John David Jackson (born November 18, 1977), better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper. Raised in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, he first gained recognition while still a senior in high school, when he performed live on American music executive

DJ Clue Ernesto Shaw (born January 8, 1975), better known as DJ Clue, is an American disc jockey (DJ), record producer, radio personality and record executive. Early life DJ Clue was born in Queens, New York City to Panamanian and Jamaican immigran ...

's radio show, then on

Hot 97 WQHT (97.1 FM, ''Hot 97'') is a commercial radio station, licensed to New York, New York, which broadcasts an urban contemporary music format. The station is owned by Mediaco Holding and operated by Emmis Communications under a shared ser ...

. Jackson subsequently signed to DJ Clue's

Desert Storm The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases ...

imprint, and later secured a distribution deal with major-label, Elektra. Jackson gained prominence with his first release, ''

Ghetto Fabolous ''Ghetto Fabolous'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Fabolous. The album was released on September 11, 2001 through Desert Storm Records and Elektra Records. The production on the album was handled by DJ Clue, The Neptunes, Rockwilde ...

'' (2001), which spawned the

hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

s "

Can't Deny It "Can't Deny It" is the debut single by American rapper Fabolous from his debut studio album ''Ghetto Fabolous''. It features Nate Dogg and uncredited backing vocals by Lil' Mo. The song was produced by Rick Rock. Its chorus contains similar lyrics ...

" (featuring

Nate Dogg Nathaniel Dwayne Hale (August 19, 1969 – March 15, 2011), known professionally as Nate Dogg, was an American singer and rapper. He gained recognition for providing guest vocals for a multitude of hit rap songs between 1992 and 2007, earning the ...

) and "

Young'n (Holla Back) "Young'n (Holla Back)" is the second single from Fabolous' debut album '' Ghetto Fabolous''. It peaked at number thirty-three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number seventeen on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs ch ...

". His second release was 2003's '' Street Dreams'', which was supported by two US top 10 singles, "

Can't Let You Go "Can't Let You Go" is a song by American hip-hop artist Fabolous. It was released on February 23, 2003 as the second single from his second studio album '' Street Dreams''. It is a hip hop and R&B song that features Mike Shorey and Lil' Mo and wa ...

" (featuring

Lil' Mo Cynthia Karen Loving (born November 19, 1978), known professionally as Lil' Mo, is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, television and radio personality. She is best known for her 2001 single " Superwoman Pt. II", featuring then-unknown rapper ...

) and " Into You" (featuring

Tamia Tamia Marilyn Washington Hill (born May 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and producer. Born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, Tamia performed in various singing and dancing competitions as a child. In 1994, after signing a development de ...

or Ashanti). Including the aforementioned songs, Jackson's series of hit singles extended throughout the 2000s, including " Trade It All, Pt. 2" (featuring Diddy and Jagged Edge), " Breathe", "

Make Me Better "Make Me Better" is the third single from Fabolous' album ''From Nothin' to Somethin. The song features Ne-Yo on the hook and is produced by Timbaland. Song Content Timbaland is quoted as saying that: : "''the beat is unique sounding and the s ...

" (featuring

Ne-Yo Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979), known professionally as Ne-Yo, is an American singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer. He gained fame for his songwriting abilities when he penned Mario's 2004 hit " Let Me Love You ...

), "

Baby Don't Go "Baby Don't Go" is a song written by Sonny Bono and recorded by Sonny & Cher. It was first released on Reprise Records in 1964 and was a minor regional hit. Subsequently, following the duo's big success with "I Got You Babe" in the summer of 1965, ...

" (featuring T-Pain), "

Throw It in the Bag "Throw It in the Bag" is the first single from Fabolous' album ''Loso's Way'' (2009). The song features singer The-Dream, who also provided the production alongside Tricky Stewart. Music video The video for "Throw It In The Bag" was released on M ...

" (featuring

The-Dream Terius Youngdell Nash (born September 20, 1977), better known by his stage name The-Dream, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. His co-writing credits include songs with "Me Against the Music" (2003) for Britney Spears, " Rid ...

