We arrived a bit late to catch most of Musab's set at the Showbox Market in Seattle. For a hip-hop group, they pulled out some fun tricks: including one song sung into a flashlight "ghost story style" and another heavily utilizing a megaphone. Their lyrics were mostly upbeat, and they played various older funk and rock tracks, including a finale of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing," which wasn't even a sample but rather a crowd sing-a-long with Musab prompting lyics with questions like "where was she from?!" Overall the performance was highly energetic and heavy on the crowd participation; certainly worth checking out.
Heiro-glyphics! The band had us chanting their name by the first song, and we all happily followed suit throughout their set. Hailing from Oakland, they felt at home in Seattle. The crowd was filled with many long-time fans and nearly half the crowd sang along to every song. The stage didn't appear large enough for all the members though, as every new song brought a new front man to perform. Hieroglyphics (many times) thanked the crowd for their support, and seemed genuinely thankful for their warm reception. Stuff like that certainly makes you feel better about a group.
Now to the main act. I've been attending Blue Scholars' concerts for the past couple years now, and its exciting to see enthusiasm grow for them in Seattle and beyond. This was the second night of two all-ages shows, and while I sometimes (usually) find under-age fans annoying, with their excessive camera-phone usage and the often messy attempts to smuggle alcohol, I have to give credit to this Saturday night crowd. The floor was filled to capacity, with everyone present more than happy to sing along and keep their hands up from the moment Geologic hopped up on stage, grabbed the mic and began bopping around. DJ Sabzi, on the other hand, looked much more stoic, sporting a new tight haircut, shades and a white shirt buttoned all the way up, which I initially mistook for a madrin collar. The upturned corners of his mouth, however, gave away his enjoyment and he later grabbed the mic to sing and bounce along on some vocals.
Geologic expressed his enthusiasm for "this [great] music, not that other crap music." Judging from the resounding themes of love for home and proactivity, I assume he was referring to the positive vibes of the evening in contrast with modern pop music, cranked out by the music industry. Geologic's voice live is a bit more energetic, straying a little away from the fairly constant tone of their albums, and Sabzi always manages to come up with new beats for shows. For example, this Saturday night, his seamless mix including M.I.A's "Paper Planes." And who doesn't like that track?
As a Seattle native, its always fun to hear songs with references to home, such as the various streets in "The Ave.," (for those not from Seattle, "The Ave" is University Way an urban area next to the University of Washington, the former haunt of the duo) or comments about the beauty of the northwest in the summertime.
For certain shows, Blue Scholars call on additional musicians to really bring the fireworks to a performance. Not for this show. I could lament this, but that wouldn't be fair, since they advertise themselves as "one DJ and one Emcee and that's it." This evening was about positive hip-hop, irregardless of how many people were on the stage. l want to give the Blue Scholars a nod for their commitment to their community: promoting music and the arts in many contexts in Seattle, particularly opening up to youth (many of their shows are for all ages) and advocating for activism. For a high level hip-hop show, filled with great atmosphere and energy, I recommend the Blue Scholars.
