Representative Albums: "The Last Stand," "Pt. 1: The Sickness," "Pt. 3: The Medicine"
Biography
Planet Asia (born Jason Green) rose from the uncharted hip-hop territory of Fresno, CA, to become one of the stars of the West Coast "true school" generation that 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. The rapper 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 the 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 uptempo, 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. ~ Luke Forrest, All Music Guide
During the 1990s, Planet Asia moved from Fresno, California to San Francisco, California and started rapping religiously. From 1997-2001, Planet Asia had been releasing various popular 12 inch singles. These singles such as "Definition of ILL" and "Place of Birth" were released by various labels such as Stones Throw and ABB Records. He reached full acclaim in 2001 when The Source gave him the First Round Draft Pick and Independent Album of the Year awards for How the West Was One. How The West Was One was recorded with fellow rapper Rasco under the group name Cali Agents and landed him a deal with Interscope Records.
While signed to Interscope Records, Planet Asia was not promoted like more popular Interscope acts Eminem and 50 Cent. The Fresno rapper stayed with Interscope until 2003 without releasing an album. He was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2002 for the song "W" by Mystic. Planet Asia has collaborated with famous artists such as Linkin Park, Bun B, Talib Kweli and Ghostface Killah.
In 2003, Avatar Records signed Planet Asia to an exclusive world-wide recording contract and in 2004 released Planet Asia's debut album, The Grand Opening, to positive feedback. It earned him another Independent Album of the Year award from The Source. Avatar also released 12" vinyl records including "Summertime In The City" b/w "G's & Soldiers" featuring Kurupt produced by J. Wells, "Its All Big" b/w "Right or Wrong", and "Real Niggaz" featuring Ghostface. His record "G's & Soldiers" featuring Kurupt was prominently featured in John Travolta's 2005 film "Be Cool" released by MGM. After leaving Avatar, Planet Asia started his own record label, Gold Chain Music, with Walt Liquor.
His latest album, The Medicine, was released on October 3, 2006 on ABB Records. The entire album was produced by Evidence of Dilated Peoples, with co-production credits from The Alchemist, Nucleus & Bravo.
On June 26, 2007, Planet Asia released "The Jewelry Box Sessions: The Album" on Gold Chain Music. The album featured the single "Havin' Things".
