Fabolous "From Nothing to Something" Era

[damnnnitzzjohn]

The first single off the album is titled "Diamonds On My Damn Chain" featuring Lil Wayne.

Junior Reid, Cassidy, Lil Wayne, Ne-Yo, Paul Cain, Red Cafe, Akon, Jay-Z, Young Jeezy and Joe Budden are confirmed to be on the album.

XXL Magazine ranked "From Nothing to Something" the 8th most anticipated album of 2007.

[Damage]

Wtf? Diamonds on my damn chain? What is he, ripping off smitty?

And where is that fool smitty anyway? I've been waitin on his cd for a minute now.

[musicmania001]

Huhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.........................................................


Same Oh Same Oh.......................................................................

[SHOOTER]

I smell a FLOP!!

[XXIX]

He'll go somewhere with this. Nowhere special.. but somewhere, LOL.

[damnnnitzzjohn]

I heard that the song he did with Akon was going to be the first single, but they pushed it back until later if the album flops.

[d.t.m]

All Fabolous, the man whom replaced Ma$e on the charts, needs is 2 blazing singles and he'll be fine. Akon will give him at least one.

He got off to a great start with Breath from his last set, but Baby, a song I actually liked, was a wrong second single choice. The Pharell- anchored party jam Young & Sexy would have been a more suitable selection.

[कामसूत्र]

from FMQB:

Fabolous Finishing Up New CD
February 2, 2007

As reported back in October, Fabolous experienced quite a scare when he was shot in the leg in a Manhattan parking garage. To make matters worse, Fab and his crew then got into a Dodge Magnum and ran a red light one block away from the scene of the shooting, which attracted the attention of police. Officers stopped the car and found two unlicensed, loaded guns in the vehicle, and Fabolous was arrested and charged with weapons possession.

The Rapper now says that the incident really made him take a long, hard look at his life and his inner-circle of friends. "It was a life-threatening experience, so I took it as that," Fab told MTV News. "Even when I got my truck back [after the shooting], I looked at [one of the shots] in the windshield — it was high enough to be a head shot. I looked at that as being more dangerous than the leg thing. My leg was better in a week and a half. I was back regular, like it never even happened. Even the hole didn't look nothing much [more serious] than a cigarette burn." Fab said that after recovering, "I just fell back, took it easy. Maybe I was doing a little too much. Let some things take their course. I had never been shot before. I had to chill for a minute and got focused on the music and other things rather than being out and running around."

With his focus being back on music, Fabolous kept working on his new album, which is now set to drop in March. Two songs have already hit the streets: "Return of the Hustle," featuring Swizz Beatz and production by Just Blaze, and "Diamonds on My Damn Chain," a collaboration with Lil Wayne. However, MTV says that the official first single will be "Make Me Better," which features Ne-Yo on the hook and was produced by Timbaland.

"You want a girl that completes you and makes you better," Fab explained of his new single. "You don't want a girl who brings more arguments and more bills. You want a girl who, when you're walking around with your tie crooked, she fixes your tie. That's the kind of [woman] I'm looking for. Whether she's a celebrity or non-celebrity don't really matter. You just need somebody you can connect with." He added, "It touches so many places. It's a sexy record, plus a swagger record, an anthem record all in one."

[Damage]

thereboundkid said:

He'll go somewhere with this. Nowhere special.. but somewhere, LOL.

LOL

[jamrock16]

i just have to say i loved "i cant deny it" and "its my party". fabulous is someone who i want to make a good comeback

[damnnnitzzjohn]

I like his single "Diamonds" with Young Jeezy.

The video will be out really soon.

[XXIX]

They should add Lil Wayne to the video version of it as well.

[busyboy]

"Make Me Better", produced by Timbo and featuring Ne-Yo has leaked. Album bumped to June 12.

[shaq91]

is there anything about Mariah or Jlo?? or the rihanna song has it fully leaked yet??

[busyboy]

^ No, I just found the song above at Spine Magazine.

[SHOOTER]

I wanna hear the track he did with Lil' Mo!!

[busyboy]

Fabolous Bumps Album Again, Preps New Single

Mariel Concepcion, N.Y.

Fabolous has once again reset the release date for his Def Jam debut, "From Nothin' To Somethin'." The album is now due June 12. It was originally expected before the end of 2006, then pushed to February and most recently to March 27.

