ShrapKnel & Controller 7, Nobody Planning to Leave

"Nobody Planning to Leave," a collaboration between ShrapKnel and producer Controller 7 unfolds as a kind of fragmented tapestry.

Nobody Planning to Leave is a collaboration between ShrapKnel — Brooklyn rappers Curly Castro and PremRock — and producer Controller 7, who’s best-known for his work with Sole (Bottle of Humans) and Sage Francis (A Healthy Distrust). Controller 7’s frequent beat switches on tracks like “LIVE Element,” where he shifts from a psych-funk groove to a sleepy jazz blues, turns the album into a kind of fragmented tapestry, and a 45-minute scroll where titles like “Deep Space 9 Millie Pulled a Pistol” are more of a cryptic sensibility than a thematic title. PremRock gives one of his better performances, and his droll delivery makes “Human Form” a standout. Curly Castro has a punchy voice that jumps off the aux, but his verses sound like he’s doomscrolling through tweets. Every line he writes references a musician, a pop-culture artifact, or a subterranean icon like Atoms Family. One of the better examples comes on “Illusions of P,” where he charges, “Follow Puffy off a cliff until you finally make it BIG.” Guest appearances include ELUCID, who offers a fine cameo on “Uru Metal,” as well as Open Mike Eagle, Onry Ozzborn, Wrecking Crew colleague Lungs//LoneSword, Breezly Brewin from Juggaknots, and D-Styles. Backwoodz Studioz released Nobody Planning to Leave.

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Shabazz Palaces, Robed in Rareness

November 8, 2023

“All I want to do is see the girls get a chance/All I want to do is see the bros getting bands,” chants Ishmael Butler on the chorus for “Binoculars.” To that end, the Seattle rapper and bandleader stocks the 24-minute Robed in Rareness with younger prospects of varying experience, from relative unknowns like Royce the Choice and O FINESS to his son and melodic rap veteran Lil Tracy. None of them add much. Instead, the project’s success hinges on Butler’s bejeweled production, which weds electronic funk with spooky, spacey tones. Only “Gel Bait,” which sports an appearance from Geechi Suede of Camp Lo, brings much needed vocal aggression as the two complain about sundry opps and haters. This is Butler’s second major project this year, following an enigmatic outing as Lavarr the Starr on Illusions Ago. That excursion turned Butler into a singer, a shift he has toyed with since Shabazz Palaces’ excellent 2017 single “Shine a Light.” By contrast, Robed in Rareness feels a bit slighter although it closes nicely with “Hustle Crossers.” “Take me away from here,” he pleads in a melodic voice. “I’m lost in a dream.” Rapper/singer Porter Ray appears on “P Kicking G.” Robed in Rareness was released on Sub Pop Records.