) and "

You Be Killin' Em "You Be Killin Em" is a song by American rapper Fabolous, released as the first single from his debut extended play '' There Is No Competition 2: The Grieving Music EP'' (2010). Recorded at Tainted Blue Studio, NYC, the song was produced by Ryan ...

". He is also known for his appearances on several R&B singles, including " Superwoman Pt. II" by

, " Shawty Is a 10" by The-Dream, "

Addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use o ...

" by Ryan Leslie, "

She Got Her Own "Miss Independent" is a song by American singer-songwriter Ne-Yo. It is the second single from his album. ''Year of the Gentleman'' (2008), and was produced by Stargate. It samples the song "Forget About Me" by Keesha (Lil Bit). The song was w ...

" by

Jamie Foxx Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He became widely known for his portrayal of Ray Charles in the 2004 biographical film ''Ray'', for which he won the A ...

, and "

Say Aah "Say Aah" is a song by American singer Trey Songz featuring American rapper Fabolous. The track was written by the two along with Nate Walka, Ronald M. Ferebee, Jr., Tony Scales, and Don Correll, with the latter producing it with Troy Taylor an ...

" by

Trey Songz Tremaine Aldon Neverson (born November 28, 1984), known professionally as Trey Songz, is an American R&B singer and rapper. His debut album, ''I Gotta Make It'', was released in 2005 through Atlantic Records. His follow-up album, ''Trey Day'', ...

, among others. In 2004, Jackson signed to

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most im ...

(another subsidiary of

Warner Music Group Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and th ...

), after leaving Elektra, where he released '' Real Talk'', his first and only album under Atlantic. In 2006, Jackson was let out of his contract with Atlantic and officially signed with

Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...

(owned by Warner competitor

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

). Also in 2006, Jackson founded his own record label, Street Family Records. In 2007, he released '' From Nothin' to Somethin''', under Def Jam. In 2009, he released his fifth album, ''

Loso's Way ''Loso's Way'' is the fifth studio album by American rapper Fabolous. The album was released on July 28, 2009, by Desert Storm Records, Street Family Records and Def Jam Recordings. The album's first two singles were released simultaneously on ...

''. Throughout the years, Jackson has amassed a number of self-released

mixtape A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...

s, including several installments of his highly acclaimed ''There Is No Competition'' series and ''The S.O.U.L. Tape'' series. He released his sixth album, '' The Young OG Project'', in 2014.

Life and career

1977–2000: Early life and career beginnings

Fabolous was born John David Jackson on November 18, 1977, and is of Dominican and

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

descent. He grew up in Breevort Houses in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of the

borough of New York City. Jackson attended High School of Art & Design and City-As-School High School in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, and eventually Boys and Girls High School in Bed-Stuy. While in his senior year of high school, Jackson began to pursue a career in hip hop music. In the early years of his career, he rapped under the name Fabolous Sport, in reference to

Ralph Lauren Ralph Lauren, ( ; ; born October 14, 1939) is an American fashion designer, philanthropist, and billionaire businessman, best known for the Ralph Lauren Corporation, a global multibillion-dollar enterprise. He has become well known for his c ...

's Polo Sport line, however this was later shortened to simply Fabolous. The misspelling was unintentional; Jackson originally intended to be simply called "Fabulous" but incorrectly spelled it during a freestyle and it stuck. He was invited to rap live on American record producer and music executive

's radio show, then on New York City radio station

. Fabolous and N.O.R.E. rapped over the instrumental to

The Lox The Lox (stylized The LOX or The L.O.X.) is an American hip hop group from Yonkers, New York, formed in 1994. The group is composed of East Coast rappers Sheek Louch, Styles P and Jadakiss. They had originally signed to Puff Daddy's Bad Boy ...

's ''

Money, Power & Respect ''Money, Power & Respect'' is the debut album by hip hop group The Lox. It was released on January 13, 1998, through Bad Boy Records and featured production from the Hitmen, Dame Grease and Swizz Beatz. The album found huge success, peaking at nu ...

