Mad Shows, Flows, Airplanes Overseas

Digable Planets are now on tour in western Europe!!! Thank you brothers for bringing the love to us here in this increasingly xenophobic corner of the world. I'll be at the London show, and am sure it'll be even better than their phenomenal 2005 appearance, also at the Jazz Cafe. Backed by UGO, who collaborated with Doodlebug back in the day. Dates:

9 Apr 2010, Bohannon, Berlin
10 Apr 2010, Stadtkeller, Linz
11 Apr 2010, Nexx, Brussels
14 Apr 2010, Nouveau Kasino, Paris
15 Apr 2010, Subway, Cologne
16 Apr 2010, Rust, Copenhagen
19 Apr 2010, Paradiso, Amsterdam
22 Apr 2010, Jazz Cafe, London
23 Apr 2010, Crawdaddy, Dublin
24 Apr 2010, MTV Europe, interview, Oslo

Canadian Tour in May: details TBA.

We All Go

Kevin Capp offers a review of Shabazz Palaces hometown debut back in January, bringing out something of the feel of the night. He should note that the headgear in question was a turban, not a 'headscarf'; the latter are worn by women. In the future we can talk about the divine symbolism of the turban. I need a scanner to depict what a Sheikh from Timbuktu explained about that style of turban; it was fascinating.


San Franciscans were treated to a Digable Planets w/Camp Lo show on March 25th. They were backed by Daru Jones's band, and there's a fascinating video clip on You Tube showing the musicians rehearsing the songs. Real musicians. They run through 9th Wonder and Jettin' but best of all offer a sweet take on the beloved and majestic Black Ego. Listen to the bassline as the chords change. Unparalelled. Talking of stupendous musicians, what happened to the Cherrywine players??


The Seattle Times' music writer Andrew Matson has been doing sterling work spreading the word about SP for a good while now via his blog Matson on Music. Last week he appeared on KUOW 94.9FM and discussed We All Go. His interpretation of the song is totally different to mine, and that is part of the magic... like he said, everyone feels an intimate connection to this music, like it was meant just for them. I'm looking forward to discussing the songs in more detail. Matson's view of it being about everyone going to the club together was something that never occurred to me. I always heard it as a reminder of life's transience. Hopefully we can all bring our own insights to the table and draw out some of the treasures within the palaces.

Who am I?

Graham from The Scroll of Bifurcating Considerations website has penned a nice piece on the chorus to Find Out, showing how it echoes Nietzsche in the belief that we shall 'become ourselves'. It's a thought-provoking analysis and I'm sure Ish knows Nietzsche (I don't) but "You shall become the person you are" seems a decidedly modern European sentiment. Let's contrast that with an aphorism this time from a non-European tradition, by Abdul Hakim Murad (aka Timothy Winter, Lecturer in Divinity at the University of Cambridge): "Islam is not about ‘being yourself’; it is about improving yourself."

The monoculture loves this vague notion of 'finding oneself'; it's a cliche, the man who drops his everyday life and goes off wandering aimlessly to 'find himself'. The idea is that we have the 'real me' buried deep within and that if we travel enough or immerse ourselves in whatever our 'self' tells us it wants for long enough, we'll be there. But what is this 'self' we're being commanded to? Big question, but don't we all feel the self has many possibilities? For practical purposes we could say we have a higher possibility and a lower possibility. "Find out", then, in the sense of transcend your lower possibility, reach for your celestial self. I read an interview with Ish once where he distilled his philosophy. If memory serves it was "elevate. relate. enlighten". Elevation and transcendence are at the heart of all true art and all authentic religion. It's an epic battle to turn your back on that lower possibility. You feel a "pain in your neck, comes from staring at stars" but who said transcendence was easy? Moreover, as another of Shabazz's themes remind us, "ain't promised daylight". Life is fast. My friend's little brother passed away in his sleep a few months ago, he was 24 years old, healthy, and happy. But his heart simply stopped beating and that was that.

Find out. The urgency with which he repeats those words is palpable. The monoculture or "depraved devil's heart system", with its marketing men will welcome the ego and ensure it stays super-sized, but listen to the chorus again. The emphasis is on those two words "find out", not on "you" or "love" or "want" or "need". Ish is clearly taking the spotlight off the ego and its desires and shining it onto the path.

The second part of Graham's piece is about how if you look at the last word of each line in the chorus it can be reread in fascinating ways. This is beautiful. I realised the same thing when I transcribed the lyrics to Rebirth of Slick ten years ago for the sole Digable Planets website during that maddening dry spell. The first words of the first eight lines are: we, them, us, you, he, she, our, they; and of the next eight: who, where, why, when, what, how, was, and finally after all those questions, "'cause". Repeated listens can reveal new musical details and that has always been true of Ish's work, but to me the amazing thing was just finding out more about life, black music, african-american history, and thus finally 'getting' many of (though still nowhere near all) those references on Blowout Comb for instance. Transcribing lyrics has to be added as a third way in which we can engage with these messages.

Q: What's wrong with going off wandering?
A: Don't get me wrong; I'm all for wandering and getting free but if it's an important journey you have to know where you're going or you might get lost!

Q: Where can I find the interview with that quotation from Butterfly?
A: Brian Coleman's Check the Technique: Liner notes for hip-hop junkies (Villard Books, 2007) Its illuminating interview has Butterfly and Doodlebug speaking on what was going on around the time Reachin' came together.

This Time... Can Blow Your Mind

I'd forgotten how beautiful this song was: In Here feat. Nia Long from the never-released Ishmael Since 1999 LP. I know there are some promo copies around so if anyone knows how I could obtain or at least hear it please let me know... reading the press release on the old Red Ant Records site was as far as we got. I recall it was co-produced by a Marcel Sanders, and that Ish "wanted the songs to sound like the beginning of the world." A suitable feel for what was to be his rebirth as a solo artist, and perfectly describes the vibe of the few tracks I have heard.

