New group of the day - Palace of Shabazz (not 1 025)

Worthy of the factory/4AD levels of abstraction package... Shabazz palaces

Hometown: Seattle.

Range: Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler (music, vocals).

Background: Shabazz palaces, the first hip-hop Act to sign to Sub Pop, are an Enigma, wrapped in mystery, inside an enigmatic spirit belonging... who? Well, Shabazz palaces are, or perhaps just is, Palaceer Lazaro, the name currently used to conceal the fact also that he was once - and technically speaking rest - Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler. Why he would want to do, keep his identity quiet? Because Butler spent the 1990s in a hip-hop act won a Grammy called Digable Planets, which were good, while a boho way jazzily and titled intriguing issues such as Reachine (a new refutation of time and space), but in rap, as in rock, nobody wants to be seen as the last decade, let alone the last but his.

Anyway, the point is, Butler wants to focus on music, it is now. No MySpace page there, it own-produced two albums in 2010 with little or no attempt to promote their and his first album that Shabazz palaces include credits, with package achieve Factory/4AD levels of abstraction and mystique. He name the other people involved in the project, nor is it particularly keen on advertising, and when he finally agreed to an interview with Pitchfork, he refused to send them a picture, suggesting that they use a chart instead.

Why all the shadowplay? Perhaps because that he uses all his words on the titles of songs, leaving with nothing else to say. He obtained a 32 called leaves plunged into blackness Making clouds forming altered carbon, while the other, relatively snappy, is entitled An Echo of the hosts that profess Infinitum. Fortunately, it retains some energy back for music, which, in the case of 32, leaves... is more dark and John Carpenter-I that we remember Digable Planets being, while an Echo... is dirgey and dare we say, future istic musically a bit strange.

Butler is not the only comrade value of your time (E-40 has been brought to our attention by a reader last week). When we say the song-title Church has a wobbly bottom, we are talking about the deep, booming bass influenced by dubstep, step fat saggy ass sound. There is here to study, the video to Blast it for a movie called link difficult that Butler scored on children at the Kenya glue sniffing, to the Meridian Belhaven short, which is where Spike Lee meets Spike Jonze. Elegant and stark, smooth yet intense, a kind of mellow murk - whatever info sleeve, check the heavy and elegant atmosphere.

Buzz: Hands down our favorite album of the year so far - Gorilla vs. Bear.

The truth: Although useful, without being worthy, which Digable Planets were a little.

Probably to: Be tense.

The least likely of: Be terse.

What to buy: First album Black Up was released by Sub Pop on June 27.

File next: Kool Keith, Talib Kweli, company Flow, Digable Planets.

Links: shabazzpalaces.com.

New band Thursday: The Jezabels.

Tyler, the creator: Goblin - review

Fundamentally adolescent outlook... Tyler, the creator

Last week was interesting for the controversy in hip-hop. Low attempt on Fox News to present the invitation of the common to the White House as a threat to the Republic because reflected rapper was once rude on the police seemed relevant in the light of the debate online simultaneously raged on Tyler, the creator, the player star worship 20 years the collective odd future Wolf Gang Kill Them All and the musician again more hotly discussed in 2011. Subsidiary Fox Boston, recognized at least, the phenomenon by pointing out a record-store turbulent signature where the police has been called to "suppress the shenanigans".

Shenanigans, if not, are the odd future operating mode. As they emerged in 2008, their releases in richly offensive line led gigabytes of debate (in short: "is - this OK for this?"), which reached a mass critique with the first official album of Tyler. Since its debut in 2009, Bastard, Goblin is presented as a session with his therapist, but this time - after a year or more wandering the internet mirrors hall - it is also address his alleged audience. Most of the title song, to quote another lyricist young chippy, is Whatever People Say I am, that's what I'm not: a pre-emptive strike to potential criticism. "They get, ' cos is not for them,"Tyler aligned."." In theory, it is a strategy of critic-proof: listeners who embrace him without reservations are only qualified to comment on. But the music cannot be closed, and there are many listeners outside the following odd young future core which is simultaneously fascinated and dismayed. As Eminem, NWA or the Sex Pistols before them, odd future invite one of the most compelling issues in pop: who are these people and they want?

It is a shame Goblin will be the introduction of the many odd future gifts superior as Bastard online or Earl intense Earl joltingly sweatshirt. Although dense, relentless, antisocial of the future odd music is hardly unprecedented, synth-heavy production is artfully eerie and strangely agile rhymes. But Goblin is too long and oppressive, giving the listener time to become exhausted, annoyed, disgusted, or worse, bored by Misanthropy of Tyler - which includes, but is not limited to, casual homophobia and rampant misogyny (uses Fader tallied 204 "bitch" over its 73 minutes magazine).

