COMMON MARKET (October 2008) | Interview By:
Jonathan Hay
There is nothing common about the cutting edge and soulful Seattle duo
consisting of RA Scion (lyricist) and Sabzi (producer). “Refreshing” is the
one word that comes to mind for this stellar group, who just released their
fresh LP Tobacco Road in this stale and simplistic world of hip-hop noise.
Common Market is everything hip-hop heads have been searching for as they
bring you intelligence, creative introspective and melodic substance – and
they’re not too afraid to get personal as they passionately spit about life,
love, art, religion, politics, and anything else running through their
uncommon minds. Hip-hop is in dire need of a change and like the late great
Sam Cooke sang, “A Change Is Gonna Come.”
SPIN Magazine says Common Market is “...a cadence and voice reminiscent to
Talib Kweli, lyricist RA Scion excels at spitting rhymes designed to
motivate and educate. Meanwhile, producer Sabzi serves up a bevy of
head-bobbing beats featuring dusty soul samples and hard hitting drums.”
KRS-One gave Common Market his own personal stamp of approval for this
conscious and prolific hip-hop group that has fans and critics raving.
We caught up with Common Market during their busy schedule promoting Tobacco
Road (Hyena Records/Massline) for this Dubcnn exclusive interview.
As ever, you can read this exclusive interview below and we urge you to leave
feedback on our forums or email them to
haywire@dubcnn.com.
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Interview was done in October 2008
Questions Asked
By:
Jonathan Hay
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Dubcnn Exclusive – Common Market
By Jonathan Hay
www.myspace.com/jonathanhay
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Dubcnn: How do you define yourself as a group, and as individual
artists?
Sabzi and I have our own individual tastes in terms of music, style, art,
entertainment, ways we spend our free time, etc.; Common Market is the
middle ground, the point of intersection where those individual
identities meet. Nothing we do as Common Market compromises anything we
believe in or stand for as individuals.
Dubcnn: Common Market is far from common; how long did it take
you two to really fall into place with your sound and develop a niche
that is being heard in the marketplace?
That’s difficult to qualify; for the most part the group just
hit the ground running, so to speak.
Sabzi made a few beats, I wrote to them, we recorded the album and
released it independently and started doing shows. Sure, the momentum
built over the course of a year or so, but the connection between
DJ-and-emcee was instantaneous. On the other hand, we’re still working
very hard to be “heard in the marketplace.”
Dubcnn: I sense a Christian or spiritual undertone in your
songs…Is that a correct observation?
Hahaha – it’s funny you say “Christian OR spiritual,” as if there’s a
distinction. There are all types of undertones in the music, many of
them spiritual.
Dubcnn: As you know, hip-hop is a little stale when it comes to
live performances; what do you all bring to a live show that would make
someone want to come to your concert?
There are plenty of stale-ass indie-rock shows, too. Same with
jazz, blues, gospel, country, pop and so on. People generally get out of
a show a feeling commensurate to the amount of energy they put into it,
and it’s just our job to facilitate the process.
Dubcnn: What kind of personal sacrifices did you have to make in
order to come this far in your career?
It all comes down to time and money, and the relationship
between the two. We’ve sacrificed a whole lot of both, and will likely
continue to make sacrifices as long as we make music; it’s all a matter
of prioritization. The interesting thing about sacrifice is that
conventional wisdom leads you to believe it means giving up something
greater for something lesser, when in fact true sacrifice is just the
opposite.
Dubcnn: What was the process of the Common Market evolution --
Did you all work your local region first, and then take it national…or
what?
Yes, we followed the traditional method of working the product
locally, then regionally, then… is there any other way, honestly?
Dubcnn: Tell us about the moment Common Market was signed -- how
did it go down?
Rather unceremoniously, to tell you the truth. I stopped by the
management office to sign the contract on a day when everybody but the
intern was out of town. She pointed me in the direction of the stack of
papers, gave me a pen and told me to where to leave them when I was
done. No cameras, reporters, money or champagne – can you believe that
shit?
Dubcnn: Is being signed to a record label, and starting to get
out in the public eye everything you thought it would be?
Yes. Very much so.
Dubcnn: How long did it take to create the album Tobacco Road?
It depends on how you measure the process, but for the sake of
being succinct, I’ll say ‘about a year.’
Dubcnn: Is the song “Tobacco Road” a personal favorite of yours?
What is the reason you chose to name the album that?
The song is very close to me, obviously, so it will always rank
among my personal favorites. The reference to tobacco is twofold,
really: literally, it represents my experiences growing up around
tobacco farms in Kentucky, and at the same time, it serves as a metaphor
for the commodity we produce as artists. Plus I hella love college
basketball, for real.
Dubcnn: Seattle was the king of the music industry in the early
90’s – do you think Seattle can ever achieve that success again? Will
history repeat?
Well, folks have had a good run at bringin’ the 80’s back, so
just as soon as they focus their efforts on the next decade we’re
golden!
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