STREET FAMILY

There are too many "Kings" in Hip-Hop. While just about every other artist in the rap game has tried to claim the title, most of them don't seem to realize that there is someone who will rightfully inherit the throne. It is not something you claim, it is something that is given to you. And when the time comes, the prince will already be entitled to it.



Real Talk, the third album from Fabolous-the prince of New York, pulls him one step closer to his reign. With production from The Neptunes, Just Blaze, Scott Storch and more, it's his most complete album to date. "I feel this is my best album. It is much more versatile than my first two albums," he says of his latest release. Fab has met commercial success with both his debut Ghetto Fabolous and sophomore LP Street Dreams, but on this go round, he has another agenda (not that another platinum album wouldn't be appreciated though). "I'm out for my respect. I want to try to wake the people up this time. My last two records shaped this mold of me as the rapper for the ladies. I don't want to be looked at for just that. I want to be respected lyrically."



Fab earned that lyrical respect early on when he started rhyming back in high school. He quickly earned a reputation in and around the streets of Brooklyn as the one to watch for. In 1998, he hooked up with the management team of Cheo and Webb, who circulated his demo of freestyles throughout the industry. Once DJ Clue heard the skills, he immediately signed Fabolous-then called Sport-to his Desert Storm imprint. With Clue at the top of the mixtape game, it wasn't long before everyone knew of the chipped-tooth MC. When his freestyles started bubbling on Clue's popular mixtapes, the industry quickly took notice. Not too long after, he spit a classic verse on Lil' Mo's "Superwoman" record, and the rest was history.



While most fans and MCs have given it up to Fabolous for his witty punchlines and solid metaphors, the lead-off single from his third album, "Breathe" finds Fab's skills truly being mastered in a song for the first time. He sticks to the concept throughout, building lyrical momentum with each line as he constantly refers back to the act of breathing-something that has now figuratively become a problem for anyone who Fab comes in contact with. Produced by Just Blaze, the song is structurally one of the most complex songs Hip-Hop has seen in years, and is Fabolous's fastest growing record ever.



Though this album is his third (fourth, if you count the official mixtape), Real Talk is Fab's official introduction to the game. On songs like "In My Hood," the rapper relates to his fellow Brooklyn-ites by explaining his upbringing in detail. "Round here you never let the beef slide twice / And everybody's raised on four wings and beef fried rice / The mothers' are getting younger today / Got one by the hand, one in the stroller, and one on the way / We don't have role models / But we got them handguns that hold hollowsin my hood." And on "Can You Hear Me," produced by newcomer J.R., Fab's delivers a heartfelt story about a friend who falls victim to the streets. Fab explains, "On this album, I'm relating to the listeners by sharing experiences with people who come from the same places where I'm from. I'm talking about things in my personal life, from my own perspective. I want to bring you in, and let you see my world looking through my eyes."



"Po Po," featuring Nate Dogg on the hook, allows fans to really walk in Fab's shoes. Ironically, the song deals with police harassment, with Fabolous and his brother Paul Cain trading verses of fictional scenarios where they are getting followed by the cops. "Them sirens flashin' on my ass / Should I get ta' pumpin' the brakes or mashin' on the gas / I'm nationally harassed / And it feels like I'm getting punk'd, but I don't see Ashton in the grass."



But ladies, don't fret. Fab's serious content is matched with his specialty, at its best. "I'm having too much fun meeting girls, but I'm still trying to find the right one," says the young rapper. And he's sticking to that with the album's definite smash single, "Baby," featuring Mike Shorey, the first artist on Fab's own Street Family Records. "Baby" samples Michael Jackson's "I Can't Help It," and is sure to melt the hearts of females as Fab proclaims to be looking for that special someone. In addition to the song that will be next year's Valentine's Day anthem, there are more guaranteed hits directed at Fab's high-heel wearing fans. In usual Fab tradition, he pairs up with Lil Mo for "Holla At Somebody Real," and flosses a Jay-Zesque rhyme style on the DJ Khaled-produced "Girls."



For the first time in his career, Fabolous teams up with the Neptunes on two songs, both sure to be club hits. On "Young & Sexy," Fab reverses the grown man trend that has been going on in Hip-Hop for the last year by proclaiming to get his "young man on," while Pharrell chimes in on the hook of "Tit For Tat," a repetitious, hypnotic old school-style beat that will get the bottles poppin at the club. And although he has the star-studded production that has become a staple for artists when putting their albums together, this album has more substance. Fab steps outside the box by doing things like featuring comedian Charlie Murphy on "Church." "My songs are not just catchy songs and good beats. That's easy. I study my own songs and I'm a big critic of myself. I won't be happy until I feel like everything is hot and I'm perfectly satisfied."



As a student of the rap game, Fabolous is out to prove himself amongst rap's elite population. "I like lyrical MCs, where the lyrics are their best gimmick. I came up under Big Daddy Kane, LL, Kool G. Rap, Rakim," he says. His appreciation for the culture and pioneers is vivid throughout the album, as he cleverly reinvents lyrics from 2Pac, Jay-Z, and Snoop Dogg.



As co-owner of his own Street Family entertainment company, he is more than just an artist. His entrepreneurial spirit is what has pushed his career thus far (he has had major endorsement deals with companies such as Reebok). And judging from the sound of Real Talk, Fabolous is continuing on his road to success-while quietly sliding into Hip-Hop's top spot. He sports a cocky confidence ("God was in a good mood on the day he made me") throughout the album, reminiscent of another one of Brooklyn's finest. And so while other artists spend their time fighting to sit on the throne, Fab sits back in his chair, satisfied knowing that his inaugural day will come soon enough.



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