Fabolous: Underrated or Underachiever

The month of March is nearly upon us, and the New Year has well and truly had an opportunity to sink in on us all, even if initially it slapped you across the face. You may question the significance of March? Well, it has nothing to do with the madness UK Emcee Yungen predicated, that is a sheer coincidence! Neither does it bare reference to the length of absence in my blog activity; (less coincidental for the record) it does unfortunately have everything to do with the F-A-B-O-L-O-U-S.

I rewind back to an interview run he did during the Thanks giving holidays to promote his most recent project “Summertime Shootouts”. The Brooklyn rapper revealed some disappointing news to his fans in regards to “Young OG 2” being pushed back until February!!  Strangely enough February has virtually finished and there is no sign of a release. Don’t get me wrong I’m not going to hold this against him as much as I would other artists (Loso Bias, as my cousin calls it) as he has been one of the most consistent in terms of musical output in recent years, however regardless of Sample clearance issues we can’t forget that “Loso’s Way 2” has been promised to us since 2012 and still has not been delivered.

In this blog I want to evoke a conversation. That conversation is simply; when you think of Fabolous, The artist and rapper what are your initial thoughts and feelings. I have my own view but it is something that I don’t think has been discussed enough given his tenure as one of the elite performers in the game. A number of factors might affect your decision but in order to make a fully informed decision I guess it is best to start at the beginning.

For me personally Fab is the premier act to emerge from THAT class of rappers who featured heavily on the popular DJ Clue mixtapes. The likes of Stack Bundles despite his untimely passing garnered little commercial success, and everybody knows about Joe Budden’s well documented struggles with Def Jam. All things considered Fabolous’ path seemed rather greased in comparison to his compatriots.

His debut all “Ghetto Fabolous” was released on September 11^th 2001 the same day as the ill-fated terror attacks on the World Trade Centres, and for an artist who had little pull outside of the 5 boroughs charting at #4 and selling 143k in his first week was a good achievement. New York was at a standstill and to do these numbers despite dropping the same day as Jay-Z’s “The Blueprint” I guess you couldn’t really ask for much more.

The follow up projects didn’t stray far away from the formula used on his debut. With the liberty of all the top producers including The Neptunes Just Blaze and Timbaland at his disposal he was able to churn out a string of radio friendly singles. The early 00’s saw an emergence of a more R&B infused sound that was crossing over into the mainstream Billboard 100. Ja Rule and Fabolous were at the forefront of the sound that became more synonymous for its appeal to women, as opposed to the typical lyrical boom bap New York sound.

Like all things that go against the grain there will be critics, but back to back slots in the singles chart, bode well for your bank balance. In addition most sophomore artists struggle in their attempts to better the success of their break through record but Fab is one of the exceptions. That is only one side of the coin however; 1999-2003 was a great time to be alive as a rap musician. Sales were at an all-time high and despite his moderate success and platinum certification Fabolous never featured among the Elite. Jay-Z, Nas, Outkast, Eminem, Nelly, Ja Rule, 50 Cent, DMX, Ludacris and a host of others including Lil Bow Wow all outsold him.

The argument can be made that sales are not the only barometer of which to judge an artist’s position, especially with other factors such as social media becoming a big factor in artist popularity nowadays. For me personally lyrical prowess will always be a biggest aspect and Fabolous could be argued to hold his own in that regard, but is holding your own cutting it? His most recent works have seen him emerge as a top lyricist, but the likes of Drake and Kendrick Lamar will still be considered the Leaders in that category.

2011-2015 Fabolous released The Soul Tape series and the Young OG Projects which were all similarly themed and saw Fabolous pay homage to the 70’s 80’s and 90’s respectively. In an era where traditional New York sounding rap is few and far between, it was refreshing to hear and get that SO.NY feeling again. Something not too many established artists are willing to take the risk of doing. Championing this is something that deserves some credit.

Fast forward to 2016 all the above mentioned artists are no longer the main players they once were. Jay-Z Nas and Eminem have all entered iconic status. Ja Rule, Ludacris and DMX have gone into musical obscurity, as for 50 cent, he will always have a core fan base but I think he’ll accept the fact creatively his best days are past him.  Fabolous somehow has remained relevant over the last 15 years and this should saluted. Collaborations with other artists have lent well to remaining in the mix, there isn’t a top artist that hasn’t featured with or enlisted Fabolous’ services, in addition his extensive list of remix verses always kept him at the tip of tongues.

The overwhelming question is why only settle for a piece of the cake when you can have the whole damn thing? Since Jay-Z took the executive job at Def Jam the rap game has been screaming for somebody to take that spot. Lord knows we’ve had many pretenders, Fabolous however possessed the pedigree to do just that had; respected by his peers, commercially successful, versatility and a more than reasonable pen game.  On the other hand people will point to his lack of a classic album/fued as one of the things missing from his CV.

Out of all his albums you can’t point to any of them as standout. The lack of personal content definitely holds him back in this regard. When you listen to a Fab album they don’t particularly put you in any mind state. They are easy listening and take you to a number of places (Club, the car or a ladies bedroom) none of which are deep or reflective. Not sharing elements of his personal life through his music have prevented him connecting with audiences in a way that Jay-Z, Nas and Eminem have.

If you aren’t going to give us a seminal album you then at least have to assassinate your competition. At any moment he could have sent for the likes of Lil Wayne, instead his musical feuds have been with Mase. I repeat Mason Betha, and RAY-J. A pastor and a R&B singer, I’ll let that marinate! Nobody is saying that you’re beef has to spill outside the studio and into the streets, but let your competitive streak run wild, NO?

In conclusion when Fabolous looks back at his own career I strongly believe that his reluctance to step up and claim the thrown will be his biggest regret, or maybe it won’t. He seems so contented with his life that it might not even enter his consideration or thought process. One thing is for certain true legends don’t leave their legacies up for debate.

What are your thoughts, share and comment, if not enjoy his latest offering.