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Common Market

Who: After crossing paths through their practice of the Baha’i faith, lyricist RA Scion and producer Sabzi (also of Blue Scholars) began collaborating on a series of tracks in 2004. An early copy of the LP caught the ear of hip-hop heavyweight KRS-One, who eventually came to Seattle for their album release party, then invited them on tour.

What’s the Deal: With a cadence and voice reminiscent to Talib Kweli, lyricist RA Scion excels at spitting rhymes designed to motivate and educate on the duo’s self-titled debut. On “Every Last One” Scion raps, “It’s our intent to re-implement modesty / Demandin’ self-respect be the market’s hottest commodity.” Meanwhile, producer Sabzi serves up a bevy of head-bobbing beats featuring dusty soul samples and hard hitting drums.

Fun Fact: RA Scion spits everyday observations on his blog, which lives on commonmarketmusic.com. Readers can check out, among other topics, his biting examination of the state of television and his critique of the homophobia found within beer commercials. Sample wisdom: “Does a dude really deserve to be labeled ‘un-manlike’ because he can’t catch?” ELI SCHWIMMER

Now Hear This:Common Market – “Push” DOWNLOAD MP3

Talk: Is this duo common or extraordinary? COMMENT

On SPIN.com:Bumbershoot ’06: Common Market and Blue Scholars

On the Web:commonmarketmusic.com

>> Listen to Common Market on Napster