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.
Harem Aria
Shabazz Palaces Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, mind
Mind, mind, mind, mind, mind
Im not messing with your mind (mind, mind, mind, mind)
Im not messing with your mind
Im not messing with your mind
Im not blind, I know your eyes
Im refined and I know the time
(Thats great!)
There are higher beams to climb
What in God's name would I
Therell be should I grind
(Thats me!)
Start on a plea
Runs with a C
Runs from the sea
One, two, one!
To your cries I am entrapped in school
You're a bird song visualized
(They started whispering to each other)
Is that resound? Is that tight?
It's the bad one's finally dying
And my get ups get ain't divine
You can search, but you won't find!
The song "Harem Aria" by Shabazz Palaces is a complex and abstract piece with lyrics that are difficult to decipher. On the surface, the song seems to be about not wanting to mess with someone's mind or waste their time. The singer declares that he is not blind and can see through people's words and actions. He also suggests that there are higher goals to attain and that he does not want to waste his time on trivial matters. The lyrics also contain some obscure references such as "higher beams to climb" and "runs from the sea" which do not offer any clear meaning.
However, on a deeper level, the song could be seen as a commentary on the human condition, where people are trapped in a cycle of repetitive behavior and unable to break free. The lyrics suggest that the singer is aware of this situation but cannot find a way out, which could explain the line "You can search, but you won't find!" The mention of "bad ones finally dying" could also be interpreted as a desire to break free from past habits and embrace change.
Overall, "Harem Aria" is a thought-provoking piece that challenges the listener to consider the meaning behind its abstract lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Acknowledgement or agreement
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Acknowledgement or agreement
Yeah, yeah, mind
Expression of being lost in thought
Mind, mind, mind, mind, mind
Continuation of being lost in thought
Im not messing with your mind (mind, mind, mind, mind)
Clarification that the artist is not trying to manipulate or deceive the listener
Im not messing with your mind
The singer is truthful and honest
Im not messing with your mind
The singer is being direct and clear
I dont have that kind of time (I'm busy, man)
The artist is busy and cannot afford to waste time
Im not blind, I know your eyes
The artist is observant and aware
Im refined and I know the time
The artist is sophisticated and knowledgeable
There are higher beams to climb
There are greater heights to reach
What in God's name would I
A rhetorical question to express confusion or disbelief
Therell be should I grind
Unclear or ambiguous statement
(Thats me!)
Self-identification
Start on a plea
To begin with a request or appeal
Runs with a C
Unclear or ambiguous statement
Runs from the sea
Unclear or ambiguous statement
One, two, one!
A count or sequence of events
To your cries I am entrapped in school
The singer is caught up in the listener's emotional outburst
You're a bird song visualized
The listener's expression is poetic and beautiful
(They started whispering to each other)
Narrative detail
Is that resound? Is that tight?
Unclear or ambiguous statement
It's the bad one's finally dying
Something negative is coming to an end
And my get ups get ain't divine
The artist's style is not perfect but they are okay with that
You can search, but you won't find!
The singer is elusive and difficult to understand
Lyrics © Fintage House Publishing
Written by: ISHMAEL REGINALD BUTLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
fork runner
Legit one of the coolest songs I’ve ever heard
ＤＥＲＩＶＡＴＩＶＥ
LEGENDS
Kinked
Psychadelic Beauty
Kid Corduroy
Wtf.... why does this not have a million views and k's likes
Bachir Lewis
dope
FAKE DEEP
neon glass bent argon light throne and palace