Ijeoma Oluo is spot on in her new article for City Arts when she writes, “Listen to Lese Majesty by Shabazz Palaces and you’ll remember that Seattle is more than tech start-ups and football—it’s also really fucking cool.”

Shabazz Palaces and the visionary artists who join them in the Black Constellation collective make me thankful and honored that I get to live in this city. In an artist talk accompanying Your Feast Has Ended, the collective’s brilliant show at the Frye last year, Nicholas Galanin, Maikoiyo Alley-Barnes and Nep Sidhu said that the movement is interested in forging new myths and stories for the present.

Ushering in the presence of a new 2015 with Black Constellation at The Neptune on New Years Eve felt especially appropriate in that light. Shabazz Palaces, performing in front of a giant banner depicting, appropriately enough, a palace, ran through songs old and new, bringing out Constellation friends like THEESatisfaction, Chimurenga Renaissance O.C. Notes, Dougie, JusMoni and Porter Ray. The best line of the night probably goes to the latter, Porter Ray, who asked, “have you ever been fucked in a spaceship?”

Tendai Maraire’s performance of “Go Go Gettem” with Hussein Kalonji off last year’s riZe vadZimu riZe felt especially on fire. After the song, Maraire brought his son out to rap on a tune together. Black Constellation keeps it in the family. This year is looking to be a big one for the collective—both Porter Ray and THEESatisfaction have new albums on the way for Sub Pop, which Catherine Harris-White and Stasia Irons have deemed “Sub Hop” in their new column for the Weekly.