Goblin is undeniably, intentionally unpleasant, and any attempt to wave away the inconvenience is false. In contrast to, say, NWA, whose violent nihilism can be considered a hard outline, but necessary to their environment, Tyler escapes a sociopolitical alibi. Neither persuade as pure satire, that Tyler is the most agile, triple - bluff satirist of modern times. And while Bastard had some jokes absurd winningly ("I go to gatherings of Obama screaming out"mccain!""), Goblin is oppressive solemn and covered.

If Goblin had a smell, it would be fug Rassi, the bedroom of a teenager, whose resident, hormonal as Tyler admits on her cheek "Xbox cell full of wet socks. Tyler's Outlook is basically young: lonely, attention seeking, deficient, defensive, bellicose, confused, self-aggrandising and self-hating. On the window it rappe: "at school I was a zero, now, I am the every boy hero," but the zero remains with him and his more frank material supplies. It looks too porn, cries, nurses grudges, contemplates suicide. It is "boring and I am ugly, most niggas't wanna punch me". On the runway most endearing, him, he wrestles with conflicting responses to the romantic rejection: "I can slander his name and then em say I probably fucks / I could tell them the truth, that she liked not me much.". As anyone who spends too long time insisting on the fact that he is not giving a kiss, it clearly.

But Tyler requires the listener to understand everything showing precious little to someone else. When he lashes out, its targets are equally obvious. The anthem of the heavy potential rebels radicals shakes little system at its core with the news that he does not like: a school, religion (b) and (c) the people telling him what to do. At least it tries to break up instead of down. Worse still is the implicit assumption that his self-disgust permits him to vent his frustrations in the backward misogynistic fantasies of Transylvania, male or female Boppine. Far from being offensive, they are sadly predictable: not a future odd but the ghost of the past of hip-hop bullshit. Moral scruples apart, this stuff is all bad art.

So you can claws on the best bits of the Goblin, like her, the unique calling card Yonkers ("I am a walking fucking paradox / no, I am not") or the pleasantly succulent instrumental Au79 and feel in the presence of an exciting talent who moves quite quickly to leave behind its more mundane provocations quickly enoughbut mass, this is a self-defeating waste of talent. Tyler wants to be loved or hated, in or out, with you or against you. The truth, which will be probably annoy him without end, is that the Goblin treachery leave most ambivalent listeners.

Snoop Dogg - review

As law & order valiant Ice - T and are we there yet? Star Ice Cube, Snoop dogg is proof that a generation of the corrupter of morals is the national treasure of the next. The erstwhile "evil bastard" (Daily Star, 1994) is now a warmly ubiquitous pop presence, buried to the neck in sand (video of California Gurls by Katy Perry) or Pare as Admiral insurance advertising (Gorillaz' Welcome to the world of the plastic beach). Approaching 40, Snoop is almost as soft as his namesake comic.

Snoop DoggO2 Academy, LiverpoolOn 18 May.Box Office:
0845 603 8576More details

Still thin cadaverously and germination braid of its trade mark, it makes light of her former prominence. "I have yet to make a crime in the United Kingdom", he smirks. "I ain't fucking with your efficient and shit." His subsequent chant of "fuck the police!" feels elections because Snoop has never been particularly defiant. Or a hard gangsta, a cultural striver as Jay - Z or a psychological as Eminem car crash, it is a pleasure-seeker, pure and simple: little more complex that the figure he presents Gin and juice, pleased with a drink and a smoke and "my mind on my money and my money on my account." Its laidback, almost feminine delivery hinders his lyrical machismo. Even a song also deeply questionable as ain't no Fun (if the Homies can't have none) is the number of women in the audience cheerfully sing.

Essential superficiality of the Snoop means its recorded output has traced a classic trajectory of descent from Doggystyle in 1993, but it makes him a reliable showman. Hip hop shows are notorious for sound songs, truncated muddy and purely fictious blurry, but Snoop has raised his game. First such success that cover deep are dynamic and fat beautiful showcases for his lazy stream, lizardy and his signature, a "yeeyuh" sleepy exclamation, elongated. And it does not just mine its own past but hip hop in General, with of tributes to Tupac, Biggie and his late friend Nate Dogg and a powerful breath of evergreen Jump autour House of bread.

It is as much, because the most recent material is rotten. Seduction sensual lewd self-parodically could be a flight of the Conchords collaboration, and sweat is just as catastrophic as can be expected to be a song written for night deer of Prince William and remixed by David Guetta. Perhaps this is considered his first crime in the United Kingdom. He quickly restores goodwill by ending the old favorites Drop It Like It Hot and what is my name and a gushing profession of his love for the "london, England. East London love back? Yeeyuh.

