[EP] PLANET ASIA x DIRTY DIGGS - "Nautica Nagas"

Planet Asia continues releasing quality material whether it's free or retail. For his latest project, the 10 tracks deep "Nautica Nagas", he hooks up with his trusted producer DirtyDiggs who was responsible for some of the strongest joints on "Black Belt Karate". Guest apperances come from TriState, KillaKali, Godfather Pt. 3, Hus Kingpin and Rozewood so you know this one's worth a listen!

[EP] PLANET ASIA - "Zapco Exp EP"

Planet Asia takes it back to the '80s with his new free project "Zapco Exp EP" featuring five old school flavored cuts. The 808s are definitely kicking on this!

DURAG DYNASTY - "All Types Of Shit"

When Tri-State, Planet Asia and Killer Been hooked up with producer The Alchemist and formed the Durag Dynasty, releasing several incredible street singles, which was about to be followed up by the full-length album "360 Waves" I was absolutely flabbergasted. While the album was really ill it didn't quite live up to my ridiciiously high expectations but it was definitely a very stellar outing, both from a production and lyrical standpoint that took some time to grow. Now the trio is back with a new song, produced by OHNO, called "All Types Of Shit". Check it out up top, and it will be interesting to see if this is a first street single from a new album or if it's a song that didn't make the first LP. Either way, I can dig it!

DURAG DYNASTY - "BioDegradable Haters"

Last year LA emcees Planet Asia, Killer Been and Tri-State joined forces with Alchemist to release their highly acclaimed self-titled debut. Now the trio is back and is planning the release of a brand new EP set for a December release. The new single from the project is another banger from the trio produced by Dirty Diggz, and featuring Killa Kalli, called "Biodegradable Haters". Turn it up and stay tuned for more info as we gets closer to the release date because this one GOES!

PLANET ASIA - "Thai Stick"

Planet Asia and producer G-Force new single is a short but effective affair that is now available for free download so be sure to check it out.

LIL' DAP - Code of Silence" [prod. LEWIS PARKER]

The .stuipd fresh Lil' Dap / Lewis Parker collaboration, "Code of Silence", fittingly get the visual treatment, and not only is Dap handling the vocals but he also moonshine as the video director. While Melachi really needed that Premier touch to make his verses stand out back in '94, Dap is more an all-round artist sounding good on almost whatever (as long as the drums THUMP). "Code Of The Silence" will be available from both digital and psyical retailers - grab your format of choice @ or UGHH, respectively

[Video] PLANET ASIA x TZARIZM - "Nobody Close"

  

Despite being a fan of Planet Asia, I haven't really covered his new album with producer TzariZM too much here on The Lost Tapes. As far as I know they first collaborated together when Asia was a guest emcee on MidaZ The BEAST's "AU: Another Universe", on the dark and rugged banger called "After Hours". From there the duo took it to the studio by themeselves, yielding some sessions that resulted in a full-length LP entitled "Via Satelite" which is out now on Doxside Music Group. Up top you can check out the Varras Towers directed video, and if you like what you're hearing, head over to iTunes or UGHH for the digital or CD, respectively.

PLANET ASIA - "Off The Turf"

Planet Asia keeps the heat coming with a great ear for beats and well-written lyrics as he once again hooks up for Gold Chain's Music DirtyDiggs for his new single "Off The Turf". Unqestinably a rewind worthy joint; according to DirtyDiggs Soundcloud this is a single from Diggs' upcoing solo album which will be mostly instrumental. Check out DirtyDiggs' Soundcloud for more exclusive collaboratioms by Asia, Hus Kingpin, Rozewood, Rasco, Mitchy Slick, and more.

DIRTYDIGGS / PLANET ASIA - "Off The Turf"

Planet Asia's close.-to-flawless last year's album "Black Belt Theater" featyred Asia getting busy over the production of a certain DirtyDiggs, who at least to me was news. Once the album dropped. it sure as hel wasn't a dissapointing record, and espeially the DirtyDiggs joint whose soulful boom bap provided a perfect platform for Asia's strett savy rhyme. Now the duo reunites for "Off The Turf", a jazzy/funk//hip-hop joint with a heavy replay factory that should satisfy the most hardcore Asia fan. It seems that the single is from a forthcfoming full-length collaboratiion between Diggs and i'm defiinitely looking forward to the LP- You can cop the single @ iTunes. Enjoy and stay tuned!

