FASHAWN: LOVE THE WHOLE WORLD (INTERVIEW)

Words & Interview By Jake Paine

In the fast-paced world of Hip-Hop, Fashawn’s protected his legacy with care. Approaching five years since his independently-released debut, Boy Meets World made fast friends and challenged year-end lists everywhere, Fash’ is still without a follow-up. However, the Fresno, California MC who refers to himself as “the little guy” has been far from docile. Dabbling with the Top 200 care of a This Generation LP with Murs, ‘Shawn has linked with the likes of J. Cole, Wiz Khalifa, and Rah Digga for a series of collaborations, tours, mixtapes, and ceaseless videos.

Once attached to a nondescript distributor-label, The Orchard, Fashawn is now poised to be among Nas’ latest protégés—already coming to the table with a well-established career. Although details are still emerging, this May, the Central California MC linked with Nas and Mass Appeal in a venture that is expected to be a springboard to bring Fash’s introspective, deeply-personal reflections to the mainstream. An artist who paved the digital frontier for Kendrick Lamar, Mac Miller, and Kid Ink now has the opportunity to rejoin his mainstream-indie peers with sophomore solo set The Ecology.

Speaking with Crazy Hood, Fashawn examines the delay, highlights some major developments as of late, and tells us that while it’s unreleased, his current favorite verse is right under our noses (and in this feature interview).

Crazy Hood: After a lot of anticipation and waiting, your said-to-be first single from The Ecology was “The Beginning.” What was the decision-process like in showing that particular song, and video, as the first glance of this album five years in the making?

Fashawn: I just want my fans, and Hip-Hop fans in general, to know that you can still be raw with it. You don’t have to put fuckin’ whipped cream on our music for it to be a single.

Crazy Hood: Since Boy Meets World, you introduced some new sides and colors in your palette and attracted new fans. B.M.W was quite different than The Antidote, which was very different from Higher Learning. Yet, you kept building your base no matter who many different sides of yourself you’ve revealed. How important is that as an artist?

Fashawn: It’s important for every artist, I think, to be able to touch every side of this creativity thing. Especially as storytellers—as MCs, we have the license to do that. It’s important for me to try to find new ways to express myself, but at the same time, have integrity, and still be me, and not lose myself in the midst of this crazy Rap that we’re in. It’s important, it’s critical, to just try things out. I think, mainly, it’s just me being fearless, and not being afraid to conquer anything that comes in my path, I guess.

Crazy Hood: You’ve stayed very since your solo debut. As you’ve been plugging away at The Ecology, is it hard not to lose that album’s focus in the guest work, touring, collaborative projects and whatnot?

Fashawn: I think it just stems from my love for music, man. Like, if there’s an artist who I respect and admire, and he comes and hollers at me and says he wants a verse, and it sounds like he has something completely different, than chances are, we’re gonna collaborate. I’m never opposed to that, no matter what I’m doing. I’m a really open-minded individual, so I can touch all that. I can touch anything and everything. It doesn’t feel like pressure to me; I can’t even tell the difference if I’m playing or working these days, because I’m really at a point in my career where I’m really just enjoying the action of work.

Crazy Hood: I first saw you perform at the 2010 Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival. It was an interesting day, because I remember you taking the stage to receive a lukewarm response. After your set though, you got a massive recognition from the audience. As an artist who tours regularly, what’s been your biggest or most meaningful performance to date?

Fashawn: That’s a good question, man. The one I’m probably the most proud of, that stands out—well, there’s two moments. One, when Nas brought me out and I got to perform with him, on stage. That was a dream come true. We got to do “If I Ruled The World,” and I got to perform a record off of The Ecology. That was really a magical time. That was this year [at South By Southwest]. The other one, which [also] happened this year, I got to rock the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, in the middle of the ring, with Manny Pacquiao and Tim Bradley. That was monumental to me, and the progression of my career. Those two are the most memorable, and the ones I hold closest to my heart, for sure.

Crazy Hood: I’m not a UFC follower. I happened to watch that fight, and knowing your connection to Bradley, doing the fight-song, I actually rooted for him. It’s funny how music can affect sports that way, from Tupac and Mike Tyson to Justin Bieber and Floyd Mayweather, to you and Tim…

Fashawn: I’ve never been exposed to that many people at one time. As far as digitally, or in person, I’ve never rocked a sold out arena before. To be exposed to all these people and make some new fans was really important. It was more of a statement. It was necessary, ‘cause I was known as the underdog for a long time. Everybody was like, “Damn, why’s everyone sleeping on Fashawn?” I battled with that for the last few years of my career. That moment was important because it really just raised the awareness of Fashawn, and I had like the best audience. Like, 50 Cent was in the front row, Dave Chappelle, you name it, was just amazing. Now I got new celebrity fans as well. It was important that happened that night, to this little guy.

Crazy Hood: You mention that underdog complex. When Boy Meets World released, it come out independently through The Orchard—which is a great distributor, but not at all high-profile. The album and its praises seemed to happen online. But that was 2009. I feel like Hip-Hop wasn’t ready at the time for an Internet-backed new star. Since then, we’ve seen Kendrick Lamar, Big K.R.I.T., J. Cole, Big Sean, Mac Miller, Kid Ink, and others kind of come from that online horizon. Was it a gift and a curse to really come out in 2009?