Voice of rappers in Benghazi hopes for Libyan democracy - video

A group of young rappers and artists of Benghazi spoke of their hopes for freedom and democracy in Libya. The video was produced by below, which shows that essential supplies including food, medical hygiene articles and base decreased and limited amounts of aid arrived in the continuation of the fighting

Pass notes no 2,974: Leeman Brothaz

Leeman Brothaz: straight outta Wall Street. Photo: YouTube

Age: 29.

Appearance: Bankers absolute and total.

These are the idiots that led the world economy to its knees? Only in a very small way. You mean: "Is it the Wall Street investment bank that went bankrupt in 2008, helping to trigger the worst banking crisis since the great depression?"

I guess I do Then the answer No.?It was Lehman Brothers with an ERS with h.

If I knew how to spell stuff, I would not work for the Guardian. The Brothaz are a couple of white guys in costume of rap on subprime, quantitative easing and "corporate drones". They just put out a video called greed is good, in which they swagger around Wall Street waving tickets $100 and the theft of homeless.

I hope that it's quite funny if you've never heard of Loadsamoney. It is satire or something? This is certainly something. One of the Brothaz spent seven years working for a mortgage company. "I have had thoughts of doing business with consumers for a long period of time," Theo Pappadopolous told New York magazine. "I just put my thoughts for her and it came out in a song."

I like people who speak of writing as if it was the sausage-making. "I just put the pork in, and he came out as terms"?

Specifically. What were the "thoughts"? Borrowers are thick. Or, as the video, "" we bankers ain't liars/Wall Street was ready to bring you big spenders consumers / a sub-prime meant a non-doute loan / us has contributed to the Main Street to buy some sick-ass homes. ""

Don't stop. My doctor said that must be my tension blood up "you say Wall Street of greedy, that ain't right/greed is not the problem, it is your lack of foresight.

I think that we should have a go at this lark rap. Then, you start.

The greed of bankers/good bonus so give their wood... They call themselves the Brothaz/but they encounter as mothaz.

should not be confused with: JP organ, Goldman, sex, Swizz of credit.

New music: Frank Ocean - U Got It

Tyler, the creator has become the most famous member of sprawling rap crew odd future, but it is Frank Ocean which may have recorded the best music. In February, the singer and the producer have released a free album entitled nostalgia, ULTRA and which presented his skills of production - transform Strawberry Swing Coldplay's a lament of atmospheric breakdown-, but also its way with melody, creating perfectly made R & B jams of character. It is not surprising that shortly after the mixtape has emerged, Ocean found in the studio with Beyonce, working on his new album to be published. U Got It is a new song that has emerged online earlier this week and does seem out of place on major radio playlists, with drum simple claps, fizzing synth and a middle-eight featuring an acoustic guitar interlude. Keep an eye on it.

‧ Download free nostalgia, ULTRA

Rakim: still preaching "non-profit".

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Social rhymer ... Rakim is in the UK for two shows with De La Soul, Mos Def and Talib Kweli. Photograph: Ollie Millington/Redferns

William Michael Griffin Jr, aka Rakim Allah,?remembers the first time he came to England. It was November 1987; the 19-year-old rapper, then partnered with DJ Eric B, had hardly ever left New York state before. Together with LL Cool J and Public Enemy – also on the bill – he flew to London for a show that would change not only the lives of many in the crowd, but a few of those on stage too.

"That gig Ewas like New Year's Eve," he says, sat in a hotel room in Dublin, the morning after a show. "The crowd all seemed to have tambourines and whistles; they put this whole new spin on what we were doing. The way that we were accepted and respected was very important to us all – it gave all of us a whole new sense of what hip-hop could be."

Over the next five years Rakim, whose first Billboard magazine review in 1986 noted how the "soft-spoken MC [has] fine rhymes, timing and syncopation", was responsible for some of the most forward-looking, conscious and exploratory hip-hop ever created. His lyrics were not about what he had or what he wanted, but largely about what he felt, what he knew, what he believed. You listened to him and you understood that this person's self-worth was determined by something infinitely more profound than his bank balance. Despite being routinely named the greatest rapper and/or lyricist of all time, Rakim's own solo career has spluttered into and out of life since ever since he split with Eric B (full name Louis Eric Barrier) in early 1993, with gaps as long as a decade between records.

Now he is back in the UK for two shows with De La Soul, Mos Def and Talib Kweli, artists who share a fundamental vision of hip-hop as not only a living art form but one capable of effecting positive mental and social change. Rakim (whose father was an engineer for American Airlines, but won't fly after "a few too many bad experiences") sailed along with his wife into Portsmouth a week ago after six days aboard the Queen Mary, before heading to Ireland for a string of gigs. "It's a real nice boat," he says. "We look on it as a vacation." They left their three children at home with their grandparents. He, like Posdnuos, Mase and Trugoy from De La Soul – like hip-hop itself – is coming to terms with middle age. How do you keep going? How do you stay creative? How do you retain an element of political consciousness in a business that only venerates cash?