'', and DJ Clue subsequently signed Fabolous to his record label,

Desert Storm Records Desert Storm Records is an American record label founded by Skane Dolla, Ken Duro Ifill, and DJ Clue? in 1997. The label was formerly distributed through Elektra and Atlantic and is currently distributed through Def Jam and Universal. Desertstor ...

. Fabolous was then featured on several

s, as well as mixtapes with Roc-A-Fella artists. This earned Fabolous and Desert Storm a distribution deal with

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...

. In a September 6, 2001, interview with ''Hot104.com'', Fabolous said he never planned on becoming a rapper and told the website: "I was just trying to make some money, ya know? I got tired of being broke. This was something where I could make some money. It just happened for me."

2001–2003: ''Ghetto Fabolous'' and ''Street Dreams''

Fabolous released his debut album, ''

'', on September 11, 2001. It debuted at number four on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling over 140,000 copies in its first week. The album's first single, "

", was produced by Rick Rock and features a chorus by

interpolating

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...

's song "Ambitionz Az a Ridah". It charted on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, along with two of the subsequent singles. The other charting singles were "Young'n (Holla Back)", which was produced by

The Neptunes The Neptunes are an American songwriting and production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provides additional vocals on records and appears in the duo's music video ...

and "Trade It All", which features vocals from Jagged Edge and was produced by

and Duro. Fabolous released his second album '' Street Dreams'' on March 4, 2003. Powered by a

Just Blaze Justin Gregory Smith (born January 8, 1978), known professionally as Just Blaze, is an American hip hop record producer and DJ. Born in Paterson, New Jersey, Blaze attended Rutgers University for three years before dropping out to pursue his mu ...

beat and guest vocals from

and Mike Shorey, "

" reached number one on the Rhythmic Top 40 chart and number four on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. " Into You" with

also reached number four on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Also released on Street Dreams was the lead single club banger "This Is My Party" and "Trade It All Pt. 2" which featured Jagged Edge as it did on the

version, as well as Diddy. Exactly seven months later, on November 4, 2003, Fabolous dropped his official mixtape, More Street Dreams, Pt. 2: The Mixtape. It was an official release by his record label, Elektra. The album featured remixes and tracks not originally on ''Street Dreams''. This album was also an outlet for his three-man crew, known as the Triangle Offense, consisting of himself, Paul Cain, and

Joe Budden Joseph Anthony Budden II (born August 31, 1980) is an American media personality and former rapper. He first gained recognition as a rapper with his 2003 top 40 single " Pump It Up" and as a member of the hip hop supergroup Slaughterhouse. In ...

. The album actually features a remix to song ''Fire'', which was originally on Joe Budden's self-titled debut album.

2004–2008: ''Real Talk'' and ''From Nothin' to Somethin

Fabolous' third album '' Real Talk'' was released on November 5, 2004. It debuted at number six on the ''Billboard'' 200 with 179,000 copies and had two charting singles, the lowest in his career. The two charting singles are his street anthem " Breathe" and " Baby," which features Mike Shorey, and shows his more sensitive side that he has shown on many songs in the past. His second single was not promoted until weeks after the album's release. "Tit 4 Tat" was his third single. Pharrell of

produced it and did the hook. Fab feels that the single didn't hit it as big as it should have due to poor advertising. Making the music video for his fourth single, "Do the Damn Thing" cost Jackson $30,000. The song featured Young Jeezy, who became known to the public through the video.Golianopoulos, Thomas
Fabolous Like Me
. ''XXL'' magazine. Retrieved October 8, 2007. The same year, Fabolous was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

for his collaboration on the "

Dip It Low "Dip It Low" is a song by American singer Christina Milian from her second studio album, '' It's About Time'' (2004). Written by Poli Paul and Teedra Moses and produced by Paul, the track was released as the album's lead single. Matt Ward and De ...

" remix by

Christina Milian Christine Marie Flores (born September 26, 1981), better known as Christina Milian (), is an American actress and singer. Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, but raised in Maryland, she signed a contract with Murder Inc. Records at the age of 19 ...

