Ok, so I realised I’ve kinda missed the bus on this one by about 3 months but it was just too good to not to review. Before I start, I just wanna say how cool Fashawn and Higher Learning 2 is; from the flyest front cover I’ve seen in a long time, all the way through to the freshest skits, this mixtape is straight ice cold.
Having listened to a lot of mixtapes in the last 6 months, one thing has become clear...even ‘good’ mixtapes have some awful tracks on them purely because the track lists are usually so big. Higher Learning 2 doesn’t. As I keep listening I find myself waiting for that average track or pointless filler but it just doesn’t come. The mixtape is perfect. There isn’t a single track I don’t thoroughly enjoy.
I’ll start with the beats and producers Fashawn uses. The tracks are ridiculously diverse - from smooth anthems such as “For the G’s” to fast-paced bangers like “Do What I Gotta Do” as well as a cheeky Queen remix thrown in for good measure, the men behind the boys have done an incredible job. Even when borrowing beats from the likes of J Dilla and Kanye, Fashawn still manages to make it his own...I almost forgot what the originals sounded like. Very rarely do remixes of a track seem like some of the standout tracks on a mixtape. It is this consistency combined with such diversity that stands out for me and stays with me throughout; Fashawn's delivery is so coherent you practically feel every syllable, it’s almost spine tingling.
In addition to plenty of guest producers, the collaboration tracks are also a delight, particularly the recruitment of the ridiculously talented J. Cole who kills it on the beat as well as in the booth. Every track with J. Cole could easily be a standout track but that would be selling the rest of the mixtape short. Additional appearances from G.O.O.D Music veterans Common and John Legend top of a guestlist that puts My Beautiful Twisted Fantasy to shame.
Being such a pessimist, I had to find something wrong with Higher Learning and my only complaint is the ridiculous shoutouts in some of the tracks that makes it almost seem bootlegged. Given that this is the only fault I could find, I think you may have realised how good Higher Learning 2 actually is.
Because of the quality, It was so hard to pick the standout tracks for this. I love the collab with Common and John Legend in “Strange Fruit”; which has a deeper feel to it than the majority of the tracks. I could have picked any all of the J Cole work but for me it has to be “Relaxation”; the deep bass and fast paced delivery are the perfect compliments that has left me wearing out my replay button. Finally, “Going Home” is a brilliant close to the mixtape; the beat is a certified head-bopper and it was refreshing to hear Fashawn going it alone, spitting fire in the process.
For a mixtape with no less than 22 tracks, Higher Learning 2 is nothing short of genius, Fashawn has obviously took a lot of time with this mixtape. Instead of just throwing all his material together on one project, Shawn manages to stick to the Higher Learning theme - something that is a rareity on many albums let alone a mixtape. I really can’t stress how much I love Higher Learning 2; the diversity of both the beats and delivery combined with a consistency that could put plenty of veterans to shame, this is easily the best mixtape if not thing I’ve heard in 2011, seriously why are you even still reading? GO AND GET IT!
