Art Credit: Record done by Beth Heinzen
Today I would like to talk to you about a man named Sabzi. This man is one of the many people that don’t get talked about enough in hip hop, the PRODUCER (one of my newest favorites). This man is a beast on the beats. He is sick, nasty, filthy, and any other similar adjectives you can think up. I actually put him in the top category of innovative producers with the likes of Premier, Pete Rock, 9th Wonder etc.
Currently, Sabzi is the second member in two different rap groups; Blue Scholars and Common Market. Both groups are based out of Seattle and have one MC in each, Geologic in the former, RA Scion in the latter. Although the two MC’s are very different in their lyrical styles, both group’s stand out from the rest because of their major common bond, Sabzi’s sheer talent for making great sounding music. Trained as a jazz-pianist, Sabzi has an ear for what sounds good and uses a great diversity of sounds in his work, painting a track like an artist with perfectly layered brush strokes of his choice of piano, synthesized organs, horns, chimes, vocal samples, and anything else he gets his hands on. All this on top of masterful heavy-set basslines behind steady drum beats. In 2007, Sabzi overwhelmingly killed the competition in the Red Bull Big Tune national championship, which is a beat battling competition between the best hip hop producers in North America. However, he was disqualified from the grand prize after winning the final (not well publicized) for not signing some legal shit beforehand. Watch the video below to see what I mean by killed the competition! Try and guess which guy is Sabzi?
I am posting 3 albums for download to familiarize you with his outstanding work… your iPod will never feel the same again.
Common Market – Common Market (2005)
Blue Scholars – Bayani (2007)
Common Market – Tobacco Road (2008)
Tracks to Preview:
Blue Scholars - Joe Metro Video (2007)
*Note: Amazing Video/Song*
Common Market - Connect For (2005)
Download Here
Common Market - Winter Takes All (2008)
Download Here
And to get a feel for what Sabzi is like, watch the below video in which Saba shows you HOW he made the beat to my favorite Common Market song Connect For (he runs a very "amateur operation"). Well worth ten minutes of your time for his keyboard solo at the end!
Advice from Sabzi to other producers: “Stop thinking that you're dope. You're not tight, not yet, I don't even think I'm tight yet”
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