Heartfelt hip-hop

Ernest A. Jasmin, for the Northwest Guardian

MassLine Media – Thursday’s main attraction at Hell’s Kitchen – is the Seattle musical collective that includes three of the hottest names in Northwest hip-hop.

Blue Scholars (MC Geologic and DJ Sabzi) will headline both of Thursday’s shows. The duo recently inked a deal with renowned hip-hop label Rawkus (Mos Def, Talib Kweli) for distribution of its new album “Bayani,” which is due in stores next month.

Common Market – Sabzi with rapper Ra Scion – has also become a favorite of Seattle hip-hop fans and a regular at regional festivals. And the latest MassLine member to get national attention is Gabriel Teodros, whose “Lovework” CD recently hit stores.

Hails from: Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood, which he name checks in several “Lovework” tracks.

Honed his skills at: Seattle’s Langston Hughes Cultural Center and Sit & Spin.

Also a member of: Seattle rap group Abyssinian Creole.

You might like him if you like: K-Os, A Tribe Called Quest, Arrested Development.

More on style: On “Lovework,” Teodros spits mellow, heartfelt rhymes over producer Amos Miller’s crisp, jazzy beats. “My style is just real personal. When you listen to my album, it’s almost like you’re reading my diary. … I try not to leave anything out.”

African roots: “East Africa” is among the songs that reference Teodros’s Ethiopian heritage. “I was actually born here. My mom left when she was 18.

“I grew up in an Ethiopian household, it was just on Beacon Hill. So a lot of the experiences I’m talking about on those songs are my uncles, aunts, cousins – plus my personal experiences as well. But it’s all in there.”

Giving back: Teodros also uses his rap skills to mentor kids at Seattle Public Schools, Langston Hughes and through the WAPIFASA outreach program.

“My mission with music wasn’t just about making some music and making some money off of it,” he said. “It’s always been about helping out some kids who are just like me, because hip-hop helped me out a lot personally. It let me know that I wasn’t alone in this world. It let me know that I wasn’t crazy. It let me know that I could overcome any obstacle.”

Coming soon: Teodros recently shot videos for “No Label” and “Don’t Cry for Us.”

The “No Label” video was filmed near where he grew up. “The park where I used to play basketball when I was a little kid and where I’ve seen kids get jumped into gangs and where I used to get jumped was the same spot where I shot my first video.”

Teodros will also appear May 26 at Grant County’s Gorge Amphitheatre as part of the Sasquatch! music festival.

What: MassLine Media showcase, featuring Blue Scholars, Common Market and Gabriel Teodros

When: All-ages show starts at 6 p.m. Thursday; the 21-and-older show (which also features Life Cycle) starts at 9 p.m.

Where: Hell’s Kitchen, 3829 Sixth Ave., Tacoma

Tickets: $10 per show

Information: 253-759-6003 or www.hellskitchenonline.com

OnLINE: www.masslinemedia.com