{{distinguish|blacking up}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2012}} {{Infobox album | name = Black Up | type = studio | artist = Shabazz Palaces | cover = Black up.jpg | alt = | released = June 28, 2011 | recorded = | studio = | genre = Experimental hip hop<ref>{{cite web|last=Wragg|first=Stephen|date=August 9, 2011|url=http://www.noripcord.com/reviews/music/shabazz-palaces/black|title=Shabazz Palaces: Black Up|publisher=No Ripcord|access-date=July 21, 2013}}</ref> | length = 36:01 | label = Sub Pop | producer = Knife Knights | prev_title = Live at Sasquatch 2010 | prev_year = 2011 | next_title = Live at KEXP | next_year = 2012 }}
'''''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."<ref name=DIS>{{cite web |url=http://www.subpop.com/releases/shabazz_palaces/full_lengths/black_up |title=Sub Pop – Black Up |work=Sub Pop |access-date=2011-11-05 |archive-date=November 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111107053429/http://www.subpop.com/releases/shabazz_palaces/full_lengths/black_up |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Reception== === Critical reception === {{Music ratings | ADM = 8.2/10<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.anydecentmusic.com/review/3327/Shabazz-Palaces-Black-Up.aspx|title=Black Up by Shabazz Palaces reviews|publisher=AnyDecentMusic?|access-date=December 25, 2019}}</ref> | MC = 83/100<ref name="MC">{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/black-up/shabazz-palaces|title=Reviews for Black Up by Shabazz Palaces|publisher=Metacritic|access-date=November 5, 2011}}</ref> | rev1 = AllMusic | rev1score = {{rating|4.5|5}}<ref name="AMG">{{cite web|last=Lymangrover|first=Jason|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/black-up-mw0002135130|title=Black Up – Shabazz Palaces|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=March 12, 2020}}</ref> | rev2 = ''The A.V. Club'' | rev2score = A<ref>{{cite news|last=Martins|first=Chris|date=June 28, 2011|url=https://www.avclub.com/shabazz-palaces-black-up-1798168696|title=Shabazz Palaces: Black Up|newspaper=The A.V. Club|location=Chicago|access-date=July 21, 2013}}</ref> | rev3 = ''Entertainment Weekly'' | rev3score = B−<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Wood|first1=Mikael|last2=Wete|first2=Brad|last3=Blauvelt|first3=Christian|last4=Anderson|first4=Kyle|date=June 24, 2011|url=https://www.ew.com/article/2011/06/24/albums-july-1-2011|title=Albums: July 1, 2011|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|location=New York|access-date=July 21, 2013}}</ref> | rev4 = ''The Guardian'' | rev4score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite news|last=Andrews|first=Charlotte Richardson|date=June 24, 2011|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jun/24/shabazz-palaces-black-up-review|title=Shabazz Palaces: Black Up – review|newspaper=The Guardian|location=London|access-date=July 21, 2013}}</ref> | rev5 = ''Los Angeles Times'' | rev5score = {{Rating|4|4}}<ref>{{cite news|last=Weiss|first=Jeff|date=June 20, 2011|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/06/album-review-shabazz-palaces-black-up.html|title=Album Review: Shabazz Palaces' 'Black Up'|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=July 21, 2013}}</ref> | rev6 = ''MSN Music'' (Expert Witness) | rev6score = A−<ref name="Christgau">{{cite web|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=July 12, 2011|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/ew2011-07.php|title=Shabazz Palaces/Street Sweeper Social Club|work=MSN Music|access-date=July 21, 2013}}</ref> | rev7 = ''NME'' | rev7score = 8/10<ref>{{cite journal|last=Elan|first=Priya|date=June 21, 2011|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/shabazz-palaces/12153|title=Album Review: Shabazz Palaces – 'Black Up'|journal=NME|location=London|access-date=July 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304092730/http://www.nme.com/reviews/shabazz-palaces/12153|archive-date=March 4, 2016}}</ref> | rev8 = ''Pitchfork'' | rev8score = 8.8/10<ref>{{cite web|last=Grandy|first=Eric|date=June 27, 2011|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15570-black-up/|title=Shabazz Palaces: Black Up|work=Pitchfork|access-date=July 21, 2013}}</ref> | rev9 = ''Rolling Stone'' | rev9score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Dolan|first=Jon|date=August 15, 2011|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/black-up-20110815|title=Black Up|magazine=Rolling Stone|location=New York|access-date=July 21, 2013}}</ref> | rev10 = ''Spin'' | rev10score = 7/10<ref>{{cite journal|last=Reeves|first=Mosi|date=June 28, 2011|url=http://www.spin.com/reviews/shabazz-palaces-black-sub-pop/|title=Shabazz Palaces, 'Black Up' (Sub Pop)|journal=Spin|location=New York|access-date=July 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110704030825/http://www.spin.com/reviews/shabazz-palaces-black-sub-pop|archive-date=July 4, 2011}}</ref> }}
