Blue Scholars show love to President Obama’s home state. From the forthcoming Oof! EP.

Seattle duo Blue Scholars has signed a deal with Duck Down. In recent years they’ve issued material on Rawkus and Hyena Records; hopefully Duck Down will provide a lasting home for them. (No word on where their Massline brethren, Gabriel Teodros and Common Market, will head next.) An EP, Oof!, is scheduled for August 25, followed by a new album in 2010.

To fund their upcoming projects, Blue Scholars have partnered with Caffe Vita, a small coffee roasting company that operates several stores in the Northwest area.  “Coffee is both International and local, it effects the lives of millions, and it has tremendous ability to generate culture. We believe strongly in the work of the Blue Scholars and their power to look beyond the basic commodity that music has become. We are honored that Sabzi and Geo see that Vita is striving for the same goals,” says Caffe Vita founder Mike McConnell in a press release.

By working with two indie companies in Duck Down and Caffe Vita, Blue Scholars are continuing their commitment to socially responsible and politically aware art. Their music has yet to accomplish those ambitions, but they came incredibly close with the remarkable (if somewhat uneven) Bayani. Duck Down will reissue Bayani on September 1.

“I believe Blue Scholars is positioned to be one of the next important groups, not just in hip hop, but in music worldwide, and I want Duck Down to be a part of that,” says Duck Down CEO Dru Ha in the aforementioned release. “They bring their progressive ideas not just to their music and lyrics, but also in the way they think about and do their business.” At the very least, they could develop into a Brother Ali-type artist who communicates a true-school hip hop ethos to a wide audience.

The same could be said for Duck Down. Though the label has grown into one of the most important in independent hip hop, it has yet to release a universally acknowledged classic that truly motivates fans. But with a catalog of exciting albums (including Torae & Marco Polo’s recent Double Barrel), strong business moves and a diverse, talented roster that ranges from figurehead Buckshot to new-schoolers Kidz in the Hall, Duck Down is on the verge of becoming the next great indie rap influencer, and the first label to occupy that category since Stones Throw’s breakout year in 2006 (J Dilla’s Donuts, Georgia Anne Muldrow’s Olesi).

Here’s more excerpts from the press release:

On August 25, 2009 Blue Scholars will release “OOF!” their newest collaborative multi-media project and the first release to be distributed through their new venture. On September 1st, they will re-issue their 2007 album “Bayani”, which has already sold over 20,000 units. “Bayani Redux” will include one brand new track and two songs that were previously available only via digital retail outlets. There will also be a brand new full-length Blue Scholars album and other projects coming soon.

The sales and distribution model developed by the group for their upcoming releases will allow them to maintain complete ownership of their music and total control over how it is marketed, sold, and even given away.

Instead of signing a standard artist/record label deal, Blue Scholars hired the label Duck Down to run point on marketing for all of their upcoming releases. As a major player in the current and ever-changing record label industry, Duck Down Records saw this deal as an opportunity to get creative and experiment with strategies for record labels to continue evolving as viable businesses. …

Duck Down’s current distribution partner, E1 Entertainment, the largest independent distributor in the United States, will handle distribution of Blue Scholars’ physical product. Digital sales and distribution will go through Tunecore. Direct-to-fan marketing and sales will be developed by the members of Blue Scholars themselves, using Topspin web marketing tools.

Says Geo, of Blue Scholars, “After weighing all the options, remaining independent is without question, the best look. Duck Down shares that vision and their track record speaks for itself. With them, we get that national and international push while still owning and controlling our music.”

To finance all the upcoming projects, Blue Scholars have formed a strategic brand relationship with Seattle independent coffee company, Caffe Vita. The coffee company will also play a role in the sales and distribution plan by selling upcoming albums in all of their retail outlets and marketing the releases via their online presence.

Blue Scholars DJ/ Producer Sabzi says in regard to their partnership with Caffe Vita – “their innovative marketing, their justice and equity in business practices, and their premiere quality of product and presentation, make Caffe Vita an ideal brand to partner with. I intend to do with our music what Vita does with their coffee.” …

Blue Scholars have sold over 60,000 albums and played over 400 live shows. They have developed a dedicated following in the Northwest (selling over 4,000 tickets for each of their last few Seattle performances) and have shared the stage with an impressive list of nationally acclaimed artists such as Kanye West, Q-Tip, De La Soul, Immortal Technique, Hieroglyphics, GZA of Wu-Tang Clan, Matisyahu, Zion-I, Flobots and the Coup.

Here’s a link to a download from Blue Scholars’ upcoming Oof! EP:

And here’s a cheeky video celebrating the Blue Scholars-Duck Down alliance:

Photo by Tone Fire.

