b. John David Jackson, 18 November 1977, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. Jackson began recording in the late 90s under the Fabolous Sport moniker but enjoyed little recognition. He shot to fame in 2001 as the poster-boy of DJ Clue?'s new label, Desert Storm. Hired as much for his looks as his rapping ability, Fabolous was used by DJ Clue? to cash in on the popularity of the "bling-bling' mentality promoted by the fashionable Dirty South scene. His debut album featured a stellar list of producers and rappers, including the Neptunes, Timbaland, Ja Rule and Nate Dogg. The latter, one of the original G-funk vocalists, featured to great effect on Fabolous" breakthrough hit, "Can't Deny It'. Released in summer 2001, the single climbed to the upper reaches of the US pop charts. Ghetto Fabolous was a predictably tiresome affair, with the relentless materialism of the lyrics a fitting illustration of Fabolous" triumph of style over substance.
Despite reservations over his abilities, Fabolous has continued to enjoy success on the US charts with a string of hit singles and albums. Both "Into You" (featuring Tamia) and "Can't Let You Go' (featuring Lil" Mo and Mike Shorey) reached the mainstream Top 5 in 2003, and further Top 10 hits included "Breathe" (2004) and "Make Me Better" (2007). He has also released several mixtapes.
DISCOGRAPHY: Ghetto Fabolous (Elektra 2001)**, Street Dreams (Desert Storm/Elektra 2003)***, More Street Dreams Pt 2: The Mixtape (Desert Storm/Elektra 2003)***, Real Talk (Desert Storm/Atlantic 2004)***, Loso's Way: Rise To Power mixtape (Desert Storm 2006)**, From Nothin' To Somethin' (Desert Storm/Def Jam 2007)***, DJ Trigga Presents: Return Of The Hustler mixtape (Desert Storm 2007)**.

Encyclopedia of Popular Music
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