{AS OF 2/23/2021, I MAY HAVE TO RE-DO THIS POST AGAIN. I APOLOGIZE IF IT'S NOT PRESENTABLE AT THE MOMENT, BUT I'LL GET TO IT IN DUE TIME!!)
Dear loyal reader, before you proceed to this project, I want to extend a sincere apologize for any issues you may encounter while reading and viewing this project. During its final editing stage, there were some technical glitches which led to me having to conduct MULTIPLE edits until it got to a point that I considered presentable. So again, I apologize for any issues and especially if this is not on par with the quality of previous projects. Overall, I still feel good about said project and I hope you enjoy it as well!!!!!!
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"Ice the world wit' the fabulous!" |
Release date: March 4, 2003
THE GUESTS
Mike Shorey
Lil' Mo
Paul Cain
Snoop Dogg
Missy Elliott
Ashanti
Mary J. Blige
Styles P
Jadakiss
M.O.P.
P. Diddy
Jagged Edge
Tamia
THE PRODUCTION
Rick Rock
Tone & Poke (Trackmasters)
Just Blaze
Precision
Omen
Clue & DURO
Chad Elliott
Mr. Fingaz
Linx
LZ
MAAD PHUNK!
Kanye West
*2.5 out of 5*
15. "Never Duplicated"
Ok, this song was good and I really get what Fab was going for, but the more I thought about it, there was an opportunity for Fab to take a song like this to another level (unfortunately that was missed here).
*3 out of 5*
16. "My Life"
This Mary J. Blige assisted song is cool, however, don't let the title fool you. It's not an introspective look at the life of Fab, but rather a look at the fabulous side of his life for the most part. I also liked it any time the Ohio Players' "Pride and Vanity" was sampled, which Kanye West did very well here as well as delivering a nod to Mary J and Grand Puba's classic "What's The 411."
*3 out of 5*
*17. "Throw Back"
This is the first of four bonus tracks, and to say that Fab shows incredible love to throwback jerseys is a complete understatement on this one.
*4 out of 5*
This would mark Fab's first mixtape, arriving 8 months after "Street Dreams," so even though it was a little late, he felt he needed to capitalize on that album's momentum, which really didn't have much, even compared to "Ghetto Fabolous." I believe it also was probably one of the first mixtapes to be officially released. I normally don't review mixtapes, but for the sake of this project, there will be exceptions.
Release date: November 4, 2003
THE GUESTS
Paul Cain
Joe Budden
Mike Shorey
THE PRODUCTION
Fab
Clue & DURO
DJ Scratchator
Needlz
Just Blaze
Mr. Fingaz
*3 out of 5*
10. "I Usually Don't"
Quite a forgettable song here and I wouldn't be surprised if it was cut from the "Street Dreams" album.
*2 out of 5*
11. "Renegade"
Fab and Cain come with some decent bars over Jay-Z's "Renegade."
*3 out of 5*
12. "Fuck You Too"
Fab and Cain tried, but man, they did no justice to LOX's "Fuck You."
*2.5 out of 5*
13. "B.K. Style"
Fab comes through with two verses over the instrumental to Lil Kim's "This Is Who I Am."
*3 out of 5*
14. "Can't Let You Go"
*4 out of 5*
Release date: November 9, 2004
THE GUESTS
Pharrell
Mike Shorey
Charlie Murphy
Young Jeezy
Lil Mo
Sean Paul
Thara
Paul Cain
Nate Dogg
THE PRODUCTION
Jovonn "JV" Alexander
"Hotrunner" TL
DJ Khaled
The Neptunes
Flame Throwers
Tone & Poke
Gerald Harmon
Keith Wilking
J.R.
Reefa
Just Blaze
Scott Storch
Dangerous, LLC
1. "Exodus"

"....But I'm so fast when I blow past that they can't (breathe)/In the presence of the man/Your future look better than your past if you present with the man"
"And I'm getting better year by year, like they say wine do/Cops couldn't smell me if you brought the K-9's through/And I pace myself/I know these money-hungry bitches wanna taste my wealth/But I keep em on a diet/Embrace they health, or either keep em on the quiet/And space myself and just take a deep breath"
Release date: June 12, 2007
3. "Change Up"
In another interesting fact, there was a point when I couldn't stand this song, mostly due to the seemingly never ending play it received in '07, however, over time it has won me over; honestly I've noticed the ladies like this one more than the fellas do. Ne-Yo, who was making a name for himself at this point on the R&B side, did a very good job on the hook. The theme is simple yet effective: "I'm a movement by myself, but I'm a force when we're together." What woman doesn't like to hear that?
