Ghetto Fabolous

Ghetto Fabolous is the debut studio album by American rapper Fabolous. The album was released on September 11, 2001, received mixed critical reviews, and was a commercial success. It reached number 4 on the US Billboard 200 with 143,180 copies sold and had three singles, which were all Rhythmic Top 40 and Billboard Hot 100 hits. The first of those singles is "Can't Deny It", produced by Rick Rock, and features a chorus by Nate Dogg that alters lyrics from 2Pac's "Ambitionz Az a Ridah". It reached number 25. The other charting singles are "Young'n (Holla Back)", produced by The Neptunes (number 33), and "Trade It All", featuring vocals from Jagged Edge and produced by DJ Clue and Duro. It reached number 20, becoming the highest-charting single from the album.[1] All three singles had supporting music videos.

Not to be confused with Ghetto fabulous.

Ghetto Fabolous
Studio album by Fabolous
Released	September 11, 2001
Recorded	2000–01
Genre	Hip hop, gangsta rap
Length	63:21
Label	Desert Storm, Elektra
Producer	DJ Clue, The Neptunes, Rockwilder, Timbaland, Rick Rock, Just Blaze, Duro, Omen, Rush Da Spyda, Armando Colon, DJ Envy, Mono
Fabolous chronology
Ghetto Fabolous (2001) Street Dreams (2003)
Singles from Ghetto Fabolous
"Can't Deny It" Released: June 19, 2001 "Young'n" Released: January 15, 2002

It sold over 1.05 million copies by 2003 as Billboard[2] has reported and it was certified Platinum on February 6, 2003, by the Recording Industry Association of America.[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
Entertainment Weekly	C[5]
HipHopDX	3.0/5[6]
Pitchfork	7.2/10[7]
RapReviews	6/10[8]
Rolling Stone	[9]

Rolling Stone writer Kris Ex noted how the album contained "by-the-numbers danceable bounces" and "predictable thug rhyme themes" throughout the track listing but said that, "Ghetto Fabolous is the most entertaining argument for hip-hop excess to come along in a while, due to Fab's ability to add lyrical twists and turns to the genre."[9] DeMarco Williams of HipHopDX gave praise to Fabolous' "dynamic presence" and "rhyming skills" being reminiscent of Jay-Z and Jadakiss, concluding that "if you can get over the fact that his tracks have no heart, it's well worth a cop."[6] Entertainment Weekly writer Craig Seymour commended Fab's "Mase-like flow" on "Keepin' It Gangsta" and "Can't Deny It" but found it "too one-dimensional" to elevate the rest of the track listing, saying "this hip-hop newcomer doesn't live up to his deliberately misspelled moniker."[5] Steve 'Flash' Juon of RapReviews highlighted the contributions from Timbaland, Rick Rock and DJ Envy as being "energetic and listenable" but felt that Fabolous was "vexing" as an artist for having a dated grab bag of references and DJ Clue lacking quality beats outside of "Trade It All" and "Ride for This", concluding that, "[T]he shame of this album is that by failing to make a huge dent, Fabolous ends up being lumped in with similar rappers like Jadakiss and Ma$e instead of dropping an industry bomb worthy of his star-studded name."[8]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Click & Spark"	John Jackson	DJ Clue, Duro	2:04
2.	"Keepin' It Gangsta"	Jackson	DJ Clue, Duro	4:07
3.	"Young'n (Holla Back)"	Jackson, Chad Hugo, Pharrell Williams	The Neptunes	3:26
4.	"Get Right"	Jackson, D. Stinson	Rockwilder	4:35
5.	"Ride for This" (featuring Ja Rule)	Jackson	DJ Clue, Duro	3:18
6.	"One Day"	Jackson	Omen	4:38
7.	"Trade It All" (featuring Jagged Edge)	Jackson	DJ Clue, Duro	3:44
8.	"Right Now & Later On"	Jackson, Timothy Mosley	Timbaland	4:00
9.	"Take You Home" (featuring Lil' Mo)	Jackson	DJ Clue, Duro	3:58
10.	"Get Smart"	Jackson	Rush Da Spyda	3:45
11.	"Can't Deny It" (featuring Nate Dogg)	Jackson, Nathaniel Hale, Rahiem Prince Thomas	Rick Rock	5:06
12.	"Ma' Be Easy"	Jackson, Justin Smith	Just Blaze	3:45
13.	"We Don't Give a Fuck"	Jackson	Armando Colon	3:17
14.	"Bad Guy" (featuring Pain in Da Ass)	Jackson	DJ Envy, Mono	2:59
15.	"Gotta Be Thug"		DJ Clue, Duro	3:58
16.	"If They Want It"		DJ Clue, Duro	4:39

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2001) Peak position US Billboard 200[10] 4 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[11] 2

Year-end charts Chart (2002) Position US Billboard 200[12] 200 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[13] 89

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[14]	Platinum	1,000,000^^
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1. "Fabolous Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-05-31.
2. "Articles/News - 50 Cent Overtakes Norah Jones At No. 1". Billboard. Retrieved 2013-12-10.
3. "Searchable Database - Search: Ghetto Fabolous". RIAA. Retrieved 2013-12-10.
4. Birchmeier, Jason. "Ghetto Fabolous - Fabolous". AllMusic. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
5. Seymour, Craig (September 21, 2001). "Ghetto Fabolous". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
6. Williams, DeMarco (October 2, 2001). "Fabolous - Ghetto Fabolous". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on February 18, 2001. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
7. Pierre, Alphonse (May 30, 2020). "Fabolous: Ghetto Fabolous". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
8. Juon, Steve 'Flash' (September 18, 2001). "Feature for September 18, 2001 - Fabolous' "Ghetto Fabolous"". RapReviews. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
9. Ex, Kris (October 1, 2001). "Ghetto Fabolous : Fabolous : Review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 3, 2008. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
10. "Fabolous Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
11. "Fabolous Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
12. "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2002". Billboard. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
13. "Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2002". Billboard. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
14. "American album certifications – Fabolous – Ghetto Fabolous". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.