My 6th grade teacher was this really old guy who was one of the nicest teachers I ever had, but he was terrible at his job. He let us pretty much do whatever we wanted and then would give us the answers to all the tests and would give us homework and have us do it in class and would also give us the answers to that. So during his lectures, I would have my hood on and spend time listening to my CDs. Yeah bro, on a CD player. Mom didn't let me listen to music with the Parental Advisory sticker, so I had to get my CDs from Way-Mart where they had the clean versions. I had probably saved up some lunch money and told my mom I needed to go get this new Fabolous album. Fabolous Street Dreams March 4, 2003 So while my teacher is talking about science or something, I was vibing in my own little world to Fabolous back when he was young and hungry. For a young kid who didn't really know what "Street Dreams" were, Fab was there to teach me about a life I never knew about. In his second studio album, he showed sides of his versatility that would give us a glimpse of his future, while maintaining that street sound that he learned in the streets of Brooklyn. Right from the beginning, Fab tells you that he really doesn't give a fuck what you think about him on a song properly titled "Not Give a F**k." He was old enough to know better, but young enough to not give a fuck. I remember singing along with the clean version and filling it in with the bad words in my head, (Sorry mama) and thinking that I actually knew what he was talking about. "Cuz when the truck stop, the rims still look like they on fast forward," and I was like Oh yeah he right! Ridin Spinnaz hoe! The features on here were sick. He had some of hip-hops all time favorites with Missy Elliot, Snoop Dogg, Jadakiss, Jagged Edge, Mary J. Blige, and Diddy. "Keepin' it Gangsta" is one of my all-time favorite Fabolous songs. It just really reminds me of playing basketball on the playground, trying to try all the crazy shots that Allen Iverson used to shoot. Making a shot and turning to my friends like "Y'ALL KNOW WHOOOOO KEEPIN' IT GANGSTAAAA!" Middle school is really started to like girls, and was still trying to learn what relationships were all about. So listening to "Trade It All" made me feel like I knew what girls wanted. "But life gets gruesome, Even though I got the kinda bread that won't matter if a few crumbs are blown; Flights I don' flew some alone, Now I wanna wake up every day with you in a new number zone" In no way was that line relatable to an 11-year old, but I'm sure at that time I believe it did. Where was I going to fly to with a girl at that time? I didn't have any bread besides on the sandwich my mom made for me for lunch. But his bars were so hard that I still felt it. This album had everything I needed to get through all those boring class lectures, and gave me the ability to get lost in the Street life, or so I thought. I still listen to Fab to this day, his new shit even more than his old shit. Even if you can't relate to his life or his words, he still finds a way to put those words into art that can be appreciated. Just like in real life, you may not understand where people are coming from or why they are the way they are, but if you take time to hear their story you may just learn something about yourself. Fabolous is a legend, and he should be respected as such. Here is a slept on banger
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Anthony VallesterosJust a man trying to make the most of his time on this planet. Categories
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