[youtube id=”HlUh0QPfNc4″] Shabazz Palaces is the latest hip-hop group to perform at The Kennedy Center tonight. Ishmael Butler and Tendai “Baba” Maraire took control of the Millennium Stage for one hour with their intricate rhythms and Butler’s abstract lyrics filling the room with their own mysticism. If you haven’t heard Quazarz: Born On A Gangster Star or Quazarz Vs. The Jealous Machines listen here. 

[youtube id=”n38sGzjUk6M”] Q-Tip is leading the newly formed Kennedy Center Hip Hop Council. It was announced on A Tribe Called Quest’s Instagram last week that major news was on the way and this sounds like the update. The council members will provide guidance on hip-hop’s presence at the center. Common, MC Lyte, Grandmaster Caz, Kierno Mayo and Robert Glasper are among the membership that has Questlove as Advisor-At-Large. Watch Q-Tip’s above video where he explains the council’s formation and purpose. See the full list of members the upcoming events at the Kennedy Center site.