Have you ever coached a little league team? Youth hoops? Anything? Anyway, you know when you got that one kid who's got all the tools to be a star, and you keep waiting and waiting, but he just can't make that next step to actually being that great player? Well if you were coaching rap, that frustrating shorty would be Planet Asia. Don't get it twisted, as usual, Planet Asia rhymes hard; as far as lyrical gymnastics goes, he's still a 15-year-old anorexic chick. However, PA's problem throughout Jewelry Box Sessions is his inability to construct cohesive songs around his unquestionable gift of gab. Lacking structure and substance, the songs have little direction and must rely entirely on his wordplay.
On tracks such as "Street Hop" and "City of Quartz," Asia seems to be in his element and shines over simple and hard drums, which compliment his lyrical barrage. The West Coast wordsmith displays his knack for up-tempo, multi-rhymed verses on top of tracks that don't distract listeners from his wordplay. Another bright spot is his ode to his native Fresno on, "Comin Home," a rare example of balance between playfulness and skill. However, "Take One for the Team" and "Game Goofy" is examples of slick, conceptual verses being diluted by overshadowing, half-hearted production and out of place hooks. P.A. can only bully the beat so long before the limited stage becomes too small and shaky for him to stand firmly upon. The balance of lyricism and song quality does not favor these tracks having long standing appeal; the often lackadaisical tone can easily lead many potential dope songs into the dreaded space of background music.
Asia is falling into a trap that a lot of talented underground MCs are submerged in: they don't want to be perceived as chump backpack hip-hop heads. While Asia was never one to preach or be overtly political, "Jewelry Box Sessions" finds Asia as his alias "Medallions," a true MC often playing the false role of a fly d-boy. While the topics of the LP vary, the tone rarely does; unfortunately much of the P.A's presence loses its intrigue, as is clear on the awkward crossover attempt, "Fly Boy." Possibly overwhelmed by the climate of hip-hop's conflicting focuses on street creditability and mass marketability, Asia seems to compromise himself and his work suffers for it.
Maybe expectations were a little too high. But for those of us hoping Jewelry Box Sessions would reconnect to the nostalgia of the lost years of Cali Agents and Lyricist Lounge, well... memories don't live like people do.
Features Slim (of 112): Hi Haters What else do you want from Slim? His prolific group 112 has sold over 20 million records worldwide, and with a bevy ... full story
Editorials & Columns Scouting Report: Bambu You can refer to Bambu with various terms: rebel, revolutionist, Filipino, thug, artist. From the outside looking in, ... full story
Beyond Hip-Hop Game Review: Far Cry 2 Gone are Jack Carver, his Hawaiian shirt, and the trigens from the first installment of "Far Cry," but in comes spine ... full story
Video Bambu: Like Us (Music Video) We recently featured Filipino rapper, Bambu, in our Scouting Report column, and now, he's just dropped a new video. ... full story
Digg It
Del.icio.us