T-Pain, also making a name for himself at this point, comes through for the hook, and again, it's another one the ladies should love, nothing more to say. Fab did get in some notable lines: "Don't lose someone you love though over your pride/Stick wit'cha entree and get over your side." Quite the turnaround from what he said on "Can't Let You Go" isn't it?
*3 out of 5*
6. "Return Of The Hustle"
If you're looking at this title and don't know what this song is about, I'm not sure what to tell you. I like the nice touch Just Blaze brings with the marching band esque sound, not sure if Swizz on the hook was a good move, but the song is mostly good.
*3.5 out of 5*
7. "Gangsta Don't Play"
Reefa came through with a bangin' beat for Fab and guest Junior Reid (on the hook). This is your standard gangsta fare, nothing new or different.
*3.5 out of 5*
8. "Real Playa Like"
The lyrics, the beat and the Lloyd feature means, you guessed it, another one for the ladies.
*3 out of 5*
9. "First Time"
Rihanna, another talent making a name for herself at this point (notice a trend with these guest appearances), joins Fab for this one. Fab goes into details about the woman of his eye that he wants to "experience" for the first time. I have nothing more to say about this one other than "we get it already." Let's move on.
*2 out of 5*
10. "Diamonds"
This Jeezy assisted song is one of many examples of the hip hop sound, circa 2007, specifically in reference to the hook and the beat. Decent, nothing more.
*3 out of 5*
11. "Brooklyn"
You can never big up where you from too much, and what we have here is another tribute to Brooklyn, courtesy of Fab, Jay-Z and Uncle Murda. Versatile came through with a true throwback, boom bap sound complete with the oh so familiar Biggie sample ("where Brooklyn at"). Definitely the third best song on the album. Biggie would've been proud.
*4 out of 5*
".....If you like your chick, nigga don't bring her round/The bob barker king in town/If the price is right yeah I'm a bring her down"
10. "Mo Cars Mo Hoes"
Featuring Freck Billionaire
Well, you can look at the title and immediately know what this one is about. It's the lyrics that save what would've been a forgettable, Southern style track.
*3 out of 5*
11. "Hustla's Poster Child"
Featuring Cassidy
"There Is No Competition" Download
I want to speak on a few things before I get into this album, Fab's 5th. My #7 favorite movie of all time is "Carlito's Way," so right off the bat Fab received many props from me for the influence that classic movie plays in certain parts of this album. Also, the deluxe edition of "Loso's Way" was accompanied by a bonus DVD, titled "Loso's Way." Clocking in 33:03, I seen it once and I honestly didn't like it all that much. Usually when a bonus DVD is included with an album, especially if it's in movie form, the results can be hit or miss most of the time.
THE GUESTS
Jeremih
Kobe
Keri Hilson
The Dream
Jay-Z
Lil Wayne
Paul Cain
Red Cafe
Freck Billionaire
Ryan Leslie
Ne-Yo
Trey Songz
Marsha Ambrosius
THE PRODUCTION
STREETRUNNER
The Runners
DJ Khalil
J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League
Ryan Leslie
C. "Tricky" Stewart
Terius "The Dream" Nash
Jermaine Dupri
Sami Wilf
Rico Law
THE BLACKOUT MOVEMENT
No-ID
LRoc
Sid V
The Alchemist
Syience
Sean C and LV
*4 out of 5*
[Several weeks after its release, this mixtape was in heavy rotation for me at the time, and it was actually one of the first DJ Drama mixtapes I ever checked out. Needless to say, this part of the project should be an interesting one in terms of a revisit.]
12. "Beamer, Benz, or Bentley (Remix)"
"There Is No Competition 2 (The Funeral Service)" Download
[Much props and credit to genius.com for this interesting fact about the EP. Not only was this the "official retail packaging" of the second installment of TINC with a few new songs, even though I'm not a fan, Drake actually predated Fab here and essentially started a trend with popular mixtapes being converted into EPs for retail release, which is what took place with "So Far Gone" in 2009. Again, interesting.]
"The Soul Tape" Download
This would mark the final installment in the "There Is No Competition" series. |
THE GUESTS
Meek Mill
Trey Songz
Jadakiss
Styles P
Lloyd Banks
Red Cafe
Paul Cain
THE PRODUCTION
I.N.F.O.