TRI-STATE & DiRTYDiGGS Ft. Planet Asia & Mitchy Slick - "Polyester Square"

Bang your head to this kicking West Coast posse cut featuring Tri-State and Planet Asia of Durag Dynasty and Mitchy Slick (Strong Arm Steady) over a soulful banger provided by producer DirtyDiggs (Gold Chain Military). "Polyester Square" is the first single from Tri-State and DirtyDiggs upcoming EP "Digital Documents" (the title suggests this will not be a physivsl release. Still, as ill as this sound I am absolutely hyped for the full thing!

[Mixtape] BIG TWINZ - "TG1" (Ft. Raekwon, Cormega, Killah Priest, FT, Nature, Marco Polo, Alchemist....)

The hoarse voiced QB legend Big Twinz drops his new mixtape "TG1" hosed by DJ Woool (one of Killah Priest's main producers of recent years) and the tracklisting is looking super ill for the most part. I don't have time to listen to the entire thing right now but I'm checking some of the early tracks and most on-paper standouts - "Can't Get Enough" (Ft. FT, Nature; prod. by Marco Polo), "Complex" [prod. by DJ Woool], "New Infamous Mobb" (Ft. Godfather Pt. III; prod. by Sid Roams), "Big Dreams" [prod. by DJ Wool], "Bigger U Are The Harder U Fall" (Ft. Alchemist & Planet Asia), "Poison" [prod. by DJ Skizz], and "QB Allstars" (Ft. Cormega, Craig G & Nature) . Great to see the homie DJ Duke getting some shine too on "Hypnotize", also DJ Woool who has never been one of my favorites when it comes to lacing Priest sounds a lot more organic/fresh on the beats I heard here. My first conclusion is that this might very well be the best mixtape of the year so far, though of course I need to listen to it in full several tmes before making such a statement concrete. "TG1" are presented as a free download and brought to you by DatPiff. Don't sleep on this... QUEENSBRIDGE IN THE HOUSE!

Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Powered by DatPiff.com

[2xEP] GENSU DEAN / GUILTY SIMPSON -- APOLLO BROWN / PLANET ASIA

It's a new year but over @ Mello Music Group the focus is still pumping out highly interesting quality hip-hop straight from the underground. A week or so I wrote an excited post on how their latest project to come out on the label will be a double EP where Apollo Brown has remixed tracks from Planet Asia's Gensu Dean produced "Abrasions" while Gensu Dean in turned has remixed Apollo Brown's original project with Guilty Simpson, "Dice Game". The result is already here, and it's sounding really great and is presented here as highly recommended listen for real hip-hop heads all over the world. 

"Abrasions: Stitched Up" includes five remixes in hauntingly dark and often moody, yet incredibly soulful Apollo Brown fashion which really compliments Planet Asia's flavorful brand of lyricism. It's interesting to me how Brown seems to find extreme inspiration when facing the task of remixing (or rather reimagine altogether) already existing material. For example Ghost's "The Brown Tape" stands as my favorite AB set yet, and the 5 cuts here are again some of the strongest work I've heard from the man. I also really dig how it's constructed as a complete musical joruney, despite its short length you have a clear beginning, middle and end (I mean you can't deny what a powerful closer "Reflections" is).

"Dice Game: Shaken" also consists of five Genu Dean flips (excluding a brief funky but brief introduction) where Guilty's gritty street raps are backed up with minimalistic but hard knocking boom bap type of bangers cooked up on Dean's trusty SP1200. Gensu's drum programming on here is absolutely flawless. For a cut like "Ink Blotches" (Remix) it's like you don't really need much more than a steady bassline, hard ass drums and Guilty at the center. Those ingredients right there are so powerful in themeselves that they are perfect for creating a batch of certified gutter hip-hop. Gensu also adds some hard ass electric guitar riffs on a couple of tracks ("Potatoes"; "Truth Be Told") which really works well, considering Guilty's agressive presence in a way evokes similiar vibes to the hard rock stuff. 