In the interim, the Brooklyn rapper will service his second single, "Make Me Better," produced by Timbaland and featuring labelmate Ne-Yo, to radio this week.

"From Nothin' To Somethin'" also features production from Just Blaze, Jermaine Dupri, Polow Da Don, Jazze Pha, and Steve Morales. Rihanna, Akon, Swizz Beatz and Lloyd make guest appearances.

First single "Diamonds" featuring Young Jeezy is No. 3 on Bilboard's Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart and debuts this week at No. 83 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Fabolous was previously signed to Elektra and Atlantic. He hasn't released a new studio album since 2004's "Real Talk," which debuted at No. 6 on The Billboard 200 and spawned the hit single "Breathe." The track reached No. 2 on Hot Rap Tracks and No. 10 on the Hot 100.

Since then, he's turned up as a guest on albums from Jennifer Lopez, Syleena Johnson, Christina Milian, Tony Parker and DJ Clue.

[busyboy]

^ Actually, "Diamonds" was at #62 R&B last week, in its 5th week there.

[Santo]

I love that song he has with Neyo.

[busyboy]

'Block On Smash' featuring Jay-Z and Young Jeezy has leaked.

[busyboy]

Fabolous' 'All-Stars' Jay-Z, Jeezy, Rihanna Make LP Somethin' To Be Reckoned With

Long-awaited album — which also features Ne-Yo, R. Kelly, Lloyd — was previewed Tuesday night.

By By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Yasmine Richard

For the second night in a row, Jay-Z and L.A. Reid ventured out to Sony Studios in Manhattan, New York, on Tuesday, as another one of Def Jam's summer albums was presented to VIPs. While Monday was all about Young Jeezy and the USDA's Cold Summer, Fabolous took the spotlight on Tuesday as he gave a sneak peek of his June 12 release, From Nothin' to Somethin'.

Jay and Uncle Murda are slated to appear on a record called "Brooklyn," while T-Pain sings the hook on the Jermaine Dupri-produced "Baby Don't Go." Pusha T of the Clipse gives a guest verse on "All Jokes on You," dropping several comedic references, and Murder Inc's Lloyd croons on "Real Playa Like." Rihanna give a female's perspective on "First Time" and Junior Reid's check-in on "Gangsta" will have the squarest nerd feeling like a rude boy. Jeezy appears on "Diamonds," R. Kelly assists on "Foggin' Up the Windows" and Swizz Beatz guests on "Return of the Hustle."

"We got an all-star album," Fabolous said last week in L.A. on the set of his latest video, "Make Me Better." "We got to work with a lot of people we felt would make the album better. Production-wise, the lineup is like the Yankees: Timbaland, Akon, Jermaine Dupri, Just Blaze, Polow Da Don, Neo 'The Matrix.' ... We got great features, too. Each person, I could hear them making the song better. Lil' Mo, Cassidy ... we got a very deep, well-rounded album."

From Nothin' to Somethin' is Fab's fourth album and first since 2004's Real Talk. The MC says he hopes people hear how he's evolved as a person over the past two and a half years (see "Fabolous Album Moved Up To December After Arrest, Shooting").

"I been through situations I never been in before in my life," he said. "I got shot, been arrested, been in a relationship. I'm past really rapping for my block or my projects. I'm trying to grow. We been working really hard. I took two months and worked in Miami, then I came back to New York and worked another three months."

The highest-impact cameo on the effort — at least for now — comes courtesy of Ne-Yo, who sings the hook on "Make Me Better" (see "Ne-Yo Gets Frisky With An 'Ex,' Avoids K-Fed Songs For Britney"). You can call it fate that Fab is putting the single out — it passed through a few hands before the Brooklyn MC got to make it his own.

"Timbaland produced the track," said Ne-Yo, sitting in a dressing room in an all-white outfit at the video shoot. "The way the song came together, it's actually a track that Jay-Z brought to my attention. He said, 'Tim gave me this track, but it sounds more like an R&B track than a hip-hop track. I really think you should do something to it.' So I wrote the hook, did some verses, and Fab heard it. He said, 'You should let me get on that with you.' Then Fab did some verses and I liked some of his stuff more than my stuff, so I was like, 'You should just take the damn song.' The rest is history. The chemistry is so right, it sounds like we were there [in the studio] together."

