Interviews Have Been Moved To Newly  Redesigned Site.  Click Here To Go To New Site & View Interviews!!!

ThaFormula.com - Do you consider yourself a conscious rapper or a Gangsta Rappa?

Planet Asia - I consider myself an intelligent hoodlum, know what im sayin. like tragedy I'm black & proud. See I consider myself a street corner person with knowledge of self.

ThaFormula.com - Where do you hail from?

Planet Asia - Fresno.  I been rappin since I was 9 years old, since Rock the bells. I'm not your average MC man. I'm not influenced by the rappaz nowadayz, that's not where my influence came from.  The first show I ever saw was Rakim performing with LL, Too short, and Run Dmc. The only person that really inspires me nowadays is um Black Thought from the Roots and uh Kweli and shit.

ThaFormula.com - What do you think about producers like Hi - Tek?

Planet Asia - I love Hi - Tek. I got beats by Hi - Tek on my album..

ThaFormula.com - So, the word is you got a major record deal, what's up with that?

Planet Asia -Yeah, I'm on Interscope records now.

ThaFormula.com - How'd that come about?

Planet Asia - um, Just buzz you know just keepin that buzz on the streets.

ThaFormula.com - How hard is it to get a record deal man?

Planet Asia - Well if you got you plan it's not that hard. See me I was independent I had records out already solo and with my rhyme partner Rasco (The Birth EP and The Cali Agents album). The Last Stand EP was just something I put out on the side.

ThaFormula.com - When you dropped the independent shit, did you put all the money up yourself?

Planet Asia - No, that was on independent labels, but let me tell you something the independent market ain't no different then the major market. They are all trying to get you.

ThaFormula.com - I remember everybody used to talk about independent as if it was the way to go because everybody's cool and in it for the music and shit like that?

Planet Asia - Fuck That, It's all the same shit. Muthafuckaz are trying to getcha.

ThaFormula.com - What do you think about everybody trying to be a conscious rappa now man?

Plane Asia - I mean it's time though you know what I mean..

ThaFormula.com - But what about these MC's out there that can't rap tryin to be conscious and shit?

Planet Asia - Those are the people that don't have a broad understanding, See you gotta be a B - Boy first ya know what I mean. You got to have been in the streets in order to be conscious. What's a muthafucka that's been raised with a silver spoon in his mouth gonna know about strugglin, know what I mean.  Can't no white dude off the internet tell me anything about the hood, for real and I mean none of these back pack muthafuckaz. But I consider myself a backpacka, but an elite backpacka.

ThaFormula.com - Yeah I remember back in the day they made fun of you if you were a backpacka?

Planet Asia - But see, now it's cool to be a backpacka. See back in the day when the gangbangin came, a lot  of B-boy's turned Gangstas. This was around the time when the movie Colors  dropped. That's when it got real sick.

ThaFormula.com - A lot of gangbangin go on in Fresno?

Planet Asia - Hell Yeah! All my homies is either dead or locked up dog. I'm that nigga dog, let me tell ya. I'm that new tupac nigga, sorry to say. I got a little bit of New York in me, I got a little bit of Oakland in me, I got a little bit of L.A. in me, know what I'm sayin.

ThaFormula.com - Did Death Row ever approach you?

Planet Asia - Nah man, seems like they would though huh. See if the new Mc's would search for knowledge of self, then maybe most of these new MC's wouldn't be so wack out here on the West Coast. See the reason that a lot of underground shit out here is so wack is that we have no cultural foundation, cause Western Civilization is really evil anyway. They can say all they want about East Coast this and East Coast that but the further East you go the more culture you run into. To me that's the advantage that they have over us. Yeah we sell more records and whatever whatever, but we Ain't got no morals over here. Until we get that know what I'm sayin, backpack muthafuckas gonna be outer space. See they just outer space right now. They're tryin to be deep, but they ain't really deep cause they ain't talkin about shit. If you ain't got no struggles all you gonna be doin is talkin nonsense and those are these white boys wit the back packs on some scooters and shit and their parents is drivin Rolls Royce's and they havin them drop them off on the streets and shit. I worked at Berkley know what I'm sayin so I know their's both sides. See I'm not in this for the love of hip hop. I'm in it for black people, Fuck Hip Hop! I'm not tryin to die for Hip Hop, Fuck all that shit know what I mean. That's why I'm at the benefits show, it's not about the money.  I just wanna show that I'm down for my people.

ThaFormula.com - As a Black Man does it ever bother you that when you get on stage at a underground hip hop show about 80 percent of the crowd is white or is it something that you just accept?

