Gabriel Teodros
Encyclopedia
Gabriel Teodros is a hip hop
artist and a member of the group Abyssinian Creole
. He is of Ethiopian
, Scottish
, Irish
& Native American
descent, and was raised on Beacon Hill, Seattle, Washington
. Teodros' music is determined by a social consciousness that tackles issues such as sexism, racism and homophobia, with constant references to his engagement towards the Third World
issues, a.o. due to his Ethiopian background. He was a catalyst in the surge of dynamic underground rap acts from the Pacific Northwest
during the mid- to late 2000s.
; Teodros spent his high school years in Las Vegas, Nevada
where in the face of racism and police brutality, he began to take his music seriously.
In 1999, Teodros returned to Seattle and began working with a live band called 500 Years. That same year, he met an MC named Khalil Crisis (better known as Khingz
), from the group Maroon Colony. In 2001, Teodros and Khingz formed the group Abyssinian Creole
, and in 2005 the group released their first album, entitled Sexy Beast
, an album that gave expression to the post-1990s cosmopolitanism thriving in South Seattle.
In the Spring of 2006, Teodros completed the entire Lovework
album with producer Amos Miller, around the same time MassLine Media was being formed with Teodros, Blue Scholars
& Common Market
. Towards the end of the year, Teodros independently released a mix-tape/CD entitled Westlake: Class of 1999, which was a collection of his unreleased songs recorded in 4 different cities between the years 2002-2006.
The Lovework
album was released February 27, 2007 on MassLine, to critical acclaim. The album topped the CMJ
Hip Hop charts for 2 weeks and came in at #19 for the year 2007. This year Teodros was also named as one of URB Magazine's "Next 100".
His influences range from black feminist
author bell hooks
, to reggae artist Bob Marley
, and hip hop groups like A Tribe Called Quest
& Freestyle Fellowship
.
Teodros also DJ's for Zulu Radio on KBCS
91.3 FM.
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
artist and a member of the group Abyssinian Creole
Abyssinian Creole
Abyssinian Creole is a hip hop group based in Seattle, Washington. The group consists of MCs Gabriel Teodros and Khingz, DJ WD4D, and producer Kitone...
. He is of Ethiopian
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
, Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
& Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
descent, and was raised on Beacon Hill, Seattle, Washington
Beacon Hill, Seattle, Washington
Beacon Hill is a hill and neighborhood in southeast Seattle, Washington. The municipal government subdivides it into North Beacon Hill, Mid-Beacon Hill, Holly Park, and South Beacon Hill, though most people who live there simply call it "Beacon Hill." Home to the world headquarters of Amazon.com...
. Teodros' music is determined by a social consciousness that tackles issues such as sexism, racism and homophobia, with constant references to his engagement towards the Third World
Third World
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either capitalism and NATO , or communism and the Soviet Union...
issues, a.o. due to his Ethiopian background. He was a catalyst in the surge of dynamic underground rap acts from the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
during the mid- to late 2000s.
Biography
Born and raised in Seattle, WashingtonSeattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
; Teodros spent his high school years in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
where in the face of racism and police brutality, he began to take his music seriously.
In 1999, Teodros returned to Seattle and began working with a live band called 500 Years. That same year, he met an MC named Khalil Crisis (better known as Khingz
Khingz
Khingz is a hip-hop MC from Seattle, Washington. He was named Best MC Of The Year by Seattle Weekly readers in 2009 after the Juneteenth release of his most recent full-length album, From Slaveships To Spaceships; critics at The Stranger, SoundNW Magazine, and Seattle Weekly described the album...
), from the group Maroon Colony. In 2001, Teodros and Khingz formed the group Abyssinian Creole
Abyssinian Creole
Abyssinian Creole is a hip hop group based in Seattle, Washington. The group consists of MCs Gabriel Teodros and Khingz, DJ WD4D, and producer Kitone...
, and in 2005 the group released their first album, entitled Sexy Beast
Sexy Beast (album)
-Track listing:...
, an album that gave expression to the post-1990s cosmopolitanism thriving in South Seattle.
