Shabazz Palaces Announces It’s a Style Sport, His New Album, Available Friday, October 23rd Worldwide From Sub Pop

Today, August 11th, 2026, Ever-evolving rapper, producer, and musician Ishmael Butler has announced his return as Shabazz Palaces and forthcoming new album, It’s a Style Sport, out Friday, October 23rd worldwide from Sub Pop.
 
It’s a Style Sport is the eighth Shabazz Palaces studio album and first since the release of sibling mini-albums 2023’s Robed In Rareness and 2024’s Exotic Birds Of Prey.
 
The ten-track project is preceded by thumping meditation “Ahh World (I Won The Alpha Bet),” out today via a new visualizer from Jacob Kasar and edited by Leigh Riibe. The single finds Butler taking the role of an all-knowing narrator, telling the story of his own life and rise to excellence from a fantasy-fuelled third-person perspective, ending with a list of directives for a successful life. Butler deals out flair while staying grounded in what matters most: his own honor.
 
It’s a Style Sport is a bold, forthright, and heavy-hitting album. Throughout, Butler compiles what he’s learned from his storied, dense career into a playful, shimmering portal, again proving himself an artist of chameleonic ambition, fuelled by curiosity, courage, and a limitless imagination. 
 
It’s a Style Sport features guest appearances from Marquette Miller, Thaddeus “Thaddillac” Turner, Evan Flory-Barnes, Gerald “Tugboat” Turner, Kassa Overall and Carlos Overall.  The album was produced by Shabazz Palaces and Erik Blood, recorded at Circular Ruin Studios in Brooklyn (NY), Lake View Studios and Hall of Justice in Seattle (WA), and Parkman Labs in Los Angeles (CA).  It was mixed by Blood at Circular Ruin, and mastered by Warren Defever at Third Man Mastering in Detroit (MI).
 
Ishmael Butler has been consistently exploring the outer reaches of music for the last three and a half decades. In the early 90s, he helped pioneer jazz-infused hip-hop by founding Digable Planets, the Grammy Award-winning trio who released two landmark albums, toured with Sade, and are still playing live together today. Butler’s later creative rebirth as Shabazz Palaces began in earnest 15 years ago with the experimental, highly influential debut album, Black Up. Butler has continued to push boundaries over seven subsequent Shabazz Palaces albums, and his exemplary taste and verve has led to collaborations with Flying Lotus, Thundercat, George Clinton, Clipping, Battles, Oneohtrix Point Never, Animal Collective, plus his own son, Lil Tracy.
 
Shabazz Palaces has toured with Radiohead, TV On The Radio, and Ms Lauryn Hill. Additionally, Butler’s ability to spot like-minded visionaries, both in music and the wider creative cosmos, has led to striking visual output alongside filmmakers Khalil Joseph (Beyoncé, FKA Twigs, Kendrick Lamar) and Hiro Murai (Atlanta, Widow’s Bay), to incredible design work with Toronto artist/designer and his fellow Black Constellation member Nep Sidhu.
 
Shabazz Palaces It’s a Style Sport is available now to preorder on CD/LP/Digital from Sub Pop. LP preorders from megamart.subpop.com in North America, Mega Mart Europe in the UK and EU, and your local record store will receive the limited Loser edition on Metallic Silver (North America) and Sparkle Starlight (EU/UK) vinyl (while supplies last).
 
Later this week, Shabazz Palaces and his live band will join labelmates Clipping at their Splendor & Misery Festival, happening Thursday, August 13th at Knockdown Center in Flushing, NY. On Friday, August 14th, Shabazz Palaces will host “Baz Off Broadway,” a DJ set via The Lot Radio in Brooklyn from 2-3 pm ET.
 
On Saturday, September 12th, Shabazz Palaces will also perform at The Genius Awards event hosted by local arts and culture magazine The Stranger in Seattle at The Moore Theatre.
 
Additional Shabazz Palaces live dates will be announced soon on www.shabazzpalaces.com and subpop.com.
 
More on It’s a Style Sport by Tasha Riley here

Shabazz Palaces
It’s a Style Sport
 
Tracklisting:
1. Ahh World (I Won The Alpha Bet)
2. Field Notes
3. Show Me Missouri In Mink
4. Jheri Curl Jump
5. Deadstock Dude
6. Tongue In Chic
7. Heliocentric Immortality Manifesto H.I.M.
8. Olivia According To Touch
9. Money Can’t Save Your Mind
10. From One Future To Another