KB
Sonaro
Lil Lody
Drumma Boy
DJ Mustard
Jahlil Beats
GQ Beats
Mally The Martian
Just Blaze
You gotta watch niggas, B.E.T
Friends at a distance, enemies close
Sometimes the ones you call friends be who envy the most"
"There Is No Competition 3 (Death Comes In 3s)" Download
"The Soul Tape 2" Download
"The Soul Tape 3" Download
2. "We Good"
Honestly, there are two strikes against this song right off the bat: 1) I shook my head when listening to Fab adopt guest Rich Homie Quan's flow for this two verses, nothing memorable and 2) Speaking of Rich Homie Quan, I'm not a fan so his involvement halted any enjoyment of this song. Genius.com stated this song is an "overload of swag," and for better or worse that may be true.
*2 out of 5*
3. "All Good"
Well, this was 10 times better than "We Good" that's for sure. I liked how Fab used the word "good" throughout the song, as well as the continued use of Biggie audio clips to introduce certain songs (a true nice touch).
*3.5 out of 5*
4. "You Made Me"
A sure sign of growth is how certain life experiences shape you and make you the man/woman you are today, and I can testify to that.
*3 out of 5*
5. "She Wildin"
You know, I never thought I'd see the day when "Oochie Wally" would be sampled (the worst thing my favorite MC of all time Nas has ever been a part of), but then again I'm not surprised. Like I've said often during this project, this one is clearly aimed for the ladies, from the production to the lyrics to the Chris Brown led hook.
*2 out of 5*
6. "Ball Drop"
New year, new money, points well taken. Guest French Montana is another, uh, artist I'm not a fan so his contribution to this was still not impressive to say the least. In fact, this song sounded more like a Montana song than a Fab one. Let's move on.
*2 out of 5*
7. "Bish Bounce"
I'm not sure what Fab was going for here, but it adds up to another unfortunate forgettable song. I can't imagine anyone bouncing to this.
*1.5 out of 5*
8. "Rap & Sex"
Outside of giving props to Fab for the nod to Jay-Z's "Nigga What, Nigga Who (Originator '99)" and recognizing how well he flowed to C-Sick's beat, this really sounded like a Future song more than anything else (someone I'm also not a fan of) and I'm surprised he wasn't featured on this. The ending of this song leaves a lot to be desired too.
*2 out of 5*
9. "Gone For The Winter"
"These cats ain't real, just found out they leopard print/Cause they always talk shit then ask you for peppermints"
With clear inspiration from Nas' classic "Represent," this was pretty good and it's vintage Fab all the way through. This song would've been a surefire "4 out of 5", but the "chopped & screwed" parts affect the rating, as it certainly wasn't needed.
*3.5 out of 5*
10. "Cinnamon Apple"
Fab talks about his first heartbreak with Tia Williams, 7th grade era, something most of us can relate to during our middle and high school years.
*3 out of 5*
11. "Young OG II"
Fab revisits elements from the first "Young OG" and includes a heart warming tribute to his son Johan in the second (closing) verse. Best song on this album, no doubt. I expect this to be continued on the next "Young OG Project" album.
*4 out of 5*
Ok, even with a few good songs on this album, this is perhaps the most disappointing album I've heard from Fab, an unfortunate step down for his previous albums and even his mixtapes. Also, I disagree that this album has a "90s theme/inspiration." More often than not, when that's the case, I pick up that vibe immediately and outside of a few nods to some classic material from Nas, Jay-Z, Biggie, etc, TYOGP is about as far from a "90s themed album" as you can get, and it's basically more in line with what most mainstream hip hop sounded like as 2014 closed and STILL sounds like today. I'm going to go with a very generous 3 star rating for this album and hopefully "The Young OG Project 2," which is slated for a release around Valentine's Day 2016, will be better than its predecessor.
I am aware that Fab dropped a "Friday Night Freestyles" mixtape with DJ Clue, but I decided to not included that in preparation for the next mixtape, the 9th bonus, "Summertime Shootout" (released on 11/26/2015), to close the project.
"It's a mixtape about a summertime story", says Fab.
THE GUESTS
Jazzy
Nicki Minaj
Trey Songz
The Weeknd
Bryson Tiller
Rich Homie Quan
Mike Davis
Josh K
Daphne Larue
Dave East
THE PRODUCTION
Sonaro
Automatik
Cardiak
Critical
Mark Henry
Amadeus Keyz Kae Em
AraabMuzik
King James Beatz
Land Keyz
Jre Day
1. "For The Summer"
Women, gunplay, gettin' money, havin' mad drinks, partying, etc, etc, it all goes down in a summer according to Fab, accompanied by a dope Sonaro production.
