“I recognize the diminishing possibility of breaking into an industry driven and dominated by fresh, young talent,” writes RA Scion, one of the city’s most talented wordsmiths, on his website. It’s the kind of admission/recognition that only comes with age, and though it has a melancholic flavor, there’s a certain freedom involved in facing up to facts. And RA is about nothing but telling hard truths. He’s best known for spitting complex, tangled lyrics over Sabzi’s beats under the Common Market banner, of course. But tonight, one suspects he’ll perform songs from Victor Shade, his side project with producer MTK. The two cuts that leaked online—“Soothsayer” and “Sway”—prior to the March 27 release date of the disc have a much more aggressive vibe than RA’s work with Sabzi, proving that while RA may be getting older, he still has plenty of energy. KEVIN CAPP

Wed., March 31, 8 p.m., 2010