Concert Review: Blue Scholars-Hieroglyphics

[Roseland; September 24, 2008]
“Beats Rhymes and Life” such are lyrics to live by. This show was one that would fall under Geologic’s (MC of the Blue Scholars) category as “dope” shit. “There are only two types of hip hop, no, two types of music…dope and wack.” This set the mood for the night. For those of you who don’t know the Blue Scholars, here’s a little background. Hailing from Seattle, they are the saviors of NW hip-hop, holding their own among the rest of America’s strong hip-hop scene. Consisting of Geologic (MC) and Sabzi (Producer/DJ), they spread socially conscious lyrics accompanied by instrument heavy beats. I had the chance to chill with both Geo and Sabzi last year when they were playing at none other than our own Lewis and Clark College. They both were down to earth guys with music as a job. Never do their lyrics deviate from those they care about most, their audience, and this is emphasized by how they interact with their fans. With one DJ and one MC, you would think that they would pale in comparison to the fairly large stage of the Roseland, yet that was hardly the case. Geo has a passion for his craft. He projects his lyrics with his body, feeling every syllable. It is refreshing to see someone who still loves his craft. You never get the feeling that he is tired, or not wanting to be there, which happens from time to time with artists. He is not stationary or boring, he feels the beat as he lets go his flow of rhymes. It is also important to note his flow is quite unique, which is refreshing when there is the cookie cutter of lyrics/flow floating around the hip-hop world. With Geo commanding the front of the stage, Sabzi holds up the background. He is not one to fall into the shadows, providing the beat but little else. Sabzi brings energy rare for a DJ, holding his own as a member of the group, not as support. He is a character, dancing around while he spins the beats, he grabs onto his mic to accompany some of the vocal samples (which are pretty much the only samples, since Sabzi creates most of his beats). When “The Ave” came one, the entire crowd started bumping, jumping and singing along, “Fuck class, get your education on the Ave.” With Inkwell Geo let out his rhymes, and half way through Sabzi spun in a very different beat, “Float On” by Modest Mouse. Such a call out towards another NW group shows that they transcend the boundaries of music. I have seen Blue Scholars upwards of five times, not only are they the best NW hip-hop group, but one of the best performers around. They never fail to impress.
Next comes Hieroglyphics. Hiero is the combination of Souls of Mischief and Del Tha Funkie Homosapien. What came out was not this. Souls of Mischief came out, sans A-Plus, and most importantly the “man, the myth, the great great granddaddy of Hieroglyphics, Del” (“Off the Record” Hieroglyphics). This is due to the fact that Del and A-Plus are off touring at the moment. I can’t help but say that I was a little disappointed, even though I was fortunate enough the see them earlier this month, and have seen Hiero in its entirety. Despite this disappointment, the remaining members put on a hell of a show. Even without their leader they were able to command the crowd, pounding out classic after classic. They interacted with the crowd, getting participation with songs such as “Dune Methane” having us all yell, “Dee dee da da dee dee dane.” Their flow was impressive, and it is nice to see a group who works well together, even when the dynamic is shaken up. They concluded their set with a Souls of Mischief classic, “93 till Infinity” and concluded with the crowd favorite, “You Never Knew” which had the entire singing along. It was easy to forget the fact that there were members missing, and get immersed in the music.
My one beef with the show was the somewhat unequal distribution of set time. Hiero and Blue Scholars were co headliners; Hiero got a longer set time. Hiero may be bigger, and around for longer, but overall Blue Scholars were a stronger show all around. Either way, it was a fantastic hip-hop show and like my friend said (it was her first hip-hop show), “It was life changing.” Both groups are ones to check out, and if you get a chance to catch them next time around, do not hesitate to see Blue Scholars.