. Fabolous stated in 2004 that he wanted to release his own clothing line. The line called "Rich Yung Society" was launched in 2006.C. Khid (March 18, 2006)
Rich Yung Society Clothing Launched By Fabolous; a RichYung LifeStyle
Retrieved February 23, 2007. In early 2006, Fabolous was let out of his contract with Atlantic and officially signed a recording contract with

, after a ''de facto'' trade that sent Def Jam artist Musiq, to Atlantic. His fourth studio album, ''

From Nothin' to Somethin ''From Nothin' to Somethin is the fourth studio album by American rapper Fabolous. The album was released on June 12, 2007, by Desert Storm Records, Street Family Records and Def Jam Recordings. The production on the album was handled by Akon, T ...

'', was released in June 2007. Fabolous took the number one spot on ''Billboards Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top Rap Albums charts for the first time in his career and it debuted at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 159,000 copies in its first week. The album was certified Gold in July 2007. It is his first album on

. He was featured on the cover of video game '' Def Jam: Icon''. The first single and video, "

Diamonds Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, ...

", features Young Jeezy who also appeared on the ''Real Talk'' track "Do the Damn Thing".

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman, joining ...

and Remy Ma are featured on the remix. His second single was "Return of the Hustle" which featured

Swizz Beatz Kasseem Daoud Dean (born September 13, 1978), known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, rapper, disc jockey (DJ) and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, Dean embarked on his musical career as a DJ. At the ag ...

, also came out before the album release, to some acclaim, but little airplay. His third single though, "

," which features fellow Def Jam artist

, and is produced by

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...

, was his biggest hit to date, spending 14 weeks at number one on the Hot Rap Track Billboard Chart. The fourth single was "

Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, record executive, entrepreneur, and DJ. Early life Jermaine Dupri Mauldin was born on September 23, 1972, the son of Tina (Mosley) and Michael ...

produced it and T-Pain sings the hook. However, in music video version of the song, Jermaine Dupri sings the hook. This song also found success, reaching number four on the Hot Rap Track Chart.

2009–2010: ''Loso's Way''

Fabolous released his fifth studio album, ''

'', in July 2009. The album is based on the 1993 film ''

Carlito's Way ''Carlito's Way'' is a 1993 American crime drama film directed by Brian De Palma, based on the novels '' Carlito's Way'' (1975) and '' After Hours'' (1979) by Judge Edwin Torres. The film adaptation was scripted by David Koepp. It stars Al Pac ...

'', similar to

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one o ...

's '' American Gangster''. The first official single is "

", featuring

, and is produced by Christopher "Tricky" Stewart. The second single is " My Time", featuring Jeremih, and is produced by The Runners and Kevin "KC" Cossom. The third single is "Everything, Everyday, Everywhere", featuring

Keri Hilson Keri Lynn Hilson (born December 5, 1982) is an American R&B singer, songwriter and actress. She was born and raised in Decatur, Georgia and spent most of her youth working with producer Anthony Dent as a songwriter and background vocalist for ...

, and is produced by Ryan Leslie. The album debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 99,000 copies in its first week. It became Fabolous' first album to top the chart. In its second week of sales, the album dropped 8 spots from #1 to #9, selling 37,000 copies. A deluxe album was released on the same day as the standard release. The edition features a bonus DVD, ("Loso's Way" the movie). The movie features Fabolous (and three other of his friends). Fabolous is leaving a restaurant when he is shot. His three friends quickly rush Fabolous to the hospital, but are stopped by the police after running a red light. Fellow rapper Styles P has a role in the movie. DJ Clue, DJ Khaled, Jadakiss, Swizz Beatz, DJ Envy, and Ryan Leslie make cameo appearances. The movie "Loso's Way" runs for 33:03 minutes. In order to view "Loso's Way", the deluxe album "Loso's Way" must be purchased. In September 2009, Fabolous was ranked number eight on MTV's Hottest MC in the Game list. In an interview on December 10, 2009, with MTV, he announced that he would be releasing part two to his mixtape series with DJ Drama entitled: "There is No Competition – Part 2: The Funeral Service." Fabolous announced that it would be released on Christmas Day as a gift to his fans. He then pushed back the release date multiple times via Twitter before he and DJ Drama finally released the mixtape online on March 4, 2010.

