A catalyst in the surge of dynamic underground rap acts from the Pacific Northwest during the mid- to late 2000s, Gabriel Teodros comprises part of multiracial hip-hop group Abyssinian Creole. He, along with members of Blue Scholars and Common Market, founded the Mass Line Media company, which has played an integral role in this mostly Seattle-based movement. Insightful and socially conscious, the Seattle-born MC draws substantially from his Ethiopian heritage to grapple with political and world issues.