It’s hard to find a mention of the Blue Scholars that doesn’t tack on some form of the term “socially conscious.”
And while sure, there’s good reason for that — the indie hip- hop duo is more likely to rap about a struggling immigrant than diamonds and Bentleys — the phrase isn’t a favorite of Alexei Saba Mohajerjasbi, or Sabzi, as he’s known onstage.
“The term has been sort of ruined, and stuck on people who are condescending in their music,” said Sabzi, one half of the duo. “I don’t know. It’s music that doesn’t have as much of a dynamic place in pop culture anymore.”
The group intends to overcome the label by showcasing its dynamism on Saturday night, as Sabzi and George Quibuyen, or Geologic, take the stage at historic Everett Theatre for an all-ages show.
The concert marks a couple of firsts. It will be the first of a proposed series of shows meant to draw teens to the downtown venue, known for community theater productions, and also the first time the buzzed-about group has played Everett.
While the Blue Scholars’ drawing power in Everett remains to be seen, its ability to sell out Seattle clubs has been proven time and again.
The duo met when they were attending the University of Washington. In 2004, they released a self-titled album under the name Blue Scholars, a play on the idea they were blue-collar intellectuals. The album struck a chord with the local press and, with subsequent releases increasing the Scholars’ renown, the group now is counted as one of the biggest and best hip-hop acts in the Northwest.
In part, that’s on account of thoughtful rhymes. But it’s also because the group employs a grab bag of sounds — snatches of piano, jittery beats and Iranian-influenced music, for instance. At odd moments, the group sounds like party music by way of Persia.
Blame that on Sabzi, 26, who creates the sounds that Geologic, 28, raps over.
“I listened to nothing but Persian music and Bollywood soundtracks until I was in fifth grade,” said Sabzi, who has Iranian heritage.
Sabzi also acts as half of Common Market, Saturday night’s opener. In that group, he develops beats for rapper Ryan Abeo, or RA Scion.
While Scion, 34, is also a hit in Seattle, he will have a shorter commute to Everett than Sabzi. He lives in Monroe.
Like the Blue Scholars, Common Market focuses on globally minded hip-hop with a strong social message.
Take Common Market’s newly released second album, “Tobacco Road,” a conceptual record that centers on a farmer. An unusual subject for hip hop, it was a natural for Scion, a Kentucky native who spent almost two years working with farms in Zambia.
“Regardless of what we put out, as long as we stayed true to the fundamental principles of Common Market — good music with some substance — it wouldn’t matter if I was telling a story from a farmer’s perspective,” he said of the album.
Since Common Market and Blue Scholars share a member, their sets tend to bleed together during concerts, without a stage break. In Everett, Common Market will open the show. Geologic then may join the duo on stage near the set’s end, and, as Scion leaves, the Blue Scholars set will begin.
Both acts are excited to play an all-ages show in Everett. The groups sometimes play 21-and-over shows, shutting out teens. But like any negativity attached to being socially conscious, it’s a fact they are eager to overcome for a simple reason.
“The majority of our fans are youth,” Scion said.
Reporter Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455 or arathbun@heraldnet.com.
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