Fashawn - "Samsonite Man" feat. Blu

I'm just going to put it out there and say Fashawn didn't deserve to make XXL's list of 2010 freshman emcees.  I'm in no way saying that the Golden State rhymesayer is lacking in skills or talent.  In fact, his 2009 debut, Boy Meets World was one of the better releases of last year and he is certainly possesses much more potential than some of his fellow 2010 inductees (ahem...OJ Da Juiceman), but that's just it--Fashawn's already released his debut album and is thus no longer a freshman (the same deal goes for Wiz Khalifa and Skyzoo).

Produced entirely by Exile, Boy Meets World proves to be a cohesive, soulful album that is one of the stronger freshman albums of the past few years.  Though some of the mixing is less than outstanding (at times it's difficult to make out Fash's voice from the backdrop that Exile provides), these points are few and far between and for the most point are on cue and serve to strengthen the young emcee's delivery.  At the end of the day, Boy Meets World is and incredibly positive album even as Fashawn tackles issues from single mother households ("Life As A Shorty"), to young love ("Lupita"), to the effects of poverty in general ("The Ecology").

Fellow Cali artist Blu joins Fashawn on this track as Exile rechannels Billy Paul's 1973 cover of "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright," allowing both emcees to covey the life of the traveling emcee.  Enjoy.

Peace, Love, & Hip Hop,
WordIsBorn

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