Planet Asia is well known throughout the hip-hop community. It wasn’t always like that – he was determined to hit the big time.
After moving to the Bay Area, Planet Asia hooked up with Rasco and formed the rap duo Cali Agents. Following the independent album release“How the West Was Won,” major labels started to call. The Source Magazine named him First Round Draft Pick and gave him their Independent Album of the Year award for“How Was the West Was Won” in 2000. He was even nominated for a 2002 Grammy Award for his collaboration with hip-hop diva Mystic on “W.” His collaborations have included everyone from Black Thoughtof The Roots, BT, the Dub Pistols, Talib Kweli, andGhostface Killah of Wu-Tang Clan. His versatile skills on the mic resulted in a collaboration with the multi-platinum selling rock group Linkin Parkon their hugely successful “Re-Animation” LP.
Asia’s perseverance soon landed him a record deal with Interscope Records. Coming from Fresno California, not many people make it out to a huge record label, home to some of the biggest artists in the world, like 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, and Eminem. However, being signed to one of the largest labels in the world has its drawbacks.
Rasco is known as a member of the West Coast hip-hop groups Various Blends and Cali Agents. His debut solo album, “Time Waits for No Man”, was released in 1998 on Stones Throw with a production team that included Paul Nice, Peanut Butter Wolf, and Evidence of the group Dilated Peoples. Moving from Stones Throw to Copasetik, Rasco released Hostile Environment (2001) and Presents Hip-Hop Classics, Vol. 1 (2003), but after a falling-out with the label, he left to start his own, Pocketslinted, in 2004 where he has been releasing all his albums ever since. His most recents albums are “Global threat” (2010), including productions by Alkota, DJ Wich, Mad Skills, and the 2012 album “United Fakes Of America”.
