Fashawn - The Outer City

With so many Americans struggling to simply make ends meet, artists with the common touch (as opposed to, say, the Midas touch)  have a unique opportunity to hit it big. Perhaps inspired by Cam’ron‘s populist hit, My Job, West Coast up-and-comer Fashawn steps into the shoes of an underpaid nine-to-fiver on the B-side to current single Freedom (which was leaked to the ‘net last December), describing his day-to-day struggles as a worker drone living in The Outer City.  The rapper’s eye for service-sector minutiae (as exemplified by the anecdote about having to tuck his shirt in or risk losing a McJob) is sharp, and his stressed-out rhymes here are sure to strike a chord with listeners who have been in similar situations—fortunately,  Exile tempers the hair-pulling subject matter with some blissed-out, old-school boardwork, backing Fashawn’s verses with a dreamy blend of chopped keyboard and vocal samples.  Provided it doesn’t hit too close to home, The Outer City is the perfect record to help listeners decompress from the stress of an eight-hour shift.  Fans are sure to find plenty more laid-back jams on Boy Meets World, produced entirely by Exile and set to hit stores September 1st.