From Nothin' to Somethin' [Clean] [Edited]

Performer: Fabolous
Engineer: Ryan West; David Brown; John Horesco IV; Jordan Young "DJ Swivel"; Don Cannon
Producer: Jermaine Dupri; Just Blaze; Steve Morales; Timbaland; Don Cannon; Antwan "Amadeus" Thompson; Ken "Duro" Ifill; Skåne String Quartet; Fabulous; The World Famous DJ Clue; Cheo & Webb
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Wen Qian, Sandra Park (violin); Rebecca Young (viola); Alan J. Stepansky (cello); Aaron Heick (saxophone); Jeff Kievit (trumpet); Darryl "Big Baby" McClary (keyboards); Antwan "Amadeus" Thompson (drums). Audio Mixers: Ryan West; Jordan Young "DJ Swivel"; Jermaine Dupri; Just Blaze; Phil Tan. Recording information: Baseline Recording Studios, New York, NY; House Of Mirrors, New York, NY; Legacy Studios, New York, NY; PatchWerk Recording Studios, Atlanta, GA; Sony Music Studios, New York, NY; SouthSide Studios, Atlanta, GA; The Icon Mansion, Miami, FL; You Know Me Well Studios, Atlanta, GA. Photographers: Tai Linzie; Jonathan Mannion. Arranger: Rob Mathes. Three years after his commercially successful 2004 release, REAL TALK, Brooklyn's own Fabolous returned with FROM NOTHIN' TO SOMETHIN' in 2007. On his fourth full-length, Fabolous continues with the same smooth player posturing, detailing the various ways he runs the streets in a breathy, effortless flow. At 16 tracks deep, FROM NOTHIN' TO SOMETHIN' shines on the production end thanks to a slew of air-tight beats from Timbaland, Jermaine Dupri, Just Blaze, Scott Storch, Swizz Beatz, and Reefa among others. Fabolous also benefits from a long list of guest R&B-hook-providers including Akon, T-Pain, Lloyd, Rihanna, and Ne-Yo as well as cameo verses from heavyweights Young Jeezy, Pusha T, Lil Mo, Swizz Beatz, Joe Budden, and Red Caf�. All that aside, though, the record's hottest cut might just be Fab's tribute to his borough, "Brooklyn," which features a verse from none other than the Jigga man himself, Jay-Z. Fabolous' new label, Def Jam, rolls out a wide red carpet for From Nothin' to Somethin', enlisting a great deal of starpower to bolster its new artist's fourth album. Akon, Rihanna, Jay-Z, Lloyd, Junior Reid, and even Ne-Yo (on a track produced by Timbaland) make appearances, while there is room made for past collaborators like Just Blaze, Swizz Beatz, Young Jeezy, longtime cohort DJ Clue?, and the otherwise missing-in-action Lil' Mo. In another sense, it's the same old, same old, with Fabolous covering a bunch of niches: there's the booming, borderline sluggish Southern track (the Jeezy feature "Diamonds"), a couple raucous East Coast bangers ("Brooklyn," "Return of the Hustle"), several R&B crossovers, and a couple melodramatic moments (including "What Should I Do"). Although this is one of the better albums in Fabolous' discography, the guest appearances are overwhelming, and the disc ends up similar to a compilation of Fabolous features, as if all guest stars gathered together and staged a coup. In at least half the tracks, the headliner struggles to reclaim the spotlight, and at times it seems entirely possible that the space is being used for something other than an actual Fabolous album. For instance, Akon not only dominates "Change Up," but two of the singer/producer's artists -- T-Pain and Red Caf� -- are heard on other tracks. Those looking to the disc for some pure top-form Fab will find a few spots of hotness, especially within "Brooklyn" -- a geographic anthem that outstrips Busta Rhymes' "New York Sh*t." Given Fab's usual kicked-back demeanor, some wordplay is bound to be overlooked (like "They should call me Karat Jeter, maybe Canary Bonds"), but regardless, there is not enough of it. After all, a separation of Fabolous' rhymes from all the guest verses and vocal hooks would result in two EPs: one by Fabolous and another by a mismatched supergroup. [A clean version of the album was also released.] ~ Andy Kellman

Entertainment Weekly (p.79) - "[H]is rhymes flow as quickly and cleverly as ever from both of his familiar personae..." -- Grade: B+ Vibe (p.127) - "There are kinetic, head-nodding productions from Just Blaze and Reefa, and quotable couplets aplenty."

While Fabolous's style is all about flash, there's nothing particularly showy, unique, or groundbreaking about the NYC rapper's game; however, with a knack for bringing out the best in some of hip-hop's top producers and a flow that is consistently, comfortably solid, Fabolous rose to become one of the '00s masters of the hip-hop jam. Singles like 2001's "Can't Deny It" and 2004's "Breathe" featured the MC's swaggering, dragging drawl over hook-heavy Bad Boy-style beats, and soared to the upper portions of both the rap and pop charts.

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