Fabolous - Loso's Way Review

Posted by Michael James on 07.29.2009

It seems like just yesterday that Fabolous was breaking into the game against stacked odds. Now six albums in, he tackles the dreaded "concept album".

No one would have been surprised if Fabolous had joined a long list of artists unable to turn a hit single into a career. After all, his debut album Ghetto Fabolous was released on September 11, 2001, a day when Americans had bigger concerns than the “Can’t Deny It” rapper and also the day Jay-Z released the modern-day classic The Blueprint. Nonetheless, he has overcome the odds through a series of hit singles for both the gents (“Breathe”; “Brooklyn (feat. Jay-Z & Uncle Murda”) and the ladies (“Trade It All (feat. Jagged Edge)”; “Make Me Better feat. Ne-Yo”). Celebrating eight years in the game, Fab is back with Loso’s Way his sixth album (including the More Street Dreams, Pt. 2 “official mixtape”).



Track Listing:
1. The Way (Intro)
2. It’s My Time (feat. Jeremih)
3. Imma Do It (feat. Kobe)
4. Feel Like I’m Back
5. Everything, Everyday, Everywhere (feat. Keri Hilson)
6. Throw It in the Bag (feat. The Dream)
7. Money Goes, Honey Stay (When the Money Goes remix) (feat. Jay-Z)
8. Salute (feat. Lil Wayne)
9. There He Go (feat. Paul Cain, Red Café & Freck Billionaire)
10. The Fabolous Life (feat. Ryan Leslie)
11. Makin Love (feat. Ne-Yo)
12. Last Time (Gotta Go)(feat. Trey Songz)
13. Pachanga
14. Lullaby
15. Stay (feat. Marsha Ambrosius)
16. I Miss my Love

After I heard that Loso’s Way was intended as a concept album inspired by the Al Pacino flick Carlito’s Way, I was admittedly skeptical. Throughout his career Fab has been known more for his punchlines than his adept storytelling, so it remained to be seen whether he could pull off his own American Gangster. While the album lacks an overarching narrative, what’s more important is that it is a strong effort top-to-bottom, with even the weaker tracks being worthwhile.

Fab continues to prove that he can bring everyone to the table, seamlessly moving from club tracks to vivid crime tales, from sex raps to contemplative confessionals. He also proves to be the rare MC with enough charisma to carry an album on his own. Loso’s Way is light on the features, with most of the features limited to hook duty. The album starts off hard. On “The Way (Intro)” Fab comes out with a chip on his shoulder and spits venom at two-faced industry snakes. Never lacking for confidence, “It’s My Time (feat. Jeremih)” and “Imma Do It (feat. Kobe)” find Fab announcing to the world that he is taking the game back and there ain’t a damn thing we can do about it. The former, which may be my favorite track of the summer, combines a soaring hook, The Runners epic production and Fab’s typically witty punchlines (“N***as can’t measure up and try to blame it on the Pyrex.”)

More than any artist since LL Cool J, Fabolous has made smooth romance tracks without sacrificing street cred and Loso’s Way is no exception. It must be said that the album’s lead single “Throw It in the Air (feat. The Dream)” is unimaginative and the album’s weakest cut. The Christopher “Tricky” Stewart production is all tinkling keyboards and The Dream’s thin hook does nothing to help me figure out why exactly he’s famous. However, Fab hits his female friendly stride elsewhere with “Makin Love (feat. Ne-Yo),” which features smooth production from Jermaine Dupri and a sultry hook.

Loso’s Way isn’t all bubblebaths and baubles. The album closes with two standout tracks that only highlight Fab’s versatility. “Stay (feat. Marsha Ambrosious)” is a powerful examination of the effects of an absentee father on a son’s own approach to fatherhood. The production from Syience and Ambrosious’s hook provide a perfect accompaniment for Fab’s heartfelt lyrics (“I ask no questions, I ain’t even pry/Truthfully I wanted to, I can’t even lie/Like a canceled flight, that ain’t even fly/To just walk away like you ain’t even my/ like, like, like, I ain’t even your/I can’t even say it, I ain’t even sure.”) The album closing “I Miss My Love” is a vivid tale of crime and betrayal which features one of the best verses of Fab’s career:

"… Had a Washington Heights friend who bring that white in
Setup a meeting, her dude caught a flight in,
Sit down at Sole , popped a bottle of white then
Got straight to business like two corporate white men
The food came, before I could take a bite in
He said you the type I usually don’t invite in
But since we got a like friend, I could get you like 10
I told ‘em I could move like 10 by night’s end
Put the white over the plate like I’m throwin strikes in
El Duque got a dude in the UK, buy five bricks at a time 22k
He send the Euros, I send the puro, now that’s the real meaning of a foreign exchange
He smiled, then finished his glass of wine
There’s a van outside pull your S-Class behind
My man’ll pass a dime at one five a pop
Told shorty make the drop, don’t make no stops
I gave em a handshake, some dollas for the tab
Gave shorty the location, then I holla’d for a cab
I hit Mike, told em send a wire to the buyas
Word got round like we was passin’ out fliers
And them thing went as quick as they came
I’m back being a hustla, this chick is to blame”

Strangely, the few MCs who do drop guest verses on the album add little to the equation. Jay-Z is unfortunately limited to hook duty on “Money Goes, Honey Stay (When the Money Goes remix)”. On the posse cut “There He Go,” Fab and his Desert Storm clique go in on a thick, sinister beat courtesy of The Blackout Movement. While Red Café’s verse is strong and whets the appetite for a solo album that’s probably never going to come, Paul Cain and Freck Billionaire are entirely non-descript. Elsewhere, the requisite Lil Wayne feature “Salute” wastes an interesting beat crafted from marching band samples. Wayne’s verse is uneventful, and Fab’s verses feature his weakest punchlines (“I’m not a boxer, I’m a be brief n***a”; “I’m not that little pregnant white girl, but Juno…”) Fab is much better where he just goes for dolo, as where he describes his girl’s disappointment with his ability to separate himself from the streets on “Last Time (Gotta Go)(feat. Lloyd)”.

The missteps are few and far between on Loso’s Way. As a result, its clear that after nearly a decade in the game, Fabolous still deserves the accolades of the hip-hop nation.

If you’re like me, most of your music ends up in an endless .mp3 “shuffle.” In order to preserve your valuable disk space, here’s what’s Ipod-worthy from Loso’s Way:

Everything except “Throw It in the Bag”, “Salute”, “The Fabolous Life” and “Lullaby”

The 411: Fabolous may not follow through on the "concept" aspect of Loso's Way, but that's ultimately irrelevant. An almost entirely strong set of tracks, the album again showcases Fabolous's versatility as an MC. With something for everything, Loso's Way is a gem and one of the best hip-hop albums of 2009 so far.

Final Score:  8.0   [ Very Good ]