“Come holla at me, I’ll be just as inviting as I am in my music. It’s as simple as that,” says Fresno’s Fashawn. While it may be that simple to Fashawn, who spoke to us from his Cali home, there’s nothing simple about the kid’s music or the way he has captivated his peers as well as elders to gain respect and admiration as a young kid with grown up skills. Such skills were on full display on The Antidote, a mixtape fully handled by The Alchemist, and one that featured Fashawn taking on old school breaks, with knowledge and wisdom filled raps that reminded us of Rakim. Indeed, Fashawn has been inducted into “The New West” a collection of left coast artists deemed to take the throne once occupied by the likes of Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Souls of Mischief, The Pharcyde and others. Humble as always, Fashawn credits his musical elders before slyly accepting that the future is his.
We cast our First Look spotlight on Fashawn nearly a year ago, and spoke to the emcee for a second look the day he was named to Ghostface’s tour. Read the full interview below, and see what difference a year can make.
RubyHornet: I know that the big news for you today is your addition to the Ghostface tour. Congratulations on that. Based on your knowledge of Ghost and the rest of the Wu, what are some of the things that will definitely find their way into your suitcase?
Fashawn: Definitely some ACG boots, some Timberlands, a pack of white tees, nothing too crazy to wear…I ain’t gonna Kanye West it, I know that for sure.
RubyHornet: I know you went on tour to Europe earlier this year with Evidence, have you toured the United States before?
Fashawn: Kind of. I’ve been to a couple spots. We did Rock the Bells after we toured Europe. We came back to the states and I did DC and New York. I’ve never had this many dates. There’s a lot of dots that I need to connect because I’ve only been to like 7 states. It’s my first time going out on my own. This is Fashawn you know? On Rock The Bells I just came out as a special guest of Ev and Alchemist. There were only so many dates they brought me out, so this is like my first round.
RubyHornet: How does it feel now about to go on tour with Ghostface and like you said and tour a lot of the parts of the US that you haven’t been to? How are your feelings on this tour compared to when you were told you were about to go to Europe, do you take anything from what you did in Europe into preparation for this tour to go around America?
Fashawn: Well first of all I’m honored to be going with Ghostface knowing that I’m a fan. And to compare this one to Europe, that’s a harder…Wth the experience from Europe I know how to pace myself more because I’m used to doing shows like every night and preserving my voice, and really honing my performance, learning how to control the crowd. I really have the chance to exercise that and I get a chance to do it in the states with Ghost and I hope they are alive and liking it. I heard I had a little buzz in some of these places. I go on the net and people say, ‘you should come out here,’ but you never know what it’s like until you’re actually physically there.
RubyHornet: So a few weeks ago you released The Antidote with Alchemist, which was an all killer no filler project. The music also had a pretty nostalgic feel which was also bolstered by the audio samples you guys put in there. Was that your idea or Alchemist and how did you guys decide to put that out?
Fashawn: Well, it came together in about 3 weeks. The first song we did was “Fash Plays It Cool”. We were just sitting in the studio one day listening to oldies and there was this Marvin Gay sample and he just looped it. I told him not to put any drums on it…He did it real smooth like Grand Master Flash did it back in the day. You know how The Antidote starts off with Grandmster Flash, we took it back to the essence. We talked about what the game was lacking and we called it The Antidote and that summed up all the records we did. We did that like the third week we were in Santa Monica. It was mostly Alchemist’s idea because there’s like a small age difference between us. It’s weird, he would play a beat and I wouldn’t know what what it was. And he’d be like, ‘yo that’s crazy. You have no idea what you’re doing right now, that’s an old like KRS sample or a Gang Starr sample. I just add a fresh perspective to it. I think it came together beautifully. I think it came together naturally and the feedback is incredible.
RubyHornet: I wanted to ask you about the song “The Antidote” you say “I really think there’s something in the music.” This line can indicate something about the way you go about listening to and digesting music as well as the way you put music back out.. Could it be used as a sum up to your approach?
Fashawn: It definitely does. My mom was a real spiritual person and instilled that in me. Some people would say Kiss was the devil’s music, or a certain type of music sponsors a certain type of lifestyle. I really wanted to instill knowledge in my people and positivity and still make them dance and rock at the same time. And when I said ‘I really think it’s something in the music’ I really meant that. It’s infected with some type of germ making people do things just for the money, just reallly the destructive type of things. I’m a student from Pac and Public Enemy, early Pac. I just feel like it wasn’t like that when I was growing up. I feel like there’s even an age gap now with being the age I am now with kids coming up who are like 14 who don’t know that Tupac’s birthday was yesterday, who don’t even know who he is. I feel there’s a responsibility to bring that back. I feel like other people around me feel that way too lie Evidence and Alchemist. Yo, I’m just a kid who is trying to bring it back into perspective and hows it’s suppose to sound.
RubyHornet: I was doing some other reading and I read the interview you did with Vibe a while ago. You made reference to yourself outside of music, your real name. And you said that you haven’t seen Santiago in a while. And I’m just wondering if that’s a good or bad thing from your perspective and since that interview have you guys found each other?