2010–2014: ''There Is No Competition'' series and ''The Soul Tape'' series

On March 5, 2010, Fabolous released ''There Is No Competition 2: The Funeral Service'', his fourth solo

and the sequel to 2008's ''There Is No Competition''. Due to the popularity of the mixtape, Fabolous re-released it for retail in the form of an

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP) titled '' There Is No Competition 2: The Grieving Music EP''. The EP, which was preceded by the Ryan Leslie-produced single " You Be Killin Em", was released on August 29, 2010. The single peaked at number 68 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. After it was announced that his sixth album would once again be delayed, Fabolous chose to release a new project titled ''

The S.O.U.L. Tape The discography of American rapper Fabolous consists of 7 studio albums, 2 extended plays, 58 singles (38 as a featured artist), and 11 mixtapes, among various other recordings. Throughout his career, he’s been primarily known as a flagship ar ...

''. The mixtape was released on April 22, 2011, and features Fabolous rapping over

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest att ...

- sampling production, inspired by a

freestyle Freestyle may refer to: Brands * Reebok Freestyle, a women's athletic shoe * Ford Freestyle, an SUV automobile * Coca-Cola Freestyle, a vending machine * ICD Freestyle, a paintball marker * Abbott FreeStyle, a blood glucose monitor by Abbott Lab ...

he had done over the instrumental to

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

's "

Devil in a New Dress "Devil in a New Dress" is a song by American hip hop recording artist and rapper Kanye West from his fifth studio album, '' My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'' (2010). Originally released through West's GOOD Friday initiative, a weekly free mu ...

". On Christmas Day 2011, Fabolous released '' There Is No Competition 3: Death Comes in 3's'', the third installment in his ''There Is No Competition'' mixtape series. On November 22, 2012, Fabolous released his seventh mixtape, '' The S.O.U.L. Tape 2''. ''The S.O.U.L. Tape 2'' featured guest appearances from

Pusha T Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper, songwriter and record executive. He rose to prominence as one-half of the hip hop duo Clipse, which was mainly active from 1994 to 201 ...

, Cassie,

J. Cole Jermaine Lamarr Cole (born January 28, 1985) is an American rapper and record producer. Born on a military base in Germany and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Cole initially gained recognition as a rapper following the release of his d ...

, Wale and

. The mixtape's production was handled by Streetrunner, Treddy da Don,

AraabMuzik Abraham Orellana (born June 16, 1989), better known as his stage name AraabMuzik ( ; stylized as araabMUZIK), is an American record producer and DJ. He made a name for himself by performing beats and instrumentals live and in real time on a Ak ...

and

Cardiak Carl McCormick (born June 26, 1988), professionally known as Cardiak, is an American record producer from Willingboro Township, New Jersey. He began producing music in 2008 and is known for his work with closely associated artists such as Ace Hoo ...

, among others, and follows the theme of the first album by utilising heavy usage of soul samples throughout. In late 2012, Fabolous announced his sixth album, then-titled ''Loso's Way 2: Rise to Power'', would be released in 2013. The first official single from ''Loso's Way 2'', "

Ready Ready may refer to: Film and television * ''Ready'', a 2002 British short starring Imelda Staunton * ''Ready'' (2008 film), a Telugu film * ''Ready'' (2011 film), a Hindi remake of the Telugu film * "Ready" (''New Girl''), a television episo ...

" featuring singer

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to ''Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempor ...

was released on January 17, 2013. The second single " When I Feel Like It" featuring

2 Chainz Tauheed K. Epps (born September 12, 1977), known professionally as 2 Chainz (or Tity Boi), is an American rapper. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he initially gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip hop duo Playaz Circle, a ...

was released on July 9, 2013. In an interview Fabolous revealed the list of features included

, FYUTCH,

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Diddy's Bad ...

