The West Coast has a long list of representatives, but many view throwing up the ‘W’ as a distinctly-Californian phenomenon. Proudly waving the flag for the less-renowned Northwest, Seattle duo Blue Scholars are bringing some much-needed shine to the rain-soaked streets that they call home. In 2004, Blue Scholars emerged from the birthplace of grunge music with a jazzy and progressive self-titled debut. With the release of Bayani, their more ambitious and advanced sophomore effort, MC Geologic and producer Sabzi are once again calling attention to the left-coast’s northern sector.

Bayani exhibits vibrant hip-hop drawn from the Blue Scholars’ hometown and colored by the pressing influence of their heritage. Both members have immigrant parents -- Geologic’s Filipino, Sabzi’s Iranian -- and those ethnic ties remain strong. In fact, Bayani is a tribute to worldly sounds, working-class empowerment and post-colonial plight. It relays downtrodden sensibilities through refined and noble channels. Over the electronic hum of Opening Salvo, Geologic sends a dedication to his Third World kin by rhyming, “Now this here’s for those who chose fights whose fruits might never not ripen until after their life.”

Expressing empathy with oppressed people is a constant theme of Bayani, both lyrically and musically. From the protest cry of 50,000 Deep to the title track’s wrenching instruments, the album plays as a continuous song of struggle. Common once rapped that “if revolution had a movie, I’d be theme music.” Well, Sabzi’s keen use of dynamic melodies and drums could serve as a fitting soundtrack to the sequel. His bass-brimming rhythms and soul-strumming music set an exotic, highly-emotional tone on several songs. Loyalty benefits from a lush mix of vocoder effects, harmonic singing, fragile piano keys and reverberating drums. Geologic pens the script to another rich-sounding epic on Fire For the People. The MC’s relaxed but compelling delivery flourishes over the upbeat musical backing. Ambient sounds come and go at opportune points, allowing him to rap, “No flagwavin’, celebratin’ your invasion/You call it Thanksgiving, we call it things taken.”

Geologic’s emotive lyrics and Sabzi’s lavish compositions form a clever team. Their musical pick-and-roll proves to be a winning act on the slow-moving The Distance. Similar results occur on Back Home, which features Geo condemning the Iraq War and commenting, “Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy is looking like the street we named after him.” This natural chemistry between lyricist and beatsmith rarely falters. Aside from the uneventful Ordinary Guys, a track that is a bit too serene, the Scholars mostly deliver quality results on all fronts. The duo brings classic blue-collar ethics, spiked with a proud Third World slant, and combines them with the intelligence supposedly reserved for a white-collar education.

Blue Scholars fashion themselves as champions of the disadvantaged, and this album is an apt platform to prove that point. According to the group, the word “bayani” means both “heroes of the people” in Tagalog (Filipino) and “the word” in Farsi. Regardless of the language spoken, Bayani is a collection sure to speak to anyone in search of music with substance.