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“Person of Interest: Musician Tendai "Baba" Maraire of Shabazz Palaces and Chimurenga Renaissance ” - Kelly O
TENDAI MARAIRE of SHABAZZ PALACES
Biography by David Jeffries
The first hip-hop crew signed to the Sub Pop label, Shabazz Palaces is the brainchild of Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler, although the Digable Planets member wasn’t so quick to admit it. In 2009, Shabazz Palaces released two EPs -- one self-titled, the other titled Of Light -- but Butler's name didn't appear on either. No promo shots, no social networking sites, no interviews, and no press releases were issued by the enigmatic, Seattle-based project, but that didn't stop the local press from throwing praise at these EPs, which hit much harder than Digable while retaining that forward-thinking wordplay. The EPs became favorites at the Sub Pop offices, too, and in 2010, the usually indie rock label signed the project, releasing their debut album, Black Up, in 2011. Next, it transpired that Tendai Maraire -- son of the famous mbira player Dumisani Maraire -- was responsible for most of the instrumentation on that record and that Shabazz Palaces was, in effect, a duo.
Both Butler and Maraire were relatively quiet in the ensuing years, but found time to make a guest appearance on AwE NaturalE, the 2012 debut by fellow Seattle alternative hip-hop duo THEESatisfaction. The pair also teamed up with Hussein Kalonji to create the March 2014 album riZe vadZimu riZe under the Chimurenga Renaissance moniker, before they returned that same year with a second Shabazz Palaces studio album, Lese Majesty. Three years later, in 2017, they returned with two further albums, Quazarz: Born on a Gangster Star and Quazarz vs the Jealous Machines; both albums chronicled the journey of Quazarz, a celestial being trying to navigate the harsh reality of life on Earth.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/shabazz-palaces-mn0002678775/credits
“Together, we are the black leviathan, panther of the deep. Chimurenga Renaissance is the future happening now…” - Anonymous
— line from a poem written and dedicated to CHIMURENGA RENAISSANCE
CHIMURENGA RENAISSANCE
tendai "baba" maraire & Hussein kalonji
BIOGRAPHY BY DAVID JEFFRIES
A Zimbabwean-centered hip-hop project from Shabazz Palaces member Tendai "Baba" Maraire, Chimurenga Renaissance was formed in 2012 when Maraire teamed with Hussein Kalonji, the rapper formerly known as H-Bomb. That same year, the group introduced their mix of electronic (ie. synths and samples) and organic (ie. ngoma drums and mbira thumb pianos) on Pungwe, a mixtape where artists like Bob Marley and Spice 1 were mixed with African artists like Thomas Mapfumo and Youssou N'Dour. In 2014 the project made its official debut on the Brick Lane label with riZe vadZimu riZe. The album featured a guest appearance from Dead Prez member M1 along with Maraire's Shabazz Palaces partner, Ishmael Butler aka Palaceer Lazaro.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/chimurenga-renaissance-mn0003237568/biography
CHIMURENGA RENAISSANCE
