| Black Up | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 28, 2011 | |||
| Genre | Experimental hip hop [1] | |||
| Length | 36:01 | |||
| Label | Sub Pop | |||
| Producer | Knife Knights | |||
| Shabazz Palaces chronology | ||||
| ||||
Black Up is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Shabazz Palaces. It was released on June 28, 2011, in the United States on Sub Pop. The album was produced by Knife Knights at Gunbeat Serenade Studio in Outplace Palacelands." [2]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 8.2/10 [3] |
| Metacritic | 83/100 [4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| The A.V. Club | A [6] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B− [7] |
| The Guardian |  [8] |
| Los Angeles Times | [9] |
| MSN Music (Expert Witness) | A− [10] |
| NME | 8/10 [11] |
| Pitchfork | 8.8/10 [12] |
| Rolling Stone | [13] |
| Spin | 7/10 [14] |
Black Up received widespread critical acclaim; many commented on the experimental song structures and intricate lyricism. Review aggregator Metacritic gave the album a normalised rating of 83 out of 100, based on reviews from 36 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". [4] Metacritic included Black Up in its "Midyear Report: The Best Music of 2011 So Far." [15]
In his review for MSN Music , music critic Robert Christgau said that, misleading titles notwithstanding, the album "improves mightily when the volume is high enough to break the beats into components so they're impossible to ignore." [10] Jon Pareles, writing in The New York Times , viewed the album as proof that hip hop "still has an audacious progressive fringe." [16] Kitty Empire of The Observer wrote that, although it is not game-changing, Black Up resonate with listeners in a way the conventional hip hop cannot because each track is "lean and muscular, never losing sight of the fact that hip-hop should writhe inexorably forward." [17] In 2019, Pitchfork ranked Black Up at number 179 on their list of "The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s"; cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib wrote: "From great mystery exploded an album of impossible vision." [18]
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mojo [19] | UK | Top 50 albums of 2011 | 2011 | 36 |
| Popmatters [20] | US | 75 Best Albums of 2011 | 2011 | 30 |
| Pitchfork [21] | US | Best Albums of 2011 | 2011 | 14 |
| Pitchfork [22] | US | The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s | 2019 | 179 |
| Hip Hop Is Read [23] | US | Top 25 Hip Hop Albums of 2011 | 2011 | 10 |
| Epitonic [24] | US | Top 40 Albums of 2011 | 2011 | 4 |
| Gorilla vs. Bear [25] | US | Albums of 2011 | 2011 | 1 |
| Gorilla vs. Bear [26] | US | Albums of the Decade: 2010-2019 | 2019 | 5 |
| Prefixmag [27] | US | Top 50 Albums of 2011 | 2011 | 1 |
| The Seattle Times [28] | US | Best Pop Music 2011 | 2011 | 1 |
| Potholes In My Blog [29] | US | Top 15 Albums of 2011 | 2011 | 1 |
| Cokemachineglow [30] | US | Top 50 Albums of 2011 | 2011 | 1 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Free Press and Curl" | 4:16 |
| 2. | "An Echo from the Hosts That Profess Infinitum" | 3:15 |
| 3. | "Are You... Can You... Were You? (Felt)" | 4:48 |
| 4. | "A Treatease Dedicated to the Avian Airess from North East Nubis (1000 Questions, 1 Answer)" | 2:46 |
| 5. | "Youlogy" | 3:59 |
| 6. | "Endeavors for Never (The Last Time We Spoke You Said You Were Not Here. I Saw You Though.)" | 2:51 |
| 7. | "Recollections of the Wraith" | 3:36 |
| 8. | "The King's New Clothes Were Made by His Own Hands" | 2:07 |
| 9. | "Yeah You" | 3:21 |
| 10. | "Swerve... The Reeping of All That Is Worthwhile (Noir Not Withstanding)" | 5:10 |
Shabazz Palaces
Additional personnel
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [31] | 4 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard) [32] | 33 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [33] | 38 |
| US Top Rap Albums (Billboard) [34] | 23 |
| US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard) [35] | 23 |
Digable Planets is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987. The trio is composed of rappers Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler, Mariana "Ladybug Mecca" Vieira, and Craig "Doodlebug" Irving. The group is notable for their contributions to the subgenres of jazz rap and alternative hip hop.
The Black Album is the eighth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on November 14, 2003, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. It was advertised as his final album before retiring, which is also a recurring theme throughout the songs, although Jay-Z resumed his recording career in 2005. For the album, Jay-Z wanted to enlist a different producer for each song, working with Just Blaze, Kanye West, The Neptunes, Eminem, DJ Quik, Timbaland, 9th Wonder and Rick Rubin, among others. The album also features a guest appearance by Pharrell Williams.
The Cookbook is the sixth studio album by American rapper Missy Elliott, released on July 4, 2005, by The Goldmind Inc. and Atlantic Records in Germany and the United Kingdom, and on July 5 in the United States and Japan.
How I Got Over is the ninth studio album by American hip hop band the Roots. It was released on June 22, 2010, by Def Jam Recordings.
Us is the fourth studio album by American rapper Brother Ali. It was released on Rhymesayers Entertainment on September 22, 2009. The album is entirely produced by Ant.
The ArchAndroid is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Janelle Monáe, released on May 18, 2010, by Wondaland Arts Society, Bad Boy Records, and Atlantic Records. Production for the album took place at Wondaland Studios in Atlanta and was primarily handled by Monáe, Nate "Rocket" Wonder, and Chuck Lightning, with only one song without production by Monáe. She also collaborated for certain songs with Saul Williams, Big Boi, of Montreal, and Deep Cotton.
