How the West Was One

Cali Agents

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 13, 2000)
• Original Release Date: June 13, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ground Control
• ASIN: B00004T20P
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #144,224 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Behind Closed Doors (Intro)

2. How the West Was One

3. Cali Agents: The Anthem

4. Crash the Boards

5. Up Close and Personal - Cali Agents, Chuck Taylor

6. Neva Forget

7. Interlude

8. This Is My Life

9. Faces of Death

10. Good Life

11. Just When You Thought It Was Safe

12. Talking Smack

13. Real Talk

14. Fuck What You Heard

15. Outro

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Answering the East Coast critics who think Cali's all about surf and turf are the Cali Agents--Rasco and Planet Asia. Anchored by staccato beats courtesy of M-Boogie, Paul Nice, and His-Panik (among others), the dynamic duo lay a verbal smackdown from the start and don't let up for 15 tracks. Their braggadocio is impressive, but it threatens to leave the listener punch drunk, as it's the only real style on How the West Was One. As two of the West Coast's fiercest rhyme slingers, they are impressive on one level, but still have to reach for greater depth to become multidimensional MCs. --Oliver Wang

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Just brilliant, December 30, 2005

By	Geoffrey "Bastardo" (Hasselt, Belgium) - See all my reviews

This album is just da bomb. Blazing beats and Rasco together with Planet Asia is just the perfect combination. If you think that hiphop has changed into commercial sh** then this album is perfect for you because it just shows how good hiphop can be without all the mainstream mumbo jumbo. So just pick this album up cause this is true hiphop

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Street Credibility, May 13, 2003

By	Abstract Analyst (Winston Salem NC) - See all my reviews

Let me start by saying, Cali Agents aren't your typical cats in this hip-hop industry. They're hungry for the cash, yet still, they refrain themselves from "selling out" in the game.

Rasco (Cali Agent #1) is my favorite of the two, but most would disagree. This dude has one of the best flows I've heard in a good while. Planet Asia (Cali Agent #2) is the other half of Cali Agents. This dude's more on that lyrical tip. Both cats are extremely gifted with their own unique techniques.

How the West Was One isn't exactly classic material, but it's one of hip-hop's better albums of 2000, but if you're not really into the underground scene, don't expect How the West Was One to be a work of art. The production was solid from my view, but most rap fans wouldn't buy into it. The beats are a nice blend of the dark side of rap, mixed with a dash of that battle tip music. I found it fairly ear pleasing.

These cats have some major street credibility, not just on the West, but all across the entire map. You'll never see these two incredibility gifted emcees on 106 Park, but keep your ear to the street, and you'll eventually see why these cats are so vastly respected.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dopest and ill tracks for the mind., June 29, 2000

By	[e-mail] (New Haven, CT USA) - See all my reviews

The lyrics are fairly complicated although they are mainly battle lyrics. I was surprised when I got this CD used and listened to it. Definitely the CA underground is blowing up and this isn't at all anything like the LA gangstar Dr. Dre or Xzibit but pure old school funkiness at its best. Of course, the title track is beautiful definitely with a piano loop and interloped vocals of "hit it hit it". There is a lot of jazz loops and tons of piano samples (where in the heck did they find the originals?) and laid back approach to their dopest. Of course, I admire these cats for their nonskippable CD!