Fashawn: I definelty say yes, but the way I was living at the time I was so busy living fast and attacking the mic and just doing s**t. The music biz is like musical chairs, I’m always standing when the music stop spinning. Once the beats is off and the crowd is gone you got to get back to reality. I was just in a low where I was doing it every night not even really talking to my mom or fam in a while. This is when I wasn’t even sure people really even knew me. But I was really getting it in hard. Now I’ve been at home a couple months, well more like a month with my regular folks. I feel like I’m still working but people don’t know I’m back at the foundation at home. No one really knows that because I got stuff out right now. Everybody’s hyped like ‘he’s on tour with Ghostface, he’s in XXL. He’s doing this, doing that.’ But right now this Santiago talking to you I’m just chillin at home watching TV.
RubyHornet: Back to the songs on The Antidote. On “What’s Your World” you say “I went from a group home to Michael Perritta’s house.” And just in my experience as a former teacher and just growing up, many kids from group homes and your situation have struggled with comfort in a sense. They can’t believe that things are actually going well. I’m just wondering if you ever see that happening with yourself as it relates with your growing success or even how you acted the first few nights staying with Evidence and that being a good situation.
Fashawn: How do I start that answer? Before Evidnece knew about me I was just in a group home and just living crazy. My life was very hectic at the time, and I think about what if I had taken the other route that was the next line in the song. As far as comfort, I’m trying to experience that now. I’m trying to maneuver. But I guess all that unstableness in my life at the time has prepared me for what I’m going through right now, like moving every night packing my bags. But as far as comfort, I’m still looking for it.
RubyHornet: You’ve been put into the label of “The New West”. As someone who grew up in Cali and as a student of Hip Hop, is there a “New West”? Do you feel there’s a need for a “New West”, and if so how would you classify it being some one that grew up in the “Old West”?
Fashawn: Once again it’s the generational gap. The cats that’s been around like myself, Nipsey Hussle, U-N-I, Blu, these cats are like the same age as me and they come from the same era as I do. It’s just the next stage, the next chapter. There’s no new without the old. We don’t want to disrespect our elders, I’m not that type of cat. But it comes a time where someone has to stamp it like ‘this is the new wave that’s coming.’ Nature has to take its course. No disrespect to the OG’s, but they know what’s up. They know we’re coming.
RubyHornet: Almost exactly a year ago we put up a First Look column with you. Going back to that previous interview, I asked you about one of the lines in which you said ‘H is for humbleness.’ Back then you said ‘I know what it’s like to have nothing, the attention doesn’t really affect me. I’m still the same kid I’ve always been and I still hop on the bus to get to the studio. I might be a local celebrity or an internet star, but at the end of the day I’m still a kid with a dream.’ A year later, a European tour late,r a few more mixtapes an XXL review, does that still apply?
Fashawn: Same n***a man same n***a. I’m the same cat. Straight up, I’m so used to it, I’ve been doing it for so long. People are saying, ‘you’re so this, you’re that.’ I’m kind of used to that. I learned to not let that affect me too hard. I just keep on working and I have a good support system. The people who are around me are the same people who have always been around me for my whole life, besides Evidence and Alchemist and people like that. The team I have, we have a dream. The other night I was in the studio with Dr.Dre and I came back home and went to this battle because one of my homies was battling. I just showed up and nobody even thought I was coming…I’m just chillin like I would if it was 5 years ago. Same kid same area. People who are around me would never let me change.
RubyHornet: In “F.Y.I.” you say “show you better than I can tell you, let me demonstrate it.” How has that demonstration changed over the course of your career. Before you had so much music out the demonstration was maybe more focused on putting out as much music as you could and then from putting it out sending out to the right people. Now you have a proper LP, you have write ups you have an XL rating from XXL. What does it mean now to demonstrate to people in comparison to when you first came out?
Fashawn: “F.Y.I.”
[audio: http://rubyhornet.com/media/rh/music/fashawn_fyi.mp3|width=180]Fashawn: I can actually show you better than I can tell you. My voice is a lot bigger than it was. People see me and be like, ‘yo Fashawn.’ I can show you what I’m capable of. Back then I would tell you, or people would tell you what I’m capable of. Now you know, it its official. I’m making moves on the humble. I’m not out here saying, ‘yo I’m the illest or stop listening to him and pay attention to me.’ It’s not because of my looks or my business savvy, I genuinely think that I’m good at it. I’m not doing things for people who are trying to get on the radio or MTV, nothing like that. I’m just sincerely making music that I like, and takes me back to the era I love.
RubyHornet: The last interview we did, you left us with three things that you wanted people to know about you and the second one being “I believe in God”. How has that belief helped you over the last year since we last talked?
Fashawn: It keeps me going, waking up every morning. It’s the energy I feel when I look at a blank page and I just create, I fill that blank page with history. I feel it more now because it’s like when I’m down it’s really affecting my whole life. It was history. I said that on the album, his story not mine. He wrote it. They say that God has a plan for your life, I don’t know what it is but I think I’m on the right path and if I keep going who knows where I’m going to end up? Who knows how major I can get? Make your next move your best move.
RubyHornet: Lastly, your album is titled Boy Meets World. What’s the best way for someone to approach Fashawn to meet you for the first time?
Fashawn: The other day I was in Target and two kids were there…one looked up and was like ‘yo that’s Fashawn.’ They came up and shook my hand. It’s really as simple as that I don’t have security around me none of that. Come holla at me I’ll be just as inviting as I am in my music. It’s as simple as that.
