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Fashawn - Boy Meets World & Skyzoo - The Salvation


Turntable

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I recently bought these albums. They both came out recenlty and both are made by new (Skyzoo has been around, but he is somehow still new), good and hungry Mc's that make real Hip Hop. Check them out and support fresh newcomers, considering we all complain about the state of Hip Hop all the time. I posted two reviews, two good tracks and the covers and tracklists.

boymeetsworldcover.jpg

1. Intro

2. Freedom

3. Hey Young World (feat. Aloe Blacc & Devoya Mayo)

4. Stars

5. Life As a Shorty (feat. J Mitchell)

6. The Ecology

7. Our Way (feat. Evidence)

8. Why

9. Samsonite Man (feat. Blu)

10. Father

11. Sunny CA (feat. Co$$ & Mistah F.A.B.)

12. Bo Jackson (feat. Exile)

13. Lupita

14. When She Calls

15. Boy Meets World

Bonus Tracks:

16. The Score (feat. Planet Asia)

17. Breathe (feat. Bravo)

18. Outer City

Twenty-year-old Fashawn’s debut album, the Exile-produced Boy Meets World, represents that vital element, telling the story of a young man from Fresno, California, trying to avoid poverty’s pitfalls and rise above his circumstances. On “Intro,” the album’s opening skit, young ’Shawn turns down a chance to hustle for a shot at a rap career, before bragging about his ferocious flow (“I can turn a whole metropolis into a peninsula/Ink-pen emperor, slang remain infinite”) over Exile’s chopped-up organ and swollen bass groove.

Though he’s adept at boasting (see: “Bo Jackson”), Fashawn’s real strength is his ability to articulate the inner struggles of a good kid from a bad place. “Where I’m from, brothers die every day, sunny CA/Learn the ecology on how we behave,” he spits over Exile’s dramatic string sample on “Ecology.”

In sharp contrast to the album’s somber tone is “Hey Young World.” Here we have Fashawn, barely out of adolescence himself, reminding those younger than him that their dreams are within reach. Featuring requisite guest appearances from the likes of Blu (“Samsonite Man”), Evidence (“Our Way”) and Planet Asia (“The Score”), Boy Meets World is a strong debut from such a young MC, and it resonates a lot more than the work of some rappers decades his senior.

skyzoo_32670.jpg

1) The Opener (produced by Cyrus Tha Great)

2) Return Of The Real (produced by Just Blaze)

3) The Beautiful Decay (produced by 9th Wonder)

4) My Interpretation (produced by Best Kept Secret)

5) Popularity (produced by Nottz)

6) Like A Marathon (produced by 9th Wonder)

7) The Shooter's Soundtrack (produced by Cyrus Tha Great)

8) Under Pressure (produced by 9th Wonder)

9) Penmanship (produced by Black Milk)

10) Dear Whoever (produced by Illmind)

11) For What It's Worth ((produced by Eric G)

12) The Necessary Evils (produced by Needlz)

13) Easy To Fly featuring Carlitta Durand (produced by 9th Wonder)

14) Bottom Line (produced by Eric G)

15) Metal Hearts (produced by 9th Wonder)

16) Maintain (produced by Nottz)

The Salvation is straight no frills hip-hop, no guest stars, no gimmicks. From the time the street corner gospel singing intro of “The Opener” transitions into the percussion and keys production courtesy of Cyrus tha Great, the album is authentic to the core. Skyzoo’s earnest lyrics like “I ain’t aim to make a classic/I aim to state what happened/and if the outcome gets praised/then blame the havoc/and if the outcome gets praised/then blame the tragic” serve notice that this isn’t Soulja Boy’s hip-hop.

Skyzoo enlists a wide range of producers, from A-list names like Just Blaze, 9th Wonder and Nottz to less well known names like the aforementioned Cyrus Tha Great and Eric G. Yet the wide array of producers still combined to put together a cohesive sonic feel and don’t stray far from a standard gritty East Coast sound. Just Blaze’s beat on “Return of the Real” features thick and grimy synths which harkens back to some his early production work with Jay-Z.

Throughout the album, Skyzoo touches on a wide range of subject matter. The first single, “The Beautiful Decay,” describes every day life in the hood, replete with references to quarter water and popping in Raekwon’s “purple tape.” Elsewhere on “Under Pressure” he analyzes his mixed emotions about his relationship, rapping that “now when I think of handing you a hand/I get a little less enthused./cuz everything should be the same if we’ve been true/but everything is rearranged/and I’m looking for a light switch/wishing that I never had to write this.”

As a lyricist, Skyzoo reminds me of vintage Nas, as his best verses add subtle touches and details which enable him to tell a story by creating an atmosphere, as opposed to beating the listener over the head.

On another highlight, “The Necessary Evils”, Skyzoo raps over an ominous Needlz beat. Again the verses provide a subtle cautionary tale about the cycle of ambition, depicting how every dollar earned makes you that much more money-crazed and consumed with finding that next stack. “For What Its Worth” features cinematic strings and Skyzoo’s tales of struggling to resist the temptations of the hood, as Skyzoo asks “Why can’t I be blessed with a more blessed set of wings?”

Skyzoo’s debut is a undiluted dose of reminiscence for hip-hop’s golden era and I can’t recommend it enough.

Edited by Turntable
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Skyzoo is the truth! I need to listen to a couple more tracks of this guy Fashawn.. Anyways, I think they are two really good picks and Im willing to get that skyzoo album, the production seems flawless and he is a competitor. Thanks for bringing this Turn

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Personaly I think Fashawns album is even better, cause Exile is an amazing producer and I think Fashawn is the better Mc. Skyzoo still is the truth tho. Still waiting for Saigons album, I think it just might turn out to be a classic.

Edited by Turntable
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Saigon has been releasing several songs lately with videos everywhere in the net.. I dont know if they are related to the album, but the talent is obviously there.. For me its pretty difficult to find underground rap in the stores here, I have to order them albums and wait till I can get them on EPS..

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Thats where I get most of my albums.. I dont have a collection though because when I get tired of them I save the best songs on my ipod and give them away to my friends so that they also can enjoy some good music

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