Blue Scholars – Bayani Redux

Blue Scholars – Bayani Redux

I have a real gem for you all this time. Bayani Redux by Blue Scholars. Blue Scholars is probably not a name that most of you will recognize, and that’s a shame. Blue Scholars were created back in 2002 in Seattle, Washington were the two members,  Sabzi (Saba Mohajerjasbi, DJ) and Geologic (George Quibuyen,MC), were students at University of Washington.

The name “Blue Scholars” is a play on the term “blue collar,” an idiom for workers who often earn hourly wages for manual labor. Their music and lyrics frequently focus on struggles between socioeconomic classes, challenging authority, youth empowerment and marijuana. – Wikipedia

You won’t find any meaningless rap about girls, money and cars on this album, all the songs have a clear message, and the stories are told in a brilliant way, such as in The Distance, where Geologic explains the problems that immigrants face, which will leave you feeling compelled to take a action when the song ends. Political conflicts, war, human oppression, you name it, Geologic covers all aspects of the problems that our world is characterized by. All lines are well thought out and there is no “fill”. It is also very clear that Geologic says exactly what he thinks needs to be said. He is in no way dependent on the record sales. As he raps in North by Northwest:

In the upper left, you gotta be patient / because radio stations ain’t going to play us / unless you sign the dotted, or make your rhymes brainless.

One of my favorite songs on this album is Joe Metro, which you can listen to (and watch the music video) above. Here Geologic uses a bus ride through Seattle to describe the city and the social interplay of the people living and interacting within it. The diversity which exists within a random collection of passengers on a Metro bus, most all of whom are strangers, whose lives might never otherwise intersect, gives a context in which to comment on the condition of life in the city.

I can’t do this album justice with a ‘review’, but I can promise you that if you liked any of my other recommendations, there is a pretty good chance that you will LOVE this album. Its just that good. Further, as mentioned in the beginning, you probably had never heard of Blue Scholars before this and I think that is a shame. These guys are good, really good, and I would love for this kind of music to get a bit more time in the spotlight so the hardworking musicians behind can get some recognition. Do we really need another pushed and over-hyped pop-star or the mindless “Money, Cars, Girls” rappers out there?

So this is a early Christmas present from me to all of you. I hope you enjoy and found some inspiration for new and exiting music on my blog.

J