''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".<ref name="MC"/> Metacritic included ''Black Up'' in its "Midyear Report: The Best Music of 2011 So Far."<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.metacritic.com/feature/best-music-of-2011-so-far | title=Midyear Report: The Best Music of 2011 So Far | website=Metacritic }}</ref>
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."<ref name="Christgau"/> Jon Pareles, writing in ''The New York Times'', viewed the album as proof that hip hop "still has an audacious progressive fringe."<ref>{{cite news|last=Pareles|first=Jon|author-link=Jon Pareles|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/03/arts/music/new-cds-from-shabazz-palaces-foster-the-people-and-wu-lyf.html|title=Industrial Hip-Hop And Bouncy Sociopathy|date=July 3, 2011|newspaper=The New York Times|page=AR14|access-date=July 21, 2013}}</ref> 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."<ref name="Empire">{{cite news|last=Empire|first=Kitty|author-link=Kitty Empire|date=July 2, 2011|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jul/03/shabazz-palaces-black-up-review|title=Shabazz Palaces: Black Up – review|newspaper=The Observer|location=London|access-date=July 21, 2013}}</ref> 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."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-200-best-albums-of-the-2010s/|title=The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s|work=Pitchfork|date=8 October 2019|access-date=9 October 2019}}</ref>
=== Accolades === :{|class="wikitable sortable" |+''Black Up'' on year-end lists ! Publication ! Country ! Accolade ! Year ! Rank |- | ''Mojo''<ref>{{cite web | url=https://stereogum.com/894362/mojos-top-50-albums-of-2011/list/ | title=MOJO's Top 50 Albums Of 2011 | publisher=Stereogum | date=December 2, 2011 | access-date=December 16, 2011}}</ref> | align="center"| UK | Top 50 albums of 2011 | 2011 | align="center"|36 |- | Popmatters<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.popmatters.com/pm/feature/152303-the-75-best-albums-of-2011/ |title=The 75 Best Albums of 2011 |author=Popmatters Staff |publisher=Popmatters |access-date=May 5, 2013}}</ref> | align="center"| US | 75 Best Albums of 2011 | 2011 | align="center"|30 |- | Pitchfork<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/8727-the-top-50-albums-of-2011/5/ |title=Staff Lists: The Top 50 Albums of 2011 |author=Amanda Petrusich |author-link=Amanda Petrusich |publisher=Pitchfork Media |access-date=December 16, 2011 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304220733/http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/8727-the-top-50-albums-of-2011/5/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> | align="center"| US | Best Albums of 2011 | 2011 | align="center"|14 |- | Pitchfork<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-200-best-albums-of-the-2010s/|title=The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s|author=| date=October 8, 2019 |publisher=Pitchfork Media |access-date=October 9, 2019}}</ref> | align="center"| US | The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s | 2019 | align="center"| 179 |- | Hip Hop Is Read<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hiphopisread.com/2011/12/top-25-hip-hop-albums-of-2011.html |title=The Top 25 Hip Hop Albums of 2011 |author=Ivan Rt |publisher=Hip Hop Is Read |access-date=December 31, 2011}}</ref> | align="center"| US | Top 25 Hip Hop Albums of 2011 | 2011 | align="center"|10 |- |Epitonic<ref>{{cite web |url=http://epitonic.com/#/features/articles/epitonics-top-40-albums-2011-1-10/ |title=Epitonic's Top 40 Albums of 2011 |author=Epitonic Staff |publisher=Epitonic |access-date=February 9, 2012}}</ref> | align="center"| US | Top 40 Albums of 2011 | 2011 | align="center"|4 |- |Gorilla vs. Bear<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gorillavsbear.net/2011/12/05/gorilla-vs-bears-albums-of-2011/ |title=contributor