The Immersion: Going “Loso’s Way” With Fabolous Posted by Dharmic X on 02/28/13 | Filed under Opinion, The Immersion, Fabolous

Fabolous’s full catalog is likely slept on by this point, especially by a generation that probably merely views him as a punch line rapper with the occasional radio hit and a much-anticipated mixtape each year. The man had two platinum albums and major singles such as “Can’t Deny It” “Into You,” and of course, the banger “Breathe.”



When I entered tenth grade, “Make Me Better” could be heard EVERYWHERE. It was a major hit that revived a career that hadn’t been heard from in three years. Fabolous reentered the mainstream conversation again. I enjoyed that album, From Nothin to Somethin. While I thought “Make Me Better” was a pretty dope (albeit a tad cheesy), such as “Diamonds,” and “Brooklyn.”

For me, Fab was pretty dope at this point. He had a buttery smooth flow and was incredibly witty, his punchlines topping many of his peers’. At the same time, he was one of the few blatantly making singles pandering to radio which still sounded somewhat lyrical. “Throw it in the Bag”, the first single off “Loso’s Way,” was catchy yet not necessarily watered down, with the remix with Drake adding new flavor to the song. Songs started leaking left and right prior to the album coming out in the summer of 2009. Most of them were pretty dope.

I was excited for “Loso’s Way” to come out, and when it did, honestly, it didn’t disappoint. It was a mix of street anthems like “Lullaby,” “Salute,” and “My Time,” radio records like “Everything Everyday Everywhere” and “Throw it in the Bag,” and even some introspective stuff like “Money Goes, Honey Stay” and “Stay.”



“I’mma Do It” exemplifies some of Fab’s strengths when he is at his best. The beat, from DJ Khalil, has an anthemic feel, matched by the powerful hook from Kobe. Meanwhile, Loso goes in on three verses. He attacks the beat with panache, dropping wit like the opening bars from the second verse: “Who are you to tell me how to conduct myself, why don’t you practice safe sex and go fuck yourself?” What is most effective in this song is the repetition in the closing bar of each verse. On verse one and two, Fabolous says, “…Hold your head high and die, or live and duck, my attitude is celibate, I don’t give a fuck.” Once again, it’s a very powerful punchline, possibly the strongest of the song. On the closing verse, however, Fab says, “…Hold your head high and die, or live and duck, my attitude is virgin, still don’t give a fuck.” The manipulation of the line is extremely clever. I’mma Do It might be simple in meaning but it packs a punch in terms of style.

Meanwhile, much like “I’ll Still Kill” by 50 Cent, DJ Khalil’s longtime partner, Chace Infinite ended up making his own version of this song, as part of his “I Would Have Killed This” project. (NOTE: If you can find working links for these songs and this project, please send them over this way, preferably @DharmicX on Twitter). Chace’s version is naturally more dense in delivery and subject matter. Once again, it might have been a more substantive record, but there is no denying the appeal of the Fabolous record.

At the same time, the lack of substance has been the biggest problem plaguing Fab’s career. Sure, his earlier has commercial success, but he has thus far been unable to put together an album that can be considered “great,” let alone classic. The reason for this is that a lot of his songs are very formulaic and are easy to put into a box. Outside of his wit and punchlines, there is very little in the way of lyrical skill, and his flow is one-dimensional.

However, there was another album that came out in the summer of 2009 that showcased a much more diverse palette of lyricism…

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