Slept-On But Dope Hip Hop Songs From The Week Of 11/4/2013

Fashawn - "The Beginning" 

Sometimes, it can be difficult to remain focused. In Fashawn's "The Beginning" music video, directed by Evidence and Punit Dhesi, Fashawn raps the track in one take, with several distractions around him. Through it all, Fash stands in front of the camera, intent on making sure each word is delivered. "Friends turn foes," Fashawn raps on the selection. "Foes turn friends / My whole world turned to one wicked whirlwind." But through that whirlwind, Fash explains he's able to maintain. Perhaps it is this ability to remain focused that Fash hopes to convey as fans anticipate The Ecology, his next release featuring production by Exile, much like the 2009 Boy Meets World release. "Thirsty as the day I took my first breath," Fashawn rhymes on "The Beginning." "Back like I never left." If "The Beginning" is any indication of what The Ecology will feature, Fashawn's supporters can rejoice knowing this is just the beginning of many more great, introspective, thoughtful and ill rhymes to come. - Andres Tardio (@AndresWrites)

Styles P featuring Action Bronson & Ea$y Money - "All I Got"

We've been knee-deep in Eminem coverage all week, so truthfully it was easy for anything without Marshall's stamp on it to be perceived as "Slept-On." As the week died down, Styles P arrived with his new cut "All I Got." Under the piano-heavy production of Statik Selektah, Mr. Holiday Styles brings the slick talk as Kool G Rap and Nas' "Fast Life" sample swims throughout the hook. Even when he's threatening, it feels like Styles is still having fun behind the mic. That's a rarity, especially with artists so seasoned in the game's fuckery. The king of present day Rap fun, Action Bronson, is also on the cut and delivers his best bars about broads. The whole song sounds like a good time, and while some of the subject matter is shit-talking seriousness, you can tell they're all smiles as they deliver the message with all they've got.

Troy Ave featuring Pusha T - "Everything"

Troy Ave garnered attention this week by calling Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar & Flatbush Zombies weirdos during an interview on New York radio station Hot 97. In related news, the Brooklyn, New York rapper released his New York City The Album mixtape Monday (November 4), which includes "Everything," a standout selection with Pusha T. The macabre, driving beat from DJ Uneek works well with the pair's tales of fast-lane, illegal living. Troy Ave kicks the song off with some imaginative New York City crackhouse-centered rhymes that display his potential as an emerging artist. For his part, Pusha T delivers another potent round of brick-centered Rap and throws in a clever passage that includes a deft play on Eminem's name, among other things. Real life dope travels between VA and NY on I-95. D-boy rap now does the same.