Fabolous might be the calmest dude you've ever met. Maybe it's because he hit the sheets at 5 Alil the night before, or maybe it's because, according to him, he's not on no "star shit." "l don't walk in the room and demand all the attention," F-A-B-O assures, "l'm cool and laid-back. l'm just a regular guy."
FABOI,OUS
Well, not so regular. He's about to drop his third official album, Reol Tolk, on the heels of two platinum CDs. He recently launched his own label, Street Family Entertainment, with artist Mike Shorey. He reps Reebok. He sports matching white and yellow gold and
diamond jewelry: earrings, bracelets, and a hanging pendant with Jesus' head. No, this is not a regular guy, Tell us about your new album,
It's very different from the last two
W"
aLbums.
You're going to hear a lot of my growth and versatiLity on this atbum. lt caters to a tot of ears. It goes everywhere; it's got some down South, some West Coast, and stitt keeps my East Coast vibe. lt's just hot music in generat.
Why did you decide to name your album Reol Tolk? I titted
it Reat Tatk because I fett like that was what I was giving the audience, listeners and fans. I'm giving them what l've been through, where been, peopte I've seen and met, ''ve l've gone through, att those situexperjences ation. This atbum is about making good music and being abte to put it in a format that peopte can relate to. What producers did you work with? Just Btaze, The Neptunes, Rick Rock, and Scott
Storch, who recentty did the "Lean Back" record. Atso, we've got some producers who didn't have big names but they came with the fire joints. It's notjust about having a big name, it's about coming with a dope beat. What are some of the things you've experienced in the past year? Seeing how
the peopte embrace me and show
ldon't have an atbum out. That's one of the key things l've noticed whiLe I [ove, even when
was moving around and going different ptaces, I get to see the way peopte react when my atbum is coming.
Awhile back, you were having some problems with the cops. I just think it was a time with some bad karma. Some things swung back around. The situations
actualty got resotved very quickty. The charges were dismissed, but of course, that's not what gets pubLicized, What you read in the papers is, "Fabotous Arrested With a 6un." That's what they're showjng to the peopte. We fited a complaint and tawsujt against the New York Potice Department just to tet them know that they can't fatsety accuse peopte and wrongty arrest them and then just tet them go. I think anybody out there who's been in a situation like that shoutd definitety fite a complaint or a lawsuit to tet the potice know you're serious about it.
Joe Budden and Game were just going at it. It seems like you don't have problems with too many other rappers. How do you hanage to stay out of beef? Beefs are realty
just misunderstandings be-
tween two artists. I stay out of jt because l'm mostLy cool with everybody. Even the peopte l'm not cooL with, I just try to stay away from them. I don't try
to
say
anything about them when l've got the peopte's ears, I don't go jn magazines with recktess tatk. I just do me. I'm not here to feud and go tit for tat with other rappers. I'm here to make good music, make some money, Beef just isn't one
of the things l'm in the game to do. lf I just wanted to beef with peopte, I coutd've stayed in the hood. There's no need for me to bring that etement to the game. That's not what l'm here for.
Do you think your fan base
tures, and races, going with your record label, Desert
Storm? The Desert Storm situation is coot. We have a business relationship but we atso have a friendship. Outside of the music, we coot. That's what hetps make the music even easier to make, just being coot on the other side of the stick. Our situation is great.
Your brother Paul Cain is a rapper too. ls he also signed to Desert Storm? Yeah, he has a situation with Desert Storm where they're just finding out whjch way they want to attack with him. lt's about having the perfect timing. They're figuring out everything and developing him as an artist. Do you think it's an advantage for you that you don't have a crew? Or did you ever want one? Not reatly. I haven't even studied
What do you think about Mase's return? A lot of people compared you to him when you first got
into the game. I was cuTious at first before I heard the music of how he woutd come back and what he was going to say. As time went on and I heard the music, the curiosity went away. After that there's nothing to
go with. He's doing his thing. I'm doing mine.
put my fan base in a box. I think my fans are a wide range of peopte. By the love I receive, it shows me that my fans come in atl different shapes, sizes, ages, backgrounds, cut"
it
that's who l'm with.
I
is mostly fe- think the simitarity came because when you're
mates? I wouldn't
How's
They may not be rappers but that's my family and
it. ljust
new, peopte assocjate you with things that are similar. lt's tike tasting a food Like frog Legs for the first time, you't[ say it tastes tike chicken.
Tell me about the other business ventures you're working on. We got a few things in the making. Got a liquor company we're about to do, and a clothing tine catted Rich Young that we're banking on, l'm reading scripts, tooking for the right part. Everything etse
just comes in as it comes, commercials and
stuff like that. How do you feel about the 5tate of hip-hop in general?
The industry is dojng welt. Peopte are making a tot of money atl over the board. Even other companies are starting to use hip-hop in ways to do things. You see rappers in commerciaLs, movies, clothing tines, sneaker lines. Hip-hop is definitety a bjg market. lt has a huge fottowing and it's a great way to market another product. I just don't want the game to get exploited by various companies who are just dipping into hip-hop to get their buyers and the generation that's assocjated with hjp-hop and they just jump back out of it whenever they feel tike it.
do my
thing and I make the music that I can make. I haven't even thought about it tike, I don't have a ctique, or, Maybe I need to go get a chque. As things come I handLe them accordingty. I don't feel pressure to have a ctique behind me for me to do wett, or for me to feel stabte or peopLe to took at me in a stabLe mode. My ctique is
my famiLy and crew who are with me everyday.
What about for you personally? Everything's been working good for me. l've been btessed. Fortunatety, I've had the chance to show" case my taLent. I think the music on this atbum is great. lt's going to be one of the atbums you remember, - Jessica Koslow, lovehiphop@aol.com
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