Eventually taken in by his uncle, Fashawn spent his teenage years calling First & Shields Ave in Fresno, California his home. Here is where he would find skating, the distractions of the streets, and the pursuance of his music career to be more rewarding than school. Yet, he had a constant thirst for knowledge that extended beyond the streets, so he became an avid reader with an affinity towards non-fiction and motivational books.
In 2006, Fashawn released his first mixtape, “Grizzly City”. Catching the attention of fellow Fresno emcee, Planet Asia, Fashawn was invited to go on the road with him. Knowing this was a chance of a lifetime; the then 17-year-old emcee dropped out of school to follow his dreams and has never looked back.
Since then he’s had the honor of working with two of the Mid-West’s premier DJs, Mick Boogie and Terry Urban on the Orisue clothing sponsored “One Shot One Kill” mixtape, and with Hip-Hop internet heavyweights OnSmash.com and NahRight.com on his “Higher Learning” mixtape. Both efforts garnered him nationwide recognition.
Fashawn has also been fortunate enough to work in the studio with DJ Muggs, DJ Khalil, Evidence, The Alchemist, Aloe Blacc, U-N-I, and Planet Asia, as well as on the stage with The Roots.
Recognized as a leader in Central California's hip hop scene, steering a vibrant pack of young artists with his innovative style and originality in his music, Fashawn is more than ready to take on the world with his debut album Boy Meets World. Produced entirely by Los Angeles native Exile, “’Boy Meets World’ is just a story about a kid growing up,” explains Fashawn. “It’s my story, it’s very honest, it’s very in depth. So whatever you thought you knew about me, listen to this and you’ll really get a good look at who I am. It’s going to be classic.” FRY ONE
Life As A Shorty
Fashawn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Remember, livin' in a trailer*
Cookin' dinner out a Crockpot or we would microwave it
Basic, television same seven stations
On a twelve-inch, I had to watch cable at the neighbors
Didn't know how broke we was 'til I got older
Never knew I had a father until he showed up
Stepdad walks in, now here comes the drama
Had a couple of em, to be honest
Like William, Scott, they would always take me shoppin'
Ralphie and Mark, they would take me to the doctor
I call em all Daddy even though they didn't have me
Kids used to make fun of my clothes
'Til one of em got punched in the nose
Kinda like I was forced to be tough
Life as a shorty shouldn't be so rough, but hey
Even though, I'm young and I can't see
The forest from the trees, follow me
And when I'm grown, you know I'm bound to be
The H.N.I.C., follow me
Mama, I'll be alright, just let me do my thing
Followin' my dreams, this is me
First fight, third grade, I was swingin' from the shoulders
With this kid named Dariah, he was three years older
And like two feet taller, I finished it, he started it
All over this chick named Barbara Johnson
"Nonsense" I thought once the principal came
That fat lip really put a dent in my game
Never in my life have I felt such pain
Got sent home, but I held my own
Slept in every morning, it was like a vacation
How'd I make it to sixth grade graduation?
'Cause I was always ditchin', hung around with some misfits
With ADD, and they all smoked weed
Never read a piece of literature, wasn't good listeners
Never paid attention, so they hung 'round me
While my parents was out in the streets
I built my world on a blank sheet, just thinkin' in myself
Even though, I'm young and I can't see
The forest from the trees, follow me
And when I'm grown, you know I'm bound to be
The H.N.I.C., follow me
Check it out, hard to forget all the time I would spend
With my first fuck, even had me dodgin' my friends
Wore my heart on my sleeve at the age of fifteen
She would tell me that she loved me, it was all just pretend
She cheated on me, so it quickly came to an end
She put the blame on him, got played, I'll admit that
Hangin' with my friends, never called her again
Five years later, heard she had a kid, damn
I guess time flies when you're havin' fun
So enjoy life, you only get one
I love my childhood, despite the gunfire
I was quite happy growin' up in the slums
It wasn't too bad, havin' a few dads
The only thing I disliked was not havin' cash
What I'd give for a couple of bucks
Man, life as a shorty shouldn't be so rough, but hey
In "Life As A Shorty," Fashawn reminisces about his childhood growing up in Fresno, California, where he and his family lived in a trailer park. He describes the challenges of poverty, including cooking meals in a crockpot or microwave and only having access to basic television channels. As he got older, Fashawn began to realize the extent of his family's financial struggles and the absence of his father in his life. He also talks about the various father figures he had in his life, including stepdads and other men who would take him shopping or to the doctor. Despite the difficulties of growing up in the slums, Fashawn also speaks fondly of his childhood and the close relationships he had with his friends.
The lyrics of "Life As A Shorty" highlight the resilience and determination that Fashawn had even as a young child. He faced bullying and fights but always held his own and remained focused on his dreams. The chorus, "Even though, I'm young and I can't see the forest from the trees, follow me/ And when I'm grown, you know I'm bound to be the H.N.I.C., follow me/ Mama, I'll be alright, just let me do my thing/ Following my dreams, this is me," reflects Fashawn's unwavering commitment to pursuing his goals, even when things seem tough.
Line by Line Meaning
Remember, livin' in a trailer
I remember living in a trailer when I was young.
Cookin' dinner out a Crockpot or we would microwave it
We had very limited options to cook food - either out of a crockpot or using the microwave.
Basic, television same seven stations
We only had basic cable with seven channels to watch on the television.
On a twelve-inch, I had to watch cable at the neighbors
I had to watch cable TV on a small twelve-inch television at my neighbor's house.
Didn't know how broke we was 'til I got older
I didn't realize how financially disadvantaged we were until I grew up.
