Seattle-born and-based emcee, musician, producer and JOVM mainstay Ishmael Butler has spent the better part of the last three-plus decades, exploring the outer edges of music: In the early late 80s, he co-founded the pioneering, Grammy Award-winning hip-hop trio Digable Planets, who released two landmark albums, 1993’s Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space) and 1994’s Blowout Comb, toured with Sade — and are still touring today. Butler is also the founder and creative mastermind of the JOVM mainstay act Shabazz Palaces, which released experimental and highly influential debut, 2011’s Black Up. And with Shabazz Palaces, the Seattle-based artist has continued to push sonic and stylistic boundaries over the course of seven albums, including 2014’s Lese Majesty.
Butler’s exemplary tastes, verve and unique talents have led to collaborators with Flying Lotus, Thundercat, George Clinton, Clipping., Battles, Onoehtirx Point Never, Animal Collective and his own son, Lil Tracy. He has also collaborated with filmmakers Khalil Joseph and Hiro Murai, and design work with Toronto-based multidisciplinary artist and fellow Black Constellation member Nep Sidhu. And with Shabazz Palaces, Butler has toured with Radiohead, TV On The Radio, and Ms. Lauryn Hill.
The Seattle-based artist’s eighth Shabazz Palaces album, the Butler and Erik Blood co-produced, 10-song It’s a Style Sport is slated for an October 23, 2026 release globally through Sub Pop. The album, which marks the first batch of new material from the JOVM mainstay since the release of sibling mini-albums, 2023’s Robed in Rareness and 2024’s Exotic Birds Of Prey is reportedly a bold, forthright and heavy-hitting album. Throughout the album’s runtime, the Shabazz Palaces creative mastermind compiles what he’s learned from his storied and dense career into a playful, shimmering portal, yet again proving himself an artist of chameleonic ambition, fueled by curiosity, courage and a boundless imagination.
Recorded at Brooklyn’s Circular Ruin Studios, Lake View Studios and Seattle’s Hall of Justice Studios, the album will feature guest appearances from Marquette Miller, Thaddeus “Thadillac” Turner, Evan Flory-Barnes, Gerald “Tugboat” Turner, Kassa Overall and Carlos Overall. The album was mastered by Warren Defever at Detroit’s Third Man Mastering.
It’s a Style Sport’s first single, album opening track “Ahh World (I Won The Alpha Bet)” is woozy and meditative track featuring woozy synth and skittering and thumping beats paired with Butler’s imitable, laid back swaggering delivery. Sonically, the new single strikes me as a being a mischievous yet seamless synthesis of the sounds of Black Up and Lese Majesty, while reminding listeners that Butler is a criminally under-appreciated, wildly witty emcee with bars upon bars upon bars.
Throughout the song’s run, Butler takes on the role of an omnipresent and omnipotent narrator, telling his own life story from a fantasy-driven third person perspective, ending with a list of directives and advice for a successful life. Although the song is a lucid fever dream. it’s grounded in what truly matters in life — one’s own honor.
The single is accompanied by a visualizer from Jacob Kaser and edited by Leigh Riibe that’s set in a futuristic, comic book-styled Seattle.
It’s a Style Sport is now available to preorder on CD/LP and digital from Sub Pop. LP preorders are available at megamart.subpop.com in North America, Mega Mart Europe in the UK and EU, and your local record store will receive the limited Loser edition on Metallic Silver (North America) and Sparkle Starlight (EU/UK) vinyl (while supplies last).
On Thursday, August 13, 2026, Shabazz Palaces backed by a live band will join labelmates Clipping. at their Splendor & Misery Festival at Knockdown Center. Friday, August 14, 2024 Shabazz Palaces will host Baz Off Broadway, a DJ set at Brooklyn’s The Lot Radio from 2-3pm Eastern Time. On Saturday, September 12th, 2026 Shabazz Palaces will perform at The Genius Awards event hosted by local arts and culture magazine The Stranger in Seattle at The Moore Theatre.
More tour dates will hopefully come soon.
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