Fabolous (born John Jackson on November 18, 1977 [1] in Brooklyn, New York) is a rapper of African-American and Dominican descent from Brooklyn who became a mainstream star after his debut single "Can't Deny It" from 2001 (see 2001 in music). Since then, he has gained popularity in the rap community for his mellow flow, crossover sensibilities, complex rhyme schemes, intricate lyrics, and witty punchlines. His style has been often compared to that of Harlem rapper Murda Mase A.K.A. Ma$e. Before receiving mainstream popularity, Fabolous released a single entitled, "If They Want It" in 1998 under his old moniker, Fabolous Sport. This song was released by Def Jam Recordings on the album DJ Clue? The Professional. In the year 2000, Fabolous released a second single through Elektra Records entitled, "Gotta Be a Thug" under the name Fabolous. This track can be found on DJ Clue Presents Backstage Mixtape (Soundtrack).[1] Contents [hide] 1 Biography 2 Albums 3 Mixtapes 4 Singles 5 Trivia 6 External links [edit] Biography Fabolous is of African American and Dominican descent. Fabolous has made guest appearances on tracks by many different artists including Tamia, Usher, Jennifer Lopez, Don Omar, Christina Milian, Cassidy, Amerie, Mariah Carey, Bow Wow, Lil Mo, Lloyd Banks, Benzino, B2K, P. Diddy, & Young Jeezy. His latest release is the mixtape "Loso's Way". The lead single is "Smokin' and Sippin'" featuring Paul Cain and Magnificent. It is produced by CHOPS. By being the right person in the right place at the right time, Fabolous became an overnight superstar in late summer 2001 with his debut single, "I Can't Deny It." Though the young rapper represents Brooklyn and is no doubt representative of the East Coast rap style, he also happens to embody a large dose of the "bling, bling" mentality often associated with the Dirty South style as well as the "gangsta" mentality associated with the West Coast -- the makings of a true crossover artist. And the fact that he's young with poster-boy looks doesn't hurt either. So, in sum, Fabolous followed in the footsteps of other early-2000s overnight sensations like Nelly by representing his hood while also making subtle concessions to the masses. At the time, New York didn't have any ice-sportin', Cristal-poppin', hood-representin' rappers -- at least besides Jay-z and not since the death of the Notorious B.I.G. and the simultaneous popular demise of Puff Daddy. Fabolous filled this gaping niche perfectly. DJ Clue certainly knew what he was doing when he made the young rapper the flagship of his start-up label, Desert Storm. Clue's calculation proved genius. He hired a handful of producers, rappers, and vocalists for Fabolous' debut album, Ghetto Fabolous: Ja Rule, The Neptunes, Lil' Mo, and Timbaland, to name a few. And by teaming Fabolous with Nate Dogg -- who had become a hot commodity in the rap community that summer, virtually omnipresent on the radio with hits like "Area Codes" and "Lay Low" -- Clue had an undeniable hit song to drive the album's initial sales. This song was the perfect crossover hit, merging Fabolous' East Coast image and rhymes with Nate Dogg and producer Rick Rock's West Coast sound -- and interpolating a trademark 2Pac lyric for the hook obviously didn't hurt. As expected, the song became a huge hit, storming up the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and built up ample anticipation for the album, Ghetto Fabolous, released in September 2001. Street Dreams followed in 2003, and Real Talk in 2004. [edit] Albums 2001 Ghetto Fabolous #4 US, (U.S. Certification: Platinum) 2003 Street Dreams #3 US, (U.S. Certification: Platinum) 2004 Real Talk #6 US, (U.S. Certification: Gold) 2007 From Nothing to Something (Desert Storm/Def Jam Recordings Feb 07) [edit] Mixtapes 2003 Street Dreams Pt. 2 #28 US, (sold 250,000 copies) 2005 My Life Is Fabolous 2005 Real Talk: The Mixtape (Nothing But The Freestyles) 2005 Inventing the Remix 2006 Loso's Way - Rise to Power [edit] Singles 2001 "Superwoman [Pt. II]" (Lil' Mo featuring Fabolous) #11 US 2001 "Can't Deny It" (feat. Nate Dogg) #25 US 2001 "Young'n (Holla Back)" #33 US 2002 "Bootee (remix)" (Benzino feat. Fabolous G-Dep and Busta Rhymes) 2002 "Trade It All, Pt.2" (feat. Jagged Edge & P. Diddy) #20 US 2002 "This Is My Party" #59 US R&B/Hip-Hop 2002 "Basketball" (Lil' Bow Wow feat. Fabolous, Jermaine Dupri & Fundisha) 2002 "Automatic" (E-40 feat. Fabolous) 2003 "Can't Let You Go" (feat. Mike Shorey & Lil' Mo) #4 US, #14 UK 2003 "Damn" #69 US R&B/Hip-Hop 2003 "Into You" (With Tamia) #4 US, #18 UK 2003 "Make U Mine (feat. Mike Shorey) #93 US R&B/Hip-Hop 2003 "Drink Up (feat. Bizzy Bone) 2003 "Uh Oooh Remix" (Lumidee feat. Busta Rhymes and Fabolous) 2003 "Dip It Low" (Christina Milian feat. Fabolous) 2004 "Badaboom" (B2K feat. Fabolous) #59 US, #26 UK 2004 "Breathe" #10 US 2005 "Baby" (feat. Mike Shorey) #71 US 2005 "Get Right" (Remix) (Jennifer Lopez feat. Fabolous) #12 US 2005 "Boogie Oogie Oogie" (Brooke Valentine feat. Fabolous & Yo-Yo) 2005 "One Wish (Remix)" (Ray J feat. Fabolous) #13 UK 2005 "Break You Off Feat. Freck Billionaire" 2006 "Is It Good To You" (Yummy Bingham feat. Fabolous & Red Café) 2006 "Still Can't Deny" (feat. XL) 2006 "Mo Cars feat Freck Billionaire" 2006 "Monkey Business" [edit] Trivia Fabolous made an appearance on the video game Fight Night: Round 2 as a boxer. To be able to use him, you would have to enter the word "GETFAB" as a custom boxer's first name and then save him. Also, his song (Tit 4 Tat feat. Pharrell) was on the soundtrack. Fabolous was first known as Sport or Spiz, and then as Fabolous. Featured on the remix of the Swedish rapper Petter's hit single "Det går bra nu", where he raps the chorus in Swedish. He is currently dating Fashion stylist/model Emily B. Fabolous made an appearance in Scary Movie 4. He made an appearance in the Young Jeezy video "And Then What" [edit] External links Fabolous Official Website Fabolous Myspace Profile Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabolous" Categories: African American musicians | Dominican rappers | American rappers | Living people | People from Brooklyn | 1977 births | Scary Movie actors | Rhythmic Top 40 acts