Sign a record label deal. Record album. Release
album. Instant riches. If the life of a rapper were that easy, a lot more folk
would be in Maybachs canoodling their R&B song stress wife-to-be.
Planet Asia will tell you in an instant, success
comes from hard work. And with an album that just recently released, Asia has
hit the streets in a major way. Allhiphop.com caught up with PA on the East
coast in the middle of his promo tour and got an update from the West Coast
rhyme-spitter.
AllHipHop.com: The Grand Opening was released
earlier this year. How is the album performing so far?
Planet Asia: Well you know, we trying to keep
these steady independent sales up you know what I’m saying? We have been
selling like 1000 pieces a week on a regular you feel me? So n*ggas is almost
like at 17,000 sold right now. You
know, it’ s been out for like 6 or 7 weeks you know. The first week I sold
like 2250 pieces, and that was only first week.
AllHipHop.com: So are you happy with how its
doing so far?
PA: Yeah I am happy with it on an independent
level man. I should be pretty cool by the time the whole run is over and we
ain’t even that deep into the second single yet. We selling kind of cool
and we don’t have that good of promotion you know? But if my fans is out
there, they know it’s out now. So n*ggaz is picking it up left and right.
Everybody telling me, "yo I bought that album homey."
AllHipHop.com: How was the transition from being
on the shelf at Interscope Records then coming right back to the Independent
scene?
PA: It was kind of discouraging for a little
bit, but you just got to go through that sh*t man. I was like f*ck it, sh*t
happens. It happens to the greatest man! It took Jigga and them hella years
to get to where they got. They went from Payday to all kind of other labels.
So it’s just like f*ck it. Right now I’m on the road man, so I’m
on my grind homey. Anything beats selling crack in the hood!
AllHipHop.com: What else do you have in the works
for the rest of the year?
PA: We got that Pro-Test Instrumentals coming
out later this year called Checks In The City. He did “16 Bars Of
Death” on my album. I checked the notes on my album and they didn’t
give em the credit for the beat. So we really
putting it down you know what I’m saying? Other than that ima just hit
the road and do shows.
AllHipHop.com: Tell me about your label Gold
Chain Music?
PA: Gold Chain Music is just representing that
real Hip-Hop you know what I am saying, but from the sh*t where we came from.
n*ggas ain’t really following what everybody else is doing, we just doing
our own sh*t right now and that’s
that. We 80’s babies so we represent that whole era.
AllHipHop.com: Who’s apart of Gold Chain
Music?
PA: Me, that producer Pro-Test, Jean Grea, Roc
Marciano (formerly of Flipmode), and my crew Yard Government.
AllHipHop.com: The other day I heard you say
Big Pun is your favorite MC. Explain why you
side with Pun?
PA: Cuz he repped the same era I rep. He’s
a gold chain artist, he was on that B-Boy sh*t, you know what I’m saying.
n*ggas couldn’t f*ck with Pun on the lyrics man. Till this day n*ggas can’t
f*ck with Pun you know what I’m
saying? He represented the embodiment of the Kool G Raps, the Rakims, and the
Kanes man.
AllHipHop.com: Hypothetically speaking of course,
in a battle between BIG vs. Pun, who would you put your money on?
PA: Damn, battlewise I don’t know, that
would be a strong battle. I can’t
front on BIG, cuz dude was nasty with his. But on the real like I said, I don’t
think n*ggas could of f*cked with Pun, feel me? Pun was just straight raw with
it.
AllHipHop.com: On the album, you often say for
other rappers to “get their bars up.” Why do you think most rappers
today don’t focus on their lyrics?
PA: Because right now it’s so easy to make
a sing along hooks. When you making easy hooks, you don’t really got to
rap no more. Everything is so hook oriented now-a-days that people focus more
on writing something catchy then going hard with the lyrics man.
AllHipHop.com: For the heads that don’t
know about West Coast Indy Hip-Hop, give us a brief description of what’s
going on in your hood?
PA: The movement is still going strong man. The
same cats that been putting down the last couple of years still going hard at
it man. You got your Phil Da Agony’s, Self-Scientific, Krondon. You got
the Yard Government, which is my crew. You got Encore also. He just dropped
something out of Hiero label (The Layover). That sh*t is off the f*cking meter
man! What else you got man…Yo you
know Dilated Peoples is doing there thing right now
man. I envision them doing gold with this new album man. Jurrasic 5 is most
definitely large. Even Black Eye Peas went gold this year, ya feel me? So it’s
like man, it’s really going down you know? Now I know my plaque gotta be
coming sooner or later feel me? (Laughs)
AllHipHop.com: Anything else you want to say?
PA: Sh*t…..Hit me up, hit my website up.
WWW.MCPLANETASIA.COM. Go cop The
Grand Opening and make sure to check out that Pro-Test Instrumentals Checks
In The City.