After releasing several recordings themselves on small time labels, in 2010 they contracted to release an ep with Sub Pop and have collaborated in recordings and on stage with artists such as MC Silk, and THEESatisfaction. They deliver sincere and radical lyrics with sounds and beats that include sounds from around the world. Containing echos of funk, minor-key jazz, London dubstep and mbira sounds they structure their songs outside the 16-bars/chorus/repeat form of much hip hop.Their music won them the first ever Music Genius award from The Stranger in 2010.
The group which also features mixing engineer Erik Blood, often dress in elaborate costumes and masks for their live performances.
For Butler, who never stopped making music since he released his classic album by Digable Planets , ''Blowout Comb'', Shabazz palaces is his latest place to play with ideas. Those ideas have always been simultaneously global in their expansiveness and basement ceiling low in their commitment to hip-hop’s bottom line.
Their video for Belhaven Meridian is a one-shot bw music video, shot in Watts, LA, homage to the 1977 classic film Killer of Sheep, a film set around the Watts Riots. It features a cameo by Ernest Wadell from The Wire.
Dope.
Dawn in Luxor
Shabazz Palaces Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The light hath names
Just like the heavens and the stars
Reclaim us
To further along the spaceways
Yeah that they blast
Languages of dances
The whips whip up fast to slice the air it’s flashy
Gilded pharaohs, they’re moving when I’m strapped up
With our chains
And our wings
With our queens
From out the water’s wall
From luxor to heavens in the sprawl
See the wings clash against the glistening purple clips
Eurhythmic, a phasing shift
The ships that came from Kush
Now they're aimed on a collision
Stare with this image being witnessed
Decisions
That’s the conflict of the uninventive
But at protect and exalt we keep up in it till its finished
Meet us there
We throwing cocktails at the Führer
Blackness is abstracted and protracted by the purest
Moderns Cubists or Surrealists
To sleep they couldn’t lull us so we synthesise our realest one
[Killers. You put them]
The HQ, so plushiously appointed it's a crime
Forego the conclusions just to find ourself inside
Hear sounds pour like golden licks of time
With satellites important cause of Rupert Neve designs
A fate swift touching simply sonic wealth
A lesser rapper musketeer been lying to himself
Complying to his master’s signs
A burden’s lifted that bitch shit is never here endeavour
This is protect & exalt
Sent at you miscreants
Death, that’s my final sentence
Glitter
GIitter and gold, there’ll always be a difference
This that protect & exalt
In “Dawn in Luxor”, Shabazz Palaces presents a multifaceted commentary on African history, referencing a plethora of cultural symbols and concepts in order to articulate a message of reclamation. The opening lines “focus, the light hath names, just like the heavens and the stars, reclaim us, to further along the spaceways” set the scene for an exploration of the ways in which the cultural heritage of Africa has been obscured by colonialism and oppression. The repetition of “reclaim us” signals that the song is a call to arms for people to rediscover and embrace their roots.
The song incorporates references to Ancient Egypt, with the mention of the city of Luxor, the gilded pharaohs, and the ships that came from Kush. These references are used to establish a link between the past and present, highlighting that the African spiritual and cultural tradition shouldn’t be lost or forgotten, but instead acknowledged and given its proper place in history. Additionally, phrases such as “our chains and our wings” and “from out the water’s wall” invoke images of slavery and the Middle Passage, allowing the song to also operate as a lament of the past.
The overall message of the song is one of resilience and hope. Despite the weight of history, the chorus repeats “protect and exalt” affirmatively, encouraging listeners to embrace their heritage in a positive manner. The final lines, “glitter and gold, there’ll always be a difference, this that protect & exalt” further emphasize this idea, suggesting that while material wealth is fleeting, cultural legacy and tradition can endure.
Line by Line Meaning
Focus
Let's concentrate
The light hath names
Different types of light have different names
Just like the heavens and the stars
Similar to how the heavenly objects have different names
Reclaim us
Bring us back to our rightful place
To further along the spaceways
So we can continue our journey through space
Yeah that they blast
They use language to communicate
Languages of dances
Dances that represent various languages
The whips whip up fast to slice the air it’s flashy
Whips move quickly to cut through the air with a flashy effect
Gilded pharaohs, they’re moving when I’m strapped up
The golden pharaohs are still moving while I'm restrained
With our chains
We are still tied up
And our wings
But we still have wings
With our queens
And we're with our leaders
From out the water’s wall
Emerging from the water
From luxor to heavens in the sprawl
Moving from Luxor to the heavens
See the wings clash against the glistening purple clips
Wings shining against the purple clips
Eurhythmic, a phasing shift
A smooth, rhythmic shift
The ships that came from Kush
The ships that came from Kush
Now they're aimed on a collision
But are now heading towards a collision
Stare with this image being witnessed
Watch this scene unfold
Decisions
Making choices
That’s the conflict of the uninventive
Those who lack creativity face this dilemma
But at protect and exalt we keep up in it till its finished
But we keep going until it's over
Meet us there
We will see you there
We throwing cocktails at the Führer
We're throwing cocktails at the Führer
Blackness is abstracted and protracted by the purest
The purest form of blackness is abstract and prolonged
Moderns Cubists or Surrealists
Different styles of modern art
To sleep they couldn’t lull us so we synthesise our realest one
They couldn't make us fall asleep, so we create our own reality
[Killers. You put them]
We put them there
The HQ, so plushiously appointed it's a crime
The HQ is so luxurious it's criminal
Forego the conclusions just to find ourself inside
Forget about conclusions to find ourselves
Hear sounds pour like golden licks of time
Hear the sound of time flowing like gold
With satellites important cause of Rupert Neve designs
Satellites are important for Rupert Neve's designs
A fate swift touching simply sonic wealth
Touching a swift fate through sonic wealth
A lesser rapper musketeer been lying to himself
A less-skilled rapper pretending to be someone he's not
Complying to his master’s signs
Doing what his master tells him to do
A burden’s lifted that bitch shit is never here endeavour
A burden has been lifted and we will no longer deal with that negative energy
This is protect & exalt
This is our mission to protect and elevate ourselves
Sent at you miscreants
We're sending this message to the misbehaving people
Death, that’s my final sentence
My punishment for you is death
Glitter
Shiny stuff
GIitter and gold, there’ll always be a difference
There's a difference between shiny things and valuable things
This that protect & exalt
This is our mission to protect and elevate ourselves
Lyrics © Fintage House Publishing, ST MUSIC LLC
Written by: ISHMAEL REGINALD BUTLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Alexander Banggren
There is something deeply spiritual about this song. Gives me chills!
Mundo Sónico
one of my favorite music video of all time!
Darryl Scott
These brothers definetly took hip hop to another level! Superb experimentation with sound.
keith schumacher
@Lamarr Swails who is nms?
tmaaan44
@Lamidae u have to already be on that level...this song is tears of joy
tmaaan44
@Lamidae so true im with u
Lamidae
Yes they did. When you become super confident that's what happens. Their hip-hop is super sonically outta this world. You got to be so deep to understand them. This ain't for regular fans, this is only for elites like us
charmolypi
1:40 the best drop ever
The Weirdo
Shabazz Palaces is my religion.
Dan Call
Fantastic - would love to see this on IMAX.