, and Young Jeezy and stated that the album was about him "evolving and growing as a person, as a man, as an artist, as a father, as a friend." ''Loso's Way 2'' was scheduled to be released in 2013 by Desert Storm and Def Jam, however, the album was delayed all year long and subsequently rescheduled for release in 2014. On July 30, 2014, Fabolous announced that the lead single from the album would be released by "the end of summer" and would again feature

. He stated that "Ready" was just a "warmup record" for this song and that it would be very melodic.

2014–present: ''The Young OG Project'' series, ''Summertime Shootout'' series, and collab album with Jadakiss

On August 22, 2014, Fabolous announced that his much delayed sixth studio album had been renamed to ''Young OG''. This was later changed to ''The Young OG Project''. On December 1, 2014, Fabolous announced the release date for ''The Young OG Project'' to be December 25, 2014, with the announcement posted on his new Keek page. Speaking to MTV, Fabolous said the album would be "very '90s-inspired and '90s themed.". On the same day of the album release announcement,

Roc Nation Roc Nation is an entertainment agency founded by Jay-Z in 2008. The company is headquartered in Manhattan and has additional offices in Los Angeles and London. Roc Nation comprises a comprehensive talent agency, sports agency, record label, mana ...

announced Fabolous had signed a management deal. '' The Young OG Project'' was released on Christmas Day 2014 and debuted at number 12 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, with first-week sales of 71,000 copies in the United States. In October 2015, Fabolous confirmed that he would be releasing two new projects by the end of the year, announcing one of them would follow the trend set by '' There Is No Competition 2'' and ''The Young OG Project'' by releasing on Christmas Day. On November 26, Fabolous released the free mixtape ''

Summertime Shootout The discography of American rapper Fabolous consists of 7 studio albums, 2 extended plays, 58 singles (38 as a featured artist), and 11 mixtapes, among various other recordings. Throughout his career, he’s been primarily known as a flagship ar ...

'', and announced the second installment of ''The Young OG Project'' for December 25, however, it has since been delayed indefinitely. On February 29, 2016, Fabolous and

Jadakiss Jason Terrance Phillips (born May 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Jadakiss, is an American rapper from Yonkers, New York. He began his career in the 1990s as a member of the rap trio The Lox, managed by Ruff Ryders and signed with B ...

announced that work had begun on their first collaborative project, a mixtape pre-emptively titled ''

Freddy vs. Jason ''Freddy vs. Jason'' is a 2003 American slasher film directed by Ronny Yu and written by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift. It is a crossover between the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' and ''Friday the 13th'' series, being the eighth installment ...

''. On April 2, 2016, they released a freestyle to

Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that current ...

's " Wicked" that they confirmed would appear on the project, which they also announced would not be a mixtape, but a full album. On April 29, 2016, Fabolous worked with K-pop artist Jessica Jung as a featured artist and co-writer on a track titled "Fly", the lead single for her first mini album, With Love, J. On September 3, 2016, Fabolous released the second installment of the Summertime Shootout mixtape series, titled '' Summertime Shootout 2: The Level Up''. On October 31, 2017, the first single off the album "Stand Up" featuring

. On November 21, 2017, it was announced that the album title was changed to ''

Friday on Elm Street ''Friday on Elm Street'' (originally titled ''Freddy vs. Jason'') is a collaborative studio album by American rappers Fabolous and Jadakiss. It was released on November 24, 2017, by Street Family Records, Roc Nation, D-Block Records, Def Jam Recor ...

''. The album was released on November 24, 2017, and had features from

, and

French Montana Karim Kharbouch (Arabic: æɾiːm χɑɾbuːʃ born November 9, 1984), better known by his stage name French Montana, is a Moroccan-American rapper. Born and raised in Morocco, he emigrated to the United States with his family when he was 13. ...

. On July 8, 2018, Fabolous released a single called "Ooh Yeah" featuring

Ty Dolla Sign Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He first gained major recognition in 2010 for his feature on Ameri ...

. On October 14, 2019, released a single called "Choosy" featuring Jeremih and

Davido David Adedeji Adeleke (born November 21, 1992), popularly known by his stage name Davido, is an American-Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. His music blends traditional African elements with global mainstream pop. Davido is widel ...

