The Main Idea:
The current state of hip-hop is one big revolving door. Rappers are a dime-a-dozen and it really does prove futile to even get excited about rappers because they come and go as soon as you blink. And the sad thing is that some rappers who do manage to get a firm grip in the game aren’t even that talented but slide by on sheer appeal and popularity. But rappers have seemed to find a gateway into the rap game; mixtapes. Yes, mixtapes. Rappers can easily start a buzz about themselves by continuously appearing on underground mixtapes and keeping their name out there. And the real hip-hop heads usually keep their ear to the underground and somehow manage to bring the talented artists to the mainstream. Usually, the opposite happens and an aspiring rapper is at the right place at the right time and some famous celeb decides to do what they can to get the person’s career going. This is the case with John Jackson a.k.a. Fabolous. Fabolous was just another aspiring rapper when he managed to hook up with DJ Clue who added Fabolous to some of his Desert Storm mixtapes and eventually signed Fabolous to his Desert Storm label. This eventually led to a deal with Elektra. Fabolous hopped right into the lab and knocked out his debut album, Ghetto Fabolous. This 14-track album doesn’t rely on a lot of talent but focuses mostly on party jams and over/underproduction to trick the consumer into dropping $16 for it. This CD does have some good songs and some great production but commercial bling-bling isn’t enough to make a great album. My t-b-t:

1. Click & Spark - The album opens up with this 2:04 intro with DJ Clue shouting-out at the beginning and then the weak synthesized production comes in while Fabolous rhymes some braggadocio rhymes about how his gun go click & spark. Highly unnecessary and an awful way for Fabolous to introduce himself. $0.00

2. Keepin’ It Gangsta - *annoyed grunt.* Fabolous joins the lines of tons of rappers who claim to be gangsta when they are nothing more than commercial, radio-friendly rappers who make good party songs. Fabolous loses many points for having the audacity to even cross into gangsta territory with this song. The production is OK with the faux guitars, drumpad and synths but his lyrics are awful as he talks about just how gangsta he is. He doesn’t give a very believable performance:

I lay low on the other side of the globe
Carat's hangin out the side of my lobe
Pull in your driver’s side and unload
They find ya when its time for your ride to be towed
On side of the road with your brain on your passenger side of your Rove
N!ggas ain't gangstas till y'all ridin
And Fed's tell you hit a chick once and she runnin back like Fred Taylor
I’m snatchin everything in the PJ's
Now that’s why most these n!ggas is workin with the DA's
Now if I'm in a hoop ride or a buggy coupe 5 (keepin' it gangsta)
If I'm with a hoochie freak or a dime in Gucci sneaks (keepin' it gangsta)
If I'm probably in the hood or I'm in Hollywood (keepin' it gangsta)
If I spit 16 on a track or 16 from a gat (keepin' it gangsta)
If you’re a commercial rapper and commercial rap is what you do best, stick to that and don’t ever attempt to make a crossover into gangsta territory. Sorry Fabolous. $.75

3. Young’n (Holla Back) - Finally, we get into something that’s more of Fabolous’ forte. Produced by hit makers The Neptunes, this party track/call-and-response joint is the perfect material for Fabolous’ flow and a great choice for a 2nd single. He sounds really good when he’s party rhyming to club beats as he sounds more comfortable and relaxed and his delivery is believable. He sounds like he’s having more fun. The production on here is not the ‘Tunes best but it still has the potential to get people on the floor as it isn’t as hyper as some of their work but it still has a bass line for grooving to. If Fabolous would’ve recognized his limitations and saw that more of his album should have been like this, the end product would be much better. $3.00

4. Get Right - Rockwilder produced this party joint and he does a decent job. The song starts off slow and sounds like “Gangsta Pt. II” but it thankfully picks up into this head-bobbing club record that could be harder but still comes off as sounding nice thanks to the beeping synths and inclusion of a real guitar. Fab channels Biggie with the “ladies rub your t!ts if you’re getting right/fellas grab your d!cks if you’re getting right line for this party jam and Fab does another good job with this record. I will Fabolous credit, he can do an excellent party jam. And that’s not so easy to do nowadays. Great job. $2.50

