★★★★★
Where reality TV, prison and blissful ignorance have derailed the careers of his less fortunate peers, Brooklyn's own Fabolous has somehow managed to fill a number of different roles: Ladies-drink-free smooth-talker, trusty sideman, pop-rap crossover star, even the occasional focus of rap nerd chatter...
- pitchfork.com
2014-01-15
★★★★★
Gifted NY lyricist Fabolous has mastered flow and punchlines, but albums have never done justice to his skill. Mixtapes remain the best showcase of his talent, though may not be the best example. The latest installment of Fab's mixtape series, loosely themed around soulful samples, is tightly sequenced with a few highlights but nothing truly exceptional...
- exclaim.ca
2014-01-07
★★★★★
No text for this review; see http://robertchristgau.com/xg/bk-cg90/grades-90s.php.
- www.robertchristgau.com
2010-08-25
★★★★★
Since his 2001 debut, Fabolous has been the PG-13 version of those bling-hoppers who composite obscene wealth, casual violence and knee-jerk misogyny into a worldview. With his third album, not much has changed: Fab still uses money as life's primary metaphor, women as a corollary to success and semiautomatics as a means to protect the former ? all while being far more entertaining than threatening...
- www.blender.com
2010-08-22
★★★★★
Time flies. Eight years since catapulting his New York self in to the rap/pop mainstream, Fabolous is back. This fifth album yields the same swagger that he's famed for, but can the east coast rapper still find that perfect balance of contagious and cool? Inspired by infamous gangster flick, Carlito's Way, Fabolous' latest offering has already spawned blinging single, Throw It In The Bag...
- www.bbc.co.uk
2010-08-22
★★★★★
The fans really don't care how he spells it, just as long as he sells it. His raps singlehandedly spur sales of DJ Clue mixtapes, and his rap on the remix of Lil' Mo's "Superwoman" moved the track from hot to club anthem. Even the haters had to admire his success this summer, as his name rung bells in hip-hop and caused a heavy swirl of anticipation around his full-length debut "Ghetto Fabolous."Chris Tucker though, he ain't...
- rapreviews.com
2010-04-03
★★★★★
God was in a good mood the day he made Fabolous (sic), according to the not-so self-effacing rapper. There's no denying the confidence and self-assured swagger of Fabolous - or "Fab" as he is better known, although his real name is the rather more prosaic John Jackson - and this, his third long-player, bears all the hallmarks of a rising rap star.
The man says he wants this release to reflect his lyrical talent and there's no doubt that many a sharp line is delivered with style...
- www.virginmedia.com
2009-10-31
★★★★★
Fabolous is known for albums that pile up guests and R&B hooks while featuring his agile, brash rhymes. Loso's Way follows suit, with Jay-Z and The-Dream delivering catchy choruses amid pricey-sounding synth beats. But Fab too often runs through his usual talking points — he's rich, he stays on his grind, he disdains "pussy niggas" — without making compelling drama. Despite smirk-worthy lines ("My attitude is celibate/I don't give a fuck"), Loso's chest-thumping slickness feels less than fresh.
- www.rollingstone.com
2009-08-29
★★★★★
"Guess what time it is...
- rapreviews.com
2009-08-29