Exile Talks "4 Track Mind", The Difference Between Working With Blu and Fashawn

Exile crafted the sound bed behind two of the 2000s most critically acclaimed rap albums, now he’s releasing his own.

The Southern California producer arguably best known for his work with Blu on Below The Heavens and Fashawn on Boy Meets World -- and to a lesser degree, as one-half of Emanon with Aloe Blacc -- prepares for the release of his solo debut, 4 Track Mind coming in October. Following his performance at the 2011 Rock The Bells on New York City’s Governor’s Island, BrooklynBodega.com asked Exile about the difference between working with Blu and Fashawn, his transition to stepping behind the mic, and his view on the producer-turned-rapper stigma.

Brooklyn Bodega: It’s gotta feel kind of cool after rocking with two of the artists you always sound the most seamless with then coming off stage and getting mobbed by people. You guys have a very strong fan base. You guys are resonating with a generation. How does that feel to you?

Exile: Yeah man. It feels good. I’m definitely doing what I set out to do -- manifest destiny, so to speak. That’s all I ever wanted to do was just connect with people and be able to have them enjoy my art form.

Brooklyn Bodega: What’s the difference between working with Fashawn in the studio and Blu in the studio?

Exile: Well it depends on which Blu you’re talking about. If you’re talking about the Below The Heavens Blu, the difference is that we live closer together so we got a little more building time. But Fashawn actually just moved to [Los Angeles] so we’re working on The Ecology. Really it’s the same shit. We just build and try to make the best music possible. We just keep on creating until we have a little pile of songs to choose from. Actually, they’re both pretty similar. They’ve both put out records and have gotten to shine. Now we’re both on our second ventures working together, even me and Blu. It’s the same shit. We’re just trying to make music that, first of all, we’ll enjoy and, second of all, the people will enjoy.

Brooklyn Bodega: You’ve got 4 Track Mind on the way. You rhymed on Below The Heavens. You rhymed on Boy Meets World. What made you decide to put together a full project?

READ FULL INTERVIEW @BROOKLYNBODEGA.COM

Fashawn Talks Working With 9th Wonder, Fatherhood, Reuniting With Exile

It’s almost as if Fashawn can hit the switch gears whenever he chooses.

Minutes removed from unleashing his microphone melting kerosene flow live and direct for the Rock The Bells’ masses, the Fresno, California native down shifts from rap star raucousness to his regular guy humility in milliseconds. He’s signing autographs. He’s taking pictures with the swarm of fans circling him. He’s smiling. He’s simply, Santiago.

BrooklynBodega.com caught up with Fashawn briefly and discussed reuniting with Exile exclusively for his follow up full-length, The Ecology, collaborating with 9th Wonder on the highly anticipated, The Wonder Years, fatherhood, and what surprises him about Hip-Hop.

Brooklyn Bodega: This is the first time I’ve seen you, Blu and Exile all rock together.

Fashawn: Word. That’s the fam. We all get to travel separately, but it’s rare that we get to travel together and people get to see the whole package. We even brought Johaz out, Evidence, Alchemist -- the whole camp; the whole fam. That’s my fam.

Brooklyn Bodega: The last time we spoke was at the 2010 Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival. We talked quite a bit about your background and your perspective and how you didn’t rhyme like anyone your age. You don’t rhyme like anybody, from a perspective stand point. You’re mad nice with it.

Fashawn: [Laughs] Word. Thank you.

Brooklyn Bodega: You also talked about [your upcoming project], The Ecology. How’s that coming along?

Fashawn: It’s coming together great, man. I’m working on it with Exile. I’m doing my second album with Exile and that’s it. I know I did Higher Learning 2, I did Grizzly City 3, Ode To Illmatic and I kind of threw niggas off track like, “Yo, what is he going to do next?” I’m going back home to my nigga Exile and we’re already in the midst of making a classic. I can’t wait until people hear The Ecology. But right now, I just barely moved back to [Los Angeles] from Fresno, California. I had a daughter right when [Boy Meets World] dropped so I was busy being a father and a rap star at the same time. I had to take some time off and be a man. I gotta handle my business. I handled business at home and now I’m back on the road, back in the studio and just grinding. Getting it in.

Brooklyn Bodega: Do you feel pressure following up Boy Meets World? That’s a phenomenal album.

Fashawn: Nah, it actually feels like a relief, man. I’ve been doing all this other shit trying to find a sound and it’s been successful to a degree. But there’s nothing like that first person you worked with that gave you your sound. I think Exile, he gave me my sound that I was looking for when I was 20 or 21 years old and that kind of epitomized everything I wanted to do. I think it’s only right that I’m connecting with my brother again.