5. Ride For This feat. Ja Rule - Fabolous jumps back into gangsta territory with this record. He even managed to recruit Ja Rule before he had his R&B makeover but he doesn’t help this song. The production is tolerable at best but Fab’s rhymes are nowhere near great. And Ja doesn’t help the song’s credibility either. There’s not much to say about this song because the song is pure filler and filler is self-explanatory. $0.10

6. One Day - Fabolous surprisingly drops the gangsta mode for a moment and moves into introspective territory and manages to catch my ear again. The dark, haunting production is a nice fit for this song and it may sound familiar since Mya lifted the same beat for her song “Taste This.” Fabolous basically raps about his life story and how he was growing up and how he had dreams of blowing up:

It's easy to look at my life and don't see no pain
I remember takin 3, 4 trains to re-cocaine
Standing in the lobby during sleet, snow, rain
Waiting for fiends with a pint of Beef Lo Mein
Breaking day on the grind, I used to be so drained
But ain't a Saturday I wasn't up to see Soul Train
Sometimes I ain't see no gain cause I was runnin to Ralphie’s
Every time my trees showed stains
I was lucky I ain't seized or maim
Get shot or stuck up standin at them C-Lo games
But now sh!t with these skios changed
I ain't know why the f*ck they used to look at me so strange
Glanced at my neck and didn't see no chain
Be saying "that's nasty," they wouldn't give me no brain
Y'all surprised F-A-B-O's sane
In my road of life, I done jumped in and outta 3, 4 lanes I'm still here

Fabolous’ laid-back rap style that sounds devoid of emotion a lot of the time suits this track well and enhances Fabolous’ flow. Once Fabolous does material that he can handle, he is a pretty decent rapper. One of the CD’s few standout tracks. $3.25

7. Trade It All feat. Jagged Edge - The album’s 3rd single that was re-mixed to feature P. Diddy. Whenever I play this CD, I always repeat this one as it is one of the CD’s most laid-back and best cuts. Fabolous switches into ladies man mode and he sounds convincing on here as he tells the lady in his life how he’d trade everything just to be with her. I guess Fabolous’ flow is universal so it can fit into various scenario molds and he can carry it off well. I hope you understand me cause I sure don’t. Nevertheless, this is one of the CD’s best tracks and another shining example of what Fabolous is capable of. $3.50

8. Right Now & Later On - Timbaland steps in and gives Fabolous a commercial beat for him to rhyme over. Although it does include some tight live drums, this production shows that Timbaland is slowly but surely losing his magic touch. But I won’t deny that this is a head-bobber. Fabolous flips into braggadocio mode as he talks about how many people may not be feeling him right now but inevitably, they will have to respect him:

Right now you probably like me but later on you gonna love me
Right now you probably want me but later on you gonna need me
Right now you don't like me but later on you gonna hate me
And I just got to do it , f*ck y'all, I'ma keep doin my thing

The production is cool and Fab’s rhymes are good but there is nothing about this song that just stands out to me and it seems to borderline on filler. $2.75

9. Take You Home feat. Lil’ Mo - My favorite cut on the CD. I love the production just because it’s so bouncy and upbeat with the toy piano and car alarm beeping in the background. I also love the cameo by Lil’ Mo since she has such a soulful voice and she sounds great on the hook. Lil’ Mo basically wonders if Fabolous will remain the thug she desires once she takes him home and Fab reassures Mo that he will be. I do like Fabolous’ flow on a lot of these songs since his flow doesn’t sound contrived but it would be nice if he could inject a little feeling into his delivery as he does sound almost monotonous at points. Still a great song. $3.90

10. Get Smart - WOW! Fabolous decides to tackle new ground by making a song and stating a theory; getting head makes you smarter. Basically, Fabolous raps against the subdued production to his girl about how he needs her to help him get smarter evidently through getting head aka brain:

