Media

Fashawn: 'Ode to Illmatic' (Mixtape)

12:27 p.m. · June 11, 2010 · by Andrew Martin

After a few years spent building his name in his hometown of Fresno, Calif., Fashawn broke through with a stream of features and mixtapes before making his debut in 2009 with Boy Meets World. That LP, which was entirely produced by fellow West Coast'er Exile, landed the MC a series of tour spots and huge co-signs, such as XXL naming him one of 2010's Top 10 Freshman. Now, the 21-year-old spitter is looking to continue his streak of solid releases with a lofty tribute to one of hip-hop's most highly regarded projects. Ode to Illmatic pits Fashawn against the production from Nas's classic debut and features Talib Kweli filling in for AZ on bornday-anthem "Life's a Bitch." And if that track is any indication, it's sounding like Fashawn did Illmatic right while providing us with another reason to spin the original.

You can download Ode to Illmatichere.

[2DopeBoyz]