(Watch Ne-Yo explain how the track got passed along from Timbaland to Jay-Z to him — and eventually to Ne-Yo.)

What time they didn't spend together recording the song, they made up for by performing it on the video set. During the afternoon, the two were surrounded by cuties as they got across the point of the song.

" 'Make Me Better' is a great swagger feeling, ultra-magnetic," Fab said of the song. "It's a great record, I'm trying to make big words to make it sound bigger than it is, but it's a great record. We get a lot of love across the country everywhere we play it. It leans towards the ladies, but it's a swagger record. The fellas could dig it too. The fellas are picking up lines from it. They telling ladies, 'I'm cool, but you make me a better person.' I'm happy everybody is receiving it well.

(See Fab talk about his "ultra-magnetic" new single.)

"When you make a relationship song, it's relatable," continued Fab, who has had the most success with records geared toward dealing with women. "A lot of people have been in the position when you've been the main person or the mistress. Or maybe you had somebody on the side ... at least once in their life. It's just relatable music. Same thing with 'Make Me Better.' You find that person in your life, then the haters, their antennas go up."

Besides Ne-Yo, you can look for cameos from DJ Clue and Mr. Pose for the Camera himself, Ray J, in the clip. Ray was mum on his rumored romance with Whitney Houston or a much-talked-about alleged sex tape but did say he was elated to come and support one of his favorite rappers.

"It feels good for me to be in the building," he said.

Look for Clue and possibly Fab to appear on Ray J's next project.

[busyboy]

The Fader

F-A-B-O-L-O and Us

We headed over to Sony Studios last night to hear Fabolous present his new album (and first release for the Black Oasis), From Nothin To Somethin. Actually, we just wanted to try and get a flick wearing Fab's enormous winged Rich Yung pendant. Admit it - that's a fly MySpace pic right there! The photo op didn't happen, but we listened to the LP and will give you some fragmented thoughts after the jump.

The party started with a looped reel of Fab's Elektra-era videos accompanied by selected mixtape appearances. Which was awesome. Lil Mo bowling! DJ Clue laughing! It made us think about the era when dude still called himself "Fabolous Sport" and would pop up on mixtapes inbetween JoJo Pellegrino and "POV City Anthem." That trip down memory lane (which, admittedly, kept on going with thoughts about old girlfriends and shitty domestic cars) was a welcome one, but it only hammered home the fact that Fabolous really isn't all that enjoyable to listen to anymore.

(Goddamn, we are BLOGGING right now!)

As a whole, From Nothin To Somethin feels overlong and wildly homogenous. Much like Curtis, Fab has forgotten how to play to his strengths: a genuine gift for wordplay and humor. Remember the punchlines? Remember the winking references to his chipped teeth? Now we have turgid singles with Ne-Yo and truly generic verses - Corporate Rap at it's nadir. Whereas Fab could have easily picked uptempo, 2007 Slick Rick beats that might have inspired him a little (SON! CHAD WES HAS A PHONE NUMBER!), From Nothin... is filled with sorta-Southern sonics that never really go anywhere.

It's not like we were going in with unrealistically high expectations - dude never really had much to say, it's just that he used to do it with style. There were still bright points on the new LP, however. On "Jokes On You," Fab truly holds his own with Pusha T of the Clipse, trading comedian references and some genuinely clever bars. And the Runners-produced "Foggin Up The Windows" is a smash, featuring an unexpectedly slow beat and Fabolous at his most charismatic. There were also a few listed cuts we didn't get a chance to hear - how's Jay gonna come to the listening sesh and not drop the song he's on? - but something tells us the song with Ransom and Frek the Billionaire isn't really going to save the day. It will get us to bust out some recent vintage mixtapes though. CLUEMINATTI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

From Nothin To Somethin tracklist:

