Exotic Birds of Prey

Shabazz Palaces is fronted by Ishmael Butler (Digable Planets), whose relentless drive to reinvent hip-hop continues unabated in his fifth decade on the planet. When Robed in Rareness hit digital platforms in 2023, NPR Music called it "enchanting and subversive," while Pitchfork noted that "Shabazz Palaces' futurism has always been interwoven with the past and the present, their songs sparkling tapestries of old-school shit-talk, proggy psychedelia and melodic flossing." Robed in Rareness is wrapped in this diversity as Butler and a team of close collaborators swagger through the eras of rap." "Exotic Birds of Prey" continues the modus operandi of "Robed in Rareness": a respectful look at the past, an embrace of the ever-evolving present, with feet firmly planted in the future. Where "Robed in Rareness" distorted sounds like shoegaze and ambient into the Shabazz Palaces multiverse, "Exotic Birds of Prey" mixes these elements with twisted electro and funk vibes.