Besides being a brilliant idea on paper, Gensu and Brown really delivers through on the concept by naturally adding their signature sounds onto two fantastic lyrical performances. It's hard to say whether or not these remixes are better than the original versions or not.. I would probably say that for the larger part of both records they are just as dope as their OG counterparts, and that's saying a whole lot. I also don't want to single out one of the records as the better, as I believe that this is a double presentation that should be heard in one sitting. I would also suggest listening to the "Dice Game" EP first, as it has an intro, followed by a perfect album opener, but doesn't close out on such a fantastic note as "Abrasions" in my opinion. For now it unfortunately seems that this is a digital release only, but hopefully MMG will press up a few vinyl copies of this and if they do I really hope they press it as a 2xEP (including instrumentals) or as a single LP with each EP on each side. Whatever you do, make sure to listen below and if you want to support each EP is available for $4.49 @ MMG Bandcamp.

GENSU DEAN / GUILTY SIMPSON + APOLLO BROWN / PLANET ASIA - "Ink Blotches" / "God Hour"

Check out this fat concept album to be released on Mello Music Group on January 14 (Tuesday that is). You might remember last year MMG teamed up Gensu Dean & Planet Asia for "Abrasions" and Guilty Simpson & Apollo Brown for "Dice Game" (two albums that would make my top 15-20 albums of 2013). Apparantly the double sided project will feature Gensu Dean's use of Guilty's accapellas from aforementioned album, while Apollo Brown will create new instrumentals around Asia's "Abrasions" performances. The albums are called "Dice Game: Shaken" and "Abrasions: Stirred Up" , and it sounds absolutely crazy. Check out the first single from the respective project below. DOPE!

[Video] GENSU DEAN & PLANET ASIA - "Listen Up"

Gensu Dean and Planet Asia proved to be a match made in heaven as their collaborative LP "Abrasions" turned out to be one of the finest releases in years from both involved artists, respectively. The video for "Listen Up" was released just around Christmas, but better late than never right and I'm glad to be able to spread the word on their terrific collaboration to anyone who's still sleeping, so here it is - better late than never. If you still haven't heard it yet you can purchase a digital copy or the CD from their Bandcamp and if you're late to the party I embeded the entire album below from the same source so TURN THAT FUCKER UP Y'ALL!

[EP] PLANET ASIA / DIRTY DIGGS - "High End Cloths"

LA producer DirtyDiggs is a relatively new face on the scene, at least as far as record placement goes. He did however produce almost half of Planet Asia's slightly underrated banger "Black Belt Theater", and to me his soul drenched style perfectly compliments Asia's verses. Following the Cali emcees recent full-length collaboration with Gensu Dean, he now reunites with fellow Gold Chain Music label mate DirtyDiggs. Over nothing but inspired Diggs beats, Planet Asia creates "High End Cloths"´(which can be bought and streamed @ DJBooth now).

01. "Pimp Columns" (Ft. Killer Ben)
02. "Open Oceans" (Ft. Killer Ben & Killa Kali)
03. "Diamonds, Dollars, & Gold"
04. "Shine On"
05. "Gold Chain Cocaine" (Ft. Turbin & Rogue Venom)
06. "2 Sides" (Ft. Killer Ben)
07. "The Gods Speak" (Ft. Killa Kali)
08. "Take Money to Make Money" (Ft. Mac Mall & B-Legit)
09. "The One Who Did It"
10. "Outro"

PLANET ASIA  + DIRTYDIGGS - "HIGH END CLOTHS"

[Album] MidaZ The BEAST - "AU: Another Universe"

Having sharpened his skill and style with the release of several praised independent projects, MidaZ The Beast arrives at the point of his debut album already a full fledged artist. "AU: Another Universe" serves up an intensive hour that highlights everything that fans have come to expect from the man while also working as a very solid introduction for newcomers. While there's no shortage of trailblazing beats here, the number one thing that stands out throughout is the lyricism presented on these 15 tracks. With only a few songs set aside for sparring with guest features, Midaz succesfully takes the reigns and guides the listeners through his world. Many of the tracks are filled with passionate rhymes about the hip-hop culture and his place in the top echelon of it, with fierce punchlines that almost always connects, constantly set over slamming tracks from long-time collaborators IMAKEMADBEATS and TzariZM. The album also sees welcome collaborations with boom bap renaissance master Marco Polo and Oh No who both bring their unique flavor to the project.

