Team Plaid

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.

“Push”:

“Doors”:

Also, enjoy the following interview questions that RA Scion was kind enough to answer for us!

Can you tell us what artists have been your major influences?

i came up on that “golden era” hiphop. i remember being introduced to the fat boys some time around ‘84, and really got into beatboxing before i ever started writing rhymes. that’s the year i started a crew called KAOS with my man deuce; initially we were reciting raps from Run DMC, Ice T and LL cool J, then we gradually began writing our own verses based on the cadence and style of those artists. within a couple years i got into rakim, BDP and public enemy and the rhymes began to develop a more message-driven approach.

How did you come together musically, and how long have you been working together?

sabzi and i had mutual friends through the baha’i faith. they suggested we “work together,” seeing as how there only a handful of baha’i’s who do what we do. we met for the first time around the fall of ‘02 and talked about doing an EP, then he tossed me a couple of cuts for my second solo project — we just built on that and ended up with the common market album.

How does the songwriting process work for you? Do the songs typically come together quickly or is it a longer process? Do you tend to write the song and leave it as is, or tinker with it a lot?

once a verse is done, it’s done. even in school i was the type to revise as i go, so you’ll often see pages with words written in the margin — lots of scratched-out words, notes to myself, attempts to spell a word three or four different ways, etc. i don’t “free write;” i want it to be done by the time i get to the end. but as far as the music goes, there’s a lot of work in the mixing process. the beats get rearranged, some sounds get added or taken out, or sometimes we pick a different beat altogether. once sabzi gives me the track, i get a feel for the vibe and start writing. it can take a day or a couple months to finish a piece, depending on the topic inspiring me to write.

Are there particular issues or concerns that you focus on when writing?

my main concern is move the youth; if they’re not feeling me i haven’t done my job.

From photos and videos, your live shows look like a lot of fun. Can you tell us a bit about them for those of us who don’t live in the Pacific Northwest?

the live show has always been a point of validation for emcees — alotta cats can spit flames in the recording booth, but don’t know how to control a crowd. hiphop is deeply rooted in the party scene, and every good emcee has got to be able to rock the party every time they get the mic. i still struggle with my confidence and i’m not always as comfortable on stage as i appear to be, but i love the feeling of entertaining and i respect the role i play as a front man.

Can each of you tell me something about yourselves as individuals? For example: What are your backgrounds? How long have you been playing music? What inspires you?

i was born and raised in kentucky and spent alot of time around tobacco farms. hiphop music represented an entirely different world from the one i knew, and for years it served as the promise of something beyond the confines of oldham county. the new album is an attempt to reconcile those two worlds of my childhood.

You have teamed up to form Massline, an Independent record label. Can you tell us more about the decision to form your own label? If given the choice, would you stay with the indie route or go with a major label?

years ago i would have sworn off any association with a major label, but that was before i knew anything about the business. too many folks think that major labels are the cause of everything wrong with hiphop today, and no accountability is placed on the artist maintaining their integrity; it can be done. the formation of massline as a label really hasn’t changed any of the work we do, it just gives it a brand name. ultimately we’re still working toward the same goal, and if a major label is down to help us get there then i’m ready to talk.

The record industry seems to be in a bit of turmoil with lagging album sales and illegal downloading becoming so prevalent. How do you see the music industry responding and yourselves fitting into it?

the numbers are relative; when industry folks talk about sales being down, they’re talking about hundreds of thousands of units. when norah jones sells five million albums and some executives get upset because they expected her to move twenty million then you understand the perspective. when only three or four hiphop alubms reach platinum status in a year’s time then we start talking about the decline of the genre. it’s all bullshit, really. i’d be perfectly content to push between ten and fifty thousand with every release. it’s a modest goal, and as long as we continue to live modestly then we’re gonna be just fine.

What’s next for Common Market?

“tobacco road.” early ‘08.

Thanks Mariangela for all your help!