Last week, Seattle hip hop group Blue Scholars re-released their landmark sophomore album Bayani as Bayani Redux from Duck Down Records. Initially released by Rawkus Records in 2007, Bayani has sold over 20,000 units, and is officially sold out. The original discs are basically collector's items.
But now we've got this re-release. Beefed up with the original album plus some previously unreleased material and brand new tracks, it's now available for everyone who loves Blue Scholar -- new and old fans alike -- and might have missed picking up Bayani the first time around.
I will admit to bootlegging Bayani a while ago, but only because I couldn't get my hands on it through legit means. But I've legally purchased the new CD now. Straight up, this is a fantastic record -- intelligent, angry, poetic, and ultimately hopeful, Geologic and Sabzi give us exactly we need to hear. It's music for these troubled, uncertain times.