I Gotta Move To Seattle (4 Stars)
Norfeest | Washington DC USA | 03/02/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I don't know what's going on in Seattle, but I pray they keep dropping albums that sound like this. I don't know much about Ra Scion, but when I saw Sabzi on the cover, I knew it was a must have. I figured if the beats were anything like the Blue Scholars LP, then it had to be dope. I mean, come on, even Hulk Hogan would sound dope on a Sabzi beat (not taking anything away from Ra Scion). Common Market is as funky and melodic as it is intelligent and it exceeded my expectations. Ra Scion kicks knowledge to Sabzi's beats and the results are definitely super tight. Standouts like "Love One", "Push", "Connect For" show Ra Scion gettin' busy over some of Sabzi's best production. "Trinity" is a song that I keep on repeat and would definitely label as THE standout song. The album finishes strong with bangers like "Keep Tracks", "Doors", and My Pathology". Ra Scion's rhymes have a message and his flow is definitely on point. And Sabzi is one of my favorite producers right now (along with Nicolay).
There are a few tracks on the album that tend to mismatch. What I mean is that Ra Scion doesn't seem comfortable on one ore two tracks while one or two beats don't seem to compliment him that well either. A perfect example would be tracks like "G'Dang Diggy", "Crossblow", and "Poison". While the subject matter and flow are good and the beats are good, they just don't seem to mesh well. Don't get me wrong though, there are no wack songs on this album....just a few skippable ones.
Common Market is an album that I think everyone should hear at least once. I'd never heard of Ra Scion before, but I'll be checking for him from now on. The sound of the album is unique, yet totally familiar. If the hip hop scene there is this dope, then I gotta move to Seattle and be a part of it. Go out and support these guys, they're bringing quality to the table and definitely deserve the attention. I highly recommend adding this to your music library.
If any of you Seattle MC's are reading this, keep those dope albums comin'.
Standout Tracks: Connect For, Keep Track, Trinity (My Favorite), Love One, My Pathology, Push, Every Last One, and Kampo"
This is poison!!!
D. Thomas | Seattle, WA | 05/12/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Not long ago Blue Scholars started blowing up the spot here in Seattle, then this side project from Sabzi comes out and... BAAAAMMMMMM!!! This LP brings back the boom bap vibe that Seattle's hip-hop sceene was in the mid to late 90s. Memories of Jeru, Artifacts and Common's "Ressurection" LP all float to the surface when listening to this LP. (It doesn't hurt that blastmaster KRS endorses the album!)
In my opinion I think this LP was better than both releases from Blue Scholars "Blue Scholars" & "The Long March EP." Reguardless, all three releases are dope and worth checking out. I have a feeling that these releases will ring the alarm and people will take notice to the Seattle Hip-Hop sceene."
I hope the whole world can own a copy of this album.
Trapped in Delaware | Newark, DE | 04/05/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I rarely post reviews of products on amazon, but this album is just too outstanding. Common Market hits amazing points on every track with some of the most intelligent, profound, and unique lyrics I have heard in a while. This album is in itself a hip-hop renaissance. This album is progressive, honest, and addicting."
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1