03 Dec Fashawn – Champagne & Styrofoam Cups | Mixtape Review

In 2009 I discovered Fresno, CA rapper Fashawn and his incredible indie debut Boy Meets World. The Exile-produced album was one of the year’s strongest, and like so many great hip hop albums, it was a stunning life-up-until-now story. Ever since, dropped Fashawn has faced the Nas-like challenge of matching his debut whilst trying to tell the slightly less interesting story of his life as it is now. Unlike Nas, the West Coaster has shown a remarkable degree of consistency with his post-Boy Meets World releases. Recent projects such as Higher Learning 2 and This Generation, his collaboration with Murs, are testimony to his role in a New West movement that’s actually a lot wider (and older) than many people think - and proof that it’s not merely a New Los Angeles wave. At the same time, the good music hasn't changed the fact that he has some work to do to be considered a household name outside California. Champagne & Styrofoam Cups is an important step in his transition from the Cali underground of the past to the brave New World.