The Fresno, California resident, Planet Asia, is a veteran of the hip-hop game. He’s one of those cats that possess a lot of talent, but has always been rather inconsistent in the quality of his music for one reason or another. He drops an album in the form of Chain of Command, but he is joined by friends this time: Killa Kali, Tristate, Killer Ben, Turbin and Sav Killz. All of them are fairly unfamiliar to the average rap cat, with Sav Killz being the only one I’ve heard more than a guest appearance or two out of. The problem with albums featuring “your boys” is that sometimes there is a reason they don’t get put on themselves, so the potential for a sub-par album existed. Planet Asia has the talent to carry an album on his own, but would the Gold Chain Military need his assistance?

The production is mostly handled by lesser-known producers, but Large Professor, DJ Babu, Evidence, and The Alchemist all drop a track apiece to give it some of that name power. Actually, the production, for the most part, is on-point. “Chocolate Honeys,” which is the token track for the ladies, is equipped with a melodic background music with an interesting wood-wind sounding sample from Thayoo Ausar. “Back It Up,” which was produced by Masterkraftsman, who handled a bulk of the production work, brings a beat that reminds the listener of the hip-hop golden years. The horn driven beat is a definite head nodder. The standout track is done by one of the “pros,” as DJ Babu laces a beat that not only sounds like a classic, it is also an example of all involved shining the best on the title track.

The album could be drastically improved the same way a lot of 2o-plus song albums can, by simply cutting the filler. There is just too much dead weight on this album, either watered down by lackluster lyrical performances, boring hooks or uninspired beats. Not only is the album twenty songs long, some of these tracks clock in at five and six minutes. You get your full 78 minutes on this. More is not always better. Planet Asia is in the groove for most of the album, leaving me to want to hear him more and less of his crew. As with most “homie” albums, it’s not always wise to give your homeboys the spotlight for a whole album.  By simply shortening the album, cutting some unnecessary tracks and sharpening up some verses, Chain of Command would show an significant improvement and would be viewed as the quality album it has the potential of being.

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