Area emcees seize hold of Bumbershoot while Blue Scholars surprise
"Somebody say Beacon Hill!" begged emcee Gabriel Teodros, midway through his hour-long Sunday set at Bumbershoot. With a crew 15 strong, Beacon Hill's Teodros dazzled the midday crowd with his savvy lyrics and boundary-bashing breed of hip-hop - protesting to each Bumbershoot passerby that there's no need to look elsewhere for relevant music.
Teodros was just one of the highlights from a handful of artists during the prolonged weekend of music at Seattle's historic music festival. In this, the 37th year of Bumbershoot, local emcees stacked the bill at the Esurance Stage on the Fisher Green lawn for a lecture in ethnocentricity.
"The South End has always had a bad rap," said Teodros backstage after his set, who considers Beacon Hill, Rainier Beach and Skyway within that jurisdiction. "For forever the [Central District] was considered the Mecca of Seattle hip-hop. We're trying to change that."
Within a 24-hour span, both Gabriel Teodros and Common Market carried the South End's torch high above all others, with fists firmly clenched.
Saturday evening, emcee RA Scion and Beacon Hill's own DJ Sabzi recaptured the stage for the second time in as many years. This time the duo boasted a repertoire a year older, more refined and bit more assured.
"You feel the Seattle hip-hop right now?" asked RA Scion, greeted with praise by the early evening crowd. "It's a good time to [feel] it right now!"
The pair held the crowd firmly for nearly an hour, even with the presence of a handful of new material from their untitled album set to debut early next year. The two even seasoned their set with hints of Blue Scholars' latest, Bayani, in the absence of their label mates. A year ago, Sabzi spun back to back sets with both acts - this year, he looked to be at the helm of just one.
RA seemed almost apprehensive as he teased the crowd just before unloading upon them "Trouble Is" - a more lyrically focused track cemented in blues from the new record.
"Whenever I say I'm gonna play some new stuff, ya'll are like 'mehh!'" joked RA just before debuting the track. The crowd, however, captured the song immediately, after the two digressed momentarily before playing the new material by paying homage to Monday's Mainstage prize, the legendary hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan.
On Sunday, Teodros offered an early afternoon set, preceded with the news that Blue Scholars would be playing later that evening in the absence of Ryan Shaw.
Though Teodros and Common Market undoubtedly stand in support of the same blocks, their sets hardly resembled one another. The dichotomy was truly a testament to diversity of the local scene, as Teodros stood in front a six-piece band and a troupe of vocalists for his hour-long exploration of Lovework - his solo release from earlier this year.
Before guiding the crowd through Lovework, Teodros was warmly welcomed with a soulful, African-inspired jazz number by his cousin, Meklit - a Bay Area vocalist who serenaded the crowd into applause, just before Teodros bounced on stage.
"Man, I [felt] so blessed to play with people I love," said Teodros after his set. Some of his guests included the other half of Teodros' hip-hop outfit Abyssinian Creole, Khingz, up-and-comer Language Arts, and Geologic of Blue Scholars. "These are people I've lived with, grown up with - even shed blood and tears with. It's been a crazy year, and this [set] was like the cherry on top."
Teodros would see no rest after walking off the stage to pounds on the back and hugs from his supporting cast and family, for just three hours later he found himself back on the same stage for somewhat of an encore performance. With Blue Scholars a late-minute addition, Teodros shared the stage with Geologic, Khingz and Macklemore of Step Cousins in the latter half of the hour, debuting the foursome's newest project, "Good Medicine."
With Blue Scholars attracting many of Sunday evening's Mainstage crowd, it was the perfect setting to unveil the super-group, which Teodros referred to as a more energetic endeavor and the "evolution" of Seattle hip-hop.
"Ya'll could have been waiting in line for [Sunday's Mainstage act] Fergie," thanked Geologic during the half-hour portion of the set hosted by Blue Scholars, where he and Sabzi stuck mainly to their new material from Bayani. "But you're hanging with us!"
In 24-hour span, Bumbershoot-goers got more than they could have bargained - or paid -for, with three acts at the forefront of Seattle's hip-hop revolution.
South End writer Josh Sabrowsky may be reached via editor@sdistrictjournal.com.
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