It’s been a little over ten years since Del, Souls of Mischief, Casual and producer Domino launched Hiero Imperium. So this summer, the crew will celebrate with the Freshly Dipped Tour, a summer-long trek through North America.

Oddly, at the moment, it looks like Del the Funky Homosapien, perhaps the best known Hiero member, will not be on the tour. However, everyone else will be there, including Pep Love (who joined the crew in 1998). In addition, they’ll bring along their new Hiero Imperium label mates, all whom dropped albums last year: Musab (former member of Atmosphere, who dropped the controversial The Slicks Box), Knobody (who issued Tha Clean Up) and Prince Ali (author of Curb Side Service). A non-affiliated group, critically-acclaimed Seattle duo Blue Scholars, will finish the bill. (June 17 update: Tanya Morgan has just been added to the show.)

Other treats to look out for include a new album from Souls of Mischief’s Opio, Vulture’s Wisdom, Vol. 1, set for release in July; a commemorative seven-inch single featuring Hiero and Blue Scholars; and the premiere of the collective’s new Hiero Jeans.

“We are putting this tour together to thank our fans for their years of loyal support, expose them to our new projects including our brand-new lifestyle line, Hiero Jeans, and to celebrate the ways that hip-hop style has influenced the fashion world,” says Tajai from Souls. He replaced Domino as Hiero Imperium’s CEO in 2006.

The Freshly Dipped Tour promises lots of good hip-hop, but Del will be missed. Hopefully he’ll make it out to some of the dates. In the meantime, check out the current itinerary; as usual, I’ll update when more information becomes available.

• 6/14: Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkeley, CA
• 7/11: Glasshouse, Pomona, CA
• 7/12: El Rey Theater, Los Angeles, CA
• 7/13: Belly Up Tavern, San Diego, CA
• 7/14: Beauty Bar, Las Vegas, NV
• 7/15: The Clubhouse, Tempe, AZ
• 7/16: Orpheum, Flagstaff, AZ
• 7/17: Sunshine Theater, Albuquerque, NM
• 7/18: Granada Theater, Dallas, TX
• 7/19: Emo’s, Austin, TX
• 7/20: Parrish, New Orleans, LA
• 7/22: The Social, Orlando, FL
• 7/23: Masquerade, Atlanta, GA
• 7/24: Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro, NC
• 7/25: The Music Farm, Charleston, SC
• 7/26: Soapbox, Wilmington, NC
• 7/27: Steppin Out, Virginia Beach, VA
• 7/29: Bedrock, Baltimore, MD
• 7/30: The Note, West Chester, PA
• 7/31: Highline Theater, New York City, NY
• 8/01: Jerky’s Live, Providence, RI
• 8/02: The Middle East, Boston, MA
• 8/03: Higher Ground, Burlington, VT
• 8/05: Babylon, Ottawa, ON
• 8/06: Mod Club, Toronto, ON
• 8/07: The Salt Lounge, London, ON
• 8/08: Blind Pig, Ann Arbor, MI
• 8/09: Skully’s, Columbus, OH
• 8/10: Abbey Pub, Chicago, IL
• 8/12: High Noon, Madison, WI
• 8/13: First Ave, Minneapolis, MN
• 8/14: Waiting Room, Omaha, NE
• 8/15: Fox Theater, Boulder, CO
• 8/16: Urban Lounge, Salt Lake City, UT
• 9/18: The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
• 9/19: Senator Theatre, Chico, CA
• 9/20: Colonial Theatre, Sacramento, CA
• 9/22: Midtown, Bend, OR
• 9/23: McDonald Theatre, Eugene, OR
• 9/24: Roseland, Portland, OR
• 9/26: Showbox, Seattle, WA
• 9/27: Showbox, Seattle, WA
• 9/28: Richards on Richards, Vancouver, BC
• 9/29: Element, Victoria, MB
• 10/01: Oasis, Reno, NV
• 10/02: The Catalyst, Santa Cruz, CA

7/11-10/02: w/Blue Scholars, Musab, Prince Ali, Knobody
7/11-8/15: w/Tanya Morgan

www.hieroglyphics.com
www.myspace.com/hieroglyphics

Despite issuing a widely acclaimed album, Bayani, Seattle duo Blue Scholars still haven’t mounted a proper tour. Slowly but surely, however, they’ve been making their way across the country, knocking off a few dates at a time.

They’ll cover several more cities during the next two weeks. Some of the artists they’ll perform with include Canadian crew Swollen Members and LA vet Evidence; Minneapolis upstart Psalm One; and backpack thugs La Coka Nostra. Blue Scholars’ year ends with a special event: a weeklong hip-hop showcase at Neumo’s in Seattle.