Fashawn: It was a gift and a curse. The gift: everyone really gravitated towards it, and called it “a classic.” It wasn’t just something that was gonna be overlooked; people were gonna hold it dear to their hearts forever. I guess the curse was having to compete with myself, and having to outdo myself. And just being on a really small label that wasn’t a premiere Rap record label, I guess. That was my first record deal; I was barely getting in the game to understand what was goin’ on. I didn’t know that the radio was [integral] to be an artist, someone famous. I kinda just…I came out of the whole ‘net cypher. People found me on the Internet; they didn’t have to go to radio. That was a blessing, but the curse was that the radio wouldn’t play me, and I wasn’t gettin’ exposure that I felt I deserved. That’s the pro’s and con’s to that.

Crazy Hood: There’s a time and a place to talk about all that you have going on right now with Nas and Mass Appeal. Obviously, it was announced last month that you were signed to a new situation. How much was your own perfectionism responsible, and how much were the delays simply about finding a proper, new label home?

Fashawn: It’s just me being a perfectionist, man. Me taking my time. And me knowing my place in Rap. I know when I’m needed. I think the time is right now. But I have to take my time with this. If you’re gonna make something timeless, you’re gonna have to take your time. That was my whole something timelessly classic like [Nas’] Illmatic or [Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill], in that stance. Nas agrees. Nas says it’s on that level. I’m really happy where my project is, on that level. I can’t wait ‘til you guys get to hear it. I’m just me.

Crazy Hood: I’m quite sure that when you made Ode To Illmatic, you never imagined to one day be in business with Nas. It’s interesting too, aside from AZ, which doesn’t really count, Nas has yet to brand and deliver an artist under his guild. Respect to The Bravehearts, Quan, and Tre Williams, but none of that really happened on the level, or as planned. For you, Bishop Nehru, and Boldy James, this is a huge opportunity. How does it feel?

Fashawn: It’s really surreal. It’s hard to explain, man, just to be able to continue on the tradition, and really hold the torch for the style of Rap that I think Nas kind of invented. It’s important for myself and Boldy [James]. It’s really big shoes to fill, but we’re all honored to get the chance, the opportunity to at least try for those shoes. It’s an opportunity for us young guys to really leave our footprints in the game. Nas is…man!…Nas is giving us the chance. He’s got a lot of eyes on us just being him being involved. It’s a beautiful thing.

Crazy Hood: The last time I saw you, you were covered in San Francisco Giants gear. I think a lot of folks outside of California commonly mistake you as an L.A. artist. I personally always admired how you were a fan of Killa Tay, and you put Mistah F.A.B. on Boy Meets World, in addition to Blu, Evidence, and Aloe Blacc. Is it important for you to show outsiders that L.A. and The Bay aren’t really all that different?

Fashawn: It’s important that people know that there’s two sides to California. They’re very relative, but just ‘cause they’re so far apart doesn’t really separate them. There’s still a California camaraderie that flows throughout the whole State; I’m just a representation of the bridge that connects both sides. I’m Central California, I’m Fresno. I’m right in the middle of these two giants we call Southern California and Northern California. We all borrow from each other, and it’s all relative, whether you listen to Mystic or you listen to Marvaless, whether you listen to C-Bo or Snoop Dogg—they all cut from that same California cloth. It’s important people know that. I’m just a representation of that. You gettin’ the Fresno set; I gotta rep! Not only that, but I got to rep for the Oakland cats, the niggas in Compton that ride for me, this whole thing. I have to be the bridge that connects the two, and that’s what my music represents, basically.

Crazy Hood: I remember seeing “Life As A Shorty” for the first time on MTV Jams. I’ve always admired that you’ve never been afraid to poke fun of yourself, in videos or rhymes, whether it’s your height or growing up dirt poor, or anything. That’s so rare these days. You’ve worked with several directors, but especially Punit Dhesi. Artists are working closely with video directors again, tell me about why Punit’s lens captures Fashawn so well…

Fashawn: It’s real important that people see where these lyrics come from. I felt like who else’s lens could I show my world through? Who else knows me like that? Who else has been in a car with me when I had to do some things I shouldn’t be doing? My guy Punit. He grew up with me, basically. All the images I rap about, he knows all these locations already. He’s seen me on these blocks, doing all these things already. That’s why our relationship is a lil’ different, and the videos we shoot are biographical pieces. I don’t know…I got a different relationship with every director. But me and Punit, that’s the most critical one. You get to see Fresno through our eyes. Punit Dhesi is the man.

Crazy Hood: What is your proudest verse?

Fashawn: Man! That’s an encyclopedia of lyrics, right there. Let me scroll through my head real quick…I have to say, man, my favorite song right now in my cache of music… it’s a song called “Fuck The Whole World”…I’m not sure; it’s kinda untitled right now. Either it’s called either “Fuck The Whole World” or “Love The Whole World.” I think that’s my most…that song right there is my whole mind-state, and the way I see the world right now. That record is probably my most important record since the first record [“Intro”] on my first album. If you haven’t heard the song, I performed the song live with Nas at South By. But I haven’t put out the audio. But that’s my favorite record in the world, that I did.

Jake Paine has been a music industry professional since 2002. In addition to five years as HipHopDX.com’s Editor-in-Chief, Paine spent five years as AllHipHop’s Features Editor. He has written for Forbes, XXL, The Source, Mass Appeal, among others. He currently resides in his hometown of Pittsburgh.