KEXP
This week’s installment of the KEXP 10-part series “Hip-Hop: The New Seattle Sound” features Ra Scion, the rapper/frontman/lyricist for Seattle hip-hop bands Common Market and Victor Shade. His raps are conscious, collegiate even, and are sometimes written in a kind of code, so the listener has to listen several times and pay close attention to get his meaning. Originally from Kentucky, Ra got his first radio airplay in 2003 when he submitted his self-released solo debut, The Apostrophe, to KEXP. Since then, he’s worked with Sabzi (the producer from Blue Scholars) on the project Common Market. He’s recently dropped a new release with producer MTK under the name Victor Shade. Taking the new band name from the alter-ego of a comic book hero called Vision. Victor Shade’s sound is based on funky soul samples. And Ra Scion sounds better than ever. Check out the show after the link.
BUMBERSHOOT MUSIC LOUNGE TO SHOWCASE HEY MARSEILLES, RAPHAEL SAADIQ, COMMON MARKET, MORE
Seattle Times
Bumbershoot’s lineup on the stages has been all set for a couple weeks, and now the lineup for its music lounge is set, too. The three-day, Labor Day weekend fest will showcase more than a dozen musical artists from a variety of genres in the 2009 Bumbershoot Music Lounge, a venue with private, live performances during the fest, co-hosted by community radio station KEXP. To see the lounge’s full set, check out the above link.
Common Market to Tour With Digable Planets
Seattle Weekly:
Seattle hip-hop luminaries Common Market just announced yesterday that they’ll be touring for almost a month opening up Digable Planets. That’s a good look considering how revered Digable Planets is nationwide. Common Market’s touring actually starts with two dates at SXSW in Austin on March 18, and March 21 so if anybody is headed to Texas for that raucous music festival, be sure to support these guys as they show the music world that Seattle hip-hop deserves more attention.
SXSeattle 2009
