Fabolous: Like the Name Says

It's been said that what really motivated Fabolous to get his act together and become a real rapper was the fact that Memphis Bleek got signed to Roc-A-Fella. That prompted the New York native to really pursue his time in the spotlight, which he did by regularly calling into the DJ Clue radio show. DJ Clue finally gave Fabolous the chance he was hoping for by allowing him to freestyle for him, and Clue was sold.

Clue got Fabolous on several mix tapes under the Desert Storm label, along with getting Fabolous lyrics alongside Roc-A-Fella artists. One of the Fabolous songs around this time was the 1998 "If They Want It." Back then, he was calling himself Fabolous Sport and getting his material on such tapes as DJ Clue-The Professional and DJ Kool Kid Mixtape-Pound for Pound.

This gave Fabolous the recognition and name brand that would eventually land him with the record contract he'd been trying so hard to land, with Elektra Records. By 2001, Elektra was releasing the first Fabolous album, called "Ghetto Fabolous." They promoted the album with the 2000 release of the Fabolous song "Gotta Be a Thug." But the big Fabolous song off the actually record was "Can't Deny It," which Nate Dogg guest starred on, as well as the Fabolous songs "Trade It All" and "Young'n."

Look out Memphis Bleek

Fabolous hit paydirt with his very first record. The three Fabolous singles mentioned above all broke the top 100 on the charts, and the album itself went platinum. He soon followed it up by proving he was more than just a one hit wonder, with the release of the second Fabolous record called "Street Dreams' in 2003. the record had the number one song on it, "Can't Let You Go," as well as the "Into You," which went to number four on the charts. The record even had a club song on it with P. Diddy guest starring on the track, called "Trade It All In, Pt. 2."

His Fabolous third album came out in 2004, called "Real Talk," and he was due for a disappointment, which this record is considered. There were only two Fabolous songs that made it into the charts, which for him was not as good as previously. As with most rap stars, when sales turn south, they tend to blame the promotions of their label, and such was the case with Fabolous.

He ended up getting "traded" out of Atlantic and going to Def Jam. But then something happened that derailed the potential of this move. What was this? Nothing short of getting shot. In October of 2006, he was blasted in the leg.

Back With A Vengeance

Would Fabolous ever get back on track? Would he ever get a leg up again? (Sorry for that bad pun!) Well, to cut off the suspense here, yes, Fabolous did get back on track. In 2007, he released his latest Fabolous record, called "Nothin to Somthin," and like past Fabolous records before it, this one went to number one. It sold more than 150,000 copies in the first week alone. The big Fabolous song off the tracks was "Diamonds," which starred a Young Jeezy making his first big appearances on the scene.

And with his momentum behind him again, expect Fabolous to be back with another album in 2008, called "Working Hard, Playing Harder."

From Fabolous to Hip Hop Music