It takes talent to make the struggle to succeed seem effortless, but that is the gift that separates artists like Brooklyn's John Jackson, aka Fabolous, from the everyday MC. While most rappers spend more and more time convincing the masses of their "hustle," Fabolous lets his work speak for his effort. With two platinum albums (2001's Ghetto Fabolous and 2003's Street Dreams) and one Gold (2004's Real Talk) to his credit, the veteran hitmaker still exudes a rookie-of-the year swagger. After recording for both Elektra and Atlantic Records, Fab is enjoying a home coming with the legendary Def Jam label. His first recorded song was "If They Want It" from DJ Clue's The Professional, which was released by Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam in 1998. Now he is preparing to release his fourth street classic, From Nothin' to Somethin' under the watchful eye of his longtime collaborators. "I had people in my corner already over there," Fab says of DJ Clue and A&R Skane, the Desert Storm duo who discovered Fabolous. "So it wasn't like I was coming to a new neighborhood." While he doesn't site any one reason for his move, Fabolous has learned a lot from his time in the industry and is eager to capitalize on his experience. "I haven't peaked yet," he explains. "I was happy with the past records, but I have some adversity to learn off of for the future." It's appropriate that Fabolous is getting a fresh start for his latest release because he wants From Nothin' to Somethin' to be a rebirth for his fans old and new. "Everybody is trying to take what they have and make something more," says Fabolous, explaining the album's title. "It's a new year, everybody's on their hustle, back in the gym and I'm trying to give them some inspiration. This is music to chase your money too, work out--motivation music. The first single "Make Me Better" is produced by Grammy Award winning producer Timbaland and finds Fa
1 | It's Alright ft. Sean Paul (clean) | Real Talk (clean) |
2 | Round & Round (clean) | Real Talk (clean) |
3 | Tit 4 Tat inst. | Real Talk |
4 | Cant Let You Go | Street Dreams |
5 | Gangsta (clean) | Real Talk (clean) |
6 | Round & Round | Real Talk |
7 | Tit 4 Tat (feat. Pharrell) | Real Talk |
8 | Gangsta | Real Talk |
9 | Baby Don't Go | From Nothin' to Somethin' |
10 | Breathe | Real Talk |
11 | Breathe (clean) | Real Talk (clean) |
12 | Trade It All (Featuring Jagged Edge) | Ghetto Fabolous |
13 | Holla At Somebody Real ft. Lil Mo (clean) | Real Talk (clean) |
14 | Ghetto ft. Thara (clean) | Real Talk (clean) |
15 | Baby ft. Mike Shorey (clean) | Real Talk (clean) |
16 | Girls (clean) | Real Talk (clean) |
17 | Young & Sexy ft. Pharrell & Mike Shorey (clean) | Real Talk (clean) |
18 | Don't Stop Won't Stop (clean) | Real Talk (clean) |
19 | In My Hood (clean) | Real Talk (clean) |
20 | Po Po ft. Paul Cain and Nate Dogg (clean) | Real Talk (clean) |