Sardines

West Coast rapper Planet Asia and Detroit beatmaker Apollo Brown, two of the most prolific artists in underground hip-hop, first teamed up for the 2017 release Anchovies. With its mixture of smooth beats and hard rhymes, the album was meant to be an acquired taste, but considering how much the drumless production style has grown as a niche since then, the duos second effort and thematic sequel, Sardines, doesnt sound as out of place as its predecessor might have. Apollo Brown sets the mood with minimal loops and samples, painting suspenseful scenes with light rhythms or stirring, swirling passages rather than heavy drum breaks. Planet Asias lyrics can be stark and harrowing, but there are moments of humor and lightness that make the bitterness easier to swallow. "Stones" chastises backstabbing friends over rich strings and horns, eventually shouting out to past collaborator Peanut Butter Wolf, followed by an explanation that it was meant as a punch line in which nobody was punched. "Jungle Juice" fires insults at mediocre rappers who arent bringing anything to the game, and "Wide Awake" further laments the state of hip-hop. On "Peas & Onions," Asia details the intense amount of backbreaking work he puts into his career, while the beat revolves around a sample that simply assures "thats all I do." Apollo isolates moments of heartbreak and nostalgic melancholy for "Wizardry" (featuring TriState) and "Can You Believe It," which showcase Asia at his most inspired and righteous, manifesting his dreams and proving his dedication to his craft. ~ Paul Simpson