I like em brown, yellow, Puerto Rican or Asian
Who have the weekend occasion, sneak in the Days Inn
I'm never tweakin' of haze an frequently blazin'
Now if they ain't on ya face, it ain't the cheeks that I stay in
Can’t deny it, it used to take weeks of persuasion
Now I just be lookin' down at these freaks in amazement
With a girl, the first thing I peep or notice
Is how full her lips is and deep her throat is
So you ain't gotta be perfect, I'll buy you whatever you want
But your head’s gotta be worth it
Still what I mean is your brain gotta send chills through my penis
Till I feel like a genius
Look at it from a playa's position, I got a scholarship
I get smart without paying tuition
My classes be like two, three hours
That's why I'm the smartest young guy since Doogie Howser
Still what I mean is I really just wanna get smart until I feel like a genius
And all that I ask is that you help me get good grades in all of my classes
Still what I mean is I really just wanna get smart until I feel like a genius
And all that I ask is that you help me get good grades, ma, in all of my classes

I nearly died laughing the first time I heard this track and Fabolous’ flow doesn’t help much since he makes the song sound so serious. Fabolous gets points for making me laugh but loses points for the dumb concept of this song and helping to further degrade hip-hop. $2.00

11. Can’t Deny It feat. Nate Dogg - The album’s lead single that was designed to bring Fab in with a bang which it did. Having Nate Dogg on the hook almost ensures a hot record, which is what Fabolous got. I, myself, am not a big fan of this song. The production is OK but nothing spectacular and Fabolous’ braggadocio/gangsta rhymes are pretty tired this late into the album, which makes the song sound anticlimactic. Nate sounds good but he can’t rescue the song in my opinion. Weak choice for a single. $0.75

12. Ma Be Easy - The bouncy, fun, up-tempo production of this cut is what 1st caught my ear since it really puts me in a good mood whenever I hear it. I also like the subtle incorporation of the Pac-Man sound effects making the song just that much more energetic. Fabolous basically raps about the nagging lady in his life and although he isn’t talking about anything new, the energetic production is what will attract you to this song and make you stay and listen. True, the production is borderline overproduced and commercial but we all need a good dosage of commercialism once in awhile to avoid withdrawal. $2.00

13. We Don’t Give A… - Fabolous reverts back to gangsta mode on this cut and although he doesn’t take on as hard of a street tone as he could, he still doesn’t make a convincing gangsta. I do admit that I like the somewhat dark and mysterious production and I do like the concept of the song as Fabolous basically raps about not giving a *cough* about what haters think of him or his game. But for the most part, Fabolous still needs to steer clear of anything gangsta to give his albums a better sense of consistency and clarity. $1.35

14. The Bad Guy feat. Pain In Da @$$ - The worst song on the album simply because Fabolous takes the whole gangsta façade too far. He basically turns from gangsta to mobster on this cut, which features a fake mob boss trying to give the song more of an intimidating and dangerous vibe but comes off sounding like a bad comedy routine. The production is weak and Fabolous’ rhymes aren’t much better. Usually you learn from your mistakes but Fabolous has yet to realize what his mistakes are. An awful way to end the CD. $0.00

There are 3 hidden bonus tracks but I chose not to review them since it may give you more incentive to re-consider getting this album.

The Main Idea:
Sad to say, after listening to this album, I’ve realized Fabolous is nothing more than another rapper in a long line of them that had potential while on the underground and unknown but who got a small taste of success and became brainwashed into believing that it is possible to make commercial music and still maintain thug/gangsta credibility (Jay-Z‘s one of the few exceptions). Fabolous is a pretty good rapper when he’s rapping party rhymes or romantic rhymes but when he ventures into gangsta territory, that’s when he fails miserably and makes the album almost unbearable. The album does have its bright spots with some great production, lyrics and punch lines but Fabolous should have stuck with that formula and his album would’ve be a winner although it’s hard to say it wasn’t since it did go on to sell 1,000,000+ as did its follow-up, 2002’s Street Dreams. I haven’t heard that album and I hear it was much better than this but Fabolous left me with somewhat of a bad taste in my mouth that makes me skeptical of any of his other material. Don’t get me wrong, I do love his singles and quite a bit of the material on this album but until Fabolous recognizes his limitations and works within his personal boundaries, he’s still just another rapper that sells millions of records on a bare minimum of talent.

Great Music to Play While: being so glad you didn’t pay $15.00 for this.

Album Price: $13.99
Album Worth: $25.85
Final Verdict: Get it burned!

Recommended: No