Brooklyn Bodega: Your slated to be on 9th Wonder’s, The Wonder Years coming up. How was it working with 9th?

READ FULL INTERVIEW @BROOKLYNBODEGA.COM

WORLD MEET FASHAWN

“The strong move silent, the weak get devoured / Too many fake hustlers, the drug game is sour / Rather live like an animal than die like a coward. / Writing lyrics in the midst of / my n***** sniffin’ powder / Lines like it’s 1989 / Just tryna survive in these days and times…”– Fashawn: “Ecology”

Calm, wise demeanor in interviews. Unbridled lyricism on wax. Controlled aggression on stage.

Nothing about the Emcee known as Fashawn indicates that he’s only 21 years old. Born to a broken home in Fresno, California — one where his mother was a drug addict and numerous father figures moved in and of the picture to the point where the city placed him in a group home at the age of 12 — no doubt he was forced to mature quickly. Using rhyme javeling as his escape from life’s harsh realities, Fashawn unloads his angst injected, imagery laced lyrics in every syllable spit on his uplifting life story and critically acclaimed 2009 debut album, Boy Meets World.

Produced entirely by Exile (the same sonic genius behind BHF08 Alumni and fellow California Emcee, Blu’s masterpiece Below The Heavens), Boy Meets World chronicles Fashawn’s journey from youthful trepidation to triumphant lyricist. BMW is concise and distinct, discussing wide ranging topics such as urban strife in his hometown, his disjointed life growing up in Fresno, male suicide due to female infidelity all wrapped around kerosene laced cypher rhymes over a shifting soulful, yet neck snapping boom-bap sound scape. It’s packed with replay value and perspective normally harnessed by someone ten years his senior. It’s less like an album and more like an opus — enough to inspire a generation of bourgeoning Emcees after him. It’s enough to spark an impromptu internet search to discover more about the “kid” drawing Nas comparisons.

And thats exactly what we did.

The following quotations are taken from several Fashawn interviews over the past two years (conducted by various publications), describing his life, his emergence, his influences, his style — all in his own words at different points in his rapidly rising career.

READ FULL ARTICLE @ BROOKLYNBODEGA.COM

The Upside to the 1st Quarter

Something unexpected happened while in the midst of another 1st Quarter inexplicably void of major Hip Hop album releases (click here for The Quotable's 1Q 2007 rant) - I stumbled into a Big-Pun-load-of-upside.

Upside - an encouraging positive aspect (dictionary.com)

Since there weren't any major (read: highly anticipated) album releases to sink into, analyze, and internally debate whether or not they lived up to the build up, I was forced to raid record stores and dig into the e-crates in hopes of discovering something new...something fresh...something different. And what do you know, I did - ill ish in all mediums. So rather than hoard all of this dopeness for myself, leaving heads in ignorance; The Company Man steps back from hiatus with that ish for Quotable Nation to savor.

INTRODUCING THE COMPANY MAN'S UPSIDE TOP 6 UPSIDES TO THE DOWN QUARTER...and other randomness.

6. Celebrity Connect Four might not be as retarded as it sounds

I ran into this clip of Kanye West and Superbad's Jonah Hill playing Connect Four. Honestly...those two muttaskuttas made "chess for dump people" supringly entertaining. Check it out:



2 things stand out: (1) Kanye's remix of Lil' Wayne's "Lollipop" is for real for real. Like, like that, like that. And honestly, the self-proclaimed Best Rapper Alive should smack himself in his tatooed eye-lids every time he even thinks of jumping on a track with the Louis Vuitton Don if he wants to keep the illusion of holding that title entact. For the second time in 9 months, 'Ye roasted Wayne mic to mic (don't forget the shalacking he laid on Wayne on Graduation's "Barry Bonds"). This verse here negates every bar Weezy laid on that track. Don't get me wrong, Wayne more-than-did-his-thing...its just that Kanye did his better.

And (2) Celebrity Connect Four might not be as retarded as it sounds. Given the right personalities in the right setting with the right amount of drugs and alcohol (for both contestants and viewers alike) - you never know what kinds of entertaining-ignorocity might spill out. Imagine Mike Tyson vs. Vince Vaughn. I think I'd pay to see that matchup.

