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Who favorited?[Review] Fabolous "Loso's Way"
by on August 12th, 2009
One of the toughest kind of albums to make for an artist is a concept album. While most casual listeners of hip hop might assume that this would be simple since you already have a built in topic. The concept album tends to lock an artist into a specific style,sound, subject area that can at times spell the doom of their project. In other words, if your going to make a concept album, make sure you do it right, and if you don't, everyone will notice just how bad it sounds. When Jay-Z decided to make a concept album inspired by American Gangster, fans all over were excited to hear the new music that Jay would be delivering through the eyes of a hardened drug king pin. No one will call American Gangster a classic, but it was definitely a solid effort. So when Fabolous another Brooklyn rapper said that he would be doing a concept album based off of Carlito's Way, the stage was set for what fans everywhere and everyone on the Defsounds staff felt was going to be a really good album. Well at least what we thought...
Production 7- The production is the best part of this album. The album is loaded with melody filled bass beats, with a little southern twinge. The style of production was built to be very hook friendly; while also tailored to fit Fab's smooth but hard flow. There are very few beats on this album that can be described as dark or edgy. The beats aren't all fast paced, but there is nothing that really lies on the slow and dark side. The beat selection is very friendly towards the radio, and many of the songs from the album could very well be radio singles, because of the production. You're not going hear to many other rappers jumping on these beats for a freestyle, but I wouldn't be surprised if a Ryan Leslie sang over one of these instrumentals.
Lyrics 7- Honestly Fab comes with more lyrical fire power on his mixtapes then on his album. He'll always have some standout lines, but the lyrical delivery for this album is about average, if not, maybe just a tad bit over... Nothing overwhelming. After hearing a rapper for several years, you expect one of three things to happen to his rhyming skills, either for it to grow gradually, and you have the opportunity to hear that growth in every album that comes out. For him to stay the same and you wonder if he'll ever jump over that hump, or for him to start to decline. Although Fab is far from being a rapper in the decline as far as lyrics are concerned, he does nothing that would convince me, or probably you, that he has taken his rhyming skills to the next level.
Songs 5- As a huge fan of Fabolous, I wanted with all of my heart, for this to be the album I knew it could be, but unfortunately Fabolous failed. The album was called Loso's Way and was supposed to be a concept album, it sounded more like a duets compilation. He failed to capture the mood of the gritty storyline he was working off of. He failed to even make it seem like he ever had intentions of staying on the concept that he decided on, so instead we have an album, that pretty much has nothing to do with what he said it would be about. I'm still trying to understand how someone can make their own target then totally miss it. There are way too many songs about love, and are way to many collabo's. Who wrote this album, Fabolous or The Dream. For the fan who just wants good music and does not care about the concepts this album is quite alright, but if you bought this album with plans to hear a certain kind of music, you like me will be very frustrated. It is undeniable there are a lot of enjoyable songs on this album, but if were talking about Loso's way, why are there so many tracks with R&B hooks. You don't put Jeremiah on a hard street song, birthday sex never sold drugs in the hood.
Conclusion 6- Fabolous has always been one of those artist who clearly has a lot of potential, but has never been able to put it all together and jump into the elite fraternity of rappers in the industry. He makes great mixtapes, but most of his albums leave fans scratching their heads trying to find out what happened to the music they heard when "There Is No Competition" was out. Loso's Way is another one of those albums that Fab misses the mark on. Unfortunately for him this more then any other album is completely his fault. He set his fans up for a certain sound, then produced something totally different, he showed no growth lyrically and honestly it makes you wonder if he has any control over his own project. If he doesn't call this a concept album, then its still not that above average, but you can give him some props for his attempt to give more of himself on some of the softer tracks, but the fact remains that he wanted to make a concept album based off of Carlito's way, and at the end of it all I cant help but feel I was listening to the Love Jones soundtrack. Maybe next time Fab.
If you have any comments for lyricalthought you can email him at lyricalthoughts@gmail.com
To see how albums are rated at defsounds check here.
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and this wasnt wat everybody expected but it was definetly worth the buy.
I MISS MY LOVE is my shit though! Great storytelling.
This is like the only song that actually went EXCELLENT with the whole concept. Go check it out.
