You might have seen Blake sporting a Common Market shirt on AI a time or two this season. And who might that be, you ask? Common Market is made up of RA Scion (emcee) and Sabzi (Producer and DJ). Blake has always listed Common Market among some of his favorite artists and biggest influences, and after listening to their tracks, I can see where Blake identifies with these guys. From RA Scion’s passionate social commentary in his lyrics to the brilliant, unique beats Sabzi creates, Common Market creates a brand of hiphop that has been labeled progressive, yet classic.
Their self-titled album, released in October 2006, is available on iTunes, Amazon, and CD Baby. You should buy it! I did. Some of my favorite tracks? “Re-fresh”, “Push”, “Connect For”, “Every Last One”, and “Love One”, but really, the whole album is fantastic. They have some shows coming up in the next few weeks, so check out their myspace or website to find out details on the date, time, and location of the shows.
Another interesting point to note - in 2006, RA Scion and Sabzi, along with Geologic and Gabriel Teodros formed Mass Line, a Seattle-based independent record label that has since released albums from Common Market, the Blue Scholars, and Gabriel Teodros. Check out their myspace and their website to read more about their philosophy. Great stuff.
Click on the jump to see some videos taken at the Massline launch party and also read some interview Q&A’s that we submitted to Common Market.
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