Alt-rap guys usually have to choose between a few different types.
There's the conscious-raising urban professor mold, there's the Afro-centric positivist approach, there's the smooth and soulful route and there's always the option to be just straight-up weird.
On last year's Black Up, Seattle's Shabazz Palaces proved that adventurous hip-hop cats didn't need to choose, and could be as eccentric as they wanted to be in every direction they wanted to go, while still kicking rhymes over tracks so sensual you can hear the purple velvet.
For their efforts, the duo of Ishmael Butler (formerly jazz-rap group Digable Planets) and multi-instrumentalist Tendai Maraire were showered with critical hosanna from Spin, The New Yorker and The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop end of the year poll.
Clearly, this called for a victory lap. As such, Shabazz will hit the road this spring, and will play SOBs on April 13 and Brooklyn Bowl on April 14.
The duo also recently dropped a video for "Are You... Can You... Were You...? (Felt)," which you can check out below.