Never knew I had a father until he showed up
I never knew that I had a father until he appeared in my life.
Out the blue, tryin' to get back with mama
My father showed up unexpectedly and tried to reconnect with my mother.
Stepdad walks in, now here comes the drama
After my father appeared, there was tension when my stepfather entered the situation.
Had a couple of em, to be honest
I had a few stepdads over the years, to be honest.
Like William, Scott, they would always take me shoppin'
Stepdads like William and Scott would always take me shopping.
Ralphie and Mark, they would take me to the doctor
Other stepdads like Ralphie and Mark would take me to doctor appointments.
I call em all Daddy even though they didn't have me
I would refer to all of my stepdads as 'Daddy' even though they weren't biologically related to me.
Kids used to make fun of my clothes
Other kids would tease me for the clothes that I wore.
'Til one of em got punched in the nose
One of the kids who teased me got punched in the nose and the teasing stopped.
Kinda like I was forced to be tough
This experience forced me to become tougher.
Life as a shorty shouldn't be so rough, but hey
Life shouldn't have been so difficult for me at such a young age.
Even though, I'm young and I can't see
Although I was young and inexperienced,
The forest from the trees, follow me
I could still lead others through the challenges of life.
And when I'm grown, you know I'm bound to be
I'm confident that when I'm an adult,
The H.N.I.C., follow me
I'll be a successful leader and inspire others to follow my example.
Mama, I'll be alright, just let me do my thing
I told my mother to trust that I would be okay and let me follow my own path.
Followin' my dreams, this is me
I'm following my dreams and doing what feels right for me.
First fight, third grade, I was swingin' from the shoulders
My first fight was in third grade and I was fighting someone much bigger than me.
With this kid named Dariah, he was three years older
The kid's name was Dariah and he was three years older than me.
And like two feet taller, I finished it, he started it
He was much taller than me, but I was able to finish the fight even though he started it.
All over this chick named Barbara Johnson
The fight was over a girl named Barbara Johnson.
"Nonsense" I thought once the principal came
I thought the whole thing was silly once the principal intervened.
That fat lip really put a dent in my game
I had a noticeable injury from the fight that affected my appearance.
Never in my life have I felt such pain
I had never experienced such physical pain before that fight.
Got sent home, but I held my own
I was sent home from school, but I was proud that I held my own in the fight.
Slept in every morning, it was like a vacation
I often skipped school and sleeping in felt like a vacation.
How'd I make it to sixth grade graduation?
I somehow managed to graduate from sixth grade even though I skipped so much school.
'Cause I was always ditchin', hung around with some misfits
I was always skipping school and hanging out with kids who were seen as 'misfits'.
With ADD, and they all smoked weed
The kids I hung out with had attention deficit disorder and smoked marijuana.
Never read a piece of literature, wasn't good listeners
None of us were interested in reading literature and we weren't very good at listening.
Never paid attention, so they hung 'round me
My friends hung around with me even though we weren't very interested in the same things.
While my parents was out in the streets
While my parents were out in the streets, I was hanging out with my friends.
I built my world on a blank sheet, just thinkin' in myself
I created my own world in my head, separate from my reality.
Check it out, hard to forget all the time I would spend
It's hard to forget about all the time I spent doing the following things.
With my first fuck, even had me dodgin' my friends
I had my first sexual experience and even had to hide it from my friends.
Wore my heart on my sleeve at the age of fifteen
I was very emotional and open about my feelings at fifteen years old.
She would tell me that she loved me, it was all just pretend
The girl I was with was pretending to love me even though she didn't mean it.
She cheated on me, so it quickly came to an end
The relationship ended quickly after she cheated on me.
She put the blame on him, got played, I'll admit that
She blamed someone else for her actions and I admit that I got played.
Hangin' with my friends, never called her again
After the breakup, I hung out with my friends and never contacted her again.
Five years later, heard she had a kid, damn
Years later, I heard that she had a child.
I guess time flies when you're havin' fun
Time passes quickly when you're enjoying life.
So enjoy life, you only get one
I encourage others to enjoy life because we only get one chance.
I love my childhood, despite the gunfire
I still have positive memories of my childhood, even though there was gunfire around.
I was quite happy growin' up in the slums
I was content growing up in a lower-income area.
It wasn't too bad, havin' a few dads
Overall, it wasn't too bad having multiple stepfathers.
The only thing I disliked was not havin' cash
The only thing that really bothered me was not having enough money.
What I'd give for a couple of bucks
I would do anything for a bit of money.
Man, life as a shorty shouldn't be so rough, but hey
Life shouldn't have been difficult at such a young age.
Contributed by Sophie A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@payclaw9475
To me, this is real hiphop, real lyrics. No posing and no ego just telling a true story over a dope ass beat.
@YSC2000
yes man.. that's rap, yes.. rap, a big man does
@joshuabuentello3053
“I built the world on a blank sheet, just thinking to myself” ive been using that phrase since middle school 🙏
@marlymarz
Most underrated album of all time
@nobody-somebody1000
Fashawn is just talented....Period. South Africa knows it!!
@mzansixperiencechannel3280
u better let them know. SA 2018
@bloodskid
Thank god for artists like this who write true music, it puts to shame everything being played on the radio right now. and as my man Big L said "I gotta say R.i.P. to all the casualties of the streets"
@idontcarewhy
Did you know he wrote that chorus when he was twelve and even now its got me thinking deep. Genius.
@aminyussupov6120
One of the best tracks ever made man
@stiny736
Man, Exile is super talented. Fashawn goes hard too.