[seanshelton]

Fabolous

Right out of the gate in 2001, Fabolous scored a bit hit, "Can't Deny It," that established him as a rising East Coast rap star, and the song's combination of street-savvy toughness and pop-crossover appeal was representative of the rapper himself. Streetwise and hardened yet young and graced with poster-boy looks, the Brooklyn rapper (born John Jackson) was one of the first East Coast MCs to embrace the bling bling mentality of the South as well as the gangsta swagger of the West Coast, all the while incorporating a subtle undercurrent of pop-rap into his music. He was among the first of a new breed of New York City rappers, later to include 50 Cent most notably, who were able to crossover well among multiple markets without losing street credential. His youth was key but so was his bravado, and when Fabolous could balance this persona optimally and find himself a production formula to fit, commercial success resulted. His breakthrough single, "Can't Deny It" -- a Rick Rock production featuring a 2Pac sample and a Nate Dogg feature, as well as a catchy hook -- preceded his debut album, Ghetto Fabolous (2001), and generated quite a bit of buzz. The album also featured production work by the Neptunes, but only managed one other single, "Young'n," which failed to match the success of "Can't Deny It." However, when Fabolous returned in 2003 with his sophomore album, Street Dreams, he capitalized on his initial renown, racking up three major hits: "Trade It All," "Can't Let You Go," and "Into You" -- the latter two breaking into the Top Five of Billboard's Hot 100. Later that year, More Street Dreams, Pt. 2: The Mixtape hit stores just in time for the holiday season. Comprised of various street-level recordings originally released on mixtapes, this compilation didn't spawn any hits, but it did reaffirm Fabolous' hip-hop credentials in the wake of his string of pop-crossover singles. The following year brought with it another album, Real Talk, which didn't offer any major pop-crossover hits ("Baby" was a minor one) yet did boast a monster Just Blaze production, "Breathe," which further shored up Fabolous' hip-hop credentials. The young rapper took most of 2005 and 2006 off, and shortly before the scheduled release of his next album, in late 2006, he made headlines when he was shot in the leg and subsequently charged with weapons possession (police found two guns in the car that transported him to the hospital). His record label, Def Jam, deemed this good publicity and moved to rush-release his upcoming album, From Nothing to Something. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide

From Nothin' to Somethin'

Released: June, 12, 2007
Record Label: Def Jam
Peak Position: The Billboard 200 #2 on June 30, 2007

Album Review

Fabolous' new label, Def Jam, rolls out a wide red carpet for From Nothin' to Somethin', enlisting a great deal of starpower to bolster its new artist's fourth album. Akon, Rihanna, Jay-Z, Lloyd, Junior Reid, and even Ne-Yo (on a track produced by Timbaland) make appearances, while there is room made for past collaborators like Just Blaze, Swizz Beatz, Young Jeezy, longtime cohort DJ Clue?, and the otherwise missing-in-action Lil' Mo. In another sense, it's the same old, same old, with Fabolous covering a bunch of niches: there's the booming, borderline sluggish Southern track (the Jeezy feature "Diamonds"), a couple raucous East Coast bangers ("Brooklyn," "Return of the Hustle"), several R&B crossovers, and a couple melodramatic moments (including "What Should I Do"). Although this is one of the better albums in Fabolous' discography, the guest appearances are overwhelming, and the disc ends up similar to a compilation of Fabolous features, as if all guest stars gathered together and staged a coup. In at least half the tracks, the headliner struggles to reclaim the spotlight, and at times it seems entirely possible that the space is being used for something other than an actual Fabolous album. For instance, Akon not only dominates "Change Up," but two of the singer/producer's artists -- T-Pain and Red Café -- are heard on other tracks. Those looking to the disc for some pure top-form Fab will find a few spots of hotness, especially within "Brooklyn" -- a geographic anthem that outstrips Busta Rhymes' "New York Sh*t." Given Fab's usual kicked-back demeanor, some wordplay is bound to be overlooked (like "They should call me Karat Jeter, maybe Canary Bonds"), but regardless, there is not enough of it. After all, a separation of Fabolous' rhymes from all the guest verses and vocal hooks would result in two EPs: one by Fabolous and another by a mismatched supergroup. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide

Fabolous_-_From_Nothin_to_Something__2007_

Directory of \

00-FRONT.JPG
BABY DON'T GO (FEAT. T-PAIN).MP3
BROOKLYN (FEAT. JAY-Z & UNCLE MURDA).MP3
CHANGE UP (FEAT. AKON).MP3
DIAMONDS (FEAT. YOUNG JEEZY).MP3
FIRST TIME (FEAT. RIHANNA).MP3
FROM NOTHIN' TO SOMETHIN' INTRO.MP3
GANGSTA DON'T PLAY (FEAT. JUNIOR REID).MP3
I'M THE MAN (FEAT. RED CAFE).MP3
JOKES ON YOU (FEAT. PUSHA T).MP3
MAKE ME BETTER (FEAT. NE-YO).MP3
REAL PLAYA LIKE (FEAT. LLOYD).MP3
RETURN OF THE HUSTLE (FEAT. SWIZZ BEATZ).MP3
THIS IS FAMILY (BONUS TRACK) (FEAT. RANSOM, FRECK BILLIONAIRE, RED CAFE, JOE B..
WHAT SHOULD I DO (FEAT. LIL' MO).MP3
YEP, I'M BACK.MP3

16 file(s) found
Total file size 96,148,689 bytes

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[tehPARADOX]

Thanks for the share man!

[BlazeUK]

Rap and hip hop all good, gonna check this out. Thanks