The year was 2000, and I was a freshman at the
University of North Carolina at Greensboro; I was a huge hip hop fan. I prided myself on “keeping my ear to the
ground” regarding new hip hop artists. I
loved everything about the culture—the lyrics, beats, artists, fashion,
stories, etc. Around this time, I began
hearing stories about a new Brooklyn emcee (this was during a time when Jay-Z
was in his prime). That artist’s name is
Fabolous. At the time, I believe he was
signed to Desert Storm, which was D.J. Clue’s record label. For my younger readers, being signed to Clue
at that time was akin to being affiliated with D.J. Khaled in 2016. This period is significant because many
consider it to be the “Golden Era” of hip hop.
During this era, great artists and groups such as Jay-Z, Nas, DMX, Mobb Deep and the Lox were in their respective primes. I
loved this period of history because only truly talented emcees were
celebrated. Despite coming along during
a competitive time in hip hop, Fabolous emerged as a new player. More than 10 years later, he remains—as
respected and relevant as ever.
“But, Fab is a Mixtape Emcee”
I have heard this argument many times over. This statement, however, does not tell the
entire story. It simply ignores the work
Fab has done on studio albums, cameos, freestyles and the like. That being said, I absolutely agree that
Fabolous has yet to release a
certified classic studio album. For hip hop lovers,
this can be very problematic. Fab’s
contemporaries have at least one classic album: Jay-Z (Reasonable Doubt);
Nas(Illmatic); and DMX (It’s Dark and Hell is Hot). So the argument goes something like this: How
can you put Fabolous on a list of all time greats when he does not yet have a
crowning masterpiece album? My response
is simple (I always use basketball analogies): Was Charles Barkley not a
dominant player just because he failed to win an NBA Championship? The correct answer is no. So, in Fab’s case, you have to analyze his
entire body of work before disqualifying him from contention based on one
category.
Fab’s Body of Work is Remarkable
Hip hop is and always has been an ever changing
culture. It reminds me, in many ways, of
the practice of law. Things are always
changing. That said, the criteria for
judging talent changes with the times. When
Fab was making his entrance into the game, mixtapes were becoming fairly
popular. Quick aside: For my
Greensboro/Winston readers, I still remember going to buy mixtapes and white
T-shirts from Mr. Smith’s on Randleman Road.
Since the early 2000s, Fab has released some of the best mixtape series
ever. The fact that these mixtapes were given
to the public at no charge should not detract from the quality and impact of
these releases. These mixtapes must be
included in the overall analysis of Fab’s career, which is still ongoing. If you can identify an artist with a better
mixtape run than Fab’s, please let me know.
Thus far, he has released the following series: There is No Competition
(1-3); The Soul Tape (1-3); Friday Night Freestyles; and Summertime Shootout. The fact that these collections are
“mixtapes” does not change the fact that they are classic projects.
But, Have You Heard “I Miss My Love”?
Disclaimer: I love storytelling songs more than any
other kind of song in hip hop. With that
being said, I can continue. Sometimes,
an artist creates a song that catapults him/her to the next stratosphere. Some songs help the artist establish his
place among some of the best to ever do it.
Fab has yet to release a classic album, but he released one of the best
hip hop storytelling tracks ever. Most
people have never heard this song. In
fact, I had not heard it until a few years ago when one of my good friends told
me about it. It is the last track on his
[underwhelming] album, Loso’s Way.
The name of the song is “I Miss My Love.” Over the years, I have listened to the song
hundreds of times. The story, beat,
lyrics, and delivery are perfect. The
song describes a love story with a strange twist. I think people from all walks of life—men and
women alike—can appreciate this song. If
you have ever heard Nas’ song titled “Undying Love,” you might be able to guess
what the “strange twist” is. Either way,
this song is a top-five all-time storytelling song. An artist capable of this kind of mastery,
coupled with consistently releasing good music, deserves his respek (Birdman’s voice).
Bottom Line
I could go on and on about Fab’s skills as an emcee,
but I won’t belabor the point. He has
been incredibly consistent, has remained relevant, and has an unrivaled mixtape
catalogue. And, to boot, he wrote one
of the best hip hop storytelling songs of all time. That said: it is time to give Fab the respect
that he deserves.
Peace