The best tracks, however, comes when Midaz looks within the darker places of himself for inspiration, something we have heard before but maybe not to this extent. "Worthless" might be the most honest rap song released all year, where Midaz chooses to rhyme about his fails and self-made losses over haunting piano keys and a stretched vocal loop beautifully concocted by TzariZM. In a similair vein the album closes out with two of the strongest tracks of the entire set, "Coma" and "Walking Away". The former is a dark concept track expanding on the theme of being at the brink of suicide and looking back at everything that drove you to this point - brilliantly executed over an IMAKEMADBEATS production that leaves out the drums to have Midaz rhyme over soft melodies created from harps and a lot of ambient sounds (including the chilling beeps from a respirator). If there's one thing that left me slightly disappointed on my first listens it is that we didn't get to hear a few more of these introspective, self searching tracks, which is mainly a reflection on how superbly Midaz crafts these joints.

Save for a couple of tracks that never fully connect ("Jane Doe", "Bad Things"), and a few skits that overstays their welcome, there's a whole lot to love on "AU: Another Universe". From the introspective tracks mentioned above to sure shot bangers like "Champion of the Block", "Fire" and "Goldberg", and the politically charged "Seeing is Believing" with Blueprint and Sabac Red, there's not a single cut placed on here simply to sell units or draw radio attention. It's safe to say that Midaz and his production team has managed to create one of the strongest debuts in quite some time with "AU". Stream the entire album via DJBooth below and hear for yourself, or head over to UGHH and order the CD.

Gensu Dean & Planet Asia - "Reflections" [Remix]

Gensu Dean and Planet Asia dropped their fat collaboration LP "Abrasions" a while back, and recently the album was unveiled on a limited deluxe vinyl edition. This drop includes an exclusive 7" flexi-disc featuring a dope remix of "Reflections" created by Gensu and titled the Translucent Mix. Check out the remix below...

[Video] PLANET ASIA & RAS KASS - "Kings"

Two of the West Coast's finest lyricists join forces over a heavyhitter supplied by DJ Numsonic (remember Reks' last album), with some straight turntablism supplied by DJ Heron. "Kings" is the lead sigle from an album featurig some extreme talented vocalists going in over productions by Brown Bag AllStars J57 and DJ Numsonic called "LI FTW" which hopefully will see the light of the day soon enough. The video was directed by Garcoa for Crazy Hood Films.

Almighty Ft, Cappadonna, Tragedy, Vinnie Paz, Bronze Naz, Planet Asia & Canibus - "Immaculate Process"

M-80 assembled The Almighty crew in 2008 and dropped their banging album/compilation "Original S.I.N." which featured several A-list emcees going in over boom bap beats supplied by the likes of Bronze Nazareth, DJ JS-1, Preservation, etc. Now, a new team is assembled for "The 2nd Comming", dropping on August 13 via RBC Records. The first leak "Immaculate Process" sets one of my favorite emcees in Tragedy Khadafi together with several other heavyhitters like Cappadonna, Planet Asia, Canibus and Vinnie Paz. I believe this is a Bronze beat, but I'm not sure, but no matter what this is a fucking monster! 

Almighty Ft. Vinnie Paz, Bronze Naz, Planet Asia & Canibus - "High Price Shot"

"High Price Shot" is the first single from the follow-up to super group The Almighty's follow-up to 2008:s "Oiginal S.I.N.". Just like on the first album, the tracklist is chock full of crazy guest apperances, and here we have Planet Asia, Vinnie Paz, Bronze Nazareth, and Canibus getting busy over group member JP Beat's addictive beat. Apparantly the loose collective now mainly consists of Canibus, JP Beats, Cappadonna, Bronze Nazareth & M-Eighty, Planet Asia and Nino Graye. "The 2nd Coming" drops on August 13 and will most likely be a truly banging album juding by the tracklist, which you can check here.