Fabolous

From Brooklyn to the Dirty South, Fabolous runs the hip-hop gamut with his minimalist East Coast grooves and "gentleman with a touch of street" Southern attitude. Put on the map when DJ Clue signed him to his label Desert Storm, Fabolous filled New York's need at the time for hip-hop...

By Jessica Nelson

October 17, 2002

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From Brooklyn to the Dirty South, Fabolous runs the hip-hop gamut with his minimalist East Coast grooves and "gentleman with a touch of street" Southern attitude. Put on the map when DJ Clue signed him to his label Desert Storm, Fabolous filled New York's need at the time for hip-hop that sounded like it came straight from the streets of the Bronx but also appealed to the mainstream audience in Middle America. On "Trade It All," his Top 20 single with P. Diddy and Jagged Edge, Fabolous takes a low-key production route, with sparse drums and piano chords, letting the lyrics paint the picture with rhymes about giving up street life and having nothing to hide from his future bride: "Ring on your hand/Ain't gotta say we just friends no more." Fabolous comes off like a rap star with his groove tight and his act together -- a novel concept, right?

Jessica Nelson

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