Cali Agents: Planet Asia (usa) & Rasco (usa)

Bringing together the talents of respected West Coast solo rappers Rasco and Planet Asia, both of whom had piled up music awards and critical praise within the hip-hop community, Cali Agents issued their debut album in 2000 with How the West Was Won. The recording, which reflected influences from both coasts, combined the strength of Rasco's powerful delivery with the fluid lyrics of Planet Asia. PLANET ASIA: Planet Asia rose from the uncharted hip-hop territory of Fresno, CA, to become one of the stars of the West Coast "true school" generation which emerged in late '90s. After breaking on the national scene in 1998, he quickly gained a reputation for his crisp, intense rhyme delivery, his versatile lyrical content, and his consistent productivity. Green moved from Fresno to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1998 at the age of 22 and met up with producer Fanatik, whose sparse relaxed beats provided an interesting backdrop to Planet Asia's battle-tested flow. The two appeared together on Tripek Records' Rules of the Game compilation alongside veterans like Living Legends and the Coup, creating instant national buzz. Planet Asia released his self-titled debut soon after and never looked back, appearing on over 20 releases in the next two years and working with countless artists, big and small. He and Fanatik parted ways as Asia's sound evolved and he found more up-tempo, New York-influenced beats to his liking. Collaborations with Rasco showcased a special chemistry, and the two formed a group, Cali Agents, and released a full-length, How the West Was One in 2000. After releasing his second solo EP, The Last Stand, Planet Asia scored a deal with Interscope Records. RASCO: San Mateo native Rasco (whose name is an acronym for "realistic, ambitious, serious, cautious, and organized") worked as a member of the West Coast hip-hop groups Various Blends and Cali Agents. His deep voice and straight-ahead rap style came to the public's attention with his 1997 12" The Unassisted, which earned him several honors including number one on the Bay Area Hip-Hop Coalition chart, number one on the independent hip-hop chart in Hits magazine, and number one on Sway and King Tech's nationally syndicated Wake Up Show for four weeks straight. His debut 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. The follow-up EP The Birth arrived in 1999. 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. That same year he issued the compilations 20,000 Leagues Under the Street, Vol. 1 (a re-release from 2000) and Minority Report, and in 2005 his solo effort The Dick Swanson Theory came out.