CALI AGENTS/ Rasco&Planet Asia – HOW THE WEST WAS ONE

In the organizer's words:

CALI AGENTS/ Rasco&Planet Asia - HOW THE WEST WAS ONE
25TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR
20.03.
Admission: 18:45
Genre: Hip Hop/ Rap/ Concert
Advance booking: Early Birg 25,-€ (plus 1,-€ fees+ 7% VAT)
https://www.tixforgigs.com/Event/71225

Planet Asia & Rasco bring a West Coast underground classic back to the stage Cali Agents - the duo of Planet Asia and Rasco - announce a special 25th anniversary tour celebrating their seminal debut album How The West Was One.

Originally released in 2000, How The West Was One stands as one of the most respected underground hip-hop albums of its era: a raw, no-frills statement of lyricism, craftsmanship, and West Coast identity. Produced by a who's-who of underground royalty - including Madlib, Paul Nice, His-Panik and M-Boogie - the album became a touchstone for purist hip-hop fans worldwide, praised for its gritty beats, razor-sharp bars, and uncompromising authenticity.

Twenty-five years on, Cali Agents return to perform the album live, in full and in spirit - alongside key selections from their wider catalog and solo material. The anniversary shows are not nostalgia exercises, but reaffirmations: a reminder of an era when skill, presence, and substance were non-negotiable.

Planet Asia, one of hip-hop's most prolific and respected lyricists, and Rasco, known for his clarity, charisma, and veteran command of the mic, remain formidable live performers.
Together, their chemistry captures the essence of How The West Was One: sharp exchanges, unfiltered energy, and an unapologetic dedication to the craft.

The tour will span UK and Europe, with dates at select venues and festivals known for championing hip-hop culture, live musicianship, and discerning audiences. For fans of Gang Starr, Dilated Peoples, Da Beatminerz, Souls of Mischief, and the deeper lineage of independent hip-hop, this tour offers a rare chance to experience a true underground classic - live, loud, and intact.

CALI AGENTS IS A CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED WEST COAST HIP-HOP DUO COMPOSED OF VETERAN LYRICISTS RASCO AND PLANET ASIA. KNOWN FOR THEIR SHARP LYRICISM, RAW ENERGY, AND COMMITMENT TO THE FUNDAMENTALS OF HIP-HOP, THE DUO HAS BUILT A RESPECTED LEGACY IN THE UNDERGROUND MUSIC SCENE, CONSISTENTLY DELIVERING THOUGHT-PROVOKING BARS AND CLASSIC BOOM-BAP PRODUCTION.
THE GROUP OFFICIALLY DEBUTED IN 2000 WITH THE RELEASE OF THEIR SEMINAL ALBUM "HOW THE WEST WAS ONE," A PROJECT THAT IS WIDELY REGARDED AS AN UNDERGROUND CLASSIC. LED BY THE BREAKOUT SINGLE "GOOD LIFE," THE ALBUM SHOWCASED THE DUO'S UNDENIABLE CHEMISTRY-RASCO'S GRITTY, STREETWISE FLOW PAIRED SEAMLESSLY WITH PLANET ASIA'S ARTICULATE, RAPID-FIRE DELIVERY. THE PROJECT EARNED CRITICAL PRAISE FOR REVIVING THE LYRIC-DRIVEN ETHOS OF GOLDEN ERA HIP-HOP AT A TIME WHEN MAINSTREAM RAP WAS VEERING TOWARD COMMERCIALISM.

BEFORE FORMING CALI AGENTS, BOTH EMCEES HAD ALREADY MADE NAMES FOR THEMSELVES ON THE INDEPENDENT SCENE. RASCO, KNOWN FOR HIS STANDOUT SOLO DEBUT "TIME WAITS FOR NO MAN", BROUGHT A COMMANDING PRESENCE AND VETERAN PERSPECTIVE. PLANET ASIA EMERGED FROM FRESNO WITH A REPUTATION FOR RAZOR-SHARP LYRICISM, QUICKLY BECOMING ONE OF THE MOST RESPECTED UNDERGROUND EMCEES IN THE COUNTRY. THEIR COLLABORATION WAS BORN FROM MUTUAL RESPECT AND A SHARED MISSION: TO REASSERT THE WEST COAST'S PLACE IN THE WORLD OF LYRICAL HIP-HOP.