For those that can’t make the trip or, worse, don’t live in a city on the group’s itinerary, there’s the Joe Metro EP. Scheduled to drop on November 6 via Massline/Rawkus, the digital package features a remix of two cuts from Bayani (including a Jake One remix of “North by Northwest”) and two new tracks.

The track listing for Joe Metro EP and Blue Scholars’ tour itinerary is listed below.

• 1. “Joe Metro”
• 2. “Joe Metro (Remix)”
• 3. “Southbound”
• 4. “Town Talk (Part 1)”
• 5. “North By Northwest (Jake One remix)”
• 6. “Joe Metro (instrumental)”
• 7. “Joe Metro (remix) (instrumental)”
• 8. “Southbound (instrumental)”
• 9. “Town Talk (Part 1) (instrumental)”
• 10. “North By Northwest (Jake One Remix) (instrumental)”

And here’s the concert itinerary:

• 10/22: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
• 11/02: Hell’s Kitchen, Tacoma, WA
• 11/03: Whitworth University, Spokane, WA
• 11/13: Picador, Iowa City, IA
• 11/14: Annex, Madison, WI
• 11/15: Nuttys, Sioux Falls, IA
• 11/16: Vaudeville Mews, Des Moines, IA
• 11/17: Subterranean, Chicago, IL
• 11/18: 7th St, Minneapolis, MN
• 11/19: Record Bar, Kansas City, KS
• 11/20: Waiting Room, Omaha, NE
• 11/23: Belly Up, Aspen, CO
• 11/24: Marquis Theater, Denver, CO
• 11/26: Fox Theatre, Boulder, CO
• 11/27: Black Sheep, Colorado Springs, CO
• 12/10: Hawthorne Theatre, Portland, OR
• 12/12: Midtown, Bend, OR
• 12/15: El Rey, Los Angeles, CA
• 12/16: Cafe du Nord, San Francisco, CA
• 12/18-12/22: Neumo’s

11/13-11/20: w/Psalm One
12/10: w/Eyedea & Abilities
12/15: w/La Coka Nostra
12/18-12/22: Blue Scholars present the Program

www.bluescholars.com
www.myspace.com/bluescholars

Massline Media may be the most surprising indie label to emerge this year. With little more than persistence and quality music from its founders — Gabriel Teodros, RA Scion, Geologic and Sabzi — the Seattle crew has netted positive reviews in major publications such as Rolling Stone and fomented support from the world’s true school believers. Call it the little label that could.

“MassLine’s philosophy rejects the notion of art for arts sake, acknowledging that cultural arts is a hammer with which communities can reshape society,” reads the bio on Massline Media’s MySpace page. “Through the medium of Hiphop music, combined with grassroots community organizing and a DIY ethic, we use music not simply to entertain, but to educate and empower.”

Massline currently enjoys a distribution deal with Rawkus. Its next release will be Blue Scholars’ second album, Bayani. Before it drops on June 12, however, the Massline crew will embark on an extensive tour, completing several concerts throughout the western United States. Featured on the bill are Teodros, who released his critically acclaimed Lovework in February; Common Market, which dropped its self-titled debut last year; and Blue Scholars. Tour dates, as well as the track listing for Bayani, are below.

• 5/16: Berbati’s Pan, Portland, OR
• 5/17: Hell’s Kitchen, Tacoma, WA
• 5/18: Raw Sushi, Spokane, WA
• 5/19: The Loft, Missoula, MT
• 5/20: Zebra Cocktail Lounge, Bozeman, MT
• 5/21: Neurolux, Boise, ID
• 5/22: The Urban Lounge, Salt Lake City, UT
• 5/23: Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins, CO
• 5/25: The Nightlight Lounge, Bellingham, WA
• 5/26: Sasquatch Festival, Quincy, WA
• 5/28: The Hidden House, Phoenix, AZ
• 5/29: Hot Monkey Love, San Diego, CA
• 5/30: Knitting Factory, Los Angeles, CA
• 5/31: Pier 23 Cafe, San Francisco, CA
• 6/02: The Grove, Bend, OR
• 6/03: WOW Hall, Eugene, OR

Meanwhile, here’s the track listing for Blue Scholars’ upcoming album Bayani:

• 1. “Baha’i Healing Prayer”
• 2. “Second Chapter”
• 3. “Opening Salvo”
• 4. “North By Northwest”
• 5. “Ordinary Guys”
• 6. “Still Got Love”
• 7. “Bayani”
• 8. “Loyalty”
• 9. “Fire For The People”
• 10. “Xenophobia”
• 11. “The Distance”
• 12. “Back Home”
• 13. “50 Thousand Deep”
• 14. “Morning Of America”
• 15. “Joe Metro”

www.masslinemedia.com
www.myspace.com/masslinemedia