The year was 1993 and a young, energetic Asia Lee was still in elementary school. But she remembers the moment like it was yesterdaythe first time she heard Yo Yo on the boisterous track, Bonnie & Clyde Theme with Ice Cube, she realized Hip Hop was in her blood. “I would turn the volume up sky high when ever that song came on, even though I probably shouldn’t have been saying the words let alone listening to it,” she remembers. “At that time there weren’t many female rappers out, so I was just amazed at the fact that a female who was where I was from was holding it down like that. It was like the start of a new beginning.” Reared in sunny California, a state that arguably owned Hip Hop throughout the early 90’s, Asia Lee was introduced to the sounds of prolific West Coast artists as a youngster, courtesy of her teenage brothers. “They listened to nothing but N.W.A. and Snoop all day everyday and I wanted to hang around them just as much as they listened to it,” she fondly recalls. “So at an early age I was exposed to Hip Hop that was like none other.” Though she didn’t realize at the time the indelible influence it would ultimately have upon her life, she knew that her adulation for the genre would only continue to grow. She wrote her first rhyme at 10 years old, it was initially a poetry assignment for her fourth grade class, but true to her maverick spirit, she flipped it and wrote a rap instead. “It wound up being pretty hot for a 10 year-old,” she smiles. As she began to mature, Hip Hop in turn shifted as well, and the attention was no longer focused on West Coast artists like E- 40, DJ Quik and Tha Dogg Pound. With the murder of two of its greatest emcees, the rap community was thirsty for a new sound, something that would take their attention away from the tragic occurrences. The Bling Era was its answer. Soon, Left Coast rhyme slingers and producers were surrounded with accusations that their sound was dead and that they had nothing viable left to contribute to Hip Hop. Their time was over. Years later, Dr. Dre and his arsenal of artists and producers proved the industry wrong with the acclaimed 1999 release of the Chronic 2001. Even still, the damage was serious and thorough. The West Coast is still widely perceived to be void of life, despite boasting some of the best talent in the game. Incredibly aware of the false perceptions, Asia Lee remains stoically calm and focused. She’s fueled by doubts that a female emcee can help bring an entire region back into the forefront. “I’m trying to bring what the game is lacking right now originality, creativity and character,” she defiantly states.“I’m just trying to let the world know that a female can finally hold it down. But most importantly, I want to bring the West Coast back for CaliIt’s like killing two birds wit’one stone.” After catching the eye of current manager, Ernest “ErnMoney” Johnson (Money Music), Asia Lee soon realized that her lifelong dream wasn’t as far-fetched as it once seemed. Propelled by her innate charm and talent, she’s now signed to super producer Rodney Jerkin’s Darkchild Records through Electric City Music and is working on her yet-to-be-titled debut album, which she is confident will help establish her as a force to be reckoned with. She’s enlisted the talents of producers such as Baby Boy (EMI),J-Hits, Prolific, Rodney Jerkins (Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Brandy,N’Sync), Ricc Rude (Darkchild), and 3rd Eye to create what she hopes will be the foundation for an illustrious career and the re-birth of Cali. "I think she has great vocal cadence, a beautiful smile and tons of charisma,” J. Henry, CEO of Electric City Music adamantly maintains, “She is definitely a multimedia threat." With a sound that is both unique and familiar, Asia Lee’s music is infectious. Using her experiences as a woman and her trials and tribulations as a female in a male-dominated industry as her primary sources of inspiration, she hopes to one day ignite someone the same way she was that fateful day she first heard Yo Yo. “The ultimate accomplishment for me in Hip Hop would be to not only make music, but make history,” she reasons, “to make someone feel as good as I felt the day I heard Yo Yo killing the track on Ice Cube’s, Bonnie & Clyde Theme. "Queen of Cali" BIOGRAPHY