Abyssinian Creole is a

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

duo composed of Khingz and

Gabriel Teodros Gabriel Teodros (born 1981) is a hip hop artist and a member of the groups Abyssinian Creole and CopperWire. He was raised on Beacon Hill, Seattle, Washington. Teodros' music often features socially conscious themes, and he was a catalyst in t ...

."My Philosophy" by Larry Mizell Jr
The Stranger. December 1, 2005.

History

The MC's of Abyssinian Creole met each other in 1999. Khingz (who was then known as Khalil Crisis) was in a live band called Maroon Colony, and

was in a live band called 500 Years. The 2 groups began sharing bills together all over

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

and the 2 MC's also began working with a community organization called Youth Undoing Institutionalized Racism. In 2001, YUIR sent them to a conference in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, and it was there that Teodros and Khingz saw how much they had in common outside of music. They formed the group Abyssinian Creole to both represent their peoples and the bridges between them.Gabriel Teodros (of Abyssinian Creole) - interview by Todd E. Jones
Insomniac Magazine. December 19, 2006. DJ WD4D and producer Kitone joined the group separately years later."Gabriel Teodros - Biography" by Cyril Cordor
Allmusic. In 2005 Abyssinian Creole released their first album, entitled ''

Sexy Beast ''Sexy Beast'' is a 2000 black comedy crime film directed by Jonathan Glazer (in his feature film directorial debut) and written by Louis Mellis and David Scinto. It stars Ray Winstone, Ben Kingsley, and Ian McShane. It follows Gary "Gal" ...

'', an album that gave expression to the post-1990s

cosmopolitanism Cosmopolitanism is the idea that all human beings are members of a single community. Its adherents are known as cosmopolitan or cosmopolite. Cosmopolitanism is both prescriptive and aspirational, believing humans can and should be " world citizen ...

thriving in South Seattle. "Let 'Lovework' Rule" by Charles Mudede
The Stranger. February 27, 2007. The albums featured guests included

Moka Only Daniel Denton (born November 14, 1973), better known by his stage name Moka Only, is a Canadian hip hop artist and producer . He is originally from Langford, British Columbia, where he cultivated a deep passion for hip hop. Later, moving to San ...

, Geologic of

Blue Scholars Blue Scholars is an American hip hop duo based in Seattle, Washington, created in 2002 while the members, DJ Sabzi (Saba Mohajerjasbi) and MC Geologic (George Quibuyen), were students at the University of Washington. The name "Blue Scholar ...

and

Macklemore Benjamin Hammond Haggerty (born June 19, 1983), better known by his stage name Macklemore ( ; formerly Professor Macklemore), is an American rapper. A native of Seattle, Washington, he started his career in 2000 as an independent artist rele ...

. What ''Sexy Beast'' made apparent was the diversity of Northwest hiphop: It can come from anywhere (East Africa, Haiti) and be about anything (love, immigration, meditation). In 2006, Good Medicine was formed: a four-person group composed of Abyssinian Creole,

and Geologic of

. Good Medicine have headlined a handful of shows in the Seattle area but have never released any music as a group. Abyssinian Creole has performed at the

Under the Volcano Festival Under the Volcano Festival of Art & Social Change was an activist, grassroots cultural gathering held at Whey-Ah-Wichen/Cates Park on the traditional lands of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation in North Vancouver, Canada. The festival was held each August ...

in North Vancouver, BC in 2003, 2004 and 2009. They have also performed at the

Bumbershoot Bumbershoot is an annual international music and arts festival held in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington. One of North America's largest such festivals, it takes place every Labor Day (United States), Labor Day weekend (leading up to and ...

Festival in Seattle, WA in 2006, and in 2007 (with Good Medicine). In 2008 Abyssinian Creole performed at the

Trinity International Hip Hop Festival The Trinity International Hip Hop Festival is a free music festival that brings together Hip Hop artists from around the world. It has been held annually at Trinity College in Hartford, CT since 2006. "The festival was designed to promote internat ...

in Hartford, CT. They have also performed alongside the likes of

Black Star Black Star or Blackstar may refer to: Astronomy *Black star (semiclassical gravity), a theoretical star built using semiclassical gravity as an alternative to a black hole *Saturn, referred to as "Black Star" in ancient Judaeic belief *Black dwarf ...

, K'naan.

Lyrics Born Tsutomu William "Tom" Shimura (born September 2, 1972), better known by his stage name Lyrics Born (formerly Asia Born), is a Japanese-American rapper, singer, and producer. He is one half of the duo Latyrx with Lateef the Truthspeaker. Early ...

and

The Coup The Coup is an American hip hop band from Oakland, California. Their music is an amalgamation of influences, including funk, punk, hip hop, and soul. Frontman Boots Riley's revolutionarily-charged lyrics rank The Coup as a renowned politica ...

Discography

Albums

*Abyssinian Creole ''

'' (MADK/Pangea, 2005)

EPs

*Abyssinian Creole ''Sexy Beast'' (MADK/Pangea, 2005)

Guest appearances

''Sun To A Recycled Soul'' "Gold" featuring Khingz (independent, 2001) *

''The Language of My World'' "Claiming The City" featuring Abyssinian Creole (independent, 2005) *Gabriel Teodros ''

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, chara ...

'' "Don't Cry For Us" featuring Khingz & Toni Hill (MassLine, 2007) *Khingz ''From Slaveships To Spaceships'' "Boi Caimen At Adwa" featuring Gabriel Teodros (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) *The LivinYard ''Summer's Here / Society Of Summer'' - Khingz, Nam & Gabriel Teodros (independent, 2009) *Suntonio Bandanaz ''Who Is Suntonio Bandanaz!?!'' "Meditate" featuring Abyssinian Creole (Fresh Chopped Beats/MADK, 2009) *Gabriel Teodros ''Colored People's Time Machine'' "You A Star" featuring Khingz (Fresh Chopped Beats/MADK Productions, 2012)"RapReview Of The Week" by Steve 'Flash' Juon
RapReviews. January 17, 2012.

References

{{Authority control Musical duos from Washington (state) American hip-hop duos