In honor of
Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, Asian American rappers
jason chu and
Alan Z have announced that their latest album,
Face Value, will arrive on 5/14.
Spotlighting the history of the Asian American community, the album’s first single, “Model Minority” f/
Dante Basco and
Neela, was released today (4/30).
Featuring a diverse team of East, Southeast and South Asian creatives, including
Ronny Chieng,
Ruby Ibarra,
AJ Rafael and
Zeda Zhang, the 15-track multimedia project touches on a wide range of topics, such as immigration, racism and gender.
“Our pain and power are grounded in 170+ years of oppression and solidarity," said chu. "Recent tragedies are 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," added Z. "We remember our collective pain and celebrate our victories and resilience through music."
The project is presented by
XRM Media with support from company co-founder
Michael Y. Chow as well as
Andrew Chau (
Boba Guys),
Takashi Cheng (
SueYa),
Victor Cheng, the
Donald R. and Esther Simon Foundation on behalf of
Maggie Hsu &
Stuart Wagner,
John Kim (
Kobunga), Kevin Lin (former COO of
Twitch),
OCA-APA Advocates and
HBO SVP
Katie Soo.
Pre-save
Face Value here and stay tuned for
chu and
Z's second single, “Making the Banned” f/
Humble the Poet, on 5/7. In the meantime, stream “Model Minority” f/Dante Basco and Neela
here.
