Fabolous: Classic or Dud?

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Past discussion of him on this board hasn't been too extensive. Personally, I think he's some sort of accidental genius. He's responsible for some of the best rhymes of this century in songs like "Get Smart," "Throwback," and "Not Give a Fuck." His more popular songs have dropped considerably in quality since his unbeatable days of "Young'n" and "Keepin It Gangsta" (and no, Just Blaze does not salvage the mediocrity of "Breathe"), but I still say he's a classic. Maybe his albums are too filled with fodder to be classics themselves, but I think that, given his position as a mainstream "life ain't nuthin but bitches and money" commentator, he can't be beat. Opinions?

― Roadkill Bingo (Roadkill Bingo), Thursday, 24 March 2005 06:22 (twenty-one years ago)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v61/h_cos/10a9d68f.jpg

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Thursday, 24 March 2005 06:23 (twenty-one years ago)

I can't deny it he's a fuckin rider, I don't wanna fuck with him...

― Bryan Moore (Bryan Moore), Thursday, 24 March 2005 06:46 (twenty-one years ago)

I only know him on J-Lo's 'Get right' and Tweet's 'Oops' and he's great on both. What else are worth hearing?

"I'm lookin' for a dime, but I don't need a penny though / Any old wannabe Jenny-Lo, no!"

― Affectian (Affectian), Thursday, 24 March 2005 13:15 (twenty-one years ago)

he's so bad on "Get Right".

He's a good enough pop-rapper, but not much personality or presence. Most of his good songs ("Young'n," "Breathe") are good more in spite of than because of him.

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Thursday, 24 March 2005 13:18 (twenty-one years ago)

another short fab thread: Let us now praise Fabolous!

― jermaine (jnoble), Thursday, 24 March 2005 13:21 (twenty-one years ago)

I dunno, Bill, the lyrics on "Breathe" are very good. It's one of the few songs by him I really like.

― Adam Harrison-Friday, Thursday, 24 March 2005 14:35 (twenty-one years ago)

I normally don't give a damn when rappers deliberately misspell words for the purposes of adhering to conventional hip hop nomenclature, but for some reason, "Fabolous" really bugs the hell out of me.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 24 March 2005 15:50 (twenty-one years ago)

because it doesn't make sense phonetically, and there's nothing the slightest bit ghetto about it.

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Thursday, 24 March 2005 17:36 (twenty-one years ago)

That "this is my party" song was classic. But he had little to do with its classicness. I forgot about "Youngn" til just now. That one and the one with Nate Dogg were pretty good too.

― Johnny Badlees (crispssssss), Thursday, 24 March 2005 20:14 (twenty-one years ago)

He really doesn't make or break any of his songs. He's just there sounding like Mase. I thought that was what his career was based on. He filled that void Mase left while he was gone.

― Johnny Badlees (crispssssss), Thursday, 24 March 2005 20:16 (twenty-one years ago)

dude has LYRICS though! he's full of great deadpan punchlines, he's like the proto-Lloyd Banks. "Can't Let You Go" has some of the cleverest rhymes of a boring pop rap love song ever, and the remix is incredible because he flips every individual line of the original into something different over a much harder beat

― Al (sitcom), Thursday, 24 March 2005 20:23 (twenty-one years ago)

I mean I know presence and vocal timbre count for a lot with rapping, but it's not everything, a guy can be monotone and unexciting and still be an ill lyricist

― Al (sitcom), Thursday, 24 March 2005 20:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah wtf Breathe is awesome, and Fab is a huge part of that. I wouldn't say he's one of my favorite MCs or anything but he has his moments for sure.

― deej., Thursday, 24 March 2005 20:30 (twenty-one years ago)

it just amazes me that people complain about his mumbliness and relative lack of charisma and then go listen to MF Doom

― Al (sitcom), Thursday, 24 March 2005 20:32 (twenty-one years ago)

I have no problem with mumbliness myself. But MF Doom has a hell of a lot more charisma. And don't even try to compare the two lyrically. And for the record I usually like the commercial rapper more..