Ish's ability to paint a picture with so many details while keeping an overall harmony is bewildering. Listen to this song: the disillusionment with 'the world' in the first few verses, the mystical/paradisal aspect as "something frozen slides in place", the emotions build up as she listens to his bitter reflections on life before trying to finally reassure him "I'm not going anywhere", at which point the guitar kicks in and man and woman come together as they've always done. No words, just vibrating electric strings making waves. This time can blow your mind, but we've also been given a sanctuary from all that. Coming back down to earth, the last verse can only be one of promise, of fidelity, which is another word for faith. We can't control much of what's outside but our hearts remain our private garden, to either neglect or nurture. There are so many other things about this song that amaze me but which I lack the eloquence to articulate. A true love song.

In Here lyrics:

A thousand plans, a million dreams
The slow crash of everything
The babies know all the words to sing
Spotlight burning down the kings
Out there

Twisting up the shiny wheels
Love kills, fake is real
Can't forget you dollar bill
Everyone'll cut a deal
Out there

It's wild in the rats race
We trying to win and beat the case
Famous(?) leave without a trace
Something frozen slides in place
Out there

It all happens razor fast
Waiting for your chance to blast
Trade love for fun and dough for trust
Ash to cash and dust to dust
Out there

This time
Can blow your mind

But you won't lie and I won't flee
We rich, we broke, we trapped, we free
And I won't lie and you won't freeze
We rich, we broke, we trapped, we free
And we can solve this mystery
Then me is you and you'll be me
In here

We Only Pursue That Which Destroys

Dividing an artist's career into distinct stages is useful only in so far as it helps us get a grip on what can be a bewilderingly wide spectrum of work. Based on his four artistic personae then, we could view Ish's output as falling under these four phases: Digable Planets, Ishmael, Cherrywine, and Shabazz Palaces. Today's entry covers all of the above.

Firstly, a classic clip (1992?) of Digable performing Rebirth of Slick on In Living Color.

Secondly, a rare and insightful commentary and dialogue by Mtume ya Salaam and Kalamu ya Salaam on Cherrywine and how that particular persona allowed Ish to be as 'political' as ever while distancing himself from the usual political discourse. This is from back in 2005; refreshing to see that someone actually got it! Strictly speaking, Salaam's argument also covers the second phase as his argument draws upon 16th minute, a song from that unreleased 'holy grail', Ishmael Since 1999.

Finally, some Shabazz for you! Andrew Matson was fortunate enough to interview Ish before his debut show, although the end product features less of the interviewee's thoughts than the interviewer's. Telling us of Lazaro's speaking in 'philosophical abstractions about his creative process' and failing to quote him is tantalising to the point of cruelty! Somewhat more satisfyingly, Larry Mizell Jr weighs in with a muscular commentary on Seattle's hip-hop royalty. And a little more here. Finally, here are some photos from the show thanks to Joey Baltimore:









I have to apologise for the lack of updates. I've now realised that I simply won't be able to produce any of my own commentary/essays on Shabazz Palaces until I complete my studies this summer, so until then I hope to continue linking to other good stuff, insha Allah.

Shabazz Palaces of Light Opens Its Doors

Shabazz Palaces' first proper show, in Seattle, was by all accounts something special. Eric Grandy of The Stranger newspaper has written a review here.

So overwhelmed was The Seattle Times's Andrew Matson that he has refused to write a review in his post-gig delirium.



There is also some tantalising video footage, despite the sound quality. Jason Folk Bennet has uploaded the first twelve minutes of the show here and here. A cameraman with a slightly better microphone has uploaded We All Go and Chuch; thanks notioning. Even from the poor footage the tremendousness of the night is undeniably apparent.

From the rabid praise burning up hip-hop message boards, it seems that Shabazz Palaces is continuing to manifest itself in the world, just as it was meant to.

Video Omnibus

Peace be upon you.

4 worthy videos to end the year in style:

Firstly, one from the vault: Digable on Letterman in 1993 performing a sunny rendition of Where I'm From. Check out Doodlebug's dance moves! I'm convinced that things were better then. Not in type, just degree. As Ish has argued in his "Excerpt from Curse Words" address on shabazzpalaces.com the last twenty years have seen a marked degradation masquerading as 'progress'. '93 still had about it an air of the 80s that was nothing but a memory by '97.

Secondly, the Digable show at Anaheim's House of Blues from Sep 17th 2008. I personally remember the electric atmosphere at the London show in Febuary 2005 but this was on another level altogether, thanks in part to Victor Tapia's brilliant percussion. Songs: Rebirth of Slick (remix), An untitled new track [presumably meant for the ill-fated reunion LP], another unidentified new track [with Ish's lyrics from SP's "A Mess.."], and an undescribably cool renditon of Pacifics. In 2 parts.

Thirdly, a rare interview by WBC Magazine, from last month. Digable Planets is now officially Ish and C-Knowledge, aka 'The Oil Brothers'. Interesting name... Oil features largely in Shabazz Palaces' iconography as I hope to discuss in a later post.

Fourthly, and bringing the story to the present, the Shabazz Palaces show on KEXP radio has been uploaded onto 'You Tube' complete with visuals, lyrics, and 800-year old Sufi poetry from Rumi, thanks to an appreciative fan going by the name of Koobkang.

Looking ahead, Shabazz Palaces will be playing their first show at Neumos in Seattle, WA on January 8th 2010. There's a huge buzz surrounding this date so expect a sell out and get your tickets soon... and someone, please, record it!