild of Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler, although the Digable Planets member isn’t so quick to admit it. In 2009, Shabazz Palaces released two EPs -- one self-titled, the other titled Of Light -- but Butler’s name didn’t appear on either. No promo shots, no social networking sites, no interviews and no press releases were issued by the enigmatic, Seattle-based project, but that didn’t stop the local press from throwing praise at these EPs, which hit much harder than Digable while retaining that forward-thinking wordplay. The EPs became favorites at the Sub Pop offices, too, and in 2010, the usually indie rock label signed the project, releasing their debut album, Black Up, in 2011. ~ David Jeffries, Rovi