Search - Blue Scholars :: Blue Scholars

Who Are These Guys? (4.5 Stars)

Norfeest | Washington DC USA | 01/07/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I believe I have the expanded re-release (the one with the brown cover), but Amazon.com doesn't have it. It's basically the same album with three more songs (12. The Ave, 13. Life & Debt, and 14. No Rest For The Weary), a booklet with the lyrics, and a video for "Freewheelin". In order to watch the video, you'll have to download Quicktime if you don't have it already.



At any rate, this album is superior to just about anything I've heard this year (with One Be Lo's S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M. LP being the lone exception). The production is different from anything you've ever heard, yet totally familiar. They're funky, smooth, and melodic.....Sabzi definitely laid some heat on this LP. I'm officially hooked on his sound after just one listen. As far as the rhymes, Geologic is just as tight on the rhymes as Sabzi is on the beats. He rhymes with a purpose.....a tatic that's slowly becoming exstinct in rap music. It's as perfect a blend of rhymes and beats as you're going to find.



As far as flaws, I've yet to find/hear any. The replay value is great here, the beats are on point, and the lyrics are tight, intelligent, and smooth. There are NO wack tracks here. Well, "The Ave" is skippable. It's not wack, but I tend to skip it because it's kind of boring. The same can be said for "Life & Debt".



It's crazy that I've never heard of these guys before. If the magazine I write for hadn't sent it to me for review, I'd probably still be unaware of who these two guys are. They may be all the way on the otherside of the country (Seattle, Wa), but they have a new fan/promotional tool right here in Washington, DC now.





Geologic and Sabzi have something going here. They have a connection as a producer and emcee team that you rarely hear in hip hop (like Guru & Primo, Kweli & Hi Tek, or Pete Rock & CL Smooth). I give this album two thumbs way, way, way up. I'd highly recommend buying this. If you come across this album in a store, snatch it up. Don't even think about it, just get it. I know I'll be bumping this for AT LEAST the next six months.



Standout Tracks: Blink (My Favorite), The Inkwell, Solstice: Intro, Freewheelin', Bruise Brothers, Evening Chai, selfPortrait, Burnt Offering, Sagaba, and Blue School"

Picked this up a while back...

Brandon Mcnaughton | tn | 08/06/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"i downloaded it online, on a friend's recommendation, and let me tell you, this is one of the best hip hop cd's i've ever listed to. geo's lyrics are well structured and complex, yet they come off smooth as butter during delivery. he touches on everything from the state of music in "motion movement" to spirituality in "burnt offering" and the war in iraq in "blink" ...on the other side, sabzi makes what i consider to be some of the best beats in the world of hip hop. not the bass-drowned beats of pop, radio or eMpTyV. these are tightly laced melodies constructed entirely from SAMPLES. it's incredible to think that every single beat was made on a desktop computer... as an emcee and a dj, blue scholars comes together with a synergy far greater than the sum of the parts. i'm buying this cd through amazon now, to support them as artists. i hope to see them come to nashville in the next year. geo, if you read this, keep doing your thing!"

Amazing hip hop and message

WHO | Pacific NW | 08/06/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Blue Scholars could be the most powerful and skilled duo in hip-hop that no one knows about. The CD Amazon is selling is the older one,which is still amazing and has 11 tracks of brilliance and good beats. But the re-release from their website is the best buy. It also has the anthemic "The Ave", "Life and Debt" and the powerful "No rest for the weary". If you have ever been in Seattle or elsewhere and seen these guys live in the last year or so you know they are something special. Live they are the just as good as vinyl. Deep beats using a lot of guitar and jazz, but there is still the deep bass hits hidden in the tracks which make the music very enjoyable.

Long Story Short: Buy it"