Planet Asia - It's like this, let me see, OK.  Black people, hold up let me put it this way. By us being the creators of everything, and you know this from experience.  When you create something and you burn it out, it's like you don't really care about it that much, know what I mean. See back people are elevating into other things now. You seeing more black punk rock shit now. But white people, the reason why I know white people are their is because they wanna know what's goin on with the culture. What's goin on in the hood. So of course they gonna be there, know what Im mean. They'll be like, Oh! Mos Def is a Muslim, Oh! I wanna here what he has to say. They wanna know our culture, it's been like that from the beginning of time man, since rock, you know when we first came out with the rock shit. Like Jimmy Hendrix and shit like that! Just like Elvis, he was doin black music and people were hatin on Elvis in the beginnin. Even Jazz, you go to a Jazz show now and you won't see no Black people. I remember back in the day when we was goin thru struggles and shit, we was in their know whamean! 

ThaFormula.com - So why do you think a lot of Black people don't go to the shows no more. Is it the prices or what?

Planet Asia - See, black people don't really need to be reminded. We don't really need to be reminded of who we are. We lettin the white people learn about us. It's like we already know all that shit they know know what I mean. I grew up in a Muslim community dog. Only time Black people come out is when it's someone from the hood like see Jay - Z brings the niggaz out cause he's from the ghetto. Niggaz wanna see somebody that they affiliated with.  it ain't no Mos Def all in the hood right now. We only like to see people that we really relate to. Everybody ain't righteous in the hood. That's basically why it's like that. You go to a Redman Meth show you gonna see hella Black people. It's just the type of music you make. Every year the ghetto has it's choice of the type of music it likes. Right now the Down South shit in the Black community is hot. 

ThaFormula.com- So tell me about the album man.

Planet Asia - My shit is a classic dog, man I got a 5 mic album dog. I just did a track with Pete Rock, I got a track with Battlecat, and that's another thing about hip hop that I'm lovin. The East and the West are mixin shit up now, you know what I mean. See you wouldn't expect me to have a track with Battlecat.

ThaFormula.com - Yeah, but seeing the type of rappa that you are I can kinda understand it. 

Planet Asia - You can understand it though, but the backpacka fans ain't gonna understand it. You feel me though. They're gonna be like what! Battlecat? I don't know.  

ThaFormula.com -  But at least you recognize that their gonna probably say that shit, I mean most rappaz would never think about it. Is their any bounce tracks on your album?

Planet Asia - Hell Yeah! All my shit is Bounce. Ha! Ha! Ha! Not on this album dog. 

ThaFormula.com - So what's goin on with the album now?

Planet Asia - It's about done man. I'm just doin my commercials for it now.

ThaFormula.com - Production wise who do you got layin down the tracks for this new LP?

Planet Asia - I got Super Dave West, Eric Rico, Hi - Tek, Pete Rock, and Battlecat.

ThaFormula.com - Did Interscope give you a cool little budget or what?

Planet Asia - They gave me a cool budget.

ThaFormula.com - Was their any difference recording this album on a major label than recording it independently.

Planet Asia - Nah! I did it the same way at the same studio, we got our own studio.

ThaFormula.com - Do they ever say to you, "let's do something a little more radio friendly" or pressure you in any way to do things their way?

Planet Asia - I already got radio friendly songs. we don't have to try to do that, know what I mean. The label might suggest I do a big song with somebody but 9 times out of ten it's somebody I already would like know what I mean.

ThaFormula.com - What cha think about rappaz like DMX and Ja rule?

Planet Asia - Put it like this, if Pac was alive none of them dudes would be here. It just wouldn't be going down like that. If Pac was alive a lot of people would have their dicks stuffed under their nuts know what I mean. Matter fact if Pac was alive, either me and him would be partners or we would be enemies. But I love tupac right now cause he was way ahead of his time.

ThaFormula.com - Do you think he was a better lyricist than Biggie?

Planet Asia - I don't think he was a better lyricist but I think he had more heart, as far as somebody that would say it in you face and not behind your back. Pac had heart, he was a real thug and that's how I feel. I don't bite my tongue for nobody. I be feelin like no mc's really like me, like niggaz don't really like me personally. People don't really be tryin to fuck wit me. like muthafuckaz don't be tryin callin me to get me on their album you know what I mean, like "Yo I gotta get this nigga on my album", but after this album drop they gonna be sayin that and I ain't gonna be on nobody's shit.

Be  sure to join the over 300,000 Industry Heads that have signed up to our exclusive mailing list!!  Click here to join and receive exclusive interviews only available to members. Leave contact info ( name & email address) at info@thaformula.com and we will contact you to confirm your membership.