This came as something of a shock, even though the rumor had been floating around Twitter for at least a few months. Still, it was quite a pleasant surprise to see that the hip hop duo Shabazz Palaces signed with Sub Pop. The label has gotten some criticism lately for not signing Northwest bands and late last year, co-founder Jonathan Poneman told Seattle Weekly that there weren’t plans to add hip hop to their roster at the time because:
You know, it really comes down to relationships and being fans of a particular thing, (and) hopefully being somewhat knowledgeable about it. I love hip hop, but you know, my social and cultural understanding of it is much more limited than is the kind of music we put out on Sub Pop.
It’s an intricate balance between doing something that feels comfortable and striking out on something that is challenging. I like a challenge like everyone else does, but I would prefer to have a connection that runs deeper. If the right person came along to want to do a different kind of label, be it hip hop or whatever, then we would probably consider the relationship.
I just recently picked up the two Shabazz Palaces EPs a bit over a month ago (which is inexcusable because I was at their now-legendary show in January at Neumos) and the intricate beats over Ishmael Butler’s effortlessly cool rhythm and flow have been addictive. I can’t wait to see what this partnership brings.
The next Shabazz Palaces show is as part of The Stranger’s Genius Awards on Friday, September 17 at the Moore Theater where they’ll also receive the paper’s first Genius Award for music.
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