Seattle's Shabazz Palaces are back at it with the release of their new single "When Cats Claw". Shabazz Palaces's Ish (Palaceer Lazaro) delivers his trademark out-the-pocket flow over a 'spacey', synth-driven backdrop with unmatched confidence.
The 2-minute 30-second track is far from the usual and doesn't follow the rules we all may be accustomed to when it comes to making rap music. The extensive use of the reverb effect on Ish's voice adds a magnetic layer to the overall dynamism between his vocals and the backdrop. It is well timed and doesn't distract. Feels much like a mix of King Tubby's signature reverb dub style and 80s underground rap records. Ish doesn't need to scream at the top of his lungs to get his point across as he is a master of the laid-back flow, he knows what is cool and what is not.
"When Cats Claw" serves as a precursor to their upcoming project 'Quazarz: Born on a Gangster Star'. This will be one of two fully-realized albums of new Shabazz Palaces material that expands the Quazarz universe & is scheduled for simultaneous worldwide release July 14th, 2017 on Sub Pop.
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