Seattle-based alt-weekly The Stranger is reporting that Shabazz Palaces new album will be titled Lese Majesty, a play on the term "Lèse-majesté," a French term meaning "injured majesty"—in other words, a crime against the state. This comes three years after the group's 2011 debut, Black Up.
The group recently premiered the album at Seattle's Pacific Science Center Laser Dome this weekend, where they announced that Lese Majesty will be released on Sub Pop July 29.
Shabazz Palaces is a duo made up of Ishmael Butler, who used to rap as Butterfly in Digable Planets, and multi-instrumentalist Tendai 'Baba' Maraire, the son of Mbira master Dumisani Maraire. The group's debut album, Black Up, was one of 2011's most critically acclaimed hip-hop albums, gaining attention from publications across the spectrum. Abstract and idiosyncratic, it was one of the year's best records, an artful, restlessly experimental release. You can stream Black Up through Sub Pop's YouTube channel below.
