Rhyme Report

Published on May 4th, 2021 | by Dr. Jerry Doby

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Rappers jason chu and Alan Z Announce “Face Value” Hip Hop Album Highlighting Asian American History for APA Heritage Month

Rappers jason chu and Alan Z announced the May 14 release of Face Value, a hip-hop album and multimedia project that puts the history of the Asian American community on record in a unique way. The album’s first single, “Model Minority” featuring Dante Basco and Neela, is out now on streaming music services.

Face Value includes collaborations from a diverse team of East, Southeast, and South Asian women and men creatives, including Ronny Chieng, Dante Basco, Ruby Ibarra, AJ Rafael, Zeda Zhang, and more. The record touches on a wide range of issues, including immigration, American racism, and gender.

“Our pain and power are grounded in 170+ years of oppression and solidarity,” said jason chu. “Recent tragedies have been reminders that ‘Asian America’ was born from struggle and unity. I hope this music helps our communities and friends find strength, through stories that have too often been silenced, but could never be erased.”

“We tap into Asian American history and experiences as a way to correlate past traumas and triumphs with today’s anti-Asian climate,” said Alan Z about the origins of the album. “We remember our collective pain and celebrate our victories and resilience, through music.”

The project is presented by XRM Media. Supporters include: Andrew Chau (Boba Guys), Takashi Cheng (SueYa), Victor Cheng, Michael Y. Chow (Co-Founder, XRM Media), the Donald R. and Esther Simon Foundation on behalf of Maggie Hsu & Stuart Wagner, John Kim (Kobunga), Kevin Lin (former COO, Twitch), OCA-APA Advocates, and Katie Soo (SVP, HBO).

Face Value will be available to stream on streaming services beginning May 14. Head here today to listen to “Model Minority”. The second single, “Making the Banned” featuring Humble the Poet, will release on May 7.

 

ABOUT Face Value

Face Value is a music and multimedia project helmed by Asian American rappers jason chu and Alan Z, featuring diverse collaborators from the Asian diaspora and beyond.

The album uses hard-hitting rap music to tackle pressing issues affecting the Asian American community. Over 15 tracks, each focused on the history and current reality of a specific topic, the record blends music and culture in the vein of Kendrick Lamar and Run the Jewels.

In a year when racial and social issues are centered in the national discourse, Face Value is a way for audiences to access the passion and stories that can transform and heal society.

 

ABOUT jason chu

Rapper/Activist jason chu speaks hope and healing in a broken world. He blends crafted lyricism with high energy performances.

Most recently, jason’s work has been curated in the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs virtual exhibition Reimagine Public Art: House and Home.

His music has been heard on Warrior (HBO Max), Snowpiercer (TNT), and Wu Assassins (Netflix). He has shared poetry at the Obama White House, been featured in the Chinese American Museum of Los Angeles, and presented at the Getty Center, Flushing Town Hall, the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center, and the Museum of Chinese in America. He tours extensively, with hundreds of shows across the US and worldwide.

As an expert on Asian American identity and hip-hop culture, jason has spoken and led workshops at UPenn, Dragon*Con, Stanford, NYU, Yale, and beyond. He is a contributor to the St. James Encyclopedia of Hip Hop Culture.

 

ABOUT Alan Z

A triple threat in the entertainment industry, Alan Z intricately weaves hip-hop aggression, R&B melodies, and pop sensibilities into a tapestry that defines stereotypes and labels. He is a mainstay in the Atlanta scene with a national audience garnered from performing coast-to-coast and generating viral attention on InstagramTikTok, and Facebook. Through his music, skits, and freestyles, Alan has generated millions of views online.

His music has been heard on Wu Assassins (Netflix), iZombie (The CW), and eSports Athletes Rising (Fox Sports 1). Alan Z has worked with several prominent artists, including Full Force, Raphael Saadiq, and Shanice Wilson. As an artist who performs nationally and overseas, Alan has shared stages with national acts like Jhonni Blaze (Love & Hip Hop) and The Hamiltones as well as international artists like Korean hip-hop stars San E, Mad Clown, and Nada (Unpretty Rapstar).

As an actor, Alan has appeared on television shows such as Star (Fox) and Being Mary Jane (BET). He has also spoken at Dragon*Con, Huffington Post, and various public schools. With a fanbase of over 100K in cumulative social following, Alan Z utilizes his platform to position himself as an unstoppable force in music and acting and empower the Asian American community.



About the Author

Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.


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