"It's hard," Rakim says. "The conscious level is definitely low and the substance of the music is so much lighter, but you have to understand the game is young in new places. It's still growing."

In 1997, when Rakim's album The 18th Letter was released, he said: "The prophets once came with Qur'ans and Bibles, now they come with mics … " Fourteen years later, does he still believe that?

"It's not as true now as it once was," he admits. "We really need some of that consciousness, that fly on the wall that watches over us and comments. I like BOB and Lupe Fiasco a lot, they're both exploring the music, but I don't see a lot of artistry out there."?

Rakim, who made headlines when he signed with Dr Dre's Aftermath label in the winter of 2000 – only for the deal to be annulled, with no music released, in July 2003 – says he has always resisted the outside pressure to change his lyrical style.

"I was an athlete in college," he says. "A quarterback, a leader, so people telling me what to do doesn't work. I stick to my guns – that's what keeps me going as an artist. Stevie Wonder never changed from what he wanted to do and each new album that came along was dope."

But Wonder also sold millions of records and had the support of a big label. That's not Rakim's situation. His last album, 2009's The Seventh Seal, sold only 12,000 copies in the States. So how does he actually survive?

"I'm very smart with my paper!" he says. "I stopped buying things for myself a long time ago – now I just buy things for my kids or my wife. Also, my wife is even more conservative than I am. She'll be the first one to say something if I go and get a new plasma TV with too many inches on it. My accountant has me on an allowance. He works out how much money is coming in, how much we have already and he makes it pay over the year. So some weeks we might have $1500, some we might only have $500, but my family understands all that. I'm not a mainstream artist. But I've seen my kids being born, I've seen them take their first steps, I've seen them grow up and start school. That's worth more to me than any umpteen million dollars."

De La Soul's Kelvin Mercer, aka Posdnuos, aka Plug One, will be 42 this August. He's sat in an agreeable hotel room in West London thinking about the brutally short if explosively popular lifespan of early 90s hardcore rappers Onyx.

"Those guys were huge for a minute," he says, "but they had a problem that no one could see at the time – you can't be crazy forever. I like a lot of 50 Cent's stuff, but how is he going to feel about those songs about wanting to shoot someone when he's 50? People say to me: 'You don't like these hype new rappers like Gucci Mane or Waka Flocka, do you?' And, no, I'm not the biggest fan of their rhymes. I grew up with Rakim and KRS One – both amazing lyricists, but as a kid I loved Too Short just as much and he was the very opposite of conscious."

In one of the very first big De La Soul interviews, an excruciating piece in Spin magazine from summer 1989 written in faux-hip speak ("thiz iz duh daisy age & we need a buddy" etc), the trio are already being pitched against those rappers who only desire "a million dollars, [a] truck [and some] jewels."

"That's why it's funny to me that this discussion about conscious rap v party rap or gangsta rap still exists," smiles Pos. "Our first big tour was with the Geto Boys and NWA, artists with very different mentalities from our own, but we hung out all the time. I never missed an NWA show on that whole tour – they were amazing. Dre and Yella would come out first, then Ren, then Cube, then just when everyone was going crazy, EZ would wander on! We learnt a lot from them …"

Pos says De La Soul have survived because they realised, very early on, that they loved touring. In the 22 years since their classic debut, Three Feet High and Rising, they have released seven occasionally brilliant albums and have played in "every crack and crevice on the face of the earth. The touring pays the bills and feeds us and our families, but it's music that keeps us together."

De La Soul are now in a position where they don't need the record industry. "No one eats off De La," Pos says. "Just us. Rick Rubin hollered at us about making a record, and we would love to, but we didn't want to sign to Sony. Now he's left Sony – that shows you where it's going."

Pos says that, as a writer rather than an athlete, there's no physical reason he can't keep doing this for years.

"Chuck D can do Fight the Power for the rest of his life, it'll always be relevant. I can do Me, Myself and I forever; it'll always be a part of me. De La Soul still has a lot to say, we're really only just beginning."

Back in Dublin, Rakim leans back in his seat as he talks about records he loves, such as Miles Davis's Tutu or Nautilus Bob James's – the records he reached for when his father's death "tore something" out of him.

"I still want to tackle the things that people say can't be done in rap," he says, sounding as enthused about music as he has ever been. "Time passes, but I promise you this: I will always try to defy any sort of imposed gravity."

‧ Black Star feat. Mos Def and Talib Kweli, De La Soul and Rakim will appear at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo on 10 May and at Manchester Academy on 11 May.