Blue Scholars

Blue Scholars informally call their music “cinema art rap,” yet most folks will probably just hear it as smart 21st century pop. The duo is just as likely to take inspiration from the sugar rush of Empire of the Sun’s feel-good hit “Walking on a Dream” (check out the “Empire Remix” of “New People”) as from a classic Lalo Schifrin soundtrack. Anything from the roster of former Seattle Sonics to observations about Fox News commentators may provide the springboard for their next round of poetic musing. The duo has become renowned live show veterans, rocking over four hundred shows with the likes of Kanye West, De La Soul, Immortal Technique, Q-Tip and supporting such acts on tour Zion-I, Gym Class Heroes and the Coup on tour. They’ve also played labor organizing conferences and youth-run community center shows, the main stage at Sasquatch! (2006, 2008) and Bumbershoot (2006), and in 2007 headlined their own Northwest Hip Hop festival, “The Program,” which sold out five nights in a row. Their discography includes the albums Blue Scholars (2004) and Biyani (2007), as well as the EPs The Long March (2005), Joe Metro (2007), Butter &… (2008), and OOF! (2009).