I never knew much about Fashawn, other than that he’s a west coast rapper who’s cool with The Alchemist (one of my favorite producers).  Well I gave his latest mixtape a listen and I really liked it.  The Antidote, a warm up of sorts for his debut album coming out next month (titled Boy Meets World), is put together entirely by The Alchemist, and has some great moments.  Many of the songs are made up of re-worked samples that you may recognize from classic 90’s hip hop records.  And there’s even Bob Marley vocal interludes (of him talking), which I found to be a nice touch.  Standout tracks include “Got It Sewn”, the short but sweet title track “The Antidote”, and the even shorter but sweeter “FYI”. Props to The Alchemist for his excellent production, and of course to Fashawn as well for showcasing a refreshing style of laidback floetry.  His voice and accent kinda remind me of a young Ras Kass (probably because they’re both from California but have more traditional east coast styles of rapping).  In fact, here’s a song from the mixtape called “Play It Cool” that you can preview, where Fashawn calls himself the only west coast rapper that “could’ve been in the Wu”.  Give it a spin, and then download the whole project below…

DOWNLOAD FASHAWN THE ANTIDOTE PRODUCED BY THE ALCHEMIST

*Bonus*

Remember this?  One of my favorite releases in the 21st Century.  Prodigy and The Alchemist is one of the all time most potent combinations in rap music.  Haters like to give Prodigy a hard time, but the real geez know that he’s dope as hell on the mic.  Check the classic lead video from Return Of The Mac, “Mac 10 Handle”.  Free Pee!!!!

P.S.  Raekwon’s “Surgical Gloves” on Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II, produced by The Alchemist, IS THE TOUGHEST SONG OUT RIGHT NOW.  I bang this in my whip every morning…

Hold up.  Did Rae just say “bulletproof brothels with the Jew bitches” on that song??!?!?!?!  That’s awesome.  One.