FOLLOWING THE SUCCESS OF THEIR DEBUT, BOTH ARTISTS CONTINUED TO BALANCE GROUP EFFORTS WITH SOLO WORK. PLANET ASIA WENT ON TO SIGN WITH INTERSCOPE AND WAS EVEN NOMINATED FOR A GRAMMY AS PART OF THE ALGEBRA BLESSETT PROJECT. HE RELEASED SEVERAL ACCLAIMED SOLO ALBUMS, INCLUDING THE GRAND OPENING AND BLACK BELT THEATER, FURTHER ESTABLISHING HIS LEGACY AS ONE OF THE MOST SKILLED LYRICISTS OF HIS GENERATION.

RASCO ALSO CONTINUED TO DROP SOLO PROJECTS, LIKE HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT AND THE BIRTH EP, ALWAYS MAINTAINING THE GRITTY, BOOMBAP AESTHETIC THAT MADE HIM A FAVORITE IN THE UNDERGROUND. CALI AGENTS RELEASED MORE MUSIC AS A GROUP, INCLUDING THE EP HEAD OF THE STATE AND THE FULL-LENGTH FIRE & ICE (2006). THOUGH THE GROUP NEVER REACHED MAINSTREAM COMMERCIAL SUCCESS, THEY REMAINED STAPLES IN THE INDIE HIP-HOP COMMUNITY, RESPECTED FOR THEIR AUTHENTICITY AND CONSISTENCY.

CALI AGENTS ARE BEST KNOWN FOR BRINGING A NO-FRILLS, LYRICALLY DENSE STYLE TO THE WEST COAST. THEIR WORK RESONATES WITH FANS OF 90S HIPHOP WHO APPRECIATE TIGHT RHYME SCHEMES, HARD-HITTING BEATS, AND EMCEES WHO STAY TRUE TO THE ESSENCE OF THE CULTURE. THEY'VE INFLUENCED COUNTLESS UNDERGROUND RAPPERS AND CONTINUE TO BE NAME-DROPPED BY THOSE WHO VALUE LYRICISM AND CRAFT.
WITH A CAREER SPANNING OVER TWO DECADES, CALI AGENTS ARE A TESTAMENT TO THE STAYING POWER OF AUTHENTIC HIP-HOP. THEY'VE BUILT A LEGACY ROOTED IN RESPECT, SKILL, AND A REFUSAL TO COMPROMISE THEIR SOUND, EARNING THEM A DEVOTED FANBASE AND A PLACE IN THE PANTHEON OF GREAT UNDERGROUND DUOS.CALI AGENTS' SOUND IS A FUSION OF EAST COAST-INFLUENCED BEATS WITH WEST COAST ATTITUDE-TIMELESS, GROUNDED, AND AUTHENTIC. THEIR INFLUENCE CAN BE FELT THROUGHOUT THE UNDERGROUND HIP-HOP COMMUNITY, INSPIRING A GENERATION OF ARTISTS WHO VALUE LYRICAL COMPLEXITY AND CULTURAL INTEGRITY. WITH OVER TWO DECADES OF EXPERIENCE, A RESPECTED DISCOGRAPHY, AND A LOYAL INTERNATIONAL FANBASE, CALI AGENTS STAND AS ONE OF THE MOST ESSENTIAL DUOS IN INDEPENDENT HIP-HOP. THEIR MUSIC CONTINUES TO RESONATE WITH LISTENERS WHO CRAVE SUBSTANCE, SKILL, AND A GENUINE CONNECTION TO THE ROOTS OF THE CULTURE.

SOCIALS:
@PLANETASIAMEDALLIONS
@CALIAGENTNO.1

Price information:

Early Bird 25,-€ until 01.02. https://www.tixforgigs.com/Event/71225