Planet Asia has built a long history in underground hip hop. While certainly not the best known to most he has built his career from the ground up. Through failed major label deals and a lack of recognition he has made himself known through his hard work and consistency. Most rappers couldn't be bothered with the struggles he has gone through but He seems to come out of the struggles better for it. In the last year or two he has managed to gain a resurgence with a handful of releases and his willingness to mentor younger rappers (probably the best known being Fashawn).
So that leaves us with his newest work Black Belt Theater. He has always managed to incorporate a well rounded mix of gangster and emotion within his style and that has certainly not changed. most of the lyrics revolve around his history in the ghettos of Fresno. So with this the listener can glean a strong sense of realism within his rhymes. This allows each line to be felt much stronger than the rappers that talk in gangster-isms within the mainstream. The vocals are performed with a strong sense of cadence and general feeling without ever sounding forced or at all false. The conviction of Planet Asia drive this record and his history is proven throughout each flow.
The production is smooth throughout, while there are more than a few producers at work here the feeling stays consistent throughout. Standouts by Khrysis, Oh No and Soulprofessa keep the feel of the album while allowing bits of different styles to shine through. Asia's experience in hip hop can be what is to credit with this as his ear for beats seems pretty impeccable in how it fits with his style. The beats in general are a good mix of strong beats with a west coast laid back feel.
The last thing to mention are the guests. The true guest stars include Talib Kweli, Fashawn, Raekwon, Willie The Kid, Torae and Ras Kass. While the members of Strong Arm Steady also hand in well written verses. There are a couple guests that don't stand out as much but none of these appearances are out of place entirely they just fall in the background a bit more.
Overall the album keeps a strong sense of consistency throughout. This feature is absolutely vital when the album is a rather long 20 tracks. This is not necessarily a bad thing while none of the tracks are bad noted, some are better than others. The record just becomes a bit long in these parts. So with all said and done Planet Asia has crafted a very strong west coast hip hop record more than worthy of your time. If you haven't heard Asia this would not be a bad place to start at all. For existing fans you should own this by now.
