Ishmael Butler — a producer and rapper from Seattle — has contently existed below the radar for more than 20. He’s a true hero of underground hip-hop. The indie press constantly searches for an opportunity to interview Butler and the love he receives — despite a quiet social media presence and minimal promotion — is certainly one-in-a-million. Butler’s most remarkable feat is his ability to completely reinvent his musical style. Butler’s most famous projects, “Digable Planets” and “Shabazz Palaces,” impressed audiences and critics alike despite employing very different aesthetics, recording processes and sounds. 

 “Digable Planets” brought Butler together with East Coast emcees Mary Ann Vieira and Craig Irving in 1992. The three musicians broke away from the 1990s hip-hop norm. “Planets” rapped about Clarks shoes, Karl Marx and other completely bizarre topics greatly diverging from the socially-conscious and ‘gangsta’ lyrical styles that dominated the decade. The rapping is always light-hearted and fun, even when the bars turn serious and political. But in my opinion, Ishmael Butler’s production is the most enjoyable part of the Digable Planets experience. Butler took heavy influence from New York hip-hop legend DJ Premier and saturated his beats with jazz and funk samples. 

“Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space)” is my personal favorite LP released on “Planets.” The trio brought a certain unpolished sound and authentic energy on its first LP. The follow-up sophomore album, “Blowout Comb,” is generally revered as the groups best album, but I recommend “Reachin’” as an introduction to the group. The single “The Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like That)” launched the group to mainstream success, earning the group both a No. 1 position on the Billboard Rap chart and a Grammy award. 

 “Shabazz Palaces” is an experimental hip-hop duo featuring multi-instrumentalist Tendai Maraire. Butler raps and produces the beats while Maraire creates grooves on traditional African instruments and sings. If you listened to the “Digable Planets” and “Shabazz Palaces” records back-to-back, you’d have no idea Butler made the beats for both of them; they sound nothing alike. “Shabazz Palaces” shows Butler’s remarkable versatility. From the earliest “Shabazz Palaces” EPs to the most recent Adult Swim-sponsored single, the production perfectly toes the line between utterly bizarre and remarkably catchy. 

 The duo’s first two EPs, (“Shabazz Palaces” and “Of Light”), feature darker, bass-heavy beats in minor keys and edgier vocal delivery. The EPs demonstrate a 180 from the easygoing and funky sound on the three “Digable Planets” albums, but “Shabazz Palaces” perfected its craft by 2011’s “Black Up.” The album blends atmosphere, wild psychedelica and beautifully saturated hip-hop rhythms. “Black Up” is one of my favorite hip-hop records of all time; enjoyable on every listen. The spacey follow-up “Lese Majesty” also captivates, but emphasizes the weirdness factor. 

 Contemporary hip-hop centers on the bass-heavy sounds of Metro Boomin and DJ Mustard and there’s no denying that RZA and Dr. Dre molded the mainstream sounds of the 90s, but Ishmael Butler is popular hip-hop’s best kept secret for many years running. The man is prolific and creative — a legend in hip-hop’s diverse underground.