In the Spring of 2006, Teodros completed the entire Lovework
Lovework
Lovework, is the critically acclaimed debut Hiphop album by Gabriel Teodros, released February 27, 2007 on MassLine Media.-Overview:Aesthetically and politically, Lovework descends from a mid-'90s school of conscious Northwest hip hop, characterized by groups such as Black Anger and Silent Lambs...
album with producer Amos Miller, around the same time MassLine Media was being formed with Teodros, Blue Scholars
Blue Scholars
Blue Scholars is a hip hop duo based in Seattle, Washington, created in 2002 while the members, DJ Sabzi and MC Geologic, were students at the University of Washington....
& Common Market
Common Market (band)
Common Market is a hip hop duo based in Seattle, Washington with members RA Scion and DJ/Producer Sabzi. The two members were individually active hip hop artists in the Pacific Northwest since 2002, but collectively combined their talents in 2005 to form Common Market.Sabzi started his career as...
. Towards the end of the year, Teodros independently released a mix-tape/CD entitled Westlake: Class of 1999, which was a collection of his unreleased songs recorded in 4 different cities between the years 2002-2006.
The Lovework
Lovework
Lovework, is the critically acclaimed debut Hiphop album by Gabriel Teodros, released February 27, 2007 on MassLine Media.-Overview:Aesthetically and politically, Lovework descends from a mid-'90s school of conscious Northwest hip hop, characterized by groups such as Black Anger and Silent Lambs...
album was released February 27, 2007 on MassLine, to critical acclaim. The album topped the CMJ
College Music Journal
College Music Journal, commonly known as CMJ, is a music events/publishing company which hosts an annual festival in New York City, the CMJ Music Marathon, as well as a weekly magazine of and for the music industry and college radio stations in the United States and Canada. It publishes top 30...
Hip Hop charts for 2 weeks and came in at #19 for the year 2007. This year Teodros was also named as one of URB Magazine's "Next 100".
His influences range from black feminist
Black feminism
Black feminism argues that sexism, class oppression, and racism are inextricably bound together. Forms of feminism that strive to overcome sexism and class oppression. The Combahee River Collective argued in 1974 that the liberation of black women entails freedom for all people, since it would...
author bell hooks
Bell hooks
Gloria Jean Watkins , better known by her pen name bell hooks, is an American author, feminist, and social activist....
, to reggae artist Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
, and hip hop groups like A Tribe Called Quest
A Tribe Called Quest
A Tribe Called Quest is an American hip hop group, formed in 1985, and is composed of rapper/producer Q-Tip , rapper Phife Dawg , and DJ/producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad. A fourth member, rapper Jarobi White, left the group after their first album but rejoined in 2006...
& Freestyle Fellowship
Freestyle Fellowship
Freestyle Fellowship are a rap group from Los Angeles consisting of rappers Aceyalone, Myka 9, P.E.A.C.E., Self Jupiter and producer J Sumbi...
.
Teodros also DJ's for Zulu Radio on KBCS
KBCS
KBCS-FM is a noncommercial community radio station serving the Puget Sound region of Seattle, Washington, USA. The station is licensed to Bellevue College and broadcasts in HD Radio at 91.3 MHz with a power of 8,000 watts. The transmitter and studios are located in Bellevue, Washington on...
91.3 FM.
Albums
- Air 2 A Bird Crow Hill (independent, 2010)
- Gabriel Teodros LoveworkLoveworkLovework, is the critically acclaimed debut Hiphop album by Gabriel Teodros, released February 27, 2007 on MassLine Media.-Overview:Aesthetically and politically, Lovework descends from a mid-'90s school of conscious Northwest hip hop, characterized by groups such as Black Anger and Silent Lambs...
(MassLine, 2007) - Gabriel Teodros Westlake: Class of 1999 (independent, 2006)
- Abyssinian CreoleAbyssinian CreoleAbyssinian Creole is a hip hop group based in Seattle, Washington. The group consists of MCs Gabriel Teodros and Khingz, DJ WD4D, and producer Kitone...
Sexy BeastSexy Beast (album)-Track listing:...
(MADK/Pangea, 2005) - Gabriel Teodros Sun To A Recycled Soul (independent, 2001)
EPs
- Gabriel Teodros No Label (MassLine, 2007)
- Abyssinian CreoleAbyssinian CreoleAbyssinian Creole is a hip hop group based in Seattle, Washington. The group consists of MCs Gabriel Teodros and Khingz, DJ WD4D, and producer Kitone...