list: Top 30 Albums of 2011 |author=Chris |date=December 5, 2011 |publisher=gorillavsbear |access-date=December 5, 2011}}</ref> | align="center"| US | Albums of 2011 | 2011 | align="center"|1 |- |Gorilla vs. Bear<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gorillavsbear.net/gorilla-vs-bears-albums-of-the-decade-2010-2019/|title= Gorilla vs. Bear's Albums of the Decade: 2010-2019|author=Chris |date= September 20, 2019|publisher=gorillavsbear |access-date=October 9, 2019}}</ref> | align="center"| US | Albums of the Decade: 2010–2019 | 2019 | align="center"|5 |- |Prefixmag<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.prefixmag.com/features/bon-iver-danny-brown-destroyer-drake-fucked-up-jay-z-kanye-west-kurt-vile-real-estate-shabazz-palaces-tune-yards/prefixs-top-50-albums-2011-10-1/59582/ |title=best music of 2011: Prefix's Top 50 Albums Of 2011 |author=Staff |publisher=Prefixmag |access-date=December 12, 2011}}</ref> | align="center"| US | Top 50 Albums of 2011 | 2011 | align="center"|1 |- |''The Seattle Times''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/matsononmusic/ |title=best pop music of 2011: Best pop music 2011: Seattle and beyond |author=Andrew Matson |publisher=The Seattle Times |access-date=December 24, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111231213018/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/matsononmusic/ |archive-date=December 31, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> | align="center"| US | Best Pop Music 2011 | 2011 | align="center"|1 |- |Potholes In My Blog<ref>{{cite web |url=http://potholesinmyblog.com/top-15-albums-of-2011/ |title=Top 15 Albums of 2011 |author=David Reyneke |publisher=Potholes In My Blog |access-date=January 4, 2012 |archive-date=January 21, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121022041/http://potholesinmyblog.com/top-15-albums-of-2011/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> | align="center"| US |Top 15 Albums of 2011 | 2011 | align="center"|1 |- |Cokemachineglow<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cokemachineglow.com/feature/6630/top50albums-2011?pg=5/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120724004512/http://www.cokemachineglow.com/feature/6630/top50albums-2011?pg=5/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 24, 2012 |title=Top 50 Albums of 2011 |author=Clayton Purdom |publisher=Cokemachineglow |access-date=January 4, 2012 }}</ref> | align="center"| US | Top 50 Albums of 2011 | 2011 | align="center"|1 |}
== Track listing == {{Track listing | headline = ''Black Up'' track listing | title1 = Free Press and Curl | length1 = 4:16 | title2 = An Echo from the Hosts That Profess Infinitum | length2 = 3:15 | title3 = Are You... Can You... Were You? (Felt) | length3 = 4:48 | title4 = A Treatease Dedicated to the Avian Airess from North East Nubis (1000 Questions, 1 Answer) | length4 = 2:46 | title5 = Youlogy | length5 = 3:59 | title6 = Endeavors for Never (The Last Time We Spoke You Said You Were Not Here. I Saw You Though.) | length6 = 2:51 | title7 = Recollections of the Wraith | length7 = 3:36 | title8 = The King's New Clothes Were Made by His Own Hands | length8 = 2:07 | title9 = Yeah You | length9 = 3:21 | title10 = Swerve... The Reeping of All That Is Worthwhile (Noir Not Withstanding) | length10 = 5:10 }}
== Personnel == '''Shabazz Palaces''' * Ishmael Butler (aka Palaceer Lazaro) – vocals * Tendai Maraire – instrumentation
'''Additional personnel''' * THEESatisfaction – guest vocals * Blood – mixing * Dumb Eyes – artwork * Knife Knights – production
==Charts== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |+Chart performance for ''Black Up'' ! Chart (2011) ! Peak<br />position |- {{album chart|BillboardHeatseekers|4|artist=Shabazz Palaces|rowheader=true|access-date=June 28, 2021}} |- {{album chart|BillboardIndependent|33|artist=Shabazz Palaces|rowheader=true|access-date=June 28, 2021}} |- {{album chart|BillboardRandBHipHop|38|artist=Shabazz Palaces|rowheader=true|access-date=June 28, 2021}} |- {{album chart|BillboardRap|23|artist=Shabazz Palaces|rowheader=true|access-date=June 28, 2021}} |- {{album chart|BillboardTastemaker|23|artist=Shabazz Palaces|rowheader=true|access-date=June 28, 2021}} |}
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * {{Discogs master|type=album|348228}}
{{Shabazz Palaces}} {{Authority control}}
Category:2011 debut albums Category:Sub Pop albums Category:Shabazz Palaces albums