“I think it’s well balanced, I don’t think hip-hop’s lost it’s integrity in any way”
Today he’s signed with Nas, but life wasn’t always so charmed for West Coast hip hop artist Fashawn.  Before he was Fashawn, he was a “a little grimy kid from Fresno, doing a lot of stuff I wasn’t supposed to be doing. Getting in trouble, going to court….just being a rough little guy.” Then, on Martin Luther King day in 2001, he jumped on the mic during a deejayed event at a barber shop and ripped it. His barber introduced him to his manager, and now, he’s signed to Nas’s Mass Appeal label.
In this candid clip, the rapper shares how he went from rocking the mic in a barbershop, to the offices of Interscope, to having a record deal from a legendary artist. He also talks about his latest project, The Ecology, which was inspired by him hearing Marvin Gaye’s similarly titled work at the age one. In addition, he addresses the game today, and how artists who take their craft seriously and speak truth, are dominant in hip-hop.
Be sure to check for Fashawn, as he’s heading out on tour to a city near you.  “I’m gonna leave it all on the stage, man,” he says. Â
Watch below.Â
