That's That...: Blue Scholars - "BUTTER&GUN$ (Loyalty II)" x "The Ave" x "Big Bank Hank"

Quick post tonight, as I have to get back to writing one of my two major paper due this week.

I originally posted "BUTTER&GUN$" on What's In Rotation, Vol. V (which still holds up as my favorite tape that I've put together), but a surprising number of Blue Scholars fans have yet to hear the track and it's good enough that it deserves it's own shine. The song serves as a sequal to "Loyalty" off of 2007's Bayani and I still haven't decided whether I prefer the original (which you should look for on my upcoming mixtape) or the remix. Both are superb and hold up against some my favorite songs of all time regardless of genre. While Geologic's politically-infused lyrics are excellent, in both renditions, it is Sabzi's production that really steals the show. It needs to be noted that the original songs was released in 2007/8 before autotune was beaten to death (though Sabzi's use of autotune is limited). The synthesizer/drum-based instrumental and autotuned-ambiguous choir background combines for a hauntingly beautiful effect that, when combined with Geo's rhymes (especially the chorus), still gives me chills.

The latter song, off the 2005 re-release of the duo's 2004 eponymous debut, is one of the most cherished songs among the Seattle hip hop community. While the locales will really only be recognized by Seattle-residents and exports, the song remains applicable to nearly everybody as (at least in my experience) most cities have that one hangout spot where a wide variety of groups and social cliques congregate. Mostly, the take home message I want to scream from the rooftops at this point in the semester is, "F*%@ class, get your education on The Ave!"

For those Blue Scholars fans out there who have been craving new material, word is that the group plans to release their next LP, tentatively titled Cinematropolis, early in 2011.

Peace, Love, & Hip Hop,

WordIsBorn

P.S. As a bonus, I've included a .zip for "Big Bank Hank," a recent song/instrumental that the group released. Gotta love that "Rapper's Delight" sample in the intro and the OOF!-esque instrumental. Enjoy.

P.P.S. To completely catch you up on the group, here's a pretty cool video that Oakland-based photographer John Coyne put together for the Scholars' recent track, "Lumière" (which was recorded over The xx's "Intro" and can be downloaded at Geo and Sabzi's website).