From Nothin To Somethin Intro (produced by Reefa)
Yup I'm Back (produced by Freebass)
Change Up f Akon (produced by Akon)
Make Me Better f Ne-Yo (produced by Timbaland)
Baby Don't Go f T-Pain (produced by Jermaine Dupri)
Return Of The Hustle (produced by Just Blaze)
Gangsta Don't Play f Junior Reid (produced by Reefa)
Real Playa Like f Lloyd (produced by Polow Da Don)
Let's Make Love f Keyshia Cole (produced by Jermaine Dupri)*
Diamonds f Young Jeezy (produced by Steve Morales)
Brooklyn f Jay Z and Uncle Murder (produced by Versatile)*
I'm The Man f Red Cafe (produced by Reefa)*
Hustla's Posterchild f Cassidy (produced by Neo Da Matrix)*
Joke's On You f Pusha T (produced by Don Cannon)*
What Should I Do f Lil Mo (produced by Amadeus)*
Foggin Up The Windows (produced by the Runners)
This Is Family f Ransom, Frek the Billionaire, Red Cafe, Joe Budden and Paul Cain (produced by Nova)*
First Time f Rhianna (produced by Big Tank)

* these tracks were not played at the listening session

[busyboy]

The album leaked.

[sdot23]

This is the tracklist from the retail album leak:

1. From Nothin' To Somethin' Intro
2. Yep, I'm Back
3. Change Up (Feat. Akon)
4. Make Me Better (Feat. Ne-Yo)
5. Baby Don't Go (Feat. T-Pain)
6. Return Of The Hustle (Feat. Swizz Beatz)
7. Gangsta Don't Play (Feat. Junior Reid)
8. Real Playa Like (Feat. Lloyd)
9. First Time (Feat. Rihanna)
10. Diamonds (Feat. Young Jeezy)
11. Brooklyn (Feat. Jay-Z & Uncle Murda)
12. I'm The Man (Feat. Red Cafe)
13. Jokes On You (Feat. Pusha T)
14. What Should I Do (Feat. Lil' Mo)
15. This Is Family *Bonus Track*

So yeah, there are a few tracks missing. (Including the one with Keyshia cole that I was looking forward to)

[SHOOTER]

I really wanna hear "What Should I Do". He and Lil' Mo seriously need to record an album together.

[areyoureadytojump]

Music Review: Fabolous' new CD
By BRETT JOHNSON, For The Associated Press

Fabolous, "From Nothin' to Somethin'" (Def Jam)

The mumbly monotone of Brooklyn rapper Fabolous is a mark of his appeal and his limitations.

Typically, Fab is mostly tolerable in doses, paired with a vocal counterpoint that injects his songs with a needed pick-me-up. So it makes sense that on his fourth album "From Nothin' To Somethin'," Fab shares mic time on nearly every track with some of urban music's top names.

Some of the collaborations are magical. Timbaland's yearning synths and Ne-Yo's crooned hook gives "Make Me Better" — a song about the supportive nature of a woman's love — a rugged yet sensitive veneer. And "Brooklyn," a hometown homage featuring Jay-Z, newcomer Uncle Murda and a rousing Notorious B.I.G. vocal sample is an unrelenting club banger. Fab offers: "I'm right here BIG/ya boy sitting on top like a hair wig."

But on other tracks, Fab gets overshadowed by his peers. Akon's nasal timbre on "Change Up" is infinitely more memorable than Fab's lyrics. And likewise, on "Gangsta Don't Play," Fab's verses about the hard-knock life fail to impress next to reggae wailer Junior Reid's rousing chorus.

Consequently, "From Nothin' to Somethin'" frustrates as it astonishes, but Fab never manages to distinguish himself enough to be considered a major contender.

CHECK OUT THIS TRACK: "Brooklyn" is a hypnotic ode to this New York 'hood that features organ blasts, drum smacks, Fab repeatedly intoning the borough's name and nimble wordplay from Jay-Z: "I'm back on my bully (stuff)/the Flatbush, Bushwick, black hoodie (stuff)/ half a billie in the bank roll."

[sdot23]

I love this album. Its really good!

[reception]

Reviewed by Steve Jones
USA Today

Fabolous, From Nothin’ To Somethin’: ** 1/2 (out of four) BE HIS GUEST
The Brooklyn MC returns after a three-year absence with his usual array of clever lines and hot beats. Not much has changed, its seems, during his time away as he still boasts mainly of his expensive possessions and bevy of ladies. He also boast a guest star - including Akon, T-Pain, Rihanna, Jay-Z, Lil’ Mo, Lloyd and Ne-Yo - on almost every track. Seems he could have had more to say himself on his
fourth album.

[areyoureadytojump]

Out today in the USA!!

[shaq91]

cd is good, some good songs.