― Johnny Badlees (crispssssss), Thursday, 24 March 2005 20:35 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah i know that was a lame card to pull but the whole Fab = Mase = 50 thing is so tired and wrong

― Al (sitcom), Thursday, 24 March 2005 20:36 (twenty-one years ago)

dude has LYRICS though! he's full of great deadpan punchlines, he's like the proto-Lloyd Banks.

Fabolous sounds bored and is boring. Lloyd sounds bored and is awesome. Big difference.

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Thursday, 24 March 2005 20:37 (twenty-one years ago)

although Kanye's "I'm the best version of Mase next to Fab" is one of my favorite lines ever

(xp yeah i can see that, but I like Fab and Banks both pretty much equally myself)

― Al (sitcom), Thursday, 24 March 2005 20:38 (twenty-one years ago)

I donno I dont really spend much time caring about either, aside from a few isolated lines "cooler than the other side of the pillow" they are definitely artists i check out on a singles-only basis. Oh except "In My hood" by Fabolous was great.

― deej., Thursday, 24 March 2005 21:02 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah neither of them is my god, i was just saying i don't hold one particularly higher than the other. Fab seems kind of incapable of making a solid album, has no idea what kind of beats and collaborators to surround himself with, which with someone like him can make or break it.

― Al (sitcom), Thursday, 24 March 2005 21:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Fabolous *makes* 'Get Right'. I much prefer the Fab mix than that bootleg with Usher. Couldn't care less about his timbre or presence, I just like lyrics about having a big cock: "I keep women in thongs comin' along /../ I can tell you ain't never had someone this long". Plus, the "there go my kids all over your face" line from 'Oops. Nice and base.

― Affectian (Affectian), Thursday, 24 March 2005 23:33 (twenty-one years ago)

I always thought it was "my kiss all over your face". Now I feel dirty. What's next?

― Alba (Alba), Thursday, 24 March 2005 23:47 (twenty-one years ago)

I love him on "Dip It Low" too: "the best things come (hit) for those who wait for it, but I'm a go straight for it, before it's too late for it." And rhyming "catch up with a model" with "ketchup in a bottle"!!!!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 24 March 2005 23:58 (twenty-one years ago)

"Kiss all over your face"? That's awful. Maybe if it was a guest spot from Chris Deburgh but not saucy old Fab.

"Ketchup in a bottle" is such a great great rhyme. And nothing to do with Fab but when Joe Budden goes "Now go get the party jumpin' like me / Who crunk it like me / Lotta guys here but none is like me" on Milian's 'Whatever you want', well, I *adore* that. I'm delighted to discover that my head lurches to the side involuntarily on the "crrunk" bit. All songs should aim for an instinctive lurch moment, it'd make bus journeys much more fun.

― Affectian (Affectian), Friday, 25 March 2005 00:25 (twenty-one years ago)

See, lines like the "ketchup in a bottle" one are exactly what I was getting at. No one else has lines quite that ridiculous yet seamless, but Fabo pulls them off all the time.

― Roadkill Bingo (Roadkill Bingo), Friday, 25 March 2005 00:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Haha joe budden. Whats going on with him? Last time I heard anything about him it was this video where a girl was talking about what he was like in bed or something...anyone know what i'm talking about?

― deej., Friday, 25 March 2005 00:35 (twenty-one years ago)

I guess I hoped Fab was feeling the X vibe.

― Alba (Alba), Friday, 25 March 2005 00:42 (twenty-one years ago)

"Right now you probly like me, later on you're gonna love me"

One of the best rap songs ever. Fab's going to be one of those people that get's critically "rediscovered" by music fans at some criminally late date because most people are too shortsighted to see beyond his looks. When he's on form he's so natural and charming that it's pure joy within one bar.

― Jacob (Jacob), Friday, 25 March 2005 01:44 (twenty-one years ago)

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