Nearly two-and-a-half years after the release of their eponymous debut album, Common Market (RA Scion and Sabzi [Blue Scholars]) are pleased to announce the Black Patch War EP which will be available May 6th digitally and May 20th Physically on MASSLINE MEDIA. The 7-track EP, which derives its name from an early 20th century farmers’ rebellion in Western Kentucky, serves as the musical prelude to the highly anticipated full length album Tobacco Road, due in September.
Common Market formed unofficially and unintentionally during a collaborative project in 2004 when Sabzi (Saba Mohajerjasbi) contributed beats to RA Scion’s Live & Learn. The two casually discussed the idea of releasing an EP based on their mutual respect for mid-nineties era east coast Hiphop, as well as a shared spiritual foundation in the Baha’i Faith; that project, recorded entirely in a week-long session inside a sweltering Beacon Hill attic, would become what now stands as the moniker for both the band and the album: Common Market.
Despite the fact that Common Market was loosely crafted, the recurring topical principles of social justice, personal accountability and the eternal quest to fulfill a greater purpose resonated deeply with a vast audience. Black Patch War builds beautifully on the platform of its predecessor, but with a much more concentrated focus. The album opens with the title track on which RA Scion, from a first-person perspective, paints a vividly violent picture of the intense struggle between small-scale farmer and Big Tobacco; the emcee’s delivery every bit as relentless as the fabled Night Riders of Kentucky. By the end of the second track, RA has deftly flashed-forward a hundred years, and speaking now as himself he illustrates how he has become a byproduct of the very self-righteousness that started the Black Patch War.
