One of the most treasured objects in my record collection is Digable Planets fabulous debut Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time & Space). I bought it when it came out in 1993 and every now and then it comes out and I play it to remind me of the person I was then and the person I am now and all the time that's been between.
Ishmael Reginald Butler one of the main operators behind Digable Planets has grown from a cool young colt on the jazzy hip hop scene to a cool robed Sun Ra type figure in middle age and sporting a very neat Pharoah type beard.
These days he seems to spend a lot of time getting photographed in the desert looking deep, publicising the activity of Shabazz Palaces the chariot he currently rides.
The latest record from Shabazz Palaces, Robed In Rareness is another example (if another is really needed at this advanced stage), of why he remains suuch a notable player on whichever scene you might claim to mention.
I imagine Butler would prefer to claim that he operates beyond categories. and he certainly does so here. There are elments of Hip Hop, Jazz and Beat. There always have been in his work. Regardless if how you wish to describe it his is 'FAR OUT' In the best possible way.
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