Hip-Hop with a Message
The Blue Scholars are a rap group with a message to share. They like to focus on social issues in their music, from cultural discrimination to socioeconomic class struggles, to youth empowerment. Deeply committed to their fans and the the independent lifestyle, Geo and Sabzi run their own record label and distribute most of their material directly online and in person. From the ethically and socially diverse neighborhood of southeast Seattle, the Blue Scholars do it all with killer flow and some seriously sick beats.
Bio
George Quibuyen and Alexei Saba Mohajerjasbi met while attending the University of Washington in 2002. They started out working to bring quality hip-hop acts to Seattle to perform, but soon started making their own music as MC Geologic and DJ Sabzi. The name "Blue Scholars" is a play on their combination of intelligent and socially conscious music and their lower-class or "blue collar" background.
Geo
George Quibuyen (stage names Geo and Prometheus Brown) is the child of Filipino immigrants and lived in various places on the West Coast and Hawaii growing up. Many of his lyrics explore his heritage as a Filipino in America and immigration in general. Geo frequently criticizes the United State's foreign policy in his music. He has collaborated with Los Angeles rapper Bambu on an album and remains close to many others in the Northwest hip-hop scene.
Sabzi
Alexei Saba Mohajerjasbi is an Iranian-American DJ, trained as a jazz pianist. He played in ska and punk groups before forming the Blue Scholars with Geo. He is a native of Seattle and a practicioner of the Baha'i faith. Since 2005 he's worked with rapper RA Scion as the group Common Market in addition to the Blue Scholars.
In the Studio and on the Stage
Since 2002, the duo has become renowned live show veterans, rocking over 400 shows with the likes of Kanye West, De La Soul, Nas, Common, and supporting such acts on tour Zion-I, Hieroglyphics, and the Coup on tour. They’ve also played labor organizing conferences and youth-run community center shows, the main stage at Sasquatch! (2006 & ‘08) 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&GUN$ (2008), and OOF! (2009).