On another note, aren't we about 4 years late on a Mike Tyson reality show?? When is that ish coming out? Seriously, I'd watch Mike Tyson do anything. And the show wouldn't have to be about the once-Iron-Mike struggling to make a potential comeback. Oh no, no, no. We need to keep this based in reality. It would only have to follow Mike on a day-to-day-basis and people would tune in. Imagine the terrified expression on the face of a reporter during an interview as Mike threatens to stomp on her children's testicals. Picture him eating cereal and talking to himself. Or rolling with him and his entourage making it rain in the strip club followed by the shook look on a stripper's grill as she leads Kid Dynamite back for a private dance (does he even have an entourage? I don't know. But these are things we'd learn about Mike on the show). The potential unintentional comedy is off the charts! Tell me I'm lying...

5. Just because music television stations no longer play music videos, it doesn't mean that great videos aren't still being made.

3 quick exaples:

A. Kanye West released the video for the Chris Martin assisted "Homecoming" dropped relatively on low, but honestly might be video of the year. Its simple and perfectly portrays the song itself. Even the cuts to Chris Martin (who, judging by the missing Chi-City in the background of his clips) fit. Check it for yourself:



B. "Rising Up" by The Roots featuring Wale (pronouced Wah-Lay) and my baby Chrisette Michelle (homegirl has the perfect voice. I think I'm in love with Chrisette Michelle) might be video of the year runnerup. The beauty shop backgrop is dope, and Wale came correct when Black Thought passed him the mic. Homie's been making some noise on the underground for a while now, but my boy Sean P introduced me to the DC Emcee's music a couple of months ago. What I heard then was nice...but not on point like this verse. The rhyme scheme is dope and the content is fresh. Tightest line: "So good rappers ain't eatin. / They Olsen-twinin'".



C. My man L-U-P-Emperor dropped, not one, but two videos off his chart-topping album, The Cool. I know I already posted these, but bump that, I'm posting them again, muttaskuttas. Because thats whats poppin in 2008! And congrats to Lupe for officially going gold with his sophomore album. 500,000 copies in 4 months in this economy is an accomplishment.

"Hip Hop Saved My Life"



"Paris, Tokyo"



Both videos are Cool (pun intended), but for some reason I don't completely trust Lu' without his specs. Its just feels awkward - like watching Snoop Dogg and his wife interact on his clearly-scripted reality show, "Father Hood." Theres something missing.

4. New Hip Hop-esque experiences

My homegirl Enid P over at All About Style convinced me to check out the Murakami exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum, and the ish was tight. Murakami is a Japanese artist slash designer that does a lot of work for Louis Vuitton. He also designed the album cover for Kanye West's third album, Graduation. Check out EP's illegal pics from the visit:

I don't whats more sad - the fact that someone old-school bootlegged a museum exhibit, or the fact that I posted a bottlegged museum exhibit on The Quotable. Either way, the video was animated by Murakami, just to give you a sample of his style.

Check out All About Styles coverage here.

3. Lupe Fiasco's "Superstar" Remix featuring Young Jeezey and T.I.

Of couse Lupe's verse is ridiculous, but whats shocking is Young Jeezey's performance. I mean, for someone with a chronic case of lyrical deficiency, homeboy came correct.



2. Catching up on albums that you mightve missed

I bought a good amount of music this past quarter; following up on albums that I've heard about, but haven't had a chance to hear. Devin the Dudes's album Waitin to Inhale (probably the funniest/raunchiest album I've bought in years), Black Milk's Caltroit, MF Doom's Mmm...Food, Guilty Simpson's Ode to the Ghetto, Matt Costa's Unfamiliar Faces, and most notably Blu & Exiles Below the Heavens (review coming soon), all have a lot to offer - all definitely kept me fed during the annual 1st quarter famine. Some of these will get reviewed here at TQ, and some won't. But either way, all of which are quality.

And the number 1 upside to the down quarter...

1. Each passing day is one day closer to the 2nd Quarter.

Now the second quarter is the beginning of prime time new music season. Artists and record labels finally get it together and finally release new ish in the 2nd Quarter. Concert season opens in the 2nd Quarter. On the horizon in 2008: Kanye West's "Glow in the Dark Tour" featuring Pharell, Rhianna, and Lupe Fiasco, Lil' Wayne's habitually delayed The Carter III, Nas's controversial Nigger, Kidz in the Hall's The In Crowd, Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige tour, The Roots' anticipated Rising Down, Common's Invincible Summer, west coast beast, Crooked I's B.O.S.S. (definitely check that one. freestyle below), The Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival, Foxy Brown's comeback attempt Black Star Diva, Bun B's first album sans the passing of partner in rhyme, Pimp C - II Trill, Usher's Here I Stand, Nelly's Brass Knuckles...well maybe Nelly isn't the best example...but you see where I'm going with it.

Now meet Crooked I. Gone.









Carry on...