Fabolous

From Nothin' to Somethin' | Def Jam
By DOMINIQUE HENDELMAN  |  July 17, 2007
2.0 2.0 Stars
insidefabolous
Fab’s mixtape cuts are dope and always show off his lyrical prowess, but the full-lengths are never up to snuff. From Nothin’ to Somethin’ is more of the same. The cheesy cuts for the ladies are limited to three — some improvement on his previous albums — but the disc still embodies what’s wrong with hip-hop today. Fab’s an ill lyricist working in a world where witty wordplay doesn’t move units or translate into heavy radio rotation, so he relies here on formulaic collaborations with T-Pain, Lloyd, Rihanna, and Young Jeezy to boost sales. He’s got some bangers: “Change Up” featuring Akon, “Make Me Better” with Ne-Yo, and “Brooklyn” with Jay-Z and Uncle Murda are solid. The problem is that Fab set the bar high on the old DJ Clue mixtapes: hip-hop heads expect hard-hitting one-liners in every rhyme he spits, and he delivers only half of the time. Maybe he should spend less time spelling out his name and more time remembering why he got into the rap game in the first place.
Related: On the racks: August 29, 2006, Soul training, Rick Ross, More more >
  Topics: CD Reviews , Celebrity News, Entertainment, Music Stars,  More more >
| More

Most Popular
Blogs
 More: Phlog  |  Music  |  Film  |  Books  |  Politics  |  Media  |  Election '08  |  Free Speech  |  All Blogs
ARTICLES BY DOMINIQUE HENDELMAN
Share this entry with Delicious
  •   AUDIBLE TREATS  |  September 12, 2007
    When the word “underground” gets attached to “hip-hop,” we’re apt to imagine white boys spouting SAT verbiage in a feeble imitation of the real thing.
  •   AFTER-PARTY  |  August 28, 2007
    Don’t be surprised if you hear yourself shouting, “Rewind Selektah!”
  •   T.I. VS. T.I.P.  |  August 20, 2007
    In 1886, it was The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde : dark versus light, yin versus yang.
  •   KICKIN' IT  |  July 31, 2007
    What makes a pair of sneakers ultra exclusive?
  •   FABOLOUS  |  July 17, 2007
    Maybe he should spend less time spelling out his name.

 See all articles by: DOMINIQUE HENDELMAN

LATEST SLIDESHOWS

All Slideshows