Fashawn
| Fashawn | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Santiago Leyva |
| Born | October 19, 1988 |
| Origin | Fresno, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, emcee |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | Mass Appeal Records, The IAN Group, One Records |
| Associated acts | Nas, Evidence, Murs, The Alchemist, Exile, Aloe Blacc, Planet Asia, Blu, J. Cole, Joke |
| Website | www |
Santiago Leyva (born October 19, 1988), known by his stage name Fashawn, is an American hip hop recording artist from Fresno, California. He first gained major attention after releasing his debut album Boy Meets World in 2009, which was produced entirely by Exile. The album received critical acclaim and landed him on the cover of XXL Magazine's Top 10 Freshmen issue in 2010. Since then, Fashawn has collaborated with other artists and producers such as Nas, J. Cole, Wiz Khalifa, Evidence, Murs, Aloe Blacc, Blu, The Alchemist, and 9th Wonder. In 2014, Fashawn performed the entrance theme to WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley's rematch against Manny Pacquiao.
On June 9, 2014, Fashawn signed to Nas' new label Mass Appeal Records. After years of anticipation, Fashawn released his second studio album The Ecology on February 24, 2015. It ranked among the top 10 most downloaded albums on the iTunes Hip-Hop Chart during its first week of release. Since then, songs from The Ecology have been featured in various forms of popular media.
Santiago Leyva was born on October 19, 1988, in Fresno, California, where he had a rough childhood due to his father being incarcerated for a long period of time, while his single mother also had to deal with drug addiction. When he was 8 years old, Fashawn and his sister were both placed in a group home, before their Uncle Roy took them into his custody as a father figure. Fashawn recalls writing his first rhyme at 8 years old and became fully engrossed in writing by 2000. In 2006, Fashawn released his first mixtape, Grizzly City, catching the attention of fellow Fresno MC Planet Asia, who invited him to tour with him. Knowing the opportunity that presented him, Fashawn dropped out of school and pursued his dream. From 2007 to 2008, he established his presence throughout the Central California hip-hop scene, working with manager Aren Hekimian and releasing multiple mixtapes, including: The Phenom, Grizzly City 2, The Phenom 2, Higher Learning, and One Shot One Kill, which was released by Orisue Clothing. One Shot One Kill was well received by both fans and hip-hop websites, including OnSMASH and DatPiff, gaining him more attention and momentum as an upcoming artist.
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