The Point Is It’s A SOUNDTRACK TO HIS MOVIE Loso’s Way People. Not A Point To Point Concept Album Like American Gangster
Thats Y Its Called LOSO’s WAY & Not CARLITO’s WAY
This album official. Its the best one he had and he is just short of an classic album. I like good music. Maybe the concept was the duets and love songs, ever think of that. That is what his life is more about rather then gunplay and drugs. Yea nigga’s like Jay can write that cause thats what his life consist of (way back when) but Loso was not. So stop hating on the man’s album and just ride with it. GREAT ALBUM in my OPINION!
I remeber the days when I used to listen to a FAB track and feel like I was “choking on a chicken bone” because I just couldn’t BREATHE………..and THATS real talk!!!
I’m starting to think the reviewer is right…He DOESN’T have control over his albums AT ALL……………..The people who cut his checks have noticed that he gets alot of commercial success from making “chick songs” (throw it in the bag, super woman, etc…) so thats ALL they LET him do….Songs for the Bitches……………….
Now I see what cats like Master P, Every artist from Houston, and all the rappers on KOCH say it’s much better to go the INDEPENDENT route with this music shit because you have much more control….CREATIVE control that is………….
JUST LIKE AS SOON AS JADA WENT ON A MAJOR LABEL (THE ROC) HE WENT SUPER MAINSTREAM………THE LAST KISS NEEDED ALOT LESS MARY J BLIGE ON IT, AND ALOT MORE DEATHWISH…………imo….
This Dude Know Whats Gon Hit The Charts N Whats Not & Ladies Actually Go Out N Cop Albums. So What Would U Do?
He Put Out 2 Mixtapes Of Some Of The Sickest Material He Ever Put Out (See There Is No Competition) If “Real Talk” Actually Would’ve Sold I Think He Would’ve Def Kept Goin Wit It
he didnt follow the concept at all, he should have just called it “the Fabolous Life” or something like that, it had nothing to do with the concept of Carlitos Way at all
but it was a good album, i would give it a 7 or 8 but imma say 6 or 7 cause im disappointed in Fab
Who da fuck is mims? Oh you mean the 1 hit wonder?
You can’t replace some1, if your not in the game anymore…
So tell me, where da fuck is mims these days?
I remeber the days when I used to listen to a FAB track and feel like I was “choking on a chicken bone” because I just couldn’t BREATHE………..and THATS real talk!!!
I’m starting to think the reviewer is right…He DOESN’T have control over his albums AT ALL……………..The people who cut his checks have noticed that he gets alot of commercial success from making “chick songs” (throw it in the bag, super woman, etc…) so thats ALL they LET him do….Songs for the Bitches……………….
Now I see what cats like Master P, Every artist from Houston, and all the rappers on KOCH say it’s much better to go the INDEPENDENT route with this music shit because you have much more control….CREATIVE control that is………….
JUST LIKE AS SOON AS JADA WENT ON A MAJOR LABEL (THE ROC) HE WENT SUPER MAINSTREAM………THE LAST KISS NEEDED ALOT LESS MARY J BLIGE ON IT, AND ALOT MORE DEATHWISH…………imo….
ttp://sthamogul.defsounds.com/posts/555_Losos_way_an_official_review
okay you rate the songs a Songs 5? wtf every song on there is a banger from start till end i would say the only skip is the ones already herd on the radio it should be 7
its pretty obvious you trying to be to hard for yourself so what some of his songs have ppl singing? he kills every song lyrical thats what it all about right? the lyrics so statement you made was crappy especially if your names Lyricalthought
So According to Lyricalthought if you have a lil singing in your songs you are falling off stop trying to be a tuff guy when your not besides whats wrong with lil singing? jay-z does it alot in some of on his albums and no one says nothing he still makes classics
overall i would give it a 8.5
poor review
BTW American Gangster (very close to classic status) is still in my cd rotation.
he was better off to just kill the whole concept thing instead of having an incomplete concept
I’m a huge Fab fan a real day 1 fan…and ANY TRUE DAY ONE Fan would agree…
He swung and missed on this one.
Peace!
And lyricalthought that ‘birthday sex never sold drugs in the hood.’ line had me dying lmao… Good shit, and made very good points.
if u thought the album was better than this review, you failed to grasp the concept of a concept album.
American Gangster wasn’t exactly a bullseye but it was a helluva lot more accurate than Loso’s Way.