Sexy Beast (MADK/Pangea, 2005)
Mixtapes
- Gabriel Teodros GT's Ethiopium: A Jitter Generation Mixtape (independent, 2009)
Singles
- The LivinYard Summer's Here / Society Of Summer (independent, 2009)
- Gabriel Teodros Me & You featuring Silver Shadow D (independent, 2009)
- DJ Ian Head Sippin Coffee / Nightsky with Abyssinian CreoleAbyssinian CreoleAbyssinian Creole is a hip hop group based in Seattle, Washington. The group consists of MCs Gabriel Teodros and Khingz, DJ WD4D, and producer Kitone...
, Opoetik & Evolve-One (Everyday Beats, 2008)
Guest appearances
- Sabreena Da Witch A Woman Under The Influence "Beit / Home" featuring Gabriel Teodros (SabreenaNow.com, 2010)
- Various Artists 47N122W35N139E: Reunion On The I-5 "Pop Star Is Dead" - Gabriel Teodros (Vuestro Record/Shamrock, 2010)
- Canary Sing Boss Ladies: A Mixtape "Raindrops" featuring Gabriel Teodros, Slay, Chev, One.Two (independent, 2010)
- Suntonio Bandanaz Who Is Suntonio Bandanaz!?! "Meditate" featuring Gabriel Teodros & Khingz (Fresh Chopped Beats/MADK, 2009)
- Big World Breaks 4 Those Lost... "Emerald City Step" featuring Yirim Seck, Khingz, B-Flat, Gabriel Teodros, okanomodé (independent, 2009)
- KhingzKhingzKhingz is a hip-hop MC from Seattle, Washington. He was named Best MC Of The Year by Seattle Weekly readers in 2009 after the Juneteenth release of his most recent full-length album, From Slaveships To Spaceships; critics at The Stranger, SoundNW Magazine, and Seattle Weekly described the album...
From Slaveships To Spaceships "Boi Caimen At Adwa" featuring Gabriel Teodros (Fresh Chopped Beats/MADK, 2009) - Dollabin Styles You Can't Afford "Dreamz" featuring Gabriel Teodros (Everyday Beats, 2009)
- The Kafa Beanz Andromeda: The Chronicles of Blackopia Volume 1 "Tizita" - Gabriel Teodros featuring B Sheba (Burntface Media, 2008)
- DJ Ian Head Pieces "Sippin Coffee" featuring Gabriel Teodros & Khingz (Root70 Lounge, 2008)
- Nam Exhale "Ghetto" featuring Gabriel Teodros & Toni Hill (independent, 2008)
- DJ T-Bone Steak The Other Side Of The Moon "Stay Fly" - Abyssinian Creole, SistaHailStorm, Seiji (DMR, 2006)
- Common MarketCommon Market (band)Common Market is a hip hop duo based in Seattle, Washington with members RA Scion and DJ/Producer Sabzi. The two members were individually active hip hop artists in the Pacific Northwest since 2002, but collectively combined their talents in 2005 to form Common Market.Sabzi started his career as...
Common MarketCommon Market (album)Common Market is the self-titled debut from Seattle-based hip-hop duo Common Market. The album was produced by Sabzi, who is also a member of another prominent Seattle hip-hop group, Blue Scholars....
"Every Last One (Cornerstone Remix)" featuring Geologic & Gabriel Teodros (MassLine, 2006) - MacklemoreMacklemoreBen Haggerty, known by his stage name Macklemore, is a hip hop artist based in Seattle, Washington. Macklemore works with Ryan Lewis Andrew Joslyn , Owour Arunga , Zach Fleury , and Noah Goldberg...
The Language of My World "Claiming The City" featuring Abyssinian Creole (independent, 2005) - ORB & So-Called Musicians Dirty Scientifix "Meet Me Halfway" featuring Abyssinian Creole, Castro, SistaHailStorm (CrateDiggers, 2005)
- Moka OnlyMoka OnlyDaniel Denton , known professionally as Moka Only, is a Canadian hip hop artist. Originally from Langford, British Columbia, near Victoria, he is now based in Vancouver. He was previously part of the hip hop group Swollen Members, and briefly a part of Len. His albums are released by Legendary...
Flood "Liquid Sunshine" featuring Gabriel T. (Battleaxe Records, 2002)