Fashawn is one of the most highly-praised MCs to come out of the West Coast in the last decade. Gaining acclaim for his adept lyricism and vivid depictions of everyday encounters and past experiences, he released his well-received debut, Boy Meets World, in 2009 and has been demolishing tracks ever since.

Now the rapper is signed to his childhood hero's Nas' Mass Appeal label and released his sophomore album, The Ecology, this week. To celebrate the release, Fashawn drops a 16-minute documentary that delves beneath the surface of his music and gives us an idea of who Santiago Leyva is.

We get commentary from his mother, who details her family's history with drug addiction; his legal guardian, Uncle Roy; and other people close to Fashawn during his childhood. His mother also discusses Fashawn's father, who was incarcerated for much of his life. The clip gives viewers an honest glimpse into the trials and tribulations that the gifted wordsmith had to overcome to make it out of his Fresno, Calif.stomping grounds and onto the big stage.

If you haven't yet, be sure to check out Fashawn’s The Ecology for a dose of high-quality hip-hop.

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