Boy Meets World

Here we have one of the best rap records from 2009, Fashawn's "Boy Meets World" LP. This is an excellent album and to this day is still Fashawn's crowning achievement. The entire album was produced by Exile, so all the instrumentals are fantastic. Fashawn has a unique Fresno style and is far from gangster, but is more inline with a backpacking skateboarder. However, this record does discuss some pretty heavy stuff. One track that always makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up is "When She Calls", a track about his friend committing suicide with the lyrics reading like a devastating suicide letter. However, my two favorites are "Our Way" and "Sunny CA", two classics.

I've seen Fashawn live a few times and he always kills it. I chatted with him for a few minutes when I saw him in Santa Cruz and he was a super cool laid back guy. I look forward to his sophomore album ("The Ecology") to be released sometime this year. This version is on purple vinyl. If you haven't heard this record, I suggest you track it down ASAP. 

Check out "Our Way" featuring Evidence.

Check out "Life as a Shorty".

Remembering the Tsunami - 1 Year Later

So exactly one year ago today was the Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan. I will never forget where I was when I first heard. I was at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz, CA seeing Evidence and Fashawn when they announced on stage what had happened. The whole atmosphere of the show changed after that and it was much more solemn. Here is a sealed copy of "The Weatherman" by Evidence, found it for only $5, ironically at Streetlight Records in Santa Cruz. Here is a video I shot on my phone of Evidence that night exactly one year ago performing "Mr. Slow Flow" from the Weatherman LP:





I'll never forget being in Santa Cruz the night it happened because the next day Santa Cruz was majorly effected by the Tsunami, with surges causing destruction and boats to be carried out to sea or crashed into each other in the harbor. That day people were actually panicking and leaving Santa Cruz thinking another tsunami might hit on the pacific coast, and I remember how Highway 17 was gridlocked with people trying to get out of Santa Cruz. Pretty surreal. Here is some footage I found of the destruction in Santa Cruz:





Obviously the damage of some boats is nothing compared to all the lives lost in Japan and my heart goes out to them. This just put it in perspective for me, the fact that mother nature is so powerful an event half way around the world was felt all the way out here. Ironically, I'm going back to Santa Cruz tonight on the one year anniversary to see Backtrack and Alpha & Omega.