Ishmael Butler has been one of Hip Hop’s most interesting creative minds for over three decades. Born in Seattle in 1969, he grew up surrounded by music and intellectual curiosity, with jazz playing an important role in his early development. After moving to Brooklyn in 1989, he formed Digable Planets with Craig Irving (Doodlebug) and Mary Ann Vieira (Ladybug Mecca). Their 1993 debut, Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space), brought jazz-infused Hip Hop into the mainstream with the hit single “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat).” Their second album, Blowout Comb (1994), went deeper into atmospheric production, Black cultural history, and politically aware lyricism. It remains one of the finest jazz-rap albums of the 1990s.
Following Digable Planets’ breakup, Butler explored other musical directions, including his Cherrywine project, before returning to Seattle in the early 2000s. There, he eventually connected with percussionist Tendai Maraire and formed Shabazz Palaces in 2009. The project’s self-released EPs attracted considerable attention, leading to a deal with Sub Pop and the extraordinary debut album Black Up in 2011.
Black Up remains a personal favorite of ours, an album that sounded unlike anything else when it arrived. Its fractured rhythms, strange electronic textures, deep bass, cryptic poetry, and hypnotic atmosphere created an entirely different kind of Hip Hop experience. Butler, now operating as Palaceer Lazaro, seemed to have developed his own musical language. The equally adventurous Lese Majesty (2014) followed, along with the ambitious Quazarz albums in 2017, The Don of Diamond Dreams (2020), Robed in Rareness (2023), and Exotic Birds of Prey (2024). Each explored different corners of his peculiar musical universe, with varying degrees of success.
That history brings us to It’s A Style Sport, another fascinating addition to the Shabazz Palaces catalog. Released through Sub Pop in October 2026, the ten-track album finds Butler looking back at his decades in Hip Hop while continuing to experiment with rhythm, melody, and unconventional arrangements. There is something particularly satisfying about hearing an artist with this much history approach his work with such obvious curiosity.
The album’s title refers to Hip Hop’s original spirit of competition, when MCs tried to outdo one another through originality, verbal skill, personality, and style. Butler approaches that idea from the perspective of someone who participated in the culture during its formative decades and has watched its priorities change. His lyrics move between personal memories, observations about contemporary society, romantic encounters, and reflections on artistic identity. Much of his writing remains deliberately cryptic, with ideas appearing in fragments that gradually reveal connections across repeated listens.
Musically, It’s A Style Sport is magnificent. The production combines warped electronics, irregular drum patterns, thick bass, jazz instrumentation, and unexpected melodic passages. Butler assembled a group of longtime collaborators for the sessions, including drummer Kassa Overall, bassist Evan Flory-Barnes, guitarist and keyboardist Thaddeus Turner, saxophonist Carlos Overall, and producer Erik Blood. Their contributions give the music an organic character, with live instruments moving through the electronic arrangements in fascinating ways. The rhythms frequently shift direction, melodies appear and disappear, and familiar musical elements take on strange new shapes.
The opening “Ahh World (I Won The Alpha Bet)” immediately pulls us into Butler’s world. Its heavy bass, fractured percussion, and ominous atmosphere accompany a mixture of autobiographical mythology, social commentary, and personal philosophy. Butler moves between different perspectives, delivering his observations with that unmistakable relaxed, slightly detached vocal style. “Field Notes” follows with a darker narrative about street life and the decisions facing a young man drawn toward its dangers. The restless percussion and unusual rhythmic patterns make it particularly compelling.
“Show Me Missouri In Mink” introduces a warmer, more melodic approach, with Butler reflecting on relationships, experience, and the difference between appearances and genuine character. “Jheri Curl Jump” continues the album’s playful side, while “Deadstock Dude” finds Butler examining his own reputation and longevity through clever references to fashion, status, and Hip Hop history. His writing can be funny, occasionally confrontational, and surprisingly personal.
One of the album’s most immediately enjoyable tracks is “Tongue In Chic,” a wonderfully strange excursion into Prince-inspired funk and electronic pop. Its bouncing rhythm, colorful synthesizers, and playful storytelling provide a welcome change of pace. Butler sounds unusually lighthearted here, spinning humorous romantic observations over a beat that practically demands movement. It is a reminder that his experimental instincts can produce genuinely catchy music.
Elsewhere, “Heliocentric Immortality Manifesto H.I.M.” and “Olivia According To Touch” explore different shades of Butler’s eccentric personality, mixing self-confidence, romantic imagery, and abstract wordplay. These tracks require patience, and some of the lyrical ideas are less compelling than the production surrounding them. Still, the musical details keep things interesting, even when Butler’s writing wanders.
The closing “From One Future To Another” is arguably the album’s finest moment. Beginning with delicate upright bass and restrained percussion, it gradually develops into a gorgeous mixture of psychedelic rock, jazz, and hazy electronics. Butler’s singing adds a vulnerable quality as he considers memories, lost time, and the persistence of the past. The arrangement slowly expands into something beautifully immersive, ending the record on an emotional note.
What makes It’s A Style Sport particularly rewarding is its dreamlike, hypnotic quality. There are moments when it strongly recalls Black Up, especially in the way seemingly disconnected sounds gradually become part of a coherent musical experience. The beats rarely follow predictable patterns, and Butler’s unusual phrasing adds another layer of rhythmic complexity. This is music that demands attention, preferably through headphones, and several listens are necessary to appreciate everything happening beneath the surface.
We still consider Black Up Shabazz Palaces’ greatest achievement, and It’s A Style Sport doesn’t quite reach those extraordinary heights. Nevertheless, it comes closer to recreating that album’s mesmerizing atmosphere than much of Butler’s subsequent work. Its inventive production, unpredictable arrangements, and fascinating lyrical detours make it one of the strongest releases in his extensive catalog. At 57, Ishmael Butler remains a genuinely adventurous artist, and It’s A Style Sport is another great record from a musician who has never lost his appetite for experimentation.
8/10
Also read: The Best Hip Hop Albums Of 2026