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A five-year gap in albums generally means an uphill battle for MCs to reconnect with old fans–or nearly mission impossible trying to obtain new ones. True, it has been a long five years since Fashawn dropped his Exile-scored, studio debut album, Boy Meets World to appreciative Hip-Hop heads, but he’s never lost his passion for the pen or ears who wanted to hear what came next. If anything, it has increased the demand for another retail release and when Nas and Mass Appeal Records stepped into the fold, the long-awaited sophomore follow-up, The Ecology began to see its mechanical gears churning once again.

Boosted by artistic contributions from the likes of Exile, Aloe Blacc, BJ the Chicago Kid, Alchemist, DJ Khalil, Dom Kennedy and of course, Nas, the California lyricist channels his Fresno point of view to share on a grander scale.

In a recent interview with Hip-Hop Wired, Fashawn details the organic making of the stand-out track “Something to Believe In,” which features his Illmatic mentor. Apparently a three-hour conversation inspired the track’s template and after Nas added his golden touch to it, Fashawn has a self-described “craziest morning ever.”

It’s that type of meticulous process that has made The Ecology potent like a five-year aged wine, crackling on the tongue after the cork has finally been popped.

Stream The Ecology below and be sure to snag it off of iTunes for repeat listening.

Photos: Instagram/Fashawn, Mass Appeal