Fashawn Closer

There was a time when hip-hop struck fear deep in the heart of Americana. When gangsta rap never turned into a feature film. When listening to hip-hop was about more than a beat and some rhymes -- it appealed to the rebel inside all of us. Back then, an alternative rock sample would never make its way near a real emcee's tape deck. When 2Pac couldn't be seen wearing designer anything, let alone contributing a collection to Louis Vuitton (ahem, Kanye West). When jeans were as baggy as Robert Downy, Jr.'s eyes, and no right-minded rapper would wear the color pink.

This brand of original hip-hop would be played by self-proclaimed troublemakers at high volumes in suburbia -- and inspire more bad looks than Tom Cruise in a communion queue. The lifestyle defined the music, not the other way around.

Needless to say, things have changed quite a bit. The music has lost some of its edge, and while the evolution and growth of the genre should be lauded, there must also be an appreciation for the harbingers of the hood. We have to remember where the music originated from, and pay tribute to the past.

Fresno, California's Fashawn is doing his part.  Earlier this summer, the XXL Freshman released Ode To Illmatic (free download), a tribute to one of the all-time greats. Cognizant of the hallowed territory he was encroaching on, Fash was sure to make one thing clear: he wasn't biting. By using every beat in its organic, original form, the young emcee made it clear that Ode To Illmatic was about NaS as much as it was about himself. And unlike the Billy Joel tribute band in Step Brothers, Fashawn chose to honor the legend's greatest works.

Ode To Illmatic is a magnificent achievement. Fashawn succeeds in refreshing some of hip-hop's classic tunes, and channels his own inner gangster in doing exactly what he set out to do: pay tribute to one of rap's finest.

Download Ode To Illmatic for free here.