. On November 19, 2019, Fabolous released a 30-second trailer on his

instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

for '' Summertime Shootout 3: Coldest Summer Ever'' along with its release date, confirming that it would be released November 29, 2019. A week later, the tracklist and the cover art were released for the album and it was also confirmed to be the final installment of the Summertime Shootout series. The album debuted at number 7 on the ''Billboard'' 200 with first week sales of 44,000 album-equivalent units, making it Fabolous's seventh top-10 album.

Street Family Records

Street Family Records is a

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the pr ...

imprint, founded by Fabolous in 2006, in Brooklyn, New York. ; Current artists * Fabolous * Freck Billionaire * Paul Cain * Broadway * Red Cafe

Personal life

Fabolous and his girlfriend Emily Bustamante have two sons & one daughter, born in 2008, 2015 & 2020.

Legal issues

In January and March 2003, Fabolous was arrested for possessing an unlicensed gun in his car. His bodyguard later showed proof of ownership for the gun. In the morning of October 17, 2006, Fabolous was shot once near his leg after exiting Justin's, a restaurant owned by Sean "Diddy" Combs in

. After the shooting, he and his entourage were charged with criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a defaced firearm after being pulled over for running a red light, in which police discovered two unlicensed guns. Later on, Fabolous was treated at a local hospital and was released eight days later. On March 29, 2018, Fabolous was arrested for

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for '' intimate partn ...

after allegedly assaulting his girlfriend Emily Bustamante. On October 10, 2018, he was indicted by a grand jury in New Jersey on four felony charges of domestic assault. He reportedly accepted a

plea deal A plea bargain (also plea agreement or plea deal) is an agreement in criminal law proceedings, whereby the prosecutor provides a concession to the defendant in exchange for a plea of guilt or ''nolo contendere.'' This may mean that the defendant ...

in March 2019.

Discography

;Studio albums * ''

'' (2001) * '' Street Dreams'' (2003) * '' Real Talk'' (2004) * '' From Nothin' to Somethin''' (2007) * ''

'' (2009) * '' The Young OG Project'' (2014) * '' Summertime Shootout 3: Coldest Summer Ever'' (2019) ;Collaboration albums * ''

'' (with

) (2017)

Filmography

Awards and nominations

American Music Awards The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired, and currently produced by Dick Clark Pro ...

**2007, Favorite Rap/Hip Hop Male Artist ominated*ASCAP Rhythm and Soul Music Awards **2008, Top Rap Song, "

" on'' * BET Awards **2010, Best Male Hip Hop Artist ominated**2010, Best Collaboration, "Say Aah" with Trey Songz ominated**2010, Best Viewer's Choice, "Say Aah" with Trey Songz ominated*

BET Hip Hop Awards The BET Hip Hop Awards are an annual awards show, airing on BET, showcasing hip hop performers, producers and music video directors. The awards ceremony began in 2006; it was held on November 12, 2006 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, and w ...

**2014, Best Mixtape, ''The Soul Tape 3'' ominated**2009, Viewer's Choice, "

" with

on'' **2007, Best Hip Hop Collabo, "

" with

ominated*

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

**2010, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or a Group, "Money Goes, Honey Stays" with

ominated**2005, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, "

" with

ominated*The Source Awards **2003, Best Rap/R&B Collabo, "Can't Let You Go" with Lil Mo and Mike Shorey ominated**2003, Trendsetter of the Year ominated*

Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards is an annual awards show that airs on the Fox television network. The awards honor the year's biggest achievements in music, film, sports, television, fashion, social media, and more, voted by viewers living in the United ...

**2007, Best Choice: Rap Artist ominated**2003, Choice Rap Track, "Can't Let You Go" with Lil Mo and Mike Shorey ominated**2003, Choice R&B/Hip Hop Track, " 4Ever" with Lil Mo ominated

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1977 births American rappers of Dominican Republic descent Hispanic and Latino American rappers African-American male rappers African-American male songwriters American shooting survivors Desert Storm Records artists East Coast hip hop musicians Living people People from Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Rappers from Brooklyn Songwriters from New York (state) 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians People convicted of domestic violence Gangsta rappers 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people