Pink Friday is the debut studio album by Trinidian-American rapper Nicki Minaj, released on November 22, 2010, by Young Money, Cash Money and Universal Motown. After signing a recording contract with Young Money Entertainment in 2009, Minaj began planning the album that same year and work continued into 2010. Minaj enlisted a variety of producers whose efforts resulted in a primarily hip hop and pop record, which sees additional influences from R&B. The album features guest vocals from Eminem, Rihanna, Drake, will.i.am, Kanye West and Natasha Bedingfield.
Finally Famous is the debut studio album by American rapper Big Sean. It was released on June 28, 2011, by GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions took place from 2010 to 2011, with Kanye West serving as the only executive producer on the album. The record serves as Big Sean's first studio release, under the whole Finally Famous series, following these mixtapes such as Finally Famous Vol. 1: The Mixtape (2007), Finally Famous Vol. 2: UKNOWBIGSEAN (2009) and Finally Famous Vol. 3: Big (2010).
Cults is an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2010. The band first rose to prominence upon releasing their debut extended play, Cults 7" (2010), on their Bandcamp page. They subsequently signed to English singer Lily Allen's record label In the Name Of, an imprint of Sony Music to release their eponymous debut album (2011). A song from the album, "Bad Things" was sampled by American rapper J. Cole for his 2013 single "She Knows", on which they were credited as featured artists.
Shabazz Palaces is an American hip hop group from Seattle led by Ishmael Butler a.k.a. Palaceer Lazaro. Much of the Butler's work as Shabazz Palaces has been made in collaboration with multi-instrumentalist Tendai "Baba" Maraire, son of mbira master Dumisani Maraire. Active since 2009, Shabazz Palaces has released five studio albums on Sub Pop after self-releasing two EPs. Their most recent album, The Don of Diamond Dreams, was released on April 17, 2020.
R.A.P. Music is the fifth studio album by American rapper Killer Mike. It was released through Williams Street Records on May 15, 2012. The "R.A.P." in the album's title is a backronym for "Rebellious African People". Production was handled by rapper and producer Jaime "El-P" Meline; the album was the first collaboration between Killer Mike and El-P, who would later form the critically acclaimed duo Run the Jewels.
Pluto is the debut studio album by American rapper Future. It was released on April 17, 2012, through A1 Recordings and Freebandz, and distributed by Epic Records. The album features guest appearances from Drake, R. Kelly, T.I., Trae tha Truth and Snoop Dogg, with the production, which was handled by Will-A-Fool, Sonny Digital and K.E. on the Track, among others.
"Mercy" is a song by American rapper Kanye West featuring fellow American rappers Big Sean, Pusha T, and 2 Chainz. The song, released April 3, 2012 through GOOD Music and Def Jam, serves as the lead single from the compilation album Cruel Summer (2012). The song's production was handled by Lifted, with additional production from West, Mike Dean, and Mike Will Made It, and additional instrumentation from Hudson Mohawke. The song heavily samples the dancehall song "Dust a Sound Boy" by Super Beagle. The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics who praised the bombastic production, the varying quality of the verses, and the wordplay of the individual rappers. The song was featured on the soundtrack for NBA 2K13.
Awe Naturale is the debut studio album by THEESatisfaction. It was released by Sub Pop on March 27, 2012. Ishmael Butler provided vocals on "God" and "Enchantruss". A music video was created for "Queens".
Cilvia Demo is the debut extended play by American rapper Isaiah Rashad. It was released on January 28, 2014, by Top Dawg Entertainment. The album features guest appearances from Jean Deaux and Michael Da Vinci, as well as his Top Dawg label-mates SZA, Schoolboy Q and Jay Rock. The albums production was handled by several record producers, namely Ross Vega, Mr. Carmack, Joseph L'Étranger, Black Metaphor, The Antydote, Farhot, Chris Calor, D. Sanders and a member of the Digi+Phonics Sounwave.
Lese Majesty is the second studio album by American hip hop duo Shabazz Palaces, released on July 29, 2014. The album features contributions from Thee Satisfaction’s Catherine Harris-White, Erik Blood and Thadillac. The album was produced by Shabazz Palaces and mixed by Blood at Protect and Exalt Labs in Seattle.
Bush is the thirteenth studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was released on May 12, 2015, through Doggy Style Records and I Am Other, and distributed by Columbia Records. The album was produced by Pharrell Williams with additional production by Chad Hugo. It features guest appearances from Kendrick Lamar, Stevie Wonder, Charlie Wilson, Gwen Stefani, T.I. and Rick Ross. Bush was the first album by the rapper after his return to the hip hop moniker Snoop Dogg.
Ishmael Reginald Butler is an American rapper, record producer and songwriter. He is best known for his work with such groups as Digable Planets in the 1990s and Shabazz Palaces in the 2010s.
Teflon Don is the fourth studio album by American rapper Rick Ross, released on July 20, 2010, on Maybach Music Group, Slip-n-Slide Records and Def Jam Recordings. Production for the album took place during 2009 to 2010 and was handled by several record producers, including Clark Kent, No I.D., The Olympicks, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Lex Luger, Danja, The Inkredibles, The Remedy and Kanye West.
THEESatisfaction is a former American music duo based in Seattle, Washington. It consisted of Stasia "Stas" Irons and Catherine "Cat" Harris-White.