*4 out of 5*
2. "Real One"
Major props here to Automatik's nice sampling of the Fugees' classic "Killin' Em Softly," as well as Fab's nod to Lauryn's "Lost Ones." All in all, this is vintage Fab on this apply titled song.
*4 out of 5*
3. "Doin It Well"
"Heading to engagements, head behind the Range tints/Fruits of my labor, edible arrangements" -Fab
I had to highlight Fab's line above. This 2015 take on LL Cool J's "Doin' It" is decent and with the Trey Songz and Nicki Minaj features, the fellas and ladies should equally like this one, especially when it comes to Nicki's verse.
*3 out of 5*
4. "Tell Ya Friends"
Fab smoothly works The Weeknd's (also featured on this) "Tell Your Friends" to equally smooth results. Although this is aimed at the ladies, I think the fellas would like and appreciate this one also.
*4 out of 5*
5. "Sorry Not Sorry"
Bryson Tiller's song of the same name was the inspiration here. With or without Fab, I could've done without this one. Let's continue on.
*2 out of 5*
6. "Motivation"
Money is the #1 motivator for most people in this world and it was definitely the key focus in this song.
*2 out of 5*7. "Vanilla"
Smh+facepalm, Rich Homie Quan rears his vocals on another Fab track and again, it's not impressive to me at all. I honestly don't like it when Fab and any other artist I've been supporting for a long time switch up their flow(s) to sound like a less superior artist that's appearing alongside them. Save this mess for RHQ. (Sigh) Let's keep it moving.
*1 out of 5*
8. "The Plug"
The Netflix based "Narcos" was the motivation for this one, but you wouldn't be able to tell with Fab incorporating the autotuned flow for the majority of the song and essentially trading in his trademark flow to sound like this new wave of "artists" today. What could've been a dope song is forgettable.
*1.5 out of 5*
9. "Trap Royalty"
Apparently the ladies are embracing the "trap" theme/sound in more ways than one nowadays? Well, be that as it may, this song may go a long way in achieving such goal. Fab's ill lines here saves this one.
*2 out of 5*
10. "Trapline Bling"
Ok, did Fab fully convert to more of a trap sound and I missed it? I mean at this point in the mixtape, I get it already. This one finds him and Josh K remaking Drake's "Hotline Bling," and since when did the term "bling" re-enter the hip hop vocabulary? Nothing more to say about this one.
*1.5 out of 5*
11. "Started Something"
Now this is more like it. In keeping with the summer story, Fab's lady says "she was violated" by some guys, and now Fab is on the hunt for those responsible. Interestingly enough, there does seem to be a conclusion to this part of the story (can't say that about most of the stories Fab tells on record), plus mad points to Sonaro and his reworking of DMX's "Niggaz Done Started Something."
*3.5 out of 5*
12. "Summertime Sadness"
This good closer, suggesting a sad end to Fab's summer, would also suggest a sequel in some form; don't be surprised if we receive "Summertime Shootout 2" in November 2016. Lana Del Rey's "Summertime Sadness" was utilized quite well here.
*3.5 out of 5*
Man, I was a little hard on this mixtape wasn't I? I mean, it's good in spots, but overall it could've been better considering what Fab is capable of. Even for a mixtape, he could've took the "story ball" and ran with it to effective results, but in the end it sounds like just another mixtape to me.
And with ALL this being said, we have come to the end of the "Supreme Fabolous Project," which took a lot of work to put together, but it was worth it. 2016 will mark Fab being in the game for 18 years (and counting) and I feel he's not done yet. Although I'm not a fan of him seemingly changing his style up at the moment, I'm still anticipating his next moves. I hope part 2 of the "Young OG Project" will be a step up from part 1, and I hope "Loso's Way 2: Rise To Power" will see the light of day at some point and not turned into a mixtape. Speaking of which, "Loso's Way" is my favorite Fab album and as mentioned I feel that's his best album to date. "There Is No Competition 2" (his best mixtape) and "Soul Tape 2" are the best in their series, respectively, and without a doubt, my favorite Fab song remains "Breathe." Overall, mad props and respect to Fab for all of his accomplishments in hip hop since '98, much more success to him in the future and if you're reading this Fab, THANK YOU!!!!!!
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