“It ain’t the car, it’s the way it’s kitted y’all. meaning it’s the little things, like the way my fitted fall.” -“Intro“
June 12th 2017, One day after earning a spot in Brooklyn’s Celebrity Path and receiving a key to the borough, another milestone is on the horizon. June 12th 2007, one day after the loss of former Desert Storm rhyming partner Stack Bundles, Fab releases his 4th studio album. This marks the second time in his career that an album dropped in the midst of less than desirable circumstances. The first being his debut “Ghetto Fabolous” competing with Hov’s “The Blueprint” and the tragic 9/11 events. “Loso’s Way: Rise To Power” the 2006 mixtape served as an appetizer for this well-rounded entree.
“pushing something we ain’t got our names on. 2 ’07s, neither one of us is James Bond.” -“Yep, I’m Back.”
The title track intro, produced by Reefa, sounds like the opening credits to a great movie. I see Fab celebrating success with his friends and Street Family. His perspective grabbed me instantly as he emphasizes “again” when he speaks about winning. It’s the acknowledgment of past success, a few bumps in the road, and then a return to glory. The Timbaland-produced single featuring Ne-Yo “You Make Me Better” basically owned that summer if we’re talking undeniable anthems. The ladies hung on every witty line that could be used as a Facebook status; the men found 4 words that could speak volumes. The production was a perfect balance of sounding ‘hard’ in the car, but maintaining a certain elegance that could be played while girls got dressed up with their friends for the night.
“Baby Don’t Go” featuring T-Pain gave Fab that quintessential 2 step, family cookout music. Again, another track full of quotable gems for men and women alike which he seemed to master with mainstream releases. Moving on to the Swizz assisted, Just Blaze produced “Return Of The Hustle”; this song still goes up a decade later. I remember seeing a freestyle from Fab on The Come Up DVD around this time that got me ecstatic for the album and this song made me buy it.
“gettin hit in my leg is light, I mean it coulda been a Tupac/Vegas night. Or maybe a Notorious L.A. evening. ‘you okay?’ I mean well I’m breathing” -“Return Of The Hustle” Fab speaks on an incident outside of Justin’s that left him shot in his leg.
Throughout the album, he sprinkled jewels of all kinds on us. Songs like “Gangsta Don’t Play” with Junior Reed and “Joke’s On You” featuring Pusha T are hood classics where I’m from. “Brooklyn” featuring Uncle Murda and Jay-Z makes you feel like you’re from the borough even if you’ve never been. The one that stands out to me the most, though, is “Real Playa Like” featuring Lloyd. In my opinion, it’s one of the best Hip Hop/R&B collaborations ever. From content to production, to arrangement as it pertains to selecting Lloyd; it’s perfect.
“Loso, I know ya whole profession as a lyricist; but you probably never had depression as severe as this.” -“What Should I Do“
“What Should I Do” is Fab’s version of AZ’s “Fan Mail” if you’re familiar. He’s reading mail from fans who are going through trials and tribulations. They view him as having it all, never facing adversity, yet and still they feel a connection to him on a deeper level. “This Is Family”, which was later sampled by 50 Cent for “Crimewave”, is still one of the best posse cuts in Hip Hop. With features from former Desert Storm members Ransom, Paul Cain (brother) and Joe Budden, along with Street Family kin Red Cafe and Freck Billionaire; there are no bars being taken off.
“related by the streets this is family beef. so you bet not touch a branch on my family tree.” -“This Is Family“
“From Nothing To Something” excelled in areas that “Street Dreams” couldn’t quite figure out. Average hooks kept “Street Dreams” from performing as well as it could have because the bars and production were definitely present. The feedback on “Street Dreams”, which I still consider a good album, needed to happen so that Fabolous could grow and improve. This is an album I revisit very often and one I feel doesn’t get the credit it deserves. If it’s been a while since you’ve checked it out, go back and let it float from start to finish on its 10th anniversary.
