Mega Ran and Penny the Great are both Phoenix-based artists with more than a decade’s worth of experience apiece. While they have been in each other’s orbits for some time, things finally lined up for them to work together on a project. For that project, they turned their attention to the anime series Macross, and then enlisted the help of Tampa producer SlopFunkDust to get them over the finish line and deliver their new album, Protoculture Season.

Sometimes with themed nerdcore projects like this, there can be a level of alienation to outsiders who aren’t familiar with the source material. However, if the artist or artists in question really care about their craft and choose to make something that rises above just a fun project with a lot of references, it won’t matter if you’ve spent the time with the source material or not. Case in point, Mega Ran and Penny the Great are using Macross as their starting point for this project, but these two veterans also know how to rock a crowd, and they know how to make hip hop that really connects with their listeners on a deep level. So while you’ll certainly enjoy this on an extra level if you’ve put in the time with Macross, Mega Ran and Penny the Great do such a great job with their own storytelling on the mic, you’ll get drawn in with these tales of armed conflicts, AI, love triangles and all of the emotions and internal conflicts as well. When you add to all of this the great production of SlopFunkDust, who brings this grimy mid-‘90s style of underground boom bap to the situation, you get an album that absolutely bumps. It’s very entertaining, and Mega Ran and Penny the Great have a very natural chemistry together, and adding in SlopFunkDust only pushes everything up another level.

If you’re a big Macross fan, Protoculture Season is one hundred percent for you. However, if you’re just a fan of two emcees and a one dope producer making hip hop that bumps and delivers on a some great storytelling, than Protoculture Season can also be for you. And who knows, maybe it